Today let’s address Leptin and weight loss. Over the last few posts, I’ve explained why some physiological systems are against us when we’re trying natural weight loss, such as leptin, inflammation, brain health, stress, poor digestion, sleep, etc.
When we understand these concepts, we have more motivation to address them, and then weight loss becomes a little more natural and less of a tug-of-war. I also want to add that it’s how we do it too. With joy, ease, and structure, it becomes a way of life and not another yo-yo diet.
Let’s learn Leptin and why it prevents weight loss.
Leptin is the hormone produced by fat cells that tells the hypothalamus part of the brain to store enough fat and then metabolize at a normal rate (aka, good metabolism = greater weight loss). How much fat you store is your long term energy storage.
So, obese people have high leptin and it should tell the brain to stop eating but unfortunately, that switch is broken. This is called Leptin resistance, which prevents weight loss. Once broken, it tells the brain the opposite: Eat more because you are starving and reduce your calorie burn. Yikes!! AND…once an overweight person starts to lose fat, leptin levels decrease and the brain thinks it’s starving and wants to regain fat. This is all counterproductive of what we want.
Why do we become leptin resistant and block weight loss?
- Inflammation prevents weight loss (See inflammation post)
- High leptin levels prevents weight loss
- Free fatty acids (This is the by-product of metabolism of fat in the adipose tissues which increases insulin resistance, blood pressure, and cardiovascular diseases)
- Weight gain results in increased leptin resistance.
Is there a way to help your body lose weight?
- Sleep, sleep, sleep. It is not a waste of time.
- Processed foods break our bodily self regulation. Do you want to be labeled as fast, easy, convenient, and cheap? Then, let’s change how we see food.
- Fiber. It’s one way to get rid of toxins in our body.
- Reduce triglycerides. This is often found in refined carbohydrates and beer.
Holistic nutrition support is the key to weight loss success.
Get it both professionally and personally. Get a free 30-minute phone consultation. See if this is the right match for you by addressing natural weight loss, cravings, emotional eating, balanced diet, disease prevention, nutrition, and getting to the root cause of what’s keeping you stuck. See what others are saying on Google and Yelp.
For more articles, read https://happyfoodhealth.com/blog
~ Samantha Hua, Online Nutrition Coach & Holistic Health Coach, San Diego, CA
