In general, I felt there were some good insights, some interesting studies & some helpful anecdotes.

I did find the content irritating at times & had quite a mixed narrative, especially compared to Hari’s previous books.

Ultimately, he seesaws between advocating for weight loss medication (GLP-1) & at times sceptical, coming down eventually to feel it’s worth the potential risks to health to take the drugs to reduce other potential health issue associated with being overweight.

From a therapeutic point of view, I’m not sure it really showcased genuine alternatives to intense diets or weight loss drugs. It felt that due to our current food climate/culture in the West, there was little alternative to take medication until someone else sorts out how to eat better.

I disagree from both personal & therapeutic experience that there aren’t viable, long-term alternatives to medication. I believe we can individually improve our own diets to a more sustainable model, for both health and environmental reasons, whilst also educating the wider community on more nutritional & beneficial food/lifestyle choices.

One of the major themes that I found frustrating, was Hari’s insistence he wasn’t able to prepare more nutritionally balanced meals, that it was fast food & medication or nothing. As to learn to “cook” was somehow beyond this intelligent human being. Clearly, there’s something about a desire to still eat fast food vs a desire to put some personal investment into creating a more nutrient dense diet.

There are clearly multiple factors as to why it can be hard for individuals to maintain a nutrient dense diet & to find a way to maintain a certain desired weight. These are all worth understanding & considering, so that a meaningful long-term approach can be created.

The book covers an important range of ideas, that will be eye opening for a lot of people (including myself), so it’s worth a read for that alone. The writing style is also very engaging, so from this point of view it’s an enjoyable read. I would just note that the conclusion Hari reaches isn’t one I’d agree with. I suggest that anyone reading this book contemplates longer term approaches, such as a version of the “Japanese” diet that Hari covers.

Overall, a good, informative read, yet it felt somewhat biased towards taking medication from the outset & maintains that stance in the end.