Leptin Resistance - Questions! page 2

[Robynbee]

@ Daemonized - I have checked out both LeanGains and the LeanSaloon and I like what they've got to say. I think IF might be the way for me to go as I'm not really a breakfast person and have no trouble skipping meals. I was just curious about the effect of IF on leptin resistance, but on both those sites they don't really say whether or not IF helps to restore leptin sensitivity.

[Minxxa]

Robyn,

I think I most likely had some leptin issues, but didn't really do anything SPECIFICALLY to fix them. I will tell you what I've been doing and I've seen over time a big change.

I did eat three meals for a while, but eventually it's moved to be two meals a day, usually one between 9-11 (depending on when I'm hungry, LOL), and the other somewhere around 4-6. I don't get hungry after dinner, I am not hungry when I wake up and I never get those low-blood sugar crash type hungers. This has developed naturally over time, I'd just eat later, when I felt like it. I also noticed the meal size has gone down a bit, but that depends too on what I'm doing workout wise. So technically I guess I mostly have an "eating window" most days. But I truly play it by ear each day.

My diet has changed to be a lot more protein and some veggies and starchy carbs (sweet potatos). It's much easier to eat a lot of protein and feel satiated and not stuffed, but if memory serves this took some time? I believe it felt like SOOOOO much food at first. Now it doesn't (and isn't portionwise that much either).

Sweet potatoes ROCK. For me (I have thyroid issues), going low on carbs is not productive. I stall out. I tend to go between 50g-100g on a regular basis and that's working for me re: fat loss.

I do tend to eat the same foods regularly, so that's funny after reading the previous posts! I like what I like and it's mostly just me to cook for right now, so it's easier to just buy simple stuff. I eat eggs/steak/sweet potatoes/salad/chicken/avocado/coconut oil. That pretty much sums up 85% of my food choices, in one variation or another.

And lastly, lately I've ditched the alcohol (for the most part). That REALLY saw a huge difference in both my fat loss AND any hunger/craving stuff. Even after only 1-2 glasses of wine, I am more hungry the next day. I know the sugar plays a huge role, and alcohol in general, but I also do think it affects that leptin/grehlin thing as well.

So while I haven't actively been trying to get my leptin receptors working better, I have noticed differences in my hunger/eating signals. I am better at listening to them, and I don't have the crazy "cravings" all of the time overruling it.

[Robynbee]

Minxxa,

I feel like I might be going too low carb and that might be contributing to my non-weight loss. I generally eat around or under 35g a day, not really trying to, it just kind of happens. I think I'll try stepping it up and adding more veggies in.

Thanks for posting, that's really helpful stuff!

[Barb]

Robyn - Mastering Leptin is a good book, keep reading! I would guess that extending your morning fast longer and perhaps only eating twice a day would fit in with the goal of going LONGER between meals. Most people eat more than three times a day, with lots of snacking and grazing right up until bedtime. I would ignore the suggestion to eat 50 g of protein upon awakening. However, if one is going to eat three meals spaced 5-6 hours apart with no eating 3 hours before going to bed, breakfast needs to be eaten earlyish.

You might find that if you eat a only small, early dinner and no eating 3 hours before bed, that you may be hungry for breakfast in the morning. Part of the goal is to shift eating to the daytime/sunlight hours and go a long period of no eating in the evening and at night. This helps with restoring a natural circadian rhythm to all your hormones, including leptin. Getting lots of sleep is critically important to this healing process. Also, if you are going to keep your meals smaller, you may find you want to eat 3 meals instead of 2.

since you have a history of yo-yo dieting, your brain is probably acutely attuned to any overt attempt to "lose weight". Even thinking about "I am going to try to lose weight/diet" can increase leptin resistance, because then the body will do all it can to survive some kind of upcoming perceived food shortage. So even though you have plenty of fat stores, which are pumping out leptin, the brain hears you thinking "I am going to do what I can to limit food/energy" and it ignores the leptin messsage of plenty of energy in storage (that is leptin resistance) and goes into low metabolism/energy conservation mode. The author does a good job of explaining it in the book. It works much better to focus on making changes to improve health, energy, and well being than focusing much on weight. The more history you have with dieting, the more resistant your body is to each new "diet". The extra weight is a symptom of an underlying problem, and that problem is what primal blueprint and mastering leptin are focused on.

[quelsen]

Have not read it all, howver after reading kruse and looking at my n=1 i think it may be that above a certain fat % IF may be detremental and under that % it is beneficial. My rule of thumb when talking to others is know your body fat accurately. 15% or more above ideal consider one strategy, under that a different strategy.

[Robynbee]

since you have a history of yo-yo dieting, your brain is probably acutely attuned to any overt attempt to "lose weight". Even thinking about "I am going to try to lose weight/diet" can increase leptin resistance, because then the body will do all it can to survive some kind of upcoming perceived food shortage. So even though you have plenty of fat stores, which are pumping out leptin, the brain hears you thinking "I am going to do what I can to limit food/energy" and it ignores the leptin messsage of plenty of energy in storage (that is leptin resistance) and goes into low metabolism/energy conservation mode. The author does a good job of explaining it in the book. It works much better to focus on making changes to improve health, energy, and well being than focusing much on weight. The more history you have with dieting, the more resistant your body is to each new "diet". The extra weight is a symptom of an underlying problem, and that problem is what primal blueprint and mastering leptin are focused on.

Oh man, have I really shot myself in the foot with my years of yo-yoing. I can't trick my brain, it outthinks me every time! This time around, after reading the Primal Blueprint, I am a lot more focused on the healthiness of my diet than I ever have been, so that's good! But I guess I still have a lot to do to convince my brain that I'm not trying to sabotage its efforts.

[Dragonfly]

This is a long & interesting article about the role of triglycerides in leptin resistance:
http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org...53/5/1253.full

Some pertinent excerpts:
Because serum triglycerides are elevated in both starvation and obesity, we postulated that triglycerides inhibit leptin transport across the BBB (blood-brain barrier.)

We confirmed that short-term fasting decreased serum triglyceride levels, whereas 48 h of fasting (starvation) increased them.

In conclusion, these studies show that serum triglycerides impair the ability of the BBB to transport leptin. Triglycerides are likely a major cause of the leptin resistance seen in both starvation and obesity (9,10,16,20). Lowering triglycerides may be therapeutically useful in enhancing the effects of leptin on weight loss.

[Minxxa]

Robyn.. there's been a few of us girlies that have found benefits in many things by adding in some sweet potato and upping the carbage. The only way to find it really is to give it a shot.

I agree with Barb that focusing on weight loss can trigger your body to try to "save itself". With thyroid issues my body is the same way-- ultra sensitive to anything that seems like it may be "starvation". So adding in the carbs has really done two things... let my body feel "safe" enough to let me lose fat, and fills me up so that I am not hungry usually for 5-7 hours.

It really was a gradual thing though, over a period of several months. And really focusing on my health and getting better and not the fat loss.

[jkt2]

i started pouring over jack kruse's blog because of the link in the first post. WOW.... really great info on how leptin works and the effects of leptin sensitivity. strongly recommend starting from the beginning: Jack’s Blog | Jack Kruse

[js290]

You may want to consider reading The Rosedale Diet.

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