Struggling with weight loss? Time to consider when you eat as a driver of weight gain. Book suggestion and review.

• A quick review of "The Obesity Code" by Jason Fung, MD

By Dr. Ryan Campbell

When it comes to healthy diets, we love to focus on what we are eating. But how much attention do you pay to the timing of your meals? Both providers have recently read a book that presents the case for a shift in focus toward the timing of eating and the associated health impact.

In the face of all of the hype and information about ‘ideal’ diets, it can be overwhelming to decide which diet is best. After searching for the best diet to recommend to patients, it appears that there are many paths to follow. The basics seem to hold true universally for healthy eating regardless of diet plan, like eating whole foods, avoid processed oils and sugars. But what I see in the clinic is that often times following a healthy diet plan very strictly doesn't always return desired results. It can be very frustrating. So, what gives?! Maybe the solution is more simple than we think.

Dr. Jason Fung, MD, in his book ‘The Obesity Code’, sheds light on this common frustration. He addresses why a diet may not work, or if it does work, it commonly only works for a period of weeks to months and then slowly the results are undone over the next time period. All of this despite continuing strictly with the diet plan. He dives into the research and the underlying reasons why this is commonly the case. He also systemically dispels many common misconceptions about what causes weight gain and how many of our current recommendations are actually driving weight gain.

As he builds his case, he ties it all back to insulin primarily. We tend to think of insulin as a hormone released when we eat carbohydrates, but what is often overlooked is that we will also get an insulin release with protein as well. The big issue he describes is that our eating habits are leading to more production of insulin overall partially due to the fact that we are releasing insulin more frequently as well. This leads to weight gain and insulin resistance (even subtly) which leads to even more weight gain. Insulin is the feasting hormone which drives nutrients into storage in preparation for the lean times. But the majority of us, because of food abundance, never see “lean” times. The bottom line is that we were designed to go through feed and purge cycles, feast and famine, and survive to see another meal. Apparently, not only survive but thrive.

He finishes the book by providing some sample eating plans that involve different versions of intermittent fasting or compressed eating windows. This approach allows the body periods of time to operate in an environment of low insulin, triggering the mobilization of stored energy (fat), reduces total daily insulin release, and can lower the body weight set point. All of this can happen despite having no restriction on calories during the eating windows.

I really feel like this is the missing piece in much of the debate about ideal diet.

So the main points:
-Eat whole foods
-Avoid refined carbohydrates
-Don’t snack
-Consider integrating fasting cycles or compressed eating windows into your day or weeks to keep insulin production in check.

When it comes to the holiday gluttony, if at a certain point another big feast doesn't sound good, maybe it's your body giving you the cue to go ahead and skip a meal. **

**Unless you are insulin dependent diabetic or have other concerns, please speak with your doctor