Gain Knowledge To Lose Weight

 

Gain knowledge to lose weight

Ever wondered why there are countless articles on ways to lose weight and yet it remains as one of the most challenging daily lifestyle problems we deal with?

In my opinion, that’s because, while we read, we don’t truly learn. Knowledge and understanding of the human body, and how it works is a critical factor to losing those inches and keeping them off! We’ve all heard great terms like “low-carb, high protein” ,“Gluten free diets”, Low GI meals etc but what does this really mean and how is one supposed to know what’s right for him / her?

Frankly, while there’s just about enough information available at our finger tips, I think it’s time we learnt a little more in-depth. So here’s what I found out … have you heard of “Leptin” and “Ghrelin”? If you haven’t, don’t worry about it … I’ll do my best to try and explain it as I understand it.

Simply put “Leptin” is a hormone released by the adipose [fat] tissue inducing satiation or an “I’m full” feeling.

While “Ghrelin”, the counterpart of Leptin, is a hunger stimulating peptide which causes us to feel the “urge” to eat.

So what does this have to do with our gaining weight or losing it? Quite a bit if you understand how they work. Let’s look at “Leptin”: Leptin makes our brains send out a “stop” signal when its levels are elevated making us dis-engaged in the eating process. Conversely, when the leptin levels are reduced, we have cravings and feel hungry.

Simple isn’t it? If the above, on its own were true, one would simply need to increase the leptin levels in the body and reduce weight easily. Unfortunately, the human body is far more complex. An overweight person, who has a higher level of leptin [as this is produced in the adipose tissue], yet feels the urge to eat a fairly large portion or several frequent meals. Why is that? That is because the body gets adjusted to the higher leptin levels as “standard” thereby allowing the individual to continue to eat more than normal in order to send out the “stop” signal. With the bar of “leptin-standards” increasing, the body keeps re-adjusting the amount of intake in order to start sending out the signal. You can compare this to a swimmer. Let’s say the first 5 laps will be difficult to start with initially. But as time passes, the feeling of tiredness will creep in much later [say the 7^th or 8^th lap] as the body is now able to [and used to] doing the 5 laps and with time would no longer get tired after 5 laps. Similarly, if the body’s leptin levels are already elevated with an overweight person, and he/she continues to overeat, the high leptin level will be considered as “standard” by the body and will keep increasing with time should the person continue to overeat. Sugar and high fructose diets also induce leptin resistance i.e. the brain gets immune to sending out the “stop” signal when the body gets overloaded with these foods.

Luckily this is correctable with a person in general good health. Keep note that the leptin levels tend to increase after we eat and during rest. So how does one lose weight?

A possible answer to that is gradual reduction in the portion size. Just like with anything, leptin levels get readjusted slowly allowing the standard to fall and thereby sending out the “stop” signal faster. This does not mean starve or cut back on the yummies, it just means be patient and aware of how much and how often you are eating. Once the leptin levels re-adjust, the body automatically will consume lower calories and feel “full” faster.

Reducing high sugar content will also help speed up the process of re-adjusting the leptin “standard” level in the body, thus aiding weight loss and keeping it off. Adding foods such as fish that are high in Omega 3 has also been linked to naturally increasing leptin levels in the body.

Lastly sleep well each night. The body automatically re-aligns the leptin levels during periods of rest.

 

Ref: nutritionworldland.com/understanding our bodies.