How to Burn Fat Master Leptin Hormone

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How to Burn Fat Master Leptin Hormone

How to Master your Leptin Hormone and Burn Your Excess Fat Easily
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I always thought that weight management is only about math, calculating calorie in, calorie out and exercising.

However, when we look at some people who have more than normal diet, keep feeling hungry and keep gaining excess weight, we can’t help but wonder that weight calculation is not just one simple formula after all.

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Research has shown that a hormone, known as the Leptin hormone is responsible for signaling the brain when we are full and have sufficient energy to carry on daily tasks. Also known as the “Stop eating” or the “starvation” hormone, it is responsible to making us experience the feeling of satiety, fullness and therefore stop eating.

This hormone was first discovered in the 1990s and hit straight to limelight when it was said to have positive effects on weight loss.

Since then, a wide range of leptin supplements have flocked the market today. However, different experts have different opinions about whether these supplements work and if it can work for you or not.
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What is leptin hormone and how does it work?

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Our fat cells are responsible for secreting a protein called the leptin that plays a vital role in regulating the amount of calories we intake and expense.
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It is also linked with the amount of fat storage in our body and affects the metabolism. The leptin secreted is directly proportional to the amount of stored fat present in our body.
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The more the fat storage, the more leptin will be produced. Circulating in the blood stream, leptin reaches the brain and signals it when it needs to stop eating.

Everybody has a set leptin threshold, that is genetically set differently for everyone. If the leptin levels reach the threshold, the brain interprets the signal as adequate energy level reached and no more calorie consumption required.

Conversely, if leptin levels are low, brain interprets it as exhausting fat stores and moves the body into the starvation mode. Hence it controls the appetite, makes you feel hungry and slows down the metabolism as a way to conserve energy.
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Figure 1 – Pic credit authoritynutrition.com

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What is leptin resistance? How does it affect your weight?

Since the leptin hormone is produced in proportion to the fat cells present in the body, obese people have high leptin levels.
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But these high levels of leptin does not mean that these people feel full. This happens because the brain does not intercept the leptin signal.

Known as Leptin Resistance, though the leptin levels are at the threshold, the brain is unable to read it and thinks that the body is starving.
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This condition is being widely researched and considered as the major reason for obesity.

Though the body has more than enough energy stored, the brain commences the starvation mode making the person feel hungry all the time and resulting in excessive eating and low metabolism.
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How to take control of your leptin hormone

There are several factors responsible for leptin resistance and it’s difficult to point finger at one particular reason.

Common factors include high fructose consumption, anxiety, lack of sleep, increased insulin levels and high carb intake.
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Common sense suggests that ingesting leptin could help obese people by raising the levels through supplements and eating leptin-rich foods. High levels of leptin can convey to the brain to stop eating and raise metabolism.
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However, unlike animal studies, human studies showed that the facts are far from this assumption. Research showed that obese people already have high levels of leptin and supplementing leptin will not be effective in losing fat unless the individual does not produce any leptin altogether.

Most obese people are leptin-resistant with high levels of leptin. The good news is that leptin resistance is reversible and the brain can be re-sensitized to read the leptin signal correctly. The best way to prevent or reverse is by moving towards a healthier lifestyle, eating right and exercising.
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Here are 9 effective tips to improve your leptin response and achieve your weight loss goals easily:

• • Avoid any form of sugar including fructose, sucrose along with carbs. Research has identified fructose as the bad guy which stimulates weight gain by increasing appetite and blocking fat burning process.
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    It also generates more fat for the same amount of energy in comparison to other type of sugars.
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  • Stay away from refined and processed foods which are responsible for diet-induced inflammation, resulting in increased leptin resistance.
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  • Limit grain consumption. They are easily converted to glucose and contain lectin which drives up leptin.
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  • Include a protein-rich breakfast along with good fats like fish, nuts and yoghurt which helps boost your metabolism and lose weight.
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  • Avoid eating a late night dinner and mid-night snacking. A meal 3 hours before sleep, gives a good break to your liver and hormones. This ensures that when you exercise the next morning, your carbs will have been burnt in the sleep and you will now be burning more fats instead of just carbs.
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  • Avoid skipping meals and irregular eating habits eventually results in over-indulgence later and increased cravings. Regular, light meals help stimulate metabolism and keeps food off your mind.
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  • Eat foods rich in Omega-3 including whole foods, seeds, nuts, fish and grass-fed meat. Omega helps fight inflammation and works great at regulating leptin levels.
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  • Exercise regularly :  This is very effective in stimulating energy production in the body. However, if your exercise routine is not helping you lose fat, you should try including weight-lifting to switch on your metabolism and reset your leptin levels.
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  • Intermittent fasting and detox are great ways to lose weight and reset your leptin levels. It helps to move the focus from burning carbs to fats and removes harmful toxins from the body.

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However, if you are leptin resistant, you should first talk to your doctor before making dramatic changes to your lifestyle. Your aim should be to achieve complete healing of your body rather than just become lean.

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Like Grehlin, Leptin is one of the most important hormones that you probably need to focus on, in your journey to lose weight and become lean.
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If you are unaware and your leptin levels are un- regulated you might be working hard to lose weight but without any result. Furthermore, your energy levels, mental alertness, and efficiency may suffer as well.
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Article by Namrata Kothari
Namrata lives in Bangalore. She’s a is software engineer by education and a food and fitness blogger by passion.
namrata.kothari@gmail.com
http://www.superfoodliving.com/author/namrata-kothari
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