STOP EATING…
This is what leptin says!
What is leptin?
Leptin is a satiety hormone made primarily in fat tissue that signals the brain to “stop eating.” It tells your brain that you have had enough. Ghrelin, on the other hand, sends the message to the brain to eat.
Leptin is particularly important with regard to weight loss and gain, metabolic rate, eating behaviors, and energy levels.
If you have health goals that involve changing your weight, you’ll want to know more about this very important satiety hormone.
Are you leptin sensitive?
Is your brain responding appropriately to this hormone?
If leptin is produced in fat tissue, why wouldn’t individuals with significant fat stores eat less? This is a combination of underlying inflammation and the lack of nutrient-dense foods, both of which inhibit our brain’s response to leptin. This is called leptin resistance.
For those looking to lose weight, it would seem ideal to decrease ghrelin and increase leptin in order to support a calorie deficit. IF ONLY it were that easy! In order to regular hunger & satiety signals, we must heal the root cause – decrease inflammation to improve leptin sensitivity (decrease leptin resistance).
Many people are leptin resistant after years of following a standard American diet. The leptin is being made, however, the brain is not responding to it anymore, and therefore more and more leptin is required to have an effect.
An improvement in leptin sensitivity is entirely possible with a low carb/ketogenic/carnivore approach to your diet. The reason is two-fold: you are eliminating processed foods and unnecessary carbohydrates while providing the body with more nutrient-dense foods.
Do you remember starting a low carb/keto/carnivore diet and being amazed by how long you could go between meals before feeling hungry again? This is due to an increase in nutrients, more stable blood sugar levels, as well as improvements in leptin sensitivity. As you become more leptin sensitive, you will be less likely to overeat. Your brain better responds to leptin!
Other ways to improve leptin sensitivity include:
Avoid FEASTING (overeating dysregulates your baseline leptin levels, causing increased levels to feel satiated at future meals)
Increase protein (adequate protein has been shown to improve leptin sensitivity)
Exercise regularly
Reduce stress (high cortisol levels impair leptin)
Get good quality sleep (less sleep leads to decreased levels of leptin and increased ghrelin)
Avoid high carb intake, and especially fructose (that means fruit too!)
If you need guidance to rebalance your hunger hormones, I am here to help! Book an appointment today at qualitycarnivore.com.