Why Over 99% of Diets Fail and What You Can Do About It

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May 12, 2026

Dr. Jason Fung, nephrologist and bestselling author on metabolic health and fasting. He unpacks why hunger, not calories, drives weight gain. He explains three types of hunger, how ultra-processed foods hijack appetite, and why hormones like insulin set the body fat thermostat. Practical levers and social factors for change are also discussed.

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INSIGHT

Hunger Not Calories Is The Root Problem

Weight loss fails because treating calories is superficial; hunger is the root cause that drives overeating.
Dr. Jason Fung explains Ozempic works by reducing hunger, not by mandating calorie counts, so you stop fighting constant increased appetite.

INSIGHT

A Calorie Is A Measurement Not A Biological Signal

A calorie's bomb-calorimeter value is physiologically meaningless because the body never measures calories.
Hormones, especially insulin, decide whether consumed energy is stored or available to burn.

INSIGHT

Three Types Of Hunger Explain Overeating

Different types of hunger drive eating: homeostatic (physical), hedonic (pleasure), and conditioned (social).
Conditioned hunger arises from pairing cues (car, TV, coffee) with eating and triggers frequent, unnecessary consumption.

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Dr. Jason Fung returns to the CrossFit Podcast to unpack the real driver behind weight gain and chronic hunger. Drawing from decades of clinical experience and his new book “The Hunger Code,” Fung challenges the “calorie in, calorie out” model and explains why it has failed so many people for so long.

This conversation goes deeper than macros and meal plans. Fung breaks down the three types of hunger: homeostatic, hedonic, and conditioned. He explains how ultra-processed foods, the modern food environment, and social conditioning override natural appetite regulation. He and host Jocelyn Rylee explore how insulin and other hormones shape body fat regulation, and why long-term success depends on restoring satiety rather than fighting willpower.

Topics Covered

Why calorie restriction fails long-term.
The three types of hunger and how they drive overeating.
How ultra-processed food hijacks appetite and satiety.
Hormones and the body fat thermostat.
Social environments and practical levers for change.

Resources Mentioned

Dr. Jason Fung
- Website
- YouTube
- Instagram
- X
- Facebook
The Hunger Code by Dr. Jason Fung
The Obesity Code by Dr. Jason Fung\
Hunger by Roxane Gay

Community Highlight

Travis Ponikiewski doesn’t train for the leaderboard.

He trains because he has two little girls who think he’s invincible, and he plans on keeping it that way for a long time.

When Travis was young, he lost his dad. Now that he’s a father himself, that experience quietly shapes everything. For him, fitness isn’t aesthetic. It’s responsibility. It’s making sure his daughters don’t grow up with missing memories.

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He cares less about how his girls look and more about what they’re capable of. Strong bodies. Healthy relationship with food. Confidence that doesn’t shrink to fit the world.

He’s even working toward his Level 1 — not to collect a title, but to better serve the people around him.