
The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss
by Jason Fung
At a glance
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for
Motivated general readers who feel let down by conventional dieting advice and want a systematic, physician-authored hormonal framework for understanding weight gain, presented with clinical references but without specialist jargon.
Worth it if
You're willing to follow an extended, multi-part argument — from epidemiological history through to practical guidance — and appreciate a coherent alternative theory of obesity even if it sits outside mainstream scientific consensus.
Skip if
You need a book whose recommendations reflect broad clinical consensus, or you're already familiar with the research literature and want a balanced survey of competing obesity models rather than one persuasively argued position.
What readers & critics say
Diagnosis Diet praises Fung's writing for striking "just the right balance" between clinical rigour and general readability, calling it a crossover success that convinces sceptical physicians without overwhelming lay readers. Red Pen Reviews, however, awards the book a modest scientific accuracy score, finding that its three core claims are poorly supported or exaggerated and that the carbohydrate-insulin model, while real, is a minority view "not well-enough established to warrant the strong claims" Fung makes.
Sources: Diagnosis Diet, Red Pen ReviewsLook inside the book
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- Is it worth reading?
- For readers who feel that conventional dieting advice has failed them, The Obesity Code offers a coherent, physician-authored alternative framework that goes well beyond simplistic 'eat less, move more' guidance. Its six-part structure rewards readers willing to follow an extended argument across multiple sections, and its combination of accessible writing, referenced sourcing, and a systematic hormonal theory of weight gain makes it a substantive entry in popular nutrition literature. Those who already follow the research literature should note that Red Pen Reviews characterizes Fung's carbohydrate-insulin model as a minority view, and the book is best read alongside sources representing the full range of scientific opinion.
- Similar books
- Readers drawn to The Obesity Code will find natural companions in The Complete Guide to Fasting by Dr. Jason Fung and Jimmy Moore, which expands directly on the intermittent fasting framework introduced here. Good Energy by Casey Means MD and Calley Means similarly challenges mainstream metabolic health assumptions, while Outlive by Peter Attia MD engages with longevity, metabolism, and preventive medicine from a rigorous physician-authored perspective. For a contrasting dietary philosophy, How Not to Diet by Michael Greger MD FACLM or The China Study by T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell offer well-documented alternative frameworks. Salt Sugar Fat by Michael Moss and In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan round out the broader conversation about how the food environment has shaped health outcomes.
- Who should read this?
- The Obesity Code is best suited to motivated general readers who feel that conventional dieting advice has repeatedly failed them and who want a systematic, physician-authored explanation for why. Its six-part structure rewards readers willing to work through an extended argument rather than skip to a meal plan. Readers already familiar with the research literature on obesity and metabolic health will recognize Fung's thesis as one significant position in an ongoing scientific debate, and may want supplementary reading. Those seeking recommendations that reflect broad clinical consensus may find the book a provocative but incomplete picture.
- About Jason Fung
- Peter Daou is a Lebanese-American political activist, musician, and author.
- How does this compare to The Complete Guide to Fasting?
- The Obesity Code functions as the theoretical foundation, building the hormonal case for why intermittent fasting works by establishing the insulin-driven model of obesity from the ground up. The Complete Guide to Fasting, co-authored by Dr. Jason Fung and Jimmy Moore, moves further into practical protocols and implementation. Readers looking for the 'why' behind fasting will find The Obesity Code the more essential starting point; those already persuaded and seeking the 'how' may find The Complete Guide to Fasting more immediately actionable.
- How scientifically credible is it?
- The Obesity Code is a referenced, evidence-cited argument written by a practicing nephrologist, and it draws on real research aligned with the carbohydrate-insulin model also associated with obesity researcher David Ludwig, MD, PhD. However, Red Pen Reviews — which subjects nutrition books to structured scientific scrutiny — concludes that while some researchers accept insulin as a primary driver of obesity, it is 'a minority view that is hard to reconcile with the evidence as a whole,' and that the theory is 'not well-enough established to warrant the strong claims' Fung makes. The book's persuasive clarity can make contested hypotheses read as settled consensus, so readers are best served by treating it as one well-argued position in an active scientific debate.
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Age & Reading Level
Recommended age
Adult
Reading level
Adult
Skip if you want dietary recommendations that reflect broad clinical consensus rather than a minority scientific model.
Editorial Review
Published by Greystone Books in 2016, The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss is a science-based non-fiction guide by practicing physician and New York Times-bestselling author Dr. Jason Fung, with a foreword by Timothy Noakes. Fung's central argument rejects the conventional "calories in, calories out" model, proposing instead that obesity is a hormonal disorder driven by persistently high insulin levels and insulin resistance — and that intermittent fasting is a key lever for correcting it. The book is structured across six parts, moving from the history of the obesity epidemic through a dismantling of what Fung calls nutritional "myths," and into his proposed hormonal model and practical framework. It is a landmark title in the low-carbohydrate and intermittent-fasting conversation, though its core thesis sits at the contested edge of nutrition science.
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