The Obesity Code aims to clear up myths on weight loss, and provide a simple formula for long term success. Below I’ll discuss aspects from the book, including an example diet plan at the bottom.
Since writing The Obesity Code Jason has followed up with The Diabetes Code (aimed at helping people prevent or reverse type 2 diabetes), and The Complete Guide to Fasting (which covers intermittent and extended fast details).

Jason Fung – Author of The Obesity Code
Table of Contents
Hormonal Roots of Obesity
Jason suggests that to understand weight loss requires understanding the hormonal roots of obesity. He explains that the hormone insulin is the key driver of obesity. Therefore obesity is a hormonal, not a caloric imbalance. He recommends we focus on two key areas:
- What to eat
- When to eat
What to Eat & What Not to Eat
What to Eat?
The book doesn’t tell you specifically each and every food you should eat. Instead Jason outlines some general principles for eating:
- Reduce intake of refined grains and sugars
- Moderate protein consumption
- Increase natural fats
- Maximize protective factors such as fiber and vinegar
- Choose only natural, unprocessed foods.
What Not to Eat?
Jason mentions a few specific examples of what not to eat:
- Sugar – Don’t add it to anything you eat or drink. Check food & drink labels to ensure sugar hasn’t been added to anything you buy. See below for other common names of sugar*.
- Snacks – Jason recommends you cut out all snacks between meals. Constant stimulation of insulin leads to insulin insensitivity.
- Sauces – Barbecue, plum, honey garlic, hoisin, sweet & sour and other dipping sauces contain large amounts of sugar. As do commercial salad dressings and ketchup.
- Candy – It probably goes without saying that chocolate and sweets should be avoided completely (except for dark chocolate that’s 70% cacao content or greater).
- Desserts – these are generally high in sugar and should be avoided. Replace with seasonal fruits (optionally with whipped cream) or dark chocolate. Save less healthy desserts for special occasions, but don’t make them a regular occurrence.
*Other common names for sugar are sucrose, glucose, fructose, maltose, dextrose, molasses, hydrolyzed starch, honey, inverted sugar, cane sugar, glucose-fructose, high fructose corn syrup, brown sugar, corn sweetener, rice/corn/cane/maple/malt/golden/palm syrup and agave nectar. Don’t let manufacturers trick you into consuming excess sugar under the guise of a different name.
Then in regard to the highly glycemic, popular staples; bread, pasta, potatoes and cereals…
Bread & Pasta – Jason suggests the consumption of bread and pasta should be minimized for a number of reasons:
- Low nutritional value (processing removes most fibre and vitamins)
- High glycemic effect (big increase in blood glucose level, which then requires a spike in insulin to regulate it)
- Easy to over consume & may be addictive
Rice – Jason notes that many Asian populations have eaten diets based on highly refined white, polished, rice. Yet, until recently, obesity and diabetes remained rare in these populations. It has only been since they added sugars and processed foods to their diet, that obesity and diabetes have become rampant. This shows us that it’s possible to consume white rice and stay healthy. However, for those looking to lose weight, white rice is highly glycemic, and should be minimized.
Potatoes – Jason notes that potatoes are highly glycemic and consumption should be minimized. He does however point out that potatoes served cold and dressed with vinegar as a salad had 43% lower glycemic index1 – in part due to the cold increasing the resistant starch content of the potatoes.
Cereals – Jason has two main messages for breakfast. The first is that it shouldn’t be considered “the most important meal of the day”. If you’re hungry in the morning, and want to eat; do. But if you’re not, and instead want to break your fast at midday with grilled salmon and a side salad, then that’s perfectly acceptable. Jason’s second message is that many breakfast foods such as cereals, breads, muffins, Danish pastries etc. are highly problematic, and should be avoided. If you must eat cereals, he says, eat those containing less than 0.8 of a teaspoon (4 grams) of sugar per serving.
Foods Jason Specifically Recommends:
- Eggs – Inaccurately demonized due to cholesterol concerns, eggs are in fact incredibly healthy. They can be enjoyed in many ways, including scrambled, over easy, sunny side up, hard-boiled, soft-boiled, poached, etc.
- Seasonal fruits in moderation
- Traditional yogurt and Greek yogurt. Make sure they are sugar-free.
- Oatmeal – whole and steel-cut are good. Avoid instant oats which often add sugar.
- Nuts – Macadamia, cashews, walnuts and pistachios are all high in healthy monounsaturated fats and low in carbohydrates. Watch out for peanuts, which aren’t technically a nut (they are legumes) and should be consumed in moderation.
- Coffee & Tea. Avoid adding sugar or sweeteners. Cinnamon or other natural spices can be used to enhance the flavor.
- Wine – moderate consumption of red wine (up to 2 glasses per day) typically does not impair insulin sensitivity, and therefore may be enjoyed.
- Bone broth. See below for more details on bone broths.
(Note: this list of foods Jason recommends in Obesity Code is not exhaustive, for example it doesn’t mention things like meat and fish, which Jason is a proponent of. You can reasonably assume that if food is natural, unprocessed and consumed in moderation; it’s ok for Jason’s diet protocol).

The hormonal obesity cycle – showing the effects of excess glucose and fructose (image via IDM program)
When to Eat
- Balance insulin-dominant periods with insulin-deficient periods (balancing feeding & fasting). Eating continuously is a recipe for weight gain
- Intermittent fasting is a very effective way to deal with when to eat
Sleep
Beyond what to eat & when to eat, Jason touches on another factor that affects insulin levels; sleep. Not only does sleep affect insulin sensitivity, it also affects our ability to self-control, and our desire for carbohydrates (increased grehlin levels, which is a hormone responsible for hunger signalling). Thus people who are chronically sleep deprived will often (through no fault of their own), make more impulsive food decisions, and crave more carbohydrates. Therefore its important that if sleep deprivation is a factor, it gets tackled alongside the dietary choices.

This image shows the difference in insulin secretion between a diet with no snacking, and a diet where food is constantly consumed. Insulin = energy storage. Therefore you want to have decent breaks in insulin secretion for a healthy body.
Sample 7-Day Meal Plan – 24-hour Fasting Protocol
The below meal plan effectively means that every other day you are partially fasting from dinner through to dinner (24 hours). To make this slightly more do-able, Jason suggests incorporating a cup of vegetable, chicken or beef broth in place of where lunch would be.
Treat the exact contents of the meals as guidelines only, to be tweaked to your own taste. If you need to increase the quantities of food to reach satiety, do so. As long as when you’re fasting, you stick to it.
You may notice that only 3 of the 7 days include a dessert for dinner – this seems to be Jason’s way of explaining that sweet foods should be an occasional treat, rather than consumed daily.
Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
Breakfast | FAST DAY Water Coffee |
Western omelet Green apple |
FAST DAY Water Coffee |
All-Bran Buds with milk Mixed berries |
FAST DAY Water Coffee |
Two eggs Breakfast sausage/bacon Strawberries |
FAST DAY Water Coffee |
Lunch | FAST DAY Water Green tea 1 cup of vegetable broth |
Arugula salad with walnuts, slices of pear, goat cheese | FAST DAY Water Green tea 1 cup of chicken broth |
Ginger chicken lettuce cups Stir-fried vegetables |
FAST DAY Water Green tea 1 cup of beef broth |
Baby spinach and lentil salad | FAST DAY Water Green tea 1 cup of vegetable broth |
Dinner | Herbed chicken Green beans Mixed berries for dessert |
Asian grilled pork belly Baby bok choy stir-fry No dessert |
Halibut pan-fried in butter and coconut oil No dessert |
Indian chicken curry Cauliflower Green salad No dessert |
Baked catfish Sautéed broccoli with garlic and olive oil Seasonal fruits for dessert |
Peppered steak Asparagus |
Grilled chicken salad Dark chocolate for dessert |
Note: On mobile devices, you may need to scroll right to read the full table.
In case it’s of use, I’ve made a PDF version of the above table so you can print it out. Additionally I’ve made a second version with empty spaces for the meals, that way you can program your own meal details:
- PDF printable version of above table – 24-hour fasting protocol
- PDF printable version of table with fast periods + the rest blank – allowing you to input your own meal programming
Sample 7-Day Meal Plan – 36-hour Fasting Protocol
This version differs from the above, in that rather than fasting from dinner through to dinner every other day, you fast from dinner through a whole day, until breakfast 2 days later (again, repeating the fast every other day).
Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |
Breakfast | FAST DAY Water Coffee |
Western omelet Green apple |
FAST DAY Water Coffee |
All-Bran Buds with milk Mixed berries |
FAST DAY Water Coffee |
Two eggs Breakfast sausage/bacon Strawberries |
FAST DAY Water Coffee |
Lunch | FAST DAY Water Green tea 1 cup of vegetable broth |
Arugula salad with walnuts, slices of pear, goat cheese | FAST DAY Water Green tea 1 cup of chicken broth |
Ginger chicken lettuce cups Stir-fried vegetables |
FAST DAY Water 1 cup of beef broth |
Baby spinach and lentil salad | FAST DAY Water 1 cup of vegetable broth |
Dinner | FAST DAY Water Green Tea No dessert |
Asian grilled pork belly Baby bok choy stir-fry No dessert |
FAST DAY Water Green Tea No dessert |
Indian chicken curry Cauliflower Green salad No dessert |
FAST DAY Water Green tea Seasonal fruits |
Peppered steak Asparagus No dessert |
FAST DAY Water Green tea No dessert |
Note: On mobile devices, you may need to scroll right to read the full table.
- PDF printable version of above table – 36-hour fasting protocol
- PDF printable version of table with fast periods + the rest blank – allowing you to input your own meal programming
Bone Broth
A core aspect of Jason’s diet regimen is the consumption of bone broth on days when fasting. There are a few key benefits to this:
- Its low in calories and almost zero carbohydrates, thus not impacting significantly on the health benefits of abstaining from food
- Its high in amino acids such as proline, arginine and glycine, as well as minerals such as calcium, magnesium and phosphorus
- The salt and minerals help with staying adequately hydrated during the fast
Vegetarians – The substitute to a bone broth would be a vegetable broth. So you’d essentially just cook a vegetable soup (without blending), then strain the vegetables and leave the low carb, tasty wholesome broth.
Simple Bone Broth Recipe
At its core bone broth is very easy to make, it’s essentially the simmering of bones for 12+ hours. If any complexity creeps in, its in the sourcing of good bones, and then the additional ingredients that add to the flavour. These are the key things you need to begin:
- Having a slow cooker (aka crock-pot) is ideal – but if you’re cooking on the stove, you just need to make sure you have a large pot
- Sieve or strainer at the end to separate bones from the broth
- Chicken or beef bones
- 1 tablespoon of vinegar to help extract the bones nutrients (Apple cider vinegar is a healthy choice)
- Sea salt (or pink Himalayan salt) to taste
- (optional) Additional seasoning and vegetables, to taste
If you’re cooking a chicken broth, perhaps the simplest way to acquire the bones is to purchase an (ideally organic) chicken. Cook it and first use it for the meat, then when finished, use it for your broth.
When you’re packing the chicken into your pot, its beneficial to crack some of the bones to let out more flavour and nutrients. This can be done by pushing down on the carcass until you hear cracks, alternatively some people go as far as to individually crack the bones with some scissors.
For a beef broth, it’s generally easy enough to source bones from a local butcher or market. Ideally grass fed cow bones, although this pushes the price up. That said, one of the core benefits of grass fed beef is the quality of fat (e.g. omega3 to omega-6 ratio) obtained, which doesn’t apply to bones so much.
N.B. Having a little meat left on the bones is a non-issue, given that you’ll be straining the contents at the end.
Bone Broth Cooking Steps
- Place bones in a pot
- Add a tablespoon of vinegar (to help bring out the nutrients)
- Season with salt, and optional extras like pepper or herbs
- Cover with water
- Bring to the boil, then reduce heat until simmering
- Initially there may be some fat build up on the surface, which can be skimmed off
- For chicken bones, cooking overnight is often enough time, up to 24h is not uncommon
- For beef bones, overnight is possible, but due to being stronger than chicken bones, beef often needs a bit longer (say 24 hours)
- When finished, strain the broth into containers
- Let cool and then refrigerate or freeze what you don’t plan to immediately consume
See YouTube for a good beef broth example video and a good chicken broth example video.
Shop Bought Bone Broth
Whilst shop bought bone broths generally aren’t as good, or nutritious as a home made broth, they’re a good option when time is limited. Especially when the core focus here is to adhere to the fasting protocol itself. The bone broths are just a component of the overall plan.
Two off the shelf broths with good reviews are Pacific Organic Chicken Broth & Kettle & Fire Beef Broth. Pacific’s version is more affordable, but has a bit less marketing hype behind it.
The above is just a tiny snapshot of Jason’s book. The full thing contains vastly more content, including discussion of:
- Disease prevention
- Tips for fasting and intermittent fasting
- + more!
You can find the full version of The Obesity Code on Amazon.com, along with Jason’s other bestsellers’ The Diabetes Code and The Complete Guide to Fasting.
To discuss the Obesity Code Diet further, you can join this Facebook Group.
How many calories are in the bone broth?
I have one of Dr. Fung’s books and can’t find it there or elsewhere.
I don’t believe he specified it in his book.
John Alexander! Are you kidding me?! You are amazing. One of the most balanced unbiased writers I’ve come across! Thank you for what you do. Next–》Are you kidding me again! You intelligently answered every one of the posted questions for pages and pages! Unheard of. You’re amazing. Finally! I was doing keto before keto was a thing. Then I did carnivore before it was a thing, then I was fasting before all of this and at every change people got angry and told me I would die. But at every change I felt better and better and learned more and… Read more »
Thanks Bonnie!
Thank you for this – I listened to the audiobook about a year ago and was hazy on the key points. This was extremely helpful!
Hi John,
Are you familiar with HUEL Black Edition? I am thinking of using this and starting fasting, as I am vegan so wouldn’t be able to follow much of the food planning is quite meat and dairy heavy. I am really glad to have found this as have always thought small and regular eating was best!! Now I know where i’ve probably been going wrong all my life ha!
Hi Julia. Good luck with the experiment 🙂 Haven’t looked in detail at Huel products, so can’t comment on that aspect.
Thank you so much for this, I have the audio book, but the word insulin resistance seems to send me to sleep and I keep missing bits. Grateful for this summary.
Please clarify time frames for me please. If I am doing a 24 hour fast and I eat dinner at 5pm, I break my fast 24 hours later at 5pm. Is this correct?
Yes, correct.
Hi, I am new to this and found lots of positive about the fasting. I am 5ft 1inch and 89kg. I know I have to lose weight. What is the best way to do? to start 24hrs fasting or 36hrs or any other. I don’t have any health issues at the moment but desperate lose more weight. Thanks
Hi Tina, whilst I won’t comment on what you should be doing (leaving that to your doctor or dietician). What I would say though, is if you try fasting… start gently and build up. Maybe at first it’s just intermittent fasting – then next a 24 hour fast, and so on. That will give you practice, confidence, and increase the safety. Rather than jumping straight into the deep end with a long fast.
Thank you.
What happens when you reach your goal weight? Do you decrease your fasting days?
Does Dr. Fung ever talk about diet recommendations for people who exercise? For example, I lift weights 2x week and hot yoga 3-4x a week- would I fast on non-workout days then? Additionally I could not be satiated from the prescribed meal plan if that is what I ate after a workout. Thank you for your response either way, so many great comments and information on this thread.
Hi Sumi – yes I think you’d have to adapt this to your exercise, caloric and dietary needs. In terms of the the example meal plan – its just meant as a visual guide that you can them customize. For example, it might be viable to fast on a hot yoga day – but you might not want to fast on a weight lifting day. In terms of the fasting, you likely won’t need to do it too often to see results. Just 1 day a week will put you at a significant caloric deficit, assuming you manage not to… Read more »
I workout on my fast days. I use the fuel from eating the day before.
I started working out fasted with lemon water I must say lifting weights never been better.
Does adding MCT oil to your coffee break your fast? Thank you.
Yes. But compliance is more important than perfect execution. If you’re more likely to fast with a bit of MCT in your coffee, then that will be better overall for weight loss than if you didn’t fast at all. You will still end up spending significant time in a caloric deficit, which is beneficial for weight loss. Additionally the MCT oil won’t cause a spike in glucose and insulin, compared to something that was glucose based.
That’s good to know. One tablespoon of MCT has kept me full in the past, so I will go ahead and incorporate it into this plan. Thank you so much.
what is MCT oil?
MCT Oil is “Medium Chain Triglyceride” oil. It’s of particular interest because it can increase the body’s production of ketones. When you’re in a fasted state, you’re typically low (but not empty) on glucose/glycogen, and so the body relies upon ketone production for energy.
Thank you for posting this summary! I have read the book, but having a summary to read through regularly is super useful!
I received a diagnosis of DM2 this week. My doc gave me 3 months to regulate with diet and fasting and recommend this book. I read it the same night and started fasting and stopped eating whole grain, regular cooking oats at her recommendation. Does that seem excessive? Is 2-3 times a week too much for steel cut, whole oats, eating them at noon after fasting 18 hours? And thank you so much for your detailed explanations. It is so helpful!
Hi Joyce. With regards to consumption of foods that get converted to glucose (glucose being the culprit in T2D), it’s definitely worth being strategic with regards to what you consume. It should be possible (at least in the long run) for you to eat steel cut oats 2-3x per week. It’ll just depend what other foods you’re eating alongside them (!). There are a couple of different approaches you could take alongside the fasts that may help. 1) Keep a log of the number of grams of glucose in your meals. MyFitnessPal is a good website for calculating these numbers.… Read more »
I read he only recommends fasting 2 days a week.
Dont think I could fast for 4 days each week!
Interesting, I hadn’t seen Jason put a specific limit on how long people should fast for. Do you have a source for that?
That said, I agree that he’s generally talking about either intermittent fasting, or 24-48 hour fasting time periods.
In this post on his blog, he talks about how there isn’t an upper limit on fasting, and references the world record 382 day fast.
He does issue a cautionary note that people should exercise caution if they are on diabetic medication, or if they start to feel unwell.
The 382 day record fast is impressive, but it’s worth bearing in mind it was followed (some years later) by an early demise (around 50 years old). I’m not sure about causality here but IMHO I also don’t think it’s a good idea to encourage longer fasting without some decent data on health effects.
Thanks for the summary. Almost done with the book and gearing up for my first fast. My one question is, is sugar free gum during the fast allowed? As a former smoker, I still use sugar free him as a replacement for cigarettes.
Hi Jason. With regards to sugar-free gum, I don’t see that as a problem in the short term. Especially if its helping you avoid the toxins in cigarette combustion. In the longer run, then yes, if you can reduce (or ideally remove) sugar-free sweeteners from the diet, that would likely be ideal. One example of problems they can cause is alteration of the gut microbiota. In this paper they discuss how zero calorie sweeteners adjusted the gut microbiota, which led to alteration of pathways linked with metabolic disease.
Thanks John!
Hi John!
In your reply, you mention an article about how zero calorie sweeteners adjusted the gut microbiota, but I didn’t see a link. Please reply or email me the link.
Your summary is awesome – have pointed friends to it.
Hi Joan, this is the link to the Nature paper:
https://www.nature.com/articles/nature13793
Hi John:
Getting ready to start doing the 24 hour fast plan, but I have a question…..I am also trying to get past a life-long tendency to eat most of my calories toward the end of the day (very much psychological). I thought, perhaps I could attempt the 24 hour fast by having the actual meal I eat once a day be lunch, and fasting for breakfast and dinner. Would that work, or would it mess up the timing aspect of the fast?
Hey Robin. I too have struggled with end of day eating. For the 24 hour fast, I don’t see an issue with doing it in the way you described. Lunch day 1 to lunch day 2 would work.
This may seem like a silly question but, Does this diet affect smokers in any way?
Do the nicotine cravings constitute as hunger; it seems to subsequently curbs hunger pangs?
Hi, yes, there appears to be a link between nicotine and hunger. This paper suggests that one of the reasons for this is that leptin inhibits hunger, and nicotine increases leptin secretion.
I don’t know that fasting will change this.
Hi John,
I just ordered the book. I’m so intrigued by the comments and reviews thus far and I’m confident I’ll be able to handle the meal plan thanks to your summary. However, there’s no mention of alcohol. I read that 2 glasses of wine are acceptable. But what if you have an off day and end up at a party. Are there any recommendations you can offer?
Thanks agai
Hi Pam, as you mention, Jason doesn’t put up any brick walls against the casual couple glasses of wine, assuming you don’t go overboard. What I would say though is to abstain from the alcohol when you’re fasting, saving it for when you finish.
Hi, I just finished Fungs’ The Obesity Code, having read Taubes’ Why We Get Fat just prior.
Q: Fung mentions a target of 20-30% of daily calories for protein, but I do not see a target amount for the two other macro-nutrients – fat and carbs (veggies) – is there a target range and can you provide it? Thanks,
Bob
Hi Bob, thanks for your message. I concur with your post, I haven’t seen Jason specify a macronutrient target for carbohydrates and fat.
Btw, I read Taubes’ Why We Get Fat & Good Calories, Bad Calories also. Incredibly well researched and written, big fan of Gary’s work.
I have recently had a friend who’s husband lowered his cholesterol by 100 points. I have three stents in my heart and am on medications. Will this diet help me? I am 50 years old 6″2 and rather thin already.
Hi Christina. With regards to your particular situation, which is advanced atherosclerosis, I would probably suggest you focus on tackling that specifically. Whilst Jason’s main prescription (fasting) is unlikely to worsen atherosclerosis on its own, you’re already thin as you say, so it’s equally important to get your regular day to day diet (and supplements) dialled in. Unfortunately atherosclerosis is relatively complex, and it’s not helped by the mainstream oversimplification of good and bad cholesterol. Where in fact, we want to be looking at a whole host of markers, including lipoprotein particle size, triglycerides, c-reactive protein (inflammation marker), Lipoprotein(a), homocysteine,… Read more »
Christina, please get a copy of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn’s “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease”. The only diet that has proven to reverse atherosclerosis, published in the medical literature, with CT scans confirming, is detailed within. It is NOT expensive, does NOT require supplements and tests. It’s the diet that saved Bill Clinton.
Thank you for the contribution Karl. Both the book “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease”, and the accompanying cookbook “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook: Over 125 Delicious, Life-Changing, Plant-Based Recipes” look interesting. I will have a read myself. One stipulation I would add is that whilst you say following this diet “does not require supplements and tests”, I think it’s rational to use tests (where possible) when making any big dietary modification, especially when you have a clearly defined outcome in mind. Otherwise you’re taking a shot in the dark. Everyone’s DNA and epigentic profile are different, and what’s optimal… Read more »
Hi Christina,
In addition to the other advice, it’s worth checking whether you suffer from sleep apnea which is now known to be one cause of atherosclerosis.
I know you said you’re not overweight but slim people can get apnea too 🙂
I’ve been reading the book and it sounds interesting. The question I have is does this help much with very obese people? Say like six-foot-two and 550 lb. because I’m wanting to avoid the bariatric surgery but I’m not sure that I’m not too far gone.
Hey Jim. The crux of Jason’s obesity code book is around fasting. Whilst he does advocate a healthy diet (as you can see from above), the majority of the weight loss is achieved during the fasting periods.
It would make sense to give fasting a go, with or without the bariatric surgery. I personally found fasting to give me a new relationship with food. Along the lines of “oh shit, I don’t need to eat multiple times per day just to stay alive’. That alone is worth it for the perspective change. Let me know if you have other questions.
I am in the process of reading the book and find it to be very interesting. My husband is a diabetic and in very good shape but cannot seem to get his sugar down and I have been struggling with the same 10 – 15 lbs for the last 30 years. Would like this to stop. We started with 24 fast right away and was wondering if it is OK to this for 4 days in a row and then 3 days off.
Hi Francesca, with regards to your plan to do extended fasts, it’s certainly possible. The main thing (especially when diabetes is involved), is to ensure you’re not taking any medications, or have any underlying medical conditions that could be affected by the fasts. Your doctor will be the best person to consult on this. I recently came across the fasting subreddit, where there are lots of people doing extended fasts, it may be interesting for you to check out.
There is something that bothers me about recommendations, here and elsewhere, to avoid wheat. No one seems to talk about the difference between Heritage wheat, which I use, and the GMO dwarf (Green Revolution) wheat. The explosion in obesity worldwide seems to correlate with the change worldwide to the use of this modified wheat, about 1981. It seems a terrible thing to happen to the Staff of Life. I do not feel well eating GMO wheat, but have no problems with the original.
Hi Aileen, it’s an interesting point, and something Jason does touch on in the book (dwarf wheat vs older wheat strains). He quotes a figure saying 99% of all wheat grown is either dwarf or semi-dwarf varieties – which is quite extreme. I’d imagine most people don’t realize there are even different strains of wheat available (I didn’t), they just think wheat is all the same. When you eat your Heritage wheat, do you buy the flour and then bake the bread yourself? In terms of wheat and obesity, I would push back on the notion that it’s primarily to… Read more »
Thanks for this summary. I’m currently on Day 6 and down a few pounds. My cravings for sweets is almost gone. Can you eat any rice or potatoes or breakfast cereals?
Hi Carol, thanks for the message, and good questions. I’ve actually updated the post as a result to touch on what Jason says about rice, potatoes & breakfast cereals. Check under the section “What not to eat”, and let me know if you have any questions. In a nutshell, I’d definitely try to avoid breakfast cereals. Jason says that if you must eat breakfast cereals, aim for those with less than 0.8 of a teaspoon (4 grams) of sugar per serving. And then for your continued weight loss, minimize consumption of rice and potatoes. These both have a high glycemic… Read more »
Hi I’m at the end of my second week of this plan, and am finding it so much easier than I thought I would. I actually quite enjoy the fasting, I have increased energy and am totally satisfied when I do eat. The cutting out of sugar and snacking is something I never thought I would manage, but it’s been so simple. One question. We are encouraged to eat natural Greek yoghurt, and I’ve been enjoying it with homemade muesli and a handful of berries for my breakfast. I noticed on the yoghurt carton that it contains sugar however. I’ve… Read more »
Hi Lynne, great to hear the fasting is working out. With regards to yogurt (greek or plain style), they are made from milk, which has a form of sugar (galactose + glucose) called lactose. And thus because it’s in milk, it’s in yogurt. It’s a relatvely low % of the overall yogurt (~10% or less), so shouldn’t be a huge issue, if you’re just having a few spoons each day. Just make sure there’s no additional sugar on the ingredients list.
Hi. He mentioned about 95% diet and 5% exercise. So how much exercise is needed? # of mins per day? # of days a week? I work out 6 days a week, alternate with cardio and weight training.
If we’re talking about losing weight, then in theory, no exercise is needed. You could do it 100% just with diet. But that would be unhealthy as a general lifestyle. If you work out 6 days a week, and you enjoy it, and feel good on it, then great! No need to change what is working for you. You can simply focus on diet.
Thank you, yes it is about fat loss. I enjoy working out, but this flexibility makes me feel very relieved and less guilty on missing a day. Now I will be able to reduce the number of days and/or mix it up with yoga, pilates, cardio and weight training.
Sounds good Aarti! Sometimes exercise can actually be problematic for weight loss (which sounds counter intuitive). But essentially, if you’re following a controlled diet, and then you do a hard workout, it increases hunger. This could then mean you overeat vs your desired dietary goals. Doesn’t the workout mitigate the extra food? That depends if it was an extra piece of chicken and rice, or it was an extra bowl of ice cream and cake (if you know what I mean).
Great summary and great answers to all of the comments – thank you!
Weight loss is my goal,but once the goal is reached and maintained should the fasting every second day be continued or should it end and be something to do every once in awhile? I guess what I am asking is, is the fast now a part of your lifestyle?
Thank you so much!
Hi Canada, thank you for your kind words. That’s a good question, and it’s one Jason didn’t specifically deal with in the book. In part, this is because he’s suggesting fasting as a way of life, rather than as just a temporary weight loss tool. That being said, I don’t think he’s suggesting the 24-hour or 36-hour fasting protocol as something everyone sticks to forever. Here I’ll quote a direct section from the book: “The last and most important tip is to fit fasting into your own life! Do not limit yourself socially because you’re fasting. Arrange your fasting schedule… Read more »
Dear John
Thank you for the time you took to throughly reply. It helped a lot. What you said makes sense. I am giving fasting a go and once I get to my goal I will re-read your suggestions and go from there.
You really know what you are talking about. Do you have a science background? You analyze and simply state so much very clearly. It is very much appreciated.
Thank you again.
Canada
A doctor recommended this book to me, and I read it but this is so helpful. From your understanding, is it important that I fast every other day, or could I start out by picking 2 days each week to do a 24 or 36-hour fast? Thanks!
Hi Rachel. Yeah, I’m sure Jason would back you on doing 1 24-36 hour fast per week if that’s all you can manage at this time. That’s still quite a considerable dietary change compared to eating multiple times per day, on a daily basis.
This is great for my partner but not for me my blood suger levels drop when i dont eat any answers for me to use this
Hi Chris. Could you give more details/specifics on what you mean around blood glucose levels dropping when you don’t eat? It is normal for blood glucose levels to drop between meals, but I presume you’re saying this has negative effects for you – just not sure what exactly.
Chris asked exactly what i was going to ask but I don’t see a followup. I can go about 2-4 hours in the morning with just coffee but then I get light headed and ravenous. I really, really want food by that point. I usually eat a protein like a one egg omelet with mushrooms and cheese to tap down the feeling but then it often (not always) triggers even more hunger and I end up doing a bit of a binge. I never eat processed food and rarely sugar, but the fasting beyond a few hours seems to impair… Read more »
Out of interest, what is your day-to-day blood glucose level? And how long after eating a meal does it return to baseline?
Thanks for the quick response. I have no idea what my blood glucose level is. How do I test that? Sometimes I eat and I feel fine for a 2-3 hours but I often get the urge to snack. I used to keep weight off eating what is basically the Atkins Diet but over the years for environmental reasons I’ve been eating less meat. I still tend to eat tree nuts, apples and proteins (eggs. salmon) to stabile my blood sugar but I’m what most people would call “a grazer” and eat small things frequently. I’ve started doing it thinking… Read more »
To test your blood level, you can use a blood ketone meter. Same ones diabetics use. Compare it with normal ranges before and after eating, and see where you are. At least that way you’ll know if there’s an actual issue with your blood sugar.
I reduced my calories to about 1200 cal a day and gained 22 lbs and became prediabetic. It was a shock to me. I felt out of control! After reading Dr Fung’s book, I have lost 23 lbs over a year and now know how to control my weight with intermittent fasting. I am good with when to eat and when not to, but have some confusion about some major food types including dairy, meat, and in-refined carbs. I do want to know if sugar free gum and drinks cause insulin spikes? I still don’t know why I became prediabetic… Read more »
Hi Elisabeth, thanks for sharing your experiences. I’m glad to hear you’re having success.
With regards to your question – do artificial sweeteners cause insulin spikes?
It would appear there’s at least some evidence that this is the case. This study showed an increase in insulin when consuming sucralose:
It also appears that sweeteners affect the gut bacteria, which could have negative consequences on metabolic health.
Can I still have a post workout protein shake 3 days a week? I have a protein powder called Carnivore that’s made from beef instead of Whey. I’ve also found powders made from bone broth. It’s only after lifting weights which I do 3 days a week.
Yeah, shouldn’t be an issue on non fasting days.