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The Complete Guide to Fasting by Dr. Jason Fung & Jimmy Moore Review: A Comprehensive, Science-Backed Fasting Manual
Dr. Jason Fung and Jimmy Moore's The Complete Guide to Fasting is a health and wellness reference book published by Victory Belt Publishing in 2016, designed to explain the science behind fasting and provide structured protocols — from intermittent fasting to alternate-day and extended fasting — along with a 7-Day Kick-Start Fasting Plan and 20 accompanying recipes. This review is based on the book's contents and published reception, not hands-on use.
Tap to enlargeLuvemBooks Verdict
Best for
Readers who want a single, clinically informed reference covering the full spectrum of fasting protocols — from 16:8 intermittent windows to extended fasts — and who appreciate a book that pairs the physiological rationale with an actionable kick-start plan and recipes.
Worth it if
You want both the science behind fasting and a concrete, structured entry point — particularly if you're drawn to a co-authored perspective that blends a practicing nephrologist's clinical experience with an accessible health-communicator voice.
Skip if
You're looking for a tightly focused guide to a single fasting method, or you find a co-authored format that shifts between clinical analysis and personal-experience narrative harder to follow as a unified text.
What readers & critics say
A blogger at pecheyponderings.wordpress.com awarded the book nine stars, crediting both Fung and Moore with opening their eyes to the practical and life-changing benefits of fasting. On Audible, listener commentary highlights the book's strength in combining practical implementation guidance with easy-to-understand explanations of the science behind how the body uses energy, while a reviewer at brettlore.com notes that Chapter 1 is "quite a good introduction to intermittent fasting," though flagging that Moore's introductory section runs overlong and some early material is "eminently skippable."
Sources: Pechey Ponderings, Audible, BrettLore.com4.6from 12,534 Amazon ratings— reader ratings, not a LuvemBooks score
Look inside the book
Preview the actual pages, via Google BooksIn This Review
- What Works & What Doesn't
- What the Book Actually Is and Contains
- The Authors' Credentials and Their Roles
- Scope and Structure: Why It Stands Apart in a Crowded Field
- Reception and Reader Response
- Who It Is For and Where It Has Limits
What Works & What Doesn't
What Works
- Covers the full spectrum of fasting protocols — 16:8, 20:4, alternate-day, and extended fasting — in a single, structured reference
- Co-authored by a practicing nephrologist with documented clinical experience applying fasting protocols, lending medical credibility to the guidance
- Includes a 7-Day Kick-Start Fasting Plan and 20 recipes, providing readers with an actionable entry point beyond pure theory
- Published reader commentary consistently praises the balance of science-backed explanation and practical, accessible implementation guidance
- Jimmy Moore's background as a health communicator and podcaster helps translate clinical content for a general-audience readership
What Doesn't
- Readers seeking a single, narrowly focused fasting protocol may find the book's broad multi-method scope more expansive than their immediate needs
- The co-authored format — shifting between clinical analysis from Dr. Fung and personal-experience narrative from Moore — may not suit readers who prefer a single, uniform voice throughout
This review covers the book's contents and published reception; it does not reflect hands-on application of its protocols.
What the Book Actually Is and Contains
Interior page with quotation about fasting as therapeutic approach, emphasizing proper implementation over caloric restriction.
The Complete Guide to Fasting: Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, Alternate-Day, and Extended Fasting is a health reference book co-authored by Toronto-based nephrologist Dr. Jason Fung and international bestselling author and health podcaster Jimmy Moore, published by Victory Belt Publishing on October 18, 2016. The book's central argument is that fasting — framed as an ancient, time-tested practice rather than a novel diet trend — is a key element in nutritional health that most people have overlooked. It covers the full spectrum of fasting approaches, including the 16:8 and 20:4 intermittent fasting windows, alternate-day fasting, and longer extended fasts. Practical support material is built in: a 7-Day Kick-Start Fasting Plan is included alongside 20 recipes, giving readers a structured on-ramp rather than a purely theoretical introduction.
The Authors' Credentials and Their Roles
The division of labor between the two authors is meaningful context for any prospective reader. Dr. Fung brings clinical authority: he earned his medical degree at the University of Toronto, completed his internal medicine residency there, and then pursued a fellowship in nephrology at UCLA. According to the publisher's description, he has applied a variety of fasting protocols with more than 1,000 patients. Jimmy Moore contributes from the practitioner-and-communicator side — he is the author of multiple health books and a veteran health podcaster whose strength, as one Audible listener noted, lies in pairing practical advice with accessible explanations of the science behind how the body uses energy. The combination positions the book as both clinically informed and accessible to a general audience.
Scope and Structure: Why It Stands Apart in a Crowded Field
The publisher's framing is direct: while thousands of books address weight loss and diet, few have centered fasting itself as the primary subject. By dedicating an entire volume to explaining what fasting is, why it matters physiologically, and how to execute different protocols safely, Fung and Moore carved out a distinct niche. The book is designed to address the full range of fasting durations rather than advocating a single method, which gives readers the framework to match a protocol to their own goals and circumstances. The inclusion of a structured kick-start plan and recipes means the book is built to move readers from concept to action, not merely to inform.
Reception and Reader Response
Reader response, as reflected in published commentary, has been notably enthusiastic. One blogger, writing at pecheyponderings.wordpress.com, awarded the book nine stars and credited both Fung and Moore with opening their eyes to the practical and life-changing benefits of fasting. On Audible, where the audiobook is narrated by Jimmy Moore himself, listener commentary highlights the book's ability to combine practical implementation guidance with science-backed explanations — described as clear and easy to understand. This pattern of reception — readers praising both the scientific grounding and the practical accessibility — appears consistently across published commentary, suggesting the book has found its intended audience effectively.
Who It Is For and Where It Has Limits
As a functional reference book, The Complete Guide to Fasting is designed for readers who want both the physiological rationale for fasting and a concrete plan to begin. Readers seeking a single, narrowly defined protocol may find the multi-method scope broader than they need, though the kick-start plan does provide a clear default starting point. Because this is ultimately a practical health guide, readers with specific medical conditions should, as with any dietary intervention, consult a healthcare provider before applying its protocols — a consideration the book's clinical framing does not eliminate. Readers who enjoy data-driven health writing and are comfortable with a co-authored voice that shifts between clinical analysis and personal-experience narrative are the most natural fit for this title.
Frequently Asked Questions
is The Complete Guide to Fasting: Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, Alternate-Day, by Dr. Jason Fung, Jimmy Moore worth reading
If you want both the science behind fasting and a concrete plan to actually start, this book is a strong pick — readers across published commentary consistently praise how Dr. Jason Fung and Jimmy Moore balance clinical grounding with practical accessibility. The main caveat is that the scope is deliberately broad, covering everything from 16:8 intermittent fasting to extended fasts, so readers who only want one narrowly defined protocol may find it more than they need — though the included 7-Day Kick-Start Fasting Plan gives a clear default starting point.
What is this book actually about
The book argues that fasting — framed as an ancient, time-tested practice rather than a diet trend — is a key but widely overlooked element of nutritional health, and it walks through the full spectrum of approaches including the 16:8 and 20:4 intermittent fasting windows, alternate-day fasting, and longer extended fasts. Beyond the science, it's built to move readers from concept to action, with a 7-Day Kick-Start Fasting Plan and 20 recipes included alongside the physiological explanations.
Does this book actually work
The review doesn't reflect hands-on application of the protocols, so a direct verdict on results isn't possible here. What the review does note is that Dr. Jason Fung applied various fasting protocols with more than 1,000 patients according to the publisher, and reader commentary — including one blogger at pecheyponderings.wordpress.com who awarded it nine stars — credits the book with opening their eyes to "practical and life-changing benefits of fasting," suggesting it resonates strongly with readers who follow through.
Is this book good for beginners
Yes — the co-author pairing is specifically designed for accessibility, with Jimmy Moore contributing practical advice and clear explanations of how the body uses energy alongside Dr. Jason Fung's clinical authority as a Toronto-based nephrologist. An Audible listener highlighted that the audiobook (narrated by Jimmy Moore himself) is "clear and easy to understand," and the 7-Day Kick-Start Fasting Plan gives beginners a structured on-ramp rather than leaving them to figure out where to start.
Who wrote this book and are they qualified
Dr. Jason Fung is a nephrologist who earned his medical degree at the University of Toronto, completed his internal medicine residency there, and did a nephrology fellowship at UCLA — and according to the publisher has applied fasting protocols with more than 1,000 patients. Jimmy Moore is an international bestselling author and veteran health podcaster who brings the communicator's skill of making science accessible, which is why the reviewer describes the combination as both "clinically informed and accessible to a general audience."
Is this book safe to follow if i have a medical condition
The reviewer explicitly flags this as a key caveat: because this is ultimately a practical health guide, readers with specific medical conditions should consult a healthcare provider before applying its protocols — and the book's clinical framing doesn't eliminate that need. Dr. Jason Fung's background as a nephrologist gives the book medical credibility, but that's not a substitute for personalized medical advice.
Is this book similar to other fasting or diet books
The publisher's own framing positions it as distinctly different: while thousands of books address weight loss and diet broadly, very few center fasting itself as their primary subject across its full range of durations. Rather than advocating a single method, Dr. Jason Fung and Jimmy Moore give readers a framework to match a protocol — whether 16:8, alternate-day, or extended fasting — to their own goals, which the reviewer says carved out a genuine niche in the health reference space.
Sources & Further Reading
The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.
- Cited in this review
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- Further reading
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