• The Obesity Code

  • Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss
  • By: Dr. Jason Fung
  • Narrated by: Brian Nishii
  • Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (19,772 ratings)

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The Obesity Code

By: Dr. Jason Fung
Narrated by: Brian Nishii
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Publisher's summary

Everything you believe about how to lose weight is wrong. Weight gain and obesity are driven by hormones - in everyone - and only by understanding the effects of insulin and insulin resistance can we achieve lasting weight loss.

In this highly listenable and provocative book, Dr. Jason Fung sets out an original, robust theory of obesity that provides startling insights into proper nutrition. In addition to his five basic steps - a set of lifelong habits that will improve your health and control your insulin levels - Dr. Fung explains how to use intermittent fasting to break the cycle of insulin resistance and reach a healthy weight - for good.

©2016 Jason Fung (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

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There is a PDF, Folks

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I keep seeing reviews on Audible stating "it would be nice to have the charts, forms, list, etc. the author keeps referring to". Yes they're included here! Look at your purchase list, and underneath the books that include a pdf you will find a link to click. You can then download reference material for your book. I wish Audible would do a better job showing this! Click on Library, then My books, and then look for the links underneath the book purchased.

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1,475 people found this helpful

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YES!! Finally. The book I've been searching for!!

I am not a doctor, nutritionist or science major. I'm just a middle-age female who has struggled with weight for the past 15 years. I have a genuine interest in biology, epigenetics, nutrition and disease prevention. I have literally read or listened to every single book published out there on those subjects. Some are good, some are bad. And all of them center around this false notion that eating the right amount or specific kinds of various macros are the key to losing weight. Don't get me wrong - some of those diets and eating plans work - in the short term. Once I even lost 30 lbs and found a love of trail running. But every single stinkin' time the weight loss would be only temporary, and it would come back on within months. I was the quintessential yo-yo dieter who people assumed went on ice cream eating binges when I definitely did not. No one ever explained set-point, or the reason why weight comes back. Dr. Fung explains the body's homeostasis so well and with such great analogies that it was like a big, bright lightbulb going off. I'm excited to begin a new journey of sustained weight loss. This time around, instead of cutting out entire food groups or focusing on macros, I bought a blood sugar monitor and will aim to lower my blood sugar and insulin levels by experimenting with the right foods and diet for me. I discovered that Greek Yogurt -- the supposed health food that almost every diet book applauds as being great for weight loss -- spikes my blood sugar (and presumably, my insulin) considerably. But a snack of Ezekiel bread and peanut butter (gasp... actual BREAD?) didn't affect my blood sugar much at all. After years of wondering if tweaking and lowering my calories by another 100 on My Fitness Pal app would help me break my plateau, I finally have real answers. (And for the record, Dr. Fung insists that answer is NO.) The narrator was fabulous, and all around I'm declaring that I don't need to listen to another weight loss book ever again. This is a God-send!

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We'll see, but .... why is this not common knowledge.

I am morbidly obese and have steadily worked at losing weight. I had a nutritionalist (who wasn't covered under my insurance and I was paying out of pocket) tell me IF I was being honest in my food journal that I should be losing weight. I obeyed the rules....just didn't have the code. My weight is finally going down after years - YEARS- of obesity.

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Waste of money and time

This book is the most padded book I have ever read. It essentially says.: Eat less sugar and refined carbs. Eat less processed food. Drink Apple cider vinegar in water. Exercise is good but doesn't help weight loss. Fat and coffee are good. Fast. There, I saved you 15 dollars and 15 hours of listening to the same things over and over.

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Compelling Argument about Managing Weight

It was a big surprise that a book on weight loss would inspire me to submit a review. But after a lifetime of hearing about can't miss diet plans that ultimately backfire - sometimes with health consequences, it is nice to hear solid researched arguments that support a diet plan that has already been around for centuries.

Insulin resistance is the villain in our lives that leads to weight gain or a set point weight that puts us in the overweight camp. Caloric reduction, eating small amounts often, the necessity of a large breakfast and many more unsuccessful approaches are not panaceas, and may end of doing more harm than good.

Dr. Fung tells us that fasting is the answer. He busts some of the myths you hear about the dangers of this dieting approach. The one that had my attention was how the muscles were first broken down before fat was used when fasting.

But, don't take my word for it, you need to hear the persuasive evidence based research pleasantly presented to you by a top notch narrator.

Who knew - a diet book - and I was never bored.

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Outstanding

Best book on obesity and fat loss I've ever read. Notice how Fung of not trying to sell you anything? That's how you know that the thesis presented is legit. I've been doing Warrior Diet and OMAD IF for 3 weeks, am down 7lbs, and feel great. This is how I am going to eat for life. Read/listen to this book, it is life-changing.

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This book literally saved my life

I stumbled upon this book in July, 2017. At the time I was 370 pounds, T2 diabetic, and miserable. 8 months later I am down 100 pound and my H1C has corrected from 8.7 to 5.4 -- i.e. no longer diabetic. These days I feel amazing all the time, razor sharp mental clarity, improved energy, joints, skin, sleep, mood. I no longer crave foods like before, and 8 months into eating this way I have zero diet fatigue -- in fact, I enjoy eating more than I did before!

Looking back, I find it amazing how bad I was before. And all because of poor eating habits.

Dr. Fung lays out the case for why we are fat and how to regain control of our lives. He describes the science in detail, but also presents it in a way that is accessible to the masses, with plenty of crystal clear analogies. If you are dealing with chronic disease, particularly T2D, fatty liver, or obesity, you MUST read this book and give it a try.

I am now a member of a local Facebook group dedicated to helping people learn and adapt to Fung's approach. Just through word of mouth, this group has grown to 1700 members in a year, and has dozens of posts per day from people who have regained control of their health and their lives. And Fung's plan is the foundation.

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the Bible of weight loss abd diebetes control.

Great book. Very informative. A must for diabetics. Get one for your doctor and make them read it. Insulin drives weight gain, wish I knew this as a kid.

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Interesting science but.. (spoiler alert)

Any additional comments?

Insulin causes weight gain -- that's the message that the author repeats over and over.
Here's the whole book
- a bunch of evidence that (assuming you agree with the author's interpretation) confirms that insulin causes weight gain
- High level only guidance on what to eat (avoid sugars and overly processed foods)
- To really lose weight, you should fast frequently. This key message of the book is condensed into a few pages (or minutes of listening).

Note: despite the author's love of evidence to dispel previous diet pillars, he provides little to no evidence to support the efficacy of fasting other than the obvious, if you don't eat, you can't spike insulin. He provides no specific strategies on how long and how often you should fast and he doesn't site any studies on the long term benefits of fasting.

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Good book, but......

This is a very good book if you want to know the work done on obesity. The narrator is awesome! Very easy to listen to and follow. The problem i have is that I'm not sure about information accuracy. For example, author talks about the women's health initiative and explains the study and the results. However, when I went back to the literature and read the actual study, I found out that the results were the complete opposite to the author's narrative, I'm not sure if I dig deeper would the same hold for other examples.

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