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'The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss' by Jason Fung

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  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,160 Member
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    I'm not sure if you are on facebook and I don't know how to load just the video here but Stephanie Dodier did a live interview with Dr Jason Fong, it was very informative. Here is the link to her page:
    https://www.facebook.com/StephanieDodiernutrition

    I am on a Keto diet. CICO does not work for me. I like the attitude of Dr Fong which is to trust your own body. Our bodies communicate with us all the time. That resonates with me. And it works! :D

    @Sassie11_11 the longer I eat Keto the more I can trust my own body. The way I have backed away from meat without knowing it amazes me.

    While CICO is not a diet I know what you mean. My cravings managed me before I found the right macro that let me manage my CICO. Cutting out all sugar and all forms of all types of grains and keeping total daily carbs <50 grams is all that I have to do to now manage my cravings hence my CI. Knowing I never have be be worried about being obese again is such a freedom at age 65.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Thinking CICO means you don't change what you eat (other than reducing calories) just makes no sense. You don't have to, but losing from reducing calories certainly can and usually does mean changing what one eats some or even a lot. (And CICO isn't a diet at all, of course.)
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I honestly believe that people who say "CICO doesn't work for me" usually mean that calculating their TDEE and reducing all calories (in moderation) to eat at a lower caloric intake did not work for them. Sometimes people need to make dietary changes in order to get the results they want.

    Every body is different.

    Yes, this definitely makes more sense.
  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
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    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I honestly believe that people who say "CICO doesn't work for me" usually mean that calculating their TDEE and reducing all calories (in moderation) to eat at a lower caloric intake did not work for them. Sometimes people need to make dietary changes in order to get the results they want.

    Every body is different.

    Calculating their TDEE and reducing all calories (in moderation) to eat at a lower caloric intake does work IF people stick to it.

    So it's more of an adherence issue I would think. So then at that point yes changing your way of eating to help you stick to eating lower calories makes sense.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,618 Member
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    CICO is still at the center of ANY weight loss program. People will use different programs to achieve them, but without a deficit, it's practically impossible to lose weight.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    psuLemon wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I honestly believe that people who say "CICO doesn't work for me" usually mean that calculating their TDEE and reducing all calories (in moderation) to eat at a lower caloric intake did not work for them. Sometimes people need to make dietary changes in order to get the results they want.

    Every body is different.

    I am not sure about that. Even Dr. Fung believe CICO is wrong and his arguement is based on a cookie vs a meal of fish and veggies. It seriously demonstrates a lack of basic understanding of what CICO is.

    Many people truly think CICO is a diet. A diet particularly about eat junk food in lower portions and wonder why they fail at losing weight. Its even more complicated when you find out that logging issues and accuracy are at the heart of the problem.

    I think most, including Fung, know you can't lose weight without a deficit. I think Fung's point is that certain foods will alter your CO, and even affect CI, in ways that won't match your expectations.

    I can eat more keto than I can on a moderate carb diet. I know some don't believe it but that's how it works out. At the same CI I might lose weight or maintain or gain depending on my foods. It isn't a huge difference but it amounts to a few pounds... and less frustration when you can just tweak your food choices and suddenly you start losing.

    But yes, many think CICO is a diet. They think as long as their CI is less than ther calculated CO, they can eat anything. CO changes a bit with food choices and how frequently you eat though. Not a lot, but some.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    ninerbuff wrote: »
    CICO is still at the center of ANY weight loss program. People will use different programs to achieve them, but without a deficit, it's practically impossible to lose weight.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

    That's actually eloquently put. What each of us does, how each of us approaches our diet is individual.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,400 MFP Moderator
    edited December 2016
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    nvmomketo wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I honestly believe that people who say "CICO doesn't work for me" usually mean that calculating their TDEE and reducing all calories (in moderation) to eat at a lower caloric intake did not work for them. Sometimes people need to make dietary changes in order to get the results they want.

    Every body is different.

    I am not sure about that. Even Dr. Fung believe CICO is wrong and his arguement is based on a cookie vs a meal of fish and veggies. It seriously demonstrates a lack of basic understanding of what CICO is.

    Many people truly think CICO is a diet. A diet particularly about eat junk food in lower portions and wonder why they fail at losing weight. Its even more complicated when you find out that logging issues and accuracy are at the heart of the problem.

    I think most, including Fung, know you can't lose weight without a deficit. I think Fung's point is that certain foods will alter your CO, and even affect CI, in ways that won't match your expectations.

    I can eat more keto than I can on a moderate carb diet. I know some don't believe it but that's how it works out. At the same CI I might lose weight or maintain or gain depending on my foods. It isn't a huge difference but it amounts to a few pounds... and less frustration when you can just tweak your food choices and suddenly you start losing.

    But yes, many think CICO is a diet. They think as long as their CI is less than ther calculated CO, they can eat anything. CO changes a bit with food choices and how frequently you eat though. Not a lot, but some.

    Based on the few articles that I have read, i am not sure i agree with your assessment on Fung. I could be wrong but the way i read the article and how he uses examples, it would demonstrate a lack of understanding. In fact, he uses the same typically examples of moat who have a profound understanding of what CICO actually is.


    And i have no doubt that you can eat more on Keto than on a high carb diet. And i have no doubt that your CO is higher by doing so. Its common with those with IR and PCOS. The handful of study would suggest reductions in metabolim in those cases.


    Eta: but you already know i know that.. :wink:
  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
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    newmeadow wrote: »
    I watched a Youtube video of Fung's in which he says fasting daily (say fasting 23 hours within a 24 hour period - eating within a one hour window per day) will put one into regular ketosis. No special Way of Eating or carb restriction is necessary.

    In other videos he advocates low carb not only for those who don't fast, but also for those who do.

    So I'm not really sure where he stands as of late. Whether, according to him, fasting regularly is an acceptable replacement for eating three low carb meals a day. Or whether, even while fasting, low carb is what he recommends during the eating window.

    Maybe that's why he calls it a secret code.
  • geneticexpectations
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    vingogly wrote: »
    His methods are not special or unique. These methods are all over the literature and many successful physicians use them. (So really, you can conveniently visit the clinic of any LCHF/IF-promoting/lifestyle-preventative-minded physician who likes to read things on pubmed and apply them).

    And yet, he doesn't hesitate to repackage the work of others, give it a catchy name, and ask us to write checks to buy his book. Which contains material that's been covered in MFP forums many times over the past year.

    I think I'm just jealous -- i haven't found my get rich quick scheme yet.

    He is a nephrologist. They do dialysis. He easily bills over 1 mil a year, just like any nephrologist who does dialysis.

    But of course, those are facts, and what good are those. So yes, clearly, he's got the desperation for a get rich quick scheme. Stay Away!!!!

    Those patients we refer that come back not needing their meds, totally a hallucination. It's like someone slipped us magic mushrooms!!
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
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    vingogly wrote: »
    His methods are not special or unique. These methods are all over the literature and many successful physicians use them. (So really, you can conveniently visit the clinic of any LCHF/IF-promoting/lifestyle-preventative-minded physician who likes to read things on pubmed and apply them).

    And yet, he doesn't hesitate to repackage the work of others, give it a catchy name, and ask us to write checks to buy his book. Which contains material that's been covered in MFP forums many times over the past year.

    I think I'm just jealous -- i haven't found my get rich quick scheme yet.

    He is a nephrologist. They do dialysis. He easily bills over 1 mil a year, just like any nephrologist who does dialysis.

    But of course, those are facts, and what good are those. So yes, clearly, he's got the desperation for a get rich quick scheme. Stay Away!!!!

    Those patients we refer that come back not needing their meds, totally a hallucination. It's like someone slipped us magic mushrooms!!

    Do you know how much money is in selling books to desperate people? More than 1 million.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I honestly believe that people who say "CICO doesn't work for me" usually mean that calculating their TDEE and reducing all calories (in moderation) to eat at a lower caloric intake did not work for them. Sometimes people need to make dietary changes in order to get the results they want.

    Every body is different.

    yea, but they are still in a calorie deficit, period.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    I honestly believe that people who say "CICO doesn't work for me" usually mean that calculating their TDEE and reducing all calories (in moderation) to eat at a lower caloric intake did not work for them. Sometimes people need to make dietary changes in order to get the results they want.

    Every body is different.

    yea, but they are still in a calorie deficit, period.

    I realize that. My point is that using a simple TDEE calculator does not take into account all the factors that will affect a person's CO or CI. Because of that it may feel like "CICO doesn't work" because they are not losing when others would be.
  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
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    I'm not great at interpreting most studies but this one shows a vegetarian diet improves diabetes.

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4221319/

    Full disclosure I'm a pescatarian - I don't eat meat for various reasons. I'm not advocating or against any particular diet but I see in these forums that Keto is the key for diabetes but if I'm reading this study right a vegetarian diet is also beneficial.

    Am I missing something? It seems Fung is revered for Keto/diabetes but it looks as if there are other options just as good.