Leptin: The "I'm Full" Hormone

Leptin is a powerful hormone produced in your body that controls your appetite. When it is created your brain gets the signal that you are satisfied and don’t need to eat. It is a natural appetite suppressant.

Excessive Hunger Getting In The Way

Now, I am not a proponent of eating less to lose weight. But for many people I talk to, they know what they should do but they have bouts of extreme hunger and it is annoying to them. They want to eat the right thing but not have the constant nagging need to eat more or feel unsatisfied.

By having too little of this hormone, it can sabotage the otherwise correct efforts for natural weight loss. So even though I get people to eat more to lose weight, there are times when the hunger is too much and you over eat in one sitting and this stimulates excess insulin and that is a fat creating hormone.

Where Does This Hormone Come From?

It comes from your fat cells. Fat cells produce this powerful hormone. It is a primary force instructing metabolism, weight loss, and hormone balance.

What Affects It?

Low calorie diets and fasting are some of the primary causes of insufficient amounts.^[1] It is unique in that is is triggered mainly by starvation and lack of food when other hormones that affect your fat levels are triggered by over eating.^[2] So, over-eating is not a way to get “excess leptin”.

Another cause of deficiency is low energy. Or lack of sleep. Lower energy levels have been found to reduce it. This a new branch of study but the data supporting it is growing. ^[3][4] And again the results will speak for themselves.

How Do I Increase It?

Do the reverse of the above! Eat more frequently and get more sleep!

Medical scientists from Stanford and other universities found that people who consistently slept five hours or less per night had on average, about 15% more ghrelin and 15% less leptin levels than those who slept 8-hour nights. They also demonstrated that the less you sleep, the more you weigh.^[5]

There is also some new research about the production of this satiety hormone during sleep. During sleep, melatonin is created and melatonin, when it interacts with insulin increases it and decreases appetite.^[6]

Get more sleep!

A last note here is that this is one aspect of weight loss. To get the fastest and most permanent results I suggest not using only one thing to be successful with your natural weight loss. It is best if you have a comprehensive program that addresses your entire lifestyle. The many books and diets out there tell you what to eat and how to exercise but they do not address the hidden sources of sabotage.

Using the information here is best used as part of a comprehensive natural weight loss program. If you are interested in getting natural weight loss consulting that is tailored to you, you are welcome to get contact me for an initial consultation here: "Weight Loss Program"