Leptin Resistance. How to reset.

There is much talk around insulin but Leptin is worth taking a look at for weight loss, better energy and hormone balance.

What is leptin?

Leptin is a hormone your body fat releases that helps regulate the energy balance by suppressing hunger.  Your fat cells are not just inactive tissue but an active part of your hormonal system.Once your energy needs have been met, it signals to your brain to stop eating by giving you a full feeling. 

It is intricate in metabolism by telling the brain to increase your metabolic rate to use the food you just ate for fuel.

If your leptin feedback loop is working well, it leads to greater mental fortitude, memory, cognition, and overall brain function – you are switched on and there is no brain fog.

Leptin even has an effect on mood and emotions, much like blood sugar if out of balance can make you feel stressed, overwhelmed and anxious.

What is leptin resistance?

Leptin resistance is defined by a reduced sensitivity or a failure in response of the brain to leptin. It occurs when the hypothalamic cells in the brain stop recognizing leptin’s signals. The brain doesn’t perceive that enough food has come in, and reads that as starvation. Your brain will turn on all the hunger signals it can which causes an increased food intake.

When you overeat or binge, or over nourished this can also cause Leptin resistance. If you eat beyond your needs, and ignore your body’s signals too often, the receptors in your brain become insensitive to the leptin leading to chronic hunger. The more you overeat, the more resistant to leptin your brain becomes.

This hormone imbalance is one of the most common hidden drivers of weight-loss resistance and weight gain. 

The main symptoms of leptin resistance are constantly feeling hungry and increased food intake despite having adequate or excess amounts of body fat.

I recently noticed amongst my women who fast and eat later in the day that they are starting to binge, have extreme eating habits, low energy and wacky hormones.

Weight loss, energy, mood and hormonal balances is actually all related to your endocrine system AKA hormones. It requires a tapestry of delicate fine tuning and weaving in lifestyle strategies in order to create a beautiful effortless symphony.

Factors that contribute to leptin resistance

Over time, calorie restriction and/or over dieting and fasting decreases leptin levels which makes you feel hungry ALL THE TIME. It decreases your metabolism by decreasing thyroid hormone levels. This makes it difficult to lose weight.

These are other factors that contribute to leptin resistance:
●  Stress
●  Trauma
●  Toxin exposure
●  High sugar diets
●  Processed foods

So typically what I see is women under-eating, over-exercising, intermittent fasting, cold water therapy and no weight loss…..

Leptin resistance also causes fatigue because your brain releases less Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) resulting in decreased thyroid hormone release. A recent study showed that leptin-influenced weight gain can inflame the thyroid, possibly contributing to Hashimoto’s, an autoimmune condition where the body attacks the thyroid gland.

How to reset your leptin system

Try this for 30 days.

  • Eat within 90 minutes of waking up
  • No caffeine on am empty stomach only after food
  • Start the day with protein, fibre and fat
  • Have your lightest meal 4 hours before bed
  • Remove sugar
  • Remove gluten
  • Remove processed foods
  • Don’t snack – it disrupts your circadian clock that works with leptin to control hunger and cravings
  • Make your body feel safe by prayer, mindfulness, meditation, yoga and stop pushing to hard
  • Don’t add more stress – AVOID INTENSE EXERCISE DAILY. 
  • Be strategic with cold water exposure and fasting
  • Begin your morning by including adaptogenic herbs in your breakfast. Ashwagandha, rhodiola, and maca help balance cortisol levels 
  • I love Omega 3 too, an excellent way to deal with leptin resistance and inflammation

By following these guidelines people lose weight quickly. Their mood, energy and eating habits improve as does their sleep. Once your leptin system resets, your body will tell you when it is hungry and when it is not, you will also feel more human in many ways.

Ladies, stop pushing so hard and going all out on everything. Nourish more, move gently with love for your body instead of intense dislike for it. Don’t punish yourself, it all shows up in your energy, your cellular communication, your face, your intensity.

Be flexible, graceful, effortless.

Three of my favourite breakfasts to start the day

Breakfast 1:

  • 2 boiled eggs
    1/2 avocado
    A handful of berries
  • Fresh rocket and micro-greens
  • Finish off with some olive oil and sea salt

Breakfast 2:

Fresh salad with avocado, pumpkin seeds, trout/sardines with fresh lemon and apple cider vinegar and a side of berries


Breakfast Smoothie 3:

  • Bone broth powder 
  • Frozen berries 
  • Hemp seeds
  • Coconut milk 
  • Cacao nibs
  • Bee pollen
  • Collagen powder (grass fed)
  • Cinnamon
  • Vanilla

Much love

xx

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