Have you heard of leptin? If not, don’t feel bad. It’s a hormone that’s produced in our fat cells. Nobody understood what it does until 1994.
Leptin is sometimes called the starvation hormone. The reason for this is that the more fat cells you have, the more leptin you make.
When you’re starving your body makes a lot of it to make you hungry. When you have enough or too many fat cells, your body makes less leptin to cut your appetite. At least that’s the way that it’s supposed to work.
When the system isn’t working the right way, it becomes what is known as “leptin resistant.” That means that even if you have plenty – even too much – energy available from fat cells, you’re still hungry.
When things go wrong with the way your body reads your fat cells, it’s called being “leptin resistant.” This is the case for many obese people.
Being leptin resistant means that you might end up hungry even if you have plenty of energy stores in the form of fat.
TweetNot only can it lead to obesity, but also other health problems. This includes bone problems and a higher risk of heart disease.
How can you tell if you’re leptin resistant? Your doctor can do a simple blood test to tell you, but here are the most common signs.
Top 5 Signs You're Leptin Resistant
1. You’re Overweight or You're Underweight
Just 15 pounds too much or too less is a sign that you’re leptin resistant. That’s because extra weight is a sign that your body isn’t getting the right message.
Weighing more than 10 or 15 pounds too little is too. If you’re not at a healthy weight, it’s a strong indication of being leptin resistant.
2. You’re Always Hungry
If you find yourself dying for food no matter how much you’ve eaten, it’s a sign that your body isn’t sending or receiving the right message.
To test this at home, time yourself to see how long it takes for you to get hungry after a meal. If you can’t go four hours without feeling hungry, something may be wrong.
3. You’re Purposely Starving Yourself
Plenty of people decide to lose that last couple of pounds by counting and cutting calories. This is a big mistake that can backfire and make your body hang on to stored fat and want to eat more. When your body thinks it’s starving, it reacts.
4. You’re Overstressed and Overtired
Stress and sleep mistakes are pretty common problems these days, but did you know they can have an effect on your appetite and ability to control your hunger? Both can lead to leptin resistance.
Stress affects literally every cell in your body. Do your health a huge favor and practice some stress-fighting techniques.
5. You’re Eating Too Much Junk
If you’re eating a lot of sugar or processed foods, you’re much more likely to become leptin resistant.
How do you turn leptin resistance around?
The best way is by eating healthy. Cut out white flour, sugars and processed foods and up your intake of Omega-3 fatty acids. The unhealthy foods make you leptin resistant, while the Omega 3 foods help fight leptin resistance.
Omega 3's in foods like wild caught salmon are especially effective. Recipes like this yummy Sockeye Salmon Salad offer a good amount of Omega 3's to help with leptin resistance.
At the same time, try to cut out snacking. If you’re really hungry and you can’t fight it, choose some veggies or some nuts. Just be sure to stick to a small serving of nuts. 7 almonds is a good serving size and will satiate you.
And finally, get as much exercise and sleep as possible, and do what you can to cut down on your stress.
Yours in health and happiness,
Danette
P.S. Help me spread the word on leptin resistance by sharing this article. I welcome your comments below. Do you suspect you're leptin resistant?
