Leptin and ghrelin are hormones that should be in balance with each other, they both work when it is needed on satiety (leptin) and hunger (ghrelin). In this piece more about the leptin hormone and weight loss.
Leptin is a very important hormone when it comes to weight loss. The primary role of leptin is the long-term regulation of energy balance, meaning the amount of calories we eat and burn, and how much fat we store.
Leptin ensures that we do not overeat or eat too little. This hormone is produced in fat cells, so you would think that the more fat you have, the more leptin hormone you produce and the more satisfied you feel after eating. However, many people with a high body fat percentage suffer from leptin resistance. If you produce too much leptin over a long period, your body becomes insensitive to this hormone, resulting in a low feeling of fullness. The chance that you will want to eat more is high. With a high body fat percentage, you also often have high levels of the ghrelin hormone, which makes you want to eat more. As a result, you are out of balance and losing weight will be difficult.
If you want to lose weight you want to be saturated enough during the day if you are in a negative calorie balance (eat less kcal than you consume). Otherwise your willpower will run out faster (exhaustible source) and you will fall back into a positive calorie balance.
Do not follow strict diets! When you follow long crash diets, your leptin and ghrelin hormone are actually disrupted, so that you no longer feel good or are saturated or hungry. So this is doomed to fail in the long term.
For leptin to function properly, it is important that there are not too many triglycerides circulating in your body. These are particles of fat in your bloodstream. An increase in triglycerides is mainly caused by alcohol, all sugars (especially refined sugars and fructose), junk food, and processed foods. To get your feeling of fullness working properly again, you need to lower your triglyceride levels. Therefore, also be mindful of sweet fruits (fructose). Moderate alcohol consumption, ensuring enough protein, healthy fats, fiber-rich foods, and cutting back on carbohydrates are great steps to become more sensitive to leptin again and feel more satisfied. Want to know more about your own hormonal status? Check Personal Trainer for Health or send an email to personaltrainerforhealth@gmail.com