Leptin Levels and Obesity

First, I’m no doctor so I’m attaching a link that goes into the science. Click here to get the “wordy” version of Leptin.

With that out of the way, here’s an answer to a question posed to me in the Cheat Meal post of a couple of days ago.

“Anyway, this article doesn’t mention leptin levels, which as I understand it, are the hormones that create “famine brain” where your body believes it’s starving. The way I understand it is a splurge meal fools the brain into thinking that it’s not starving after all. Am I totally wrong?”

No, you are not wrong that leptin levels trigger the faminine response in the brain. Excellent question.

What I believe is that people mistake the splurge meal as the only way to counteract this effect. One big meal a week isn’t going to do that for a long period of time. The BEST way to avoid the leptin effect is to eat slightly in caloric deficit filling your body with good, clean, healthy foods.

Most people believe they can’t lose fat without starving. They want to cut calories down to ridiculous levels like 1200 calories a day. Then they start an exercise program that is vigorous and like no other attempted in their life. This is a recipe to crash and burn with diet and exercise. Not only are you starving your body, but you send yourself into deep punishment and deprivation mode. Your body starts screaming at you for some food and rather than just upping your calories with good food, what do you do? Fat Girl Thinking kicks in and you start having all the comfort foods, feel horrible about it, and give up.

I advocate eating as much as you can while losing fat so that you have success. Example: I have many Weight Watcher people plead for help because they are exercising for an hour five times a week, eat 20 points a day, and they are tired, hungry, and not losing. They just don’t get why they can’t have long-term success.

20 points a day is eating 1200 calories a day. The average woman needs 1400 just to lay in bed, have three squares, and make a poop. Pile 300-500 cals burned in exercise and this person is giving their body a whopping 700-900 cals a day to function. You know what? We haven’t even added in calories to go to work and chase kids! No wonder their body thinks they are starving. They are!!!

I would have the same person eat activity points and divide out their weekly flex points so that each day they are eating 25 points on non-exercise days and 28-30 points on exercise days. In regular terms that’s 1500-1800 calories a day. On top of that, you have one splurge meal a week. 60 minutes of fun if you want it. You’ll still lose. It’s exactly what I did before I even knew what I was really doing. LOL!

Now, I assume you are strength training with good, heavy weight and doing moderate high cardio…right? If not, dig through this blog for articles on that.

So, to sum it up:

- Leptin levels do effect obesity.

- Leptin levels wouldn’t be your issue if you eat right under your fat burning zone.

- Leptin levels are not effected enough by splurge meals to make a big difference in the long-term.

- Eat clean, exercise, and don’t starve. You will lose fat.

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Daily Workout: Shoulders and 40 min. of Mod High Intensity Cardio. I’ll probably do the elliptical tonight since I ran yesterday.

Seated OH Presses SS with Leg Raises
Front Plate Raises SS with Lateral Raises
Bent Over Rear Delts SS with Crunches
Front Rope Pull SS with Bike Crunches
1/2 Way to Top Straight Bar Curls SS Hammer Curls

Daily Food:
B – Energy Bar and coffee
S – Protein Shake
L – Eating Out - probably nice salad somewhere or grilled fish and veggies
S – Peanut Butter and Apple pre evening cardio
D – EAS Shake right after workout and then 30 min later eat tuna on salad with WW toast
S – Fage