Comparing The Obesity Code by Jason Fung to The Calorie Myth by Jonathon Bailor
Comparison of The Obesity Code and The Calorie Myth -Someone asked me if I had heard of Jonathon Bailor and the Sane Solution because it seems to be inline with some of the stuff I've been posting. And the answer is Yes, I am a little familiar with him. I have Jonathan's book, The Calorie Myth (like I confessed - I have a lot of diet books) and I read it a couple of years ago and I liked it! The question caused me to review it and there is a lot of good stuff in there, similar to stuff I've been posting. So it made me wonder, why do I like the Obesity Code so much better? Why do I feel like "The Obesity Code" is making more of an impact on my life than what reading "The Calorie Myth" did? Perhaps its just a matter of timing and it has nothing to do with the material but it's a matter of me and my situation, my evolution of thought. But perhaps "The Calorie Myth" being part of that evolution of thought helped prepare me to allow The Obesity Code to really be a catalyst for change in my life. Another diet book I read a few years ago and with similar ideas is "Why We Get Fat; and what to do about it" by Gary Taubes. Again perhaps this book didn't drastically change my behavior at the time I read it, but perhaps it was also part of my evolution of thought such that "The Obesity Code" was really able to make a big change in my outlook on diet and obesity. I'm not sure, but I think it's interesting to think about.
However, perhaps there is more to the story than just me . Perhaps it is in how the information is presented or maybe it's the differences in the information. So I thought I'd do a little review. One thing that I really liked about "The Obesity Code" was the development of thought. It just seemed to flow logically and simply to me which is just my personal preference. But because of the simplicity of it the take aways have stuck in my head. But again perhaps the reading of the other books before hand prepared my brain to finally retain the ideas. But here they are and you can judge for yourself on the simplicity of them
However, perhaps there is more to the story than just me . Perhaps it is in how the information is presented or maybe it's the differences in the information. So I thought I'd do a little review. One thing that I really liked about "The Obesity Code" was the development of thought. It just seemed to flow logically and simply to me which is just my personal preference. But because of the simplicity of it the take aways have stuck in my head. But again perhaps the reading of the other books before hand prepared my brain to finally retain the ideas. But here they are and you can judge for yourself on the simplicity of them
The Obesity Code recommends to
1) Reduce your consumption of added sugars
2) Reduce your consumption of refined carbohydrates
3) Moderate your protein consumption
4) Increase your consumption of natural fats
5) Increase your consumption of fiber and vinegar
and last but not least he discusses
6) FASTING and the importance of WHEN TO EAT
1) Reduce your consumption of added sugars
2) Reduce your consumption of refined carbohydrates
3) Moderate your protein consumption
4) Increase your consumption of natural fats
5) Increase your consumption of fiber and vinegar
and last but not least he discusses
6) FASTING and the importance of WHEN TO EAT
Now let's compare this to the advice from "The Calorie Myth"
1) Free yourself from calorie counting
2) Shift from Short-term weight loss to Long-term Fat loss and health
3) Set meaningful goals and a realistic timetable
4) Rethink nutrition labels
5) Save money - buy groceries in bulk
6) Master snacking and on the go eating
7) Simplify with green smoothies
8) Protect your SANEity at events and holidays
9) Enjoy lots of water and green tea
10) Forget Perfection, Commit publicly and Get Support.
And then last but not least Jonathan goes on to talk about EXERCISE for almost another 1/3 of the book.
2) Shift from Short-term weight loss to Long-term Fat loss and health
3) Set meaningful goals and a realistic timetable
4) Rethink nutrition labels
5) Save money - buy groceries in bulk
6) Master snacking and on the go eating
7) Simplify with green smoothies
8) Protect your SANEity at events and holidays
9) Enjoy lots of water and green tea
10) Forget Perfection, Commit publicly and Get Support.
And then last but not least Jonathan goes on to talk about EXERCISE for almost another 1/3 of the book.
So at first glance as I look at the summaries of both books, I can see that The Obesity Code is simpler and more concise just in the number of recommendations.
I also have to say that what I learned in Obesity Code about Exercise seems to differ from The Calorie Myth a bit. I haven't reread the entire Calorie Myth recently but just the fact that he includes so much about exercise in his book seems to say he thinks it's important to weight loss.
What I learned from The Obesity Code is that Exercise is NOT important to weight loss. Yep you read that right! I'm still kind of in shock about that myself!!! Dr. Fung recommends exercise for lots of other health benefits and I think he would agree that exercise could provide some small benefits towards weight loss but in his estimation Exercise is NOT what you need to focus on for weight loss. Crazy right!!! So contrary to what the mainstream dietary guidelines are for weight loss- Eat less and exercise more.
This difference has been helpful to me in a few ways. First of all, if what Fung says is right, and Ben Bikman is in agreeance with this as well, and exercise is NOT important to weight loss it's helpful when you are trying to change to put your energy into the most helpful changes! So the last couple of months I have focused on making dietary changes and have not been focusing on exercise. Now while I know that there are lots of good reasons I should exercise and I do want to be better at this, I am dealing with constraints of time and energy. And it's been helpful to know that in the matters of weight loss, I don't need to worry about exercise. Making dietary changes is no easy thing. I don't feel like I can say that enough. I once went to cooking classes, taught by a lady who was always learning how to make new foods and one time she talked about the TREMENDOUSLY DIFFICULT challenge of learning a new way of eating because she had learned that her daughter had some food sensitivities to some common ingredients like dairy. And it really hit home to me that if it was difficult for her, it must truly be a challenge!! If anyone could do it, I would have thought she could handle it easily!
So the recommendations on Exercise as it relates to weight loss are a difference between the two books.
Another difference between the two books is Dr. Fung's information on Fasting and when to eat. This is what he calls the missing piece to weight loss because we don't hear much about it but I found it very interesting and very useful! I'm not going to review all that he says about Fasting and timing of eating at the moment but one very simple concise idea he espouses regarding snacking is - DON'T!!!!
I also have to say that what I learned in Obesity Code about Exercise seems to differ from The Calorie Myth a bit. I haven't reread the entire Calorie Myth recently but just the fact that he includes so much about exercise in his book seems to say he thinks it's important to weight loss.
What I learned from The Obesity Code is that Exercise is NOT important to weight loss. Yep you read that right! I'm still kind of in shock about that myself!!! Dr. Fung recommends exercise for lots of other health benefits and I think he would agree that exercise could provide some small benefits towards weight loss but in his estimation Exercise is NOT what you need to focus on for weight loss. Crazy right!!! So contrary to what the mainstream dietary guidelines are for weight loss- Eat less and exercise more.
This difference has been helpful to me in a few ways. First of all, if what Fung says is right, and Ben Bikman is in agreeance with this as well, and exercise is NOT important to weight loss it's helpful when you are trying to change to put your energy into the most helpful changes! So the last couple of months I have focused on making dietary changes and have not been focusing on exercise. Now while I know that there are lots of good reasons I should exercise and I do want to be better at this, I am dealing with constraints of time and energy. And it's been helpful to know that in the matters of weight loss, I don't need to worry about exercise. Making dietary changes is no easy thing. I don't feel like I can say that enough. I once went to cooking classes, taught by a lady who was always learning how to make new foods and one time she talked about the TREMENDOUSLY DIFFICULT challenge of learning a new way of eating because she had learned that her daughter had some food sensitivities to some common ingredients like dairy. And it really hit home to me that if it was difficult for her, it must truly be a challenge!! If anyone could do it, I would have thought she could handle it easily!
So the recommendations on Exercise as it relates to weight loss are a difference between the two books.
Another difference between the two books is Dr. Fung's information on Fasting and when to eat. This is what he calls the missing piece to weight loss because we don't hear much about it but I found it very interesting and very useful! I'm not going to review all that he says about Fasting and timing of eating at the moment but one very simple concise idea he espouses regarding snacking is - DON'T!!!!
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