Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
The Hunger Code Book: amazon.com/Hunger-Code-Resetting-Thermostat-Ultra-Processed/dp/1778401562
Weighted Vest Letter: staycuriousmetabolism.substack.com/p/how-weighted-vests-trick-your-body?r=40ekz2
Brain Insulin Resistance Letter: staycuriousmetabolism.substack.com/p/this-study-changed-how-i-see-junk?r=40ekz2
“Calories don’t cause obesity” is a provocative phrase—but it’s biologically accurate. It challenges a deeply entrenched misconception: that overeating causes obesity, rather than obesity driving overeating. If that sounds confusing, you’re not alone. Most people have been taught to think about it the other way around.
In this discussion, Dr. Jason Fung and I work to untangle that misunderstanding. We explore how energy imbalance—so-called “overeating” and "excess calories"—is more often a consequence of obesity, not its root cause.
What truly drives obesity is a complex interplay of social and hormonal factors that increase hunger and/or reduce energy expenditure. Until we address those underlying forces, we can’t meaningfully solve the problem. This isn’t an issue you can fix through sheer willpower—so it’s time we stop pretending that you can.
Chapters
0:00 – Calories Don’t Cause Obesity: A Provocative Experiment
2:08 – A Misunderstanding of The Energy Balance Equation
5:38 – What Happens When You Force Feed People to Gain Weight?
14:39 – The Problem of Over-Hunger & History of Bariatric Surgery
19:52 – Homeostatic Hunger: Physical Signals and Hormones
20:40 – Hedonic Hunger: Pleasure, Reward, and Food Addiction
30:50 – Conditioned Hunger: Pavlov, Environment, and Social Triggers
35:50 – Social Influence: Obesity Spreads Like a Virus
38:40 – Building Tools to Fight Conditioned Hunger
41:18 – The Powers of Mental Reprogramming and Mantras
#HungerCode #Obesity #Hunger #ProcessedFood #Carbohydrate #Fasting #IntermittentFasting #LowCarb #KetogenicDiet #Keto #KetoDiet #WeightLossScience #Ghrelin #FatLoss #Metabolism #HomeostaticHunger #HedonicHunger #ConditionedHunger #Dopamine #HungerHormones #JasonFung #Diabetes #NutritionScience #HealthEducation #FoodAddiction #Hormones #GLP1 #Insulin #DietMyths #MetabolicHealth #BodyFat #PrecisionNutrition #SelfExperiment #Carbs #SugarFree #BehavioralScience #EatingHabits #Fiber #Protein #NeuroScience #HungerScience #EvidenceBased #HealthResearch #FoodAddiction #MMindset #StayCurious #NickNorwitz
The Hunger Code Book: amazon.com/Hunger-Code-Resetting-Thermostat-Ultra-Processed/dp/1778401562
Weighted Vest Letter: staycuriousmetabolism.substack.com/p/how-weighted-vests-trick-your-body?r=40ekz2
Brain Insulin Resistance Letter: staycuriousmetabolism.substack.com/p/this-study-changed-how-i-see-junk?r=40ekz2
“Calories don’t cause obesity” is a provocative phrase—but it’s biologically accurate. It challenges a deeply entrenched misconception: that overeating causes obesity, rather than obesity driving overeating. If that sounds confusing, you’re not alone. Most people have been taught to think about it the other way around.
In this discussion, Dr. Jason Fung and I work to untangle that misunderstanding. We explore how energy imbalance—so-called “overeating” and "excess calories"—is more often a consequence of obesity, not its root cause.
What truly drives obesity is a complex interplay of social and hormonal factors that increase hunger and/or reduce energy expenditure. Until we address those underlying forces, we can’t meaningfully solve the problem. This isn’t an issue you can fix through sheer willpower—so it’s time we stop pretending that you can.
Chapters
0:00 – Calories Don’t Cause Obesity: A Provocative Experiment
2:08 – A Misunderstanding of The Energy Balance Equation
5:38 – What Happens When You Force Feed People to Gain Weight?
14:39 – The Problem of Over-Hunger & History of Bariatric Surgery
19:52 – Homeostatic Hunger: Physical Signals and Hormones
20:40 – Hedonic Hunger: Pleasure, Reward, and Food Addiction
30:50 – Conditioned Hunger: Pavlov, Environment, and Social Triggers
35:50 – Social Influence: Obesity Spreads Like a Virus
38:40 – Building Tools to Fight Conditioned Hunger
41:18 – The Powers of Mental Reprogramming and Mantras
#HungerCode #Obesity #Hunger #ProcessedFood #Carbohydrate #Fasting #IntermittentFasting #LowCarb #KetogenicDiet #Keto #KetoDiet #WeightLossScience #Ghrelin #FatLoss #Metabolism #HomeostaticHunger #HedonicHunger #ConditionedHunger #Dopamine #HungerHormones #JasonFung #Diabetes #NutritionScience #HealthEducation #FoodAddiction #Hormones #GLP1 #Insulin #DietMyths #MetabolicHealth #BodyFat #PrecisionNutrition #SelfExperiment #Carbs #SugarFree #BehavioralScience #EatingHabits #Fiber #Protein #NeuroScience #HungerScience #EvidenceBased #HealthResearch #FoodAddiction #MMindset #StayCurious #NickNorwitz
