Do you struggle with weight and have trouble sticking to a diet? Crave (junk) foods, especially at night? Eat and never feel full?
A little something called leptin resistance may be to blame!
These are all indications that you could have some leptin issues. Leptin is a master hormone in the body that controls hunger and feelings of satiety. Leptin is secreted by adipose (fat) tissue, so the more overweight a person is, typically, the higher his or her leptin levels.
The Culprit: Leptin Resistance
According to Mark’s Daily Apple:
Leptin is the lookout hormone – the gatekeeper of fat metabolism, monitoring how much energy an organism takes in. It surveys and maintains the energy balance in the body, and it regulates hunger via three pathways:
- By counteracting the effects of neuropeptide Y, a potent feeding stimulant secreted by the hypothalamus and certain gut cells
- By counteracting the effects of anandamide, another feeding stimulant
- By promoting the production of a-MSH, an appetite suppressant
It is also directly tied to insulin levels. Many people these days are leptin resistant and there are many health problems tied to this problem. High leptin levels have been tied to high blood pressure, obesity, heart disease and stroke, as well as blood sugar related problems.
High levels of leptin and the accompanying leptin resistance can also decrease fertility, age you more quickly and contribute to obesity. If you’re trying to lose weight or improve a health problem, chances are you have leptin resistance. If you can’t seem to stick to health changes, chances are you have leptin resistance.
In other words, if you want to make lasting health changes or lose weight and keep it off, you have to fix your leptin. The good news is: if you’ve failed at diets or health changes in the past, it was likely because you failed to regulate your leptin levels and doing so can help you finally make lasting changes.
Leptin resistance and its related problems are a complex problem involving the endocrine system and reversing them requires more than simple calorie restriction or will power.
Leptin Stimulating Foods and Lifestyle Factors
As with all hormone issues, leptin resistance is a complex issue with no singular cause, but there are many factors that can negatively impact leptin levels including:
- Fructose consumption (especially in forms like high fructose corn syrup)
- High stress levels
- Consumption of a lot of simple carbs
- Lack of sleep
- High insulin levels (vicious cycle here)
- Overeating
- Exercising too much, especially if your hormones are already damaged
- Grain and lectin consumption
Leptin is the satiety hormone produced by fat cells, so it would seem logical that those with more fat cells would produce more leptin, which would signal the body to eat less food and weight would normalize. This over-simplified idea is great in theory but doesn’t always occur, especially in those with damaged metabolisms or endocrine problems (which includes most overweight people).
According to this article:
The problem is not in the production of leptin, but rather, studies show that the majority of overweight individuals who are having difficulty losing weight have a leptin resistance, where the leptin is unable to produce its normal effects to stimulate weight loss. This leptin resistance is sensed as starvation, so multiple mechanisms are activated to increase fat stores, rather than burn excess fat stores. Leptin resistance also stimulates the formation of reverse T3, which blocks the effects of thyroid hormone on metabolism (discussed below).
So, the person is eating excess food but the body thinks it is starving and tells the person to eat more. It’s easy to see how this cycle could contribute to weight gain!
How to Fix Leptin Resistance
As I said, this is a complex problem, but not an irreversible one. The good news is you feel better quickly once it’s under control.
In short, the (non-negotiable) factors that will help improve leptin response are:
- Say no to sugar. Eat little to no simple starches, refined foods, sugars, and fructose. Eat quality carbs from veggies instead.
- Get enough protein and fat. Consuming a large amount of protein and healthy fats first thing in the morning, as soon after waking as possible. This promotes satiety and gives the body the building blocks to make hormones. My go-to is a large scramble with 2-3 eggs, vegetables and left over meat from the night before cooked in coconut oil.
- Get regular sleep. This step may be more important than all the rest combined. (Yes, really!) Be in bed by 10 (no excuses) and optimize your sleep!
- Spend time in nature. Get outside during the day, preferably barefoot on the ground, in mid-day sun with some skin exposed. Here’s why.
- DON’T SNACK!!! When you are constantly eating, even small amounts, during the day it keeps your liver working and doesn’t give hormones a break. Try to space meals at least 4 hours apart and don’t eat for at least 4 hours before bed. This includes drinks with calories but herbal teas, water, coffee or tea without cream or sugar are fine. For creative ways to do this even as a busy mom, see this post.
- Don’t workout at first. If you are really leptin resistant, this will just be an additional stress on the body. Let your body heal a little first, then add in the exercise.
- Change how you exercise. When you do exercise, do only sprints and weight lifting. Walk or swim if you want to but don’t do cardio just for the sake of cardio. It’s just a stress on the body. High intensity workouts and weight lifting, on the other hand, give the hormone benefits of working out without the stress from excess cardio and are great after the first few weeks. Also, work out in the evening, not the morning, to support hormone levels.
- Detox. Remove toxins from your life as these are a stress on your body. Get rid of processed foods, commercial deodorants (make your own instead), and switch to natural cleaning products. How? I wrote a whole book on the topic with an easy-to-follow detox lifestyle plan and recipes.
- Increase omega-3, lower omega-6. Eat (or take) more omega-3s by eating fish, grass-fed meats, or chia seeds) and minimize your omega-6 consumption (vegetable oils, conventional meats, grains, etc,) to get lower inflammation and help support healthy leptin levels.
How the Leptin Hormone Works
If you want to know more, here’s a great video that explains more about the leptin hormone cascade and how it impacts your health. Also check out the additional resources at the end of the post.
Additional Reading
Dr. Jack Kruse (a neurosurgeon) and Stephan Guyenet (an obesity researcher) have both written in depth about the causes of leptin imbalance and ways to reverse it. I highly recommend these resources for more information on their methods of correcting leptin resistance:
- Changing the Body’s Setpoint
- Factors That Affect Leptin
- Dr. Kruse’s Leptin Prescription
- The book Mastering Leptin also has a much more in-depth explanation and suggestions
Do you have any of these issues? Think leptin is a struggle for you? Try this and let me know how it goes!
Mine needs fixing for sure. and my Hormones are off…..
The article indicates not sugar or fructose – does this include fruit? I have been using my vitamix to make whole food smoothies (skin and all)and the fruit is what helps me deal with the veggie taste.
Thank you! This is very interesting, and I think I may have leptin resistance. My question is about regular grocery store meats. I have no access to grass fed, and wonder how much this will affect my “recovery”?
For over a month I’d walk…up a hill and back down. Usually 5 days a week. No weight loss although I did feel better. One day my daughter walked with me and got ahead by a couple of blocks, at the end of the hill. She stopped and waited on me. I decided to jog down to her. I made it! Got on the scales the next morning and discovered I’d lost my FIRST POUND!! Since then I’ve found that short, fast exercise is the only way I can lose weight. So I go to the local park and walk with light jogging down each small hill and some jogging on flat areas, but not too much (heart problems, doc won’t let me exercise too hard). I lose weight that way!
I was wondering if trying to fix leptin, is it ok to have the almond butter/coconut oil before bed?
Wondering how long before you can add in cardio? I’m possitive my hormones are out of balance and I am Leptin Resisitant. I have done a triathlon and half marathon each year for the last 4 years and have not lost one pound. I’m considering not doing either this year if I have to stop training for a long time. What can you suggest?
It really depends on your body, but I”ve seen people start losing weight from removing the exercise and resting more…
love all the post . Trying to find best supplement.
Try light resistance training Susan. I’ve read up that heavy cardio, esp running can wreak havoc on your hormones. I am also prone to that.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! This is me all the way. I was puzzled because in the past when I attempted to lose weight I all I would have to do is run the block (so to speak) and the weight would fall off. I’ve tried almost everything (no surgery) and I am still 284lbs (heaviest in my life)!! I am going to try this for a month first two weeks the diet (protein heavy breakfast) and incorporate walking. This is a God send because I was hopeless.
Thank you!
how long after you start this do you wait to start cardio workouts?
i am 23yrs old and i am having the problem of constantly increasing weight , i had done regular exercise, dieting, healthy food eating and i had even starded walking for 10-15 kms but i had got no change in my weight , not even 1kg is reduced instead it has increased. please suggest me what should i do and should i concern d doctor……
please suggest
This happened to me for years. Was finally diagnosed with under active thyroid. Placed on meds and exercise and lost 75Lbs. Doing well.
I’m the opposite… I’m really skinny… and no matter how and what I eat, I don’t gain… I need to balance my hormones or my face keeps breaking out! Once leptin is fixed, will I gain weight?
Some people who are severely underweight also have leptin issues, but normalizing it usually will only bring them to a healthy weight, not above.
The leptin helps with hormones and makes you able to lose weight easier. It will help with your face but it won’t make you gain weight
Had a friend with the same problem. She ate all the time and kept losing weight. Her doctor even accused her of being an exercise anorexic. Turns out she had celiac disease. Once she cut out gluten, she was able to keep on weight and her skin cleared up.
This is what were going through with my daughters! People keep telling me that gluten intolerance only makes you overweight, but I know this is why my girls are “failure to thr
Thank you for sharing, I was beginning to think it was all my imagination!