The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss (Why Intermittent Fasting Is the Key to Controlling Your Weight)

by Jason Fung

SO WE KNOW that insulin causes insulin resistance. But insulin resistance also causes high insulin—a classic vicious or self-reinforcing, cycle. The higher the insulin levels, the greater the insulin resistance. The greater the resistance, the higher the levels. The cycle keeps going around and around, one element reinforcing the other, until insulin is driven up to extremes. The longer the cycle continues, the worse it becomes—that’s why obesity is so time dependent. People who are stuck in this vicious cycle for decades develop significant insulin resistance. That resistance leads to high insulin levels that are independent of that person’s diet. Even if you were to change your diet, the resistance would still keep your insulin levels high. If your insulin levels stay high, then your body set weight stays high. The thermostat is set high, and your weight will be drawn irresistibly upward. The fat get fatter. The longer you are obese, the harder it is to eradicate. But you already knew that. Oprah knew it. Everybody already knew it. Most current theories of obesity cannot explain this effect, so they instead ignore it. But obesity is time-dependent. Like rust, it takes time to develop.