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Everyday Wellness: Midlife Hormones, Menopause, and Science for Women 35+

Ep. 561 Why Eating Less Isn’t Working – The Real Root Causes of Obesity & Metabolic Disease with Dr. Jason Fung | Menopause & Metabolic Health

Everyday Wellness: Midlife Hormones, Menopause, and Science for Women 35+

Cynthia Thurlow

Nutrition, Alternative Health, Life Sciences, Science, Health & Fitness

4.71.2K Ratings

🗓️ 28 February 2026

⏱️ 67 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

I am delighted to reconnect with Dr. Jason Fung today. He is a trained nephrologist and world-leading expert on intermittent fasting and metabolic health. He has authored multiple books, including the New York Times best-seller, The Obesity Code, The Diabetes Code, and, more recently, The Hunger Code.   In our conversation today, we unpack the obsessive focus on the calories-in, calories-out model, which is neither practical nor effective. We explore the root causes behind the narrow-minded thinking that calories alone drive obesity, differences between types of hunger and conditioned responses, how hormones affect other hormones, and lessons about GLP-1s. We examine the critical importance of fiber and protein, and offer clarity around carbohydrates. We also cover the impact of meal timing, sleep, and circadian biology, the fat thermostat and sympathetic tone, nutrition, stress, and mindful eating, and dive into the issue of ultra-processed foods. Join us for an insightful conversation that challenges conventional wisdom and offers a nuanced and sustainable approach to understanding hunger, metabolism, and long-term health. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU WILL LEARN: “Calories in, calories out” framework is technically correct, but practically useless How the homeostatic, hedonic, and conditioned hunger types differ Dr. Fung shares his take on GLP-1 medications How fiber stimulates natural GLP-1 production Processed and natural carbohydrates produce vastly different glucose and insulin responses. Avoid eating late-night meals! Complex relationship between hunger, hormonal regulation, and sleep quality Hormones that drive body fat regulation  How bitter foods suppress appetite and enhance satiety Connect with Cynthia Thurlow   Follow on X, Instagram & LinkedIn Check out Cynthia’s website Submit your questions to support@cynthiathurlow.com Join other like-minded women in a supportive, nurturing community: The Midlife Pause/Cynthia Thurlow  Cynthia’s Menopause Gut Book is on presale now! Cynthia’s Intermittent Fasting Transformation Book The Midlife Pause Supplement Line Connect with Dr. Jason Fung On his website Instagram and YouTube Dr. Fung’s latest book, The Hunger Code, will come out in March. Pre-order on Amazon!

Transcript

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0:00.0

Welcome to Everyday Wellness Podcast.

0:04.0

I'm your host, Nurse Practitioner Cynthia Thurlow.

0:07.0

This podcast is designed to educate, empower, and inspire you to achieve your health and wellness goals.

0:13.0

My goal and intent is to provide you with the best content and conversations from leaders in the health and wellness industry each week and impact over a million lives.

0:28.9

Today, I had the honor of reconnecting with friend and colleague Dr. Jason Fung.

0:34.9

He is a renowned expert in intermittent fasting metabolic health and is a trained

0:40.3

nephrologist. He is the author of multiple books, including a New York Times bestselling book,

0:46.6

as well as the obesity code, the diabetes code, and the recent hunger code. Today we spoke about

0:54.1

the obsessive focus on calories that is neither useful nor effective,

0:59.1

key root causes and wise for the shallow thinking around calories being the only

1:05.3

precipitant for obesity, differences between types of hunger and condition responses, how hormones impact

1:14.6

hormones and lessons of GLP-1s, why fiber and protein are critically important, carbohydrate

1:21.6

clarity, the impact of meal timing, the role of sleep and circadian biology, the fat thermostat and sympathetic tone,

1:30.3

as well as ultra-processed foods, the impact of nutrition and stress and mindful eating,

1:35.7

another truly invaluable conversation with Dr. Fung, one you will listen to, likely more than

1:41.1

once.

1:44.7

Dr. Fung, always a pleasure to have you on the podcast. Welcome back to everyday wellness.

1:49.0

Oh, thanks so much. Great to be here, Cynthia. Absolutely. Your new book, The Hunger Code, is obviously

1:56.1

one that I'm going to recommend that listeners purchase and have at their ready and their home libraries.

2:02.6

But I think from many perspectives, when I reflect over the last 20, 25 years of working in

2:09.4

clinical medicine, one of the things that I learned that is incredibly unhelpful when talking

2:16.5

to patients about moderating food intake or understanding

...

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