With the increasing worldwide incidence of obesity and the resulting increase in metabolic disorders such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and some cancers, an understanding of the multitude of factors that contribute to obesity is crucial for researchers to develop more effective treatments. This collection of overviews and protocols provides the reader with an introduction to the major features of obesity research, including the interplay between energy balance, hormones and neurobiological networks. An overview is provided which describes the animal models of obesity most commonly utilized in research. A standardized laboratory protocol for producing diet?]induced obesity (DIO) in both mouse and rat is provided as are protocols that describe how diet formulation can be modified to generate mouse models of human metabolic pathologies. Protocols are also provided for testing the effects of dietary manipulations, caloric restriction and potential therapeutics. This e-book — a curated collection from eLS, WIREs, and Current Protocols — offers a fantastic introduction to the field of obesity research for students or interdisciplinary collaborators.