Sign in with Facebook
Cindi Seal's Reviews > The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss
The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss
by
by
Dr. Fung does a great job convincing that insulin and insulin resistance cause weight gain (as opposed to the overly simplistic and flawed calorie deficit model); however I was disappointed when reaching the end of the book. I understand no one book or person will have the answer/cure for obesity, but reading the recommendations for fasting, only to find that weight loss differs from person to person using this method and that there are plateaus using fasting made me raise my eyebrow. If he is claiming that reducing insulin will lead to weight loss and that fasting reduces insulin and increases insulin sensitivity, then it should follow that reducing insulin through fasting should work more consistently and across the board; else explain WHY this is not the case. And if fasting has the same susceptibility to being thwarted by the body's tendency towards homeostasis, then how is it really any better than other methods which are also vulnerable to the same thing? Why not push anti-homeostasis methods in general (I.e. When weight loss stalls, change the routine, etc.)? Additionally, the book was lacking evidence of the long term efficacy of intermittent fasting. If you are touting a particular method for weight loss, apply the same scrutiny to that method that you applied to the others you destroyed earlier and show that it holds up (in particular, showing that it stands the test of time; long term -- > 5, 10 years -- weight loss and normal weight maintenance.) Lastly, I was a bit surprised that he did not address the elephant in the room: anorexia. I think it would benefit him to at least address this and caution against fasting for those who may be particularly susceptible to eating disorders (or at least be medically supervised, if so.) Beyond these criticisms, the book contains a lot of useful information, and I believe he makes a lot of successful arguments against past tropes of dietary advice for weight loss.
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read
The Obesity Code.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
Finished Reading
May 30, 2017
– Shelved
Comments Showing 1-2 of 2 (2 new)
date
newest »
newest »
What is anorexia have to do with intermittent fasting? 🤔 these are two totally different things
As for anorexia, I actually don't understand how anyone could consider this "the elephant in the room". When I first decided to fast for health reasons (including greater mental efficiency) my mother assumed I was suddenly at risk of anorexia, despite me being an extremely active 6ft tall man weighing 90kg of which is about 12% body fat.
I may sound like I'm talking myself up here, but the point I'm making is that these things are fundamentally determined by what motivates them. I fast to feel good, reduce the risk of cancer (autophagy) and insulin resistance, and to allow my body some respite from all the food it's constantly processing.
I do not fast over an insecurity over body image, which is the central driver of anorexia, and neither would anyone else interested in fasting for the HEALTH benefits of it. Everyone knows anorexics are unhealthy because they keep their bodies in a state of constant malnutrition and poor health is not what motivates people interested in the type of fasting Dr Fung is talking about.
Saying your concerned a health focused fasting regimen could lead to anorexia is like being concerned that a Dr recommending exercise could put a patient at risk of becoming a steroid abusing sufferer of “bigorexia” (muscle dysmorphia).