Leptin Diet
Over recent years the hormone leptin has been under the spotlight. The role it plays in regulating appetite and fat metabolism may be a key in managing weight. Byron Richards addresses leptin imbalances in his book Mastering Leptin.
Diet Blog reader Dr R. Smith was able to provide me with a brief rundown of the diet (which he currently follows).
The five basic rules of the Leptin Diet
I certainly concur with rule 4. This has been a key for me - particularly in managing hypoglycemic symptoms. However, when it comes to any diet I strongly advocate learning as much possible before applying any major changes into your lifestyle.
In many respects leptin research is still in it's infancy - however the Rosedale diet is also based around the concept of correcting leptin imbalances (and uses similar concepts to Mastering Leptin).
In normal weight people, leptin tells them when to "stop eating". As people gain more fat, their body may stop listening to the leptin signal, and even more leptin is produced, and an imbalance is created. A diet rich in fish may also help to lower leptin levels (see study).
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Created / Updated: January 27, 2012
3,4 and 5 are spot on. 1 and 2 are...well, how should I put this? Hmm, 1 and 2 are "foggy", at best.
ReplyI posted a similar article yesterday, if I may.
Link
ReplyIf everyone lived by the rules 2 and 3 no one would be overweight, regardless of leptins, carbs or no carbs. The problem is that the rules 2 and 3 are very difficult to follow. If I eat only 3 times a day, there is no way I can keep my meals small. And it means that I am going to balloon to whole new propotions.
On the other hand, the "6 small meals a day" does not work for me, either. That would mean thinking about food all the time, which I cannot do. I am trying to live my life as if there were other things in life than eating all the time and planning my eating. I am sure many of us with emotional eating issues feel the same way as I do.
And this, I think, is the dilemma for most of us struggling with our eating habits. Finding a way to eat sensible, appropriate-sized meals 3-4 times a day, in a way that fits our work schedules etc, without binges and all kinds of weird dieting plans.
However, I am exploring what kind of an effect having enough protein in my diet ( at least 1 gram per every kg of weight) has on the easiness in maintaining a sensible eating pattern (a bit like rule no.4). I have noticed that it does make the management of eating easier. But planning the "enough-protein diet" and even helping it by using protein shakes is not always appealing and easy.
ReplyHi, when he means three small meals a day he does'nt mean a carrot stick, piece of bread and a glass of water. everyone has there own BMR (basal metabolic rate) which is the rate you burn calories for a 140 lb women your body burns at least 1500 calories a day this is with out doing anything now if you were to consume 1500 calories a day then did some light activities such as gardening or going for a walk you will burn calories and lose weight. Now imagine 1500 calories divided into 3 meals this is 500 calories per meal that really is not so small, you can eat generously if you stay by his 50/50/ rule which is palm size protein and palm size starch and half a plate of veggies.
ReplyTera
C.P.T/C.N.S/C.S.N
Check out the rice diet, you may find it very interesting. It was very successful and very do-able for me. And I think coincides quite a bit with the above.
ReplyAgreed with the other comment - he definitely does not means 3 rabbit meals - the general guidelines for someone on the leptin diet who is trying to lose weight is a palm sized portion of protein matched with an equal visual amount of simpler carbohydrates (potatoes, WW pasta, rice) - leafy greens are an exception - these can be added where desired.
Some people, when working out, may add more carbs at the meal prior - any earlier and it simply moves to fat. However, after doing this for awhile I found that I had more energy during workouts without the extra carb (50/50 is great for me) and the quality of my energy actually increased after the first 40-50 minutes of the workout. I also broke through a mass plateau - the suggestion is that if you eat a large meal or more protein than you need, your body gets used to burning both carbs and converted proteins as sugar instead of using them to rebuild... smaller meals prevents extra calories being eaten from being subverted (and setting up bad metabolic pathways) in the first place.
Do not underestimate the power of rule 5. Eliminating excess simple carbs and sugars from your diet is essential to getting the benefits of burning fat. There is no way around it. Frankly, I was skeptical but now I tend to agree, the anticipation of improved performance throughout the day when eating proper foods outweighs any cravings that I generally have for sugar or 'food rewards.' I also find that a tablespoon of Norwegian cod liver oil in the AM is a tremendous boost to my performance level throughout the day - and works with the protein breakfast to curb sugar cravings as well.
ReplyWoohoo!
Make sure you reduce those carbs!!!
ReplyHealthynerd: Yes you may. It never ceases to amaze me how there can be so many different books about the same subject.
Lulu: Great comments. And it is a dilemma. Eat 5-6 "mini-meals" and you can easily overeat. Eat 3 meals, and you have a much higher chance of binging.
I'm done with protein shakes - but I am a believer that for some people - including appropriate amounts of protein does assist satiety and hypoglycemia.
ReplyAfter 4 weeks of following this plan I can't remember feeling better. I have shed 16 pounds of mostly fat in a month and at 6'10" and 215 I am at my 18 year old weight and am currently 52 years old.
It was difficult the first few days going from 6 meals per day to three - I tended to over eat. This was related to the anxiety of not being able to eat anything else for 6 hours or until morning.
I am no longer very hungry or obsessed with my next meal or snack. Peak energy occurs between 3 - 6 hours after eating for me.
I will put new photos on my website soon.
ReplyNot sure when you wrote this, but I just starting out and I am having trouble balancing my carbs to protein. I do much better when I have some examples. I know that everyone is different, but can you give me a day or two of meals that you eat. I know you are much taller than me, but it will still help me get an idea of how to put the food together. Thanks.
ReplyI agree with his 5 tips he says about weight loss and believe they are an excellent piece of advice. I will have to look a little more into this diet but so far it seems pretty good to me.
ReplyDon't go to bed on a full stomach, 5 hours between meals, small meals. Sounds like a typical reduced calorie diet to me.
ReplyA lot of times the pharmacological benefits world is running 10x faster than the scientific, which lags due to a number of factors such as competence in research, money, and time. In my lab, a team is working on locating the leptin receptor. So far, they haven't even been able to identify the size. It's funny that even though we don't know how leptin is regulated, we can make money off of what we know it can do.
ReplyPart of Byron Richards 5 post about the scale is very wrong.
You can gain 5 to 6 pounds of fake weight at night. It doesn't mean you ate too many carbs. You can be on a very low carb diet and still be heavyer in the night. Has anyone else spotted this but me?
I am not diabetic but diabetics need to eat mini meals.
If you eat small meals at only three times a day you will lose weight but not everyone can stick to that and for some would mean binge city. Also people hate being told when to eat.
I lost weight eating at night and medical studies done say that people can eat late at night as long as they monitor the calories.
Proteins keep you fuller.
.
ReplyThe basic explanation that he gives for the extra weight gain is that carbohydrate calories not burned and resident in the blood stream tend to attract and glob with water molecules in the system leading to slight water-weight gain when everything goes back in storage. If you don't use the carbs you eat during the course of the day, you will see a bit of a weight increase at the end of the day. That's not to say you are necessarily getting fatter - it is saying that you are taking in more than enough carbs to keep your system occupied - which is only unhelpful if you are ttrying to get your body to burn through he carbs you eat during the day to start unlocking some of the fat stores you have overnight...
ReplyWhat about the leptin injections?
Are those effective?
ReplyBut we talk about how man ate years ago. So here is the question. If early man ate so healthy, they were so smart, how come they didn't live that long. I mean really, all these stories about the potential for people to live to 120 years, really, how often do people live? I think we stress out over what to eat, thus worrying to much, then that alone makes it harder for people to burn off fat...stress.
ReplyThe book is vague on the actual rules. Can I have iced tea between meals? Page 166 in Is Caffeine Good or Bad? states "when such drinks are consumed between meals, they are counted as snacks". However he was talking about coffee drinks like latte and mocha. I am confused. Help please.
ReplyHi Shelley, I got this response back from Wellness Resources:
Thank you for your email. Non-caloric beverages (without artificial sweeteners) are okay in between meals and include:
o Black coffee (if you add creamer, you have to drink it with your meals, or it counts as a snack)
o Plain hot or iced tea -- may add lemon or lime
o Iced water -- may add lemon or lime
Avoid:
o Diet sodas, other drinks that use artificial sweeteners – flavored waters, Crystal Lite, etc *this includes stevia and Splenda
o Soy foods/drinks anytime – soy irritates the thyroid gland and can inhibit weight loss
Hope this helps, I had the same question, so you prompted me to ask them!
Replyis leptin an injection? and if so does my doctor give the injection or prescribe it?
ReplyI have been doing this diet since Jan and I love it. Have lost 25 lbs (about 30 to go) and my energy levels have never felt better. Before I used to eat 5-6 small meals a day and the weight piled on and my energy levels were atrocious I used to yo yo between feelings of being full, hyper and hyperglycaemic. I was basically exhausted all the time. When i tried the Leptin Diet the first day of 3 meals no snacks required a lot of will power but the next day was fine and very quickly I started to thrive on it. Not snacking doesn't make me feel faint or starving hungry, even on a gym day. If you eat 3 sensible balanced meals you shouldn't need to snack. I don't believe in dietary supplements for the sake of it so I have done this by sensible eating and upping my exercise alone. No pills, injections, all natural. I am just starting to get into much smaller clothes I haven't been able to wear for years woohooo! Thank you Bryon Richards you are a life saver!
ReplyWhat date did you start, ie; how long did it take to lose the 25# and may I ask how much you weighed at start?
I'm 164, 5'5", and want to lose 14 pounds and when you aren't THAT overweight, it seems lots harder to stick to and lose since I already (9 years ago) lost 40 pounds and have kept it off but still have fat I need to get rid of.
Reply