Just Finished Reading Life in the Fasting Lane by Dr. Jason Fung, Eva Mayer and Megan Ramos

Having just read the book Life in the Fasting Lane: How to Make Intermittent Fasting a Lifestyle...and Reap the Benefits of Weight Loss and Better Health...whew, let's shorten the title a bit...I'm a little hesitant about writing and putting out this review.  The reason is that I've discovered over the years that, while it's often inadvisable to bring up sensitive topics like religion, politics and money, diet is something I suspect a lot of folks take special offense at if the message differs from their deeply entrenched beliefs or challenges their choices about eating...or not eating.  And it's exactly that, eating or not eating, that is what this collaborative effort is about, authored in alternating sections by nephrologist Dr. Jason Fung, lay person Eva Mayer and medical researcher Megan Ramos.  Their operational definition of fasting is simple: it's the time you're not eating.  The premise of fasting is that the body is either storing energy or burning it.  Energy is produced for the body when eating...after a certain period of not eating, the body switches from energy storage (into fat) to energy burning (from fat). Although the authors say that intermittent fasting, which can be done in short stretches of a few hours at a time...wrapping such a span around one's sleeping time is a common method...is easy and simple and it doesn't make one constantly hungry as continuous snacking does.  I say keep the rules to a minimum, but as is usually the case with these kinds of programs, they also start laying down different stipulations...sigh.  I've known for years that, at least for me, creating longer time intervals between eating (while forgoing snacking)...the essence it turns out of intermittent fasting...has helped with my level of energy and trimmed excess weight.  This book is good at getting people, especially those with obesity issues, motivated and started.  Unfortunately, for someone like myself who has reached where they want to be, they don't have a lot to offer in the way of maintenance strategies.  Throughout my life as long as I can remember, I have loved eating, and recently have enjoyed many a robust meal and dessert as I lost weight through spacing out my meals and thoroughly enjoying their wide, tasty varieties (and generous portions) when it was time to chow down.  Dr. Fang claims that the calories-in/calories-out approach to dieting misses the crucial fact that it is hormones...most specifically insulin...that decide whether the body will use or store its fat.  And a major factor in insulin production (or not) is whether you're eating or not eating. Okay, I've laid it all out...believe whatever you want to believe. I didn't approach reading Life in the Fasting Lane as a prescriptive guide to fasting/eating.  I already had my own experiences and wanted to see how they related to others'.  Although I thought the authors were sometimes a bit nit-picky about their rules, which they like to terms as "hacks", I was in general agreement, although I never have experienced the obesity issues that beset Ms. Mayer...