Blog — leptin

Are you a snacker? If we are constantly eating we are keeping our insulin levels elevated which can lead to insulin resistance and possibly type 2 diabetes. Insulin is critical in how the body uses and stores energy. If not working properly, we can feel fatigued and store excess fat. There is a natural rhythm with insulin and glucagon. When we eat, insulin levels are elevated, slowly falling the next few hours after a meal. When insulin levels get low, glucagon rises and helps our body access stored fuel for our energy needs until our next meal. Constantly eating upsets...

It is quite common for people on a weight loss program to lose weight at the start of their program, then have their weight loss come screeching to a halt. This is where they plateau, which is a very frustrating and discouraging place for people to be. Eating less calories, exercising more, nothing seems to help. Why does this happen? The answer is hormones. Obesity is a dysfunction in hormones. Your hormones orchestrate functions in your body. They can make you a fat storing machine or a fat burning machine, a tired, unmotivated person or an energetic, driven person. A...

Leptin is an extremely important hormone because it has an impact on other hormones including insulin, thyroid, adrenal, pancreatic and sex hormones. Leptin restores our fat reserves when we eat. It acts as a fuel gage to let us know when to stop consuming food. When we have too much leptin our receptors get worn and the wrong signal is communicated to the brain telling us we need more fuel, when we actually have plenty of reserves. This miscommunication leads to our metabolism slowing down to preserve energy as well as overeating and excess fat storage. If you have excess...

Our bodies were built for movement. Exercise and training greatly affect hormones and encourage the breakdown of fat tissue. Intense training increases human growth hormone, which helps with muscle growth and recovery as well as tissue repair in our body. It also increases testosterone, which helps us to burn fat and build muscle tone. Shorter, intense exercise (under 45 minutes) will have this effect and indicates a good workout. If the intense exercise is too long in duration, it can have a negative effect with too much cortisol (stress hormone) being released. You can feel drained of energy after over...