Losing weight is all about choosing the healthy food options, sometimes adding supplements such as hCG in the form of pills, oral drops or injections. Exercising should also play a major role in aiding the weight loss. Often, the diet and exercise may not work, especially if the body becomes resistant in shifting those extra pounds.
Hormones
The key in weight loss are hormones. Hormones, such as ghrelin and leptin, are in charge of the appetite, and will trigger hunger signalsand cause you to feel full. Should these hormones become unbalanced; losing weight will be very difficult and cause strong eating urges. If possible, sticking to nutritional foods and a healthy lifestyle should lessen appetite and the weight.
Leptin
Leptin comes from “leptos” the Greek word for “thin”, yet fat cells produce leptin, and is a “satiety hormone” which reduces appetite and makes the eater feel full. Its role is to signal to the brain to regulate the intake of food and appetite. It will tell the brain that there is a sufficient amount of fat in storage and reduces overeating.
Usually obese or overweight people have high levels of leptin in their blood and can build up a resistance to leptin, resulting in the leptin not carrying out its job properly. Disrupting the leptin signal causes the message to stop eating, that there is enough energy stored, to be lost. It will drive you to eat because the brain will think it is starving.
Helping the leptin levels
Avoid inflammatory foods, especially sugary drinks and processed foods, because they cause inflammation in the stomach.
Crash dietingis not good because the weight lost shall return, due to not having enough leptin.
Green fruits and vegetables are full of nutrients and are low in calories. They will fill you up, especially broccoli, kale and spinach.
Omega-3can boost the leptin levels. Overweight people release too much of the molecules which the body uses to fight against inflammation.
Sleep more so that leptin levels can increase the leptin levels and decrease appetites.
Zinc supplements and food containing zinc shall combat against zinc deficiencies. Eat foods such as, beans, beef, lamb, mushroom and pumpkin.
Ghrelin
Ghrelin is the “hunger hormone” and is responsible for making you hungry, produced by cells in the gut. When ghrelin lowers, hunger and cravingslessen, encouraging you to eat less. Before eating, ghrelin levels will rise, signalling hunger. After eating, the levels will descend for about three hours. Lowering these levels will often lead to a decrease in body fat. How quick the hunger returns after a meal is all down to ghrelin. In obese and overweight people, ghrelin will slightly decrease because the signal to the brain to stop eating is not as strong – resulting in overeating. During dieting, ghrelin levels can rise, making it difficult to lose weight, due to increasing appetite. And the most successful diet program with 4 phases is HCG diet. When you are in this diet, you will not feel hunger and calorie intake will be 5 times lower than in normal state. To control your hunger, you need to take HCG hunger control drops for limited time.
Improving ghrelin
A few tips to improve ghrelin levels:
- Eat every 4 hours: To keep ghrelin low, eat every 3-4 hours as ghrelin produces every 4 hours.
- Fructose: Can increase ghrelin (as well as preventing leptin returning to normal after a meal) and the consumption of calories.
- High fibre foods: The levels of ghrelin are high until the wall of the stomach stretches, making it feel full. Foods that are of low calorie and high in volume will reduce the ghrelin before overeating. Salads or vegetable soups will help the stomach more than foods that are processed.
- Protein: Eating protein throughout the day can decrease ghrelin levels and cause the eater to feel fuller for longer. Eggs at breakfast would be a good start.
- Sleep: Rest for at least 7 hours every night. Sleeping less than 7-8 hours per night has often been associated with higher ghrelin levels, increased hunger, as well as body weight.
- Stress:Often linked to higher body weight and the production of ghrelin. Activities such as walking, meditation, relaxing in a hot bath, or yoga can reduce the stress and lower ghrelin.
- Sugar: Avoiding drinks high in sugar can help improve the response of ghrelin after meals.
Exercise
Although aerobic activities, such as walking or running for 30-60 minutes per day, can be a great workout for the body – it actually causes ghrelin levels to rise and leptin to decrease, which you do not want.
Brisk training is of certain exercises carried out (anytime, anywhere) at 90-100% of maximum heart rate for 30-60 seconds, followed by lower intensity exercise or a rest for 30-60 seconds.
Why not try these burst training activities on your own or involve the family:
- Bike outside or indoors
- Jumping jacks
- Run in place
- Squats
- Swim
Burst training is effective in curbing the appetite and stabilising weight gain not only for short-term, but long-term too.
Review
Leptin and ghrelin both have major parts to play in appetite, food intakes and hunger. Stabilising the hormones levels by lowering or raising each one so that it is balanced, can work if there are no weight fluctuations. These hormones are in place as switches, which stop you from starving during times of fasting or famine. An unhealthy diet and lifestyle can cause the failure of signals communicating, causing weight loss to become a much harder task.
Remember:
- Avoid sugar and processed foods
- Burst training
- Eat every 3-4 hours
- Get a good night of rest
- No crash dieting
- Take zinc supplements
Consuming healthier goods shall repair the hormones and help to keep the weight off for longer, and turn those negative hormones into positive ones, resulting in a more positive and happier you!