Intermittent Fasting Journal – Week 34

In this episode, Donna Reish, blogger, author of over 100 English curriculum books for students in grades K through 12th, and Intermittent Fasting teacher, teaches on the hormone leptin. Donna begins describing what leptin is and how we have become resistant to it, “leptin resistant.” She then teaches about how leptin signals are like trying to hear someone with headphones on—and how much we truly miss of the signaling when our brains do not get the messages. She encourages overweight people that so many of the things that are bodies do not do for us now are not our faults—and how we can easily fix many of these things with knowledge and a few tweaks (like sleep, water, protein, fiber, timed eating, and more). Finally, Donna goes through a long list of ways that we can either increase leptin or increase our ability to hear leptin’s signals. These include fasting, eating anti-inflammatory foods, keeping insulin low, losing weight, eating real foods, consuming fewer processed foods, not drinking calories, eating high protein, exercising, and more! This broadcast is sponsored by the plant-based metabolism booster and appetite suppressant Plexus Boost.

A. Our Journey

1. One year ago this weekend
2. Still losing pounds, inches, and cravings!
3. Eating more heathfully, more fruits and veggies, and better than I ever did in five years of “diets”!

B. What is leptin?

1. Early 1990s—new research
2. Hormone produced and secreted by fat cells
3. This hormone enters the blood stream and travels to the brain, delivering a message as to how much fat (fuel) you have on hand
4. It is a satiety hormone—once released it travels to another area of the body to make things happen
5. Basically says, “Stop eating; I’m satisfied!”
6. It is like a gas gauge telling the body how much fat you have/no need to eat now, so turn up metabolism
7. Heavily influences metabolism

C. High and low leptin levels

1. When leptin levels are low, you will eat more. When you’ve eaten enough, the leptin levels rise and tell your brain you are full.
2. Low leptin-brain thinks there is a famine and metabolism slows down
3. Adequate leptin—creates a faster metabolism
4. Leptin=thermostat….homeostasis…same/equilibrium…..heat and AC

D. Leptin resistance and sensitivity

1. Have to remember that weight loss is so difficult because we are fighting deeply-wired impulses
2. Being overweight can make you leptin resistant….meaning the leptin is released but your body doesn’t recognize it
3. When a body has a large amount of fat, brain tunes leptin out. It becomes white noise to the brain…slows the metabolism and tells you to eat more. (So even though you might have a lot of leptin, you are resistant to it, much like insulin resistance.)

a. Child with headphones
b. Lots of instructions but only hears small part of it

4. Someone who is leptin resistant can mean that someone requires more food than necessary in order to feel full

E. How to increase leptin or your sensitivity to it

1. Fasting! (Of course!) Fasting helps unclog the leptin release.
2. Experts also believe that fasting helps control inflammation in the brain, which helps us “hear” leptin signals better.
3. Eat infrequently—eating often causes us not to hear leptin as well
4. Keep insulin low—this makes us more sensitive to leptin
5. With fasting, our fullness signals from leptin work better near the end of the meal rather than waiting until up to 20 minutes after the meal (like with frequent eating)—huge effect on Appetite Correction!
6. Lose weight—people with lower weights have better leptin release
7. Eat “real” foods. When we eat too many calorie-dense or highly processed foods, it can cause chemical changes in the brain that increase the desire to eat.
8. OMAD/3—One Meal a Day divided into 3 parts (no grazing)
9. Eat high fiber foods
10. Eat high protein foods—amino acids, the building blocks of protein, acts directly on hypothalamus to affect lipostat (thermostat)
11. Exercise—it increases leptin sensitivity
12. Refeed day or meal (“cheat meal”) a day each week in which you eat more calories than typical for you—tricks the body into thinking it is being overfed and increases leptin levels.

13. Don’t drink calories (leptin doesn’t recognize them—drinking 32 ounce soda with burgers and fries)
14. Sleep! (Are we seeing a trend?) Sleep plays a huge role in leptin release and leptin sensitivity
15. De-stress

a. High insulin=high cortisol
b. High cortisol=not hearing leptin
c. Reduce cortisol with sleep, deep breathing, yoga
d. Study shows 5 minutes of deep breathing and instrumental music for women can lower cortisol as much as 50%

16. Don’t reduce calories too low—this causes leptin resistance.

F. Our Sponsor: Plexus Products—BOOST

1. Plexus Plant-Based Supplements
2. Visit our store here: https://plexusworldwide.com/raylreish/home
3. Hunger Control Slim (pink drink) here: https://plexusworldwide.com/raylreish/product/plexus-slim-hunger-control
4. Try a free sample of Plexus Slim Hunger Control (pink drink) here: https://donnareish.com/free-plexus-pink-drink-new-slim-sample/
5. Today’s Feature: Boost Metabolism Booster/Appetite Suppressant:

a. At our store here: https://plexusworldwide.com/raylreish/shareables/traditional-remedy-suppressing-hunger
b. Ingredients—all plant-based, botanicals and super foods; helps with hunger, metabolism boosting, thermogenics, and energy

i. Caralluma Fimbriata—Edible cactus eaten by tribesmen in North Africa and India during long hunting expeditions to ward off hunger and to help ancient peoples survive times of famine (a perfect ingredient for fasters!); has thermic effect for fat burning (raises core temperature to help melt fat)
ii. Green tea extract—equivalent to one cup of coffee; natural caffeine; helps boost metabolism; great for those who don’t want to drink coffee during the fast; natural energy
iii. Yerba mate—stimulant herb that assists with weight management
iv. Higenamine—sourced from tangerine peel and lotus seed and gives energy
v. Bio-available B vitamins—Nicaine, B 6, B 12 at high percentages—help with nerve, anxiety, depression, and other mood and mental issues
vi. Chromium—a natural appetite suppressant

c. Clinical studies show significant decrease in excessive hunger
d. Accelerator vs. Boost—very similar products except Accelerator has 5HTP, which helps with depression and accelerates metabolism; Boost has the Caralluma Fimbriata for hunger and also has a thermic effect for metabolism boosting so many people like Boost over Accelerator for weight training

6. For Information Sheet/Ingredients List for Boost click here: https://plexusworldwide.com/raylreish/shareables/traditional-remedy-suppressing-hunger
7. For Last week’s Accelerator Info Sheet click here: https://plexusworldwide.com/raylreish/shareables/want-turn-heat
8. Click here to visit our Store: https://plexusworldwide.com/raylreish/home

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