5 Simple Rules Of The Leptin Diet For Weight Loss
Charushila is an ISSA certified Fitness Nutritionist and a Physical Exercise Therapist. Over a span of 6 years, she has authored more than 400 articles on diet, lifestyle, exercises, healthy food, and fitness equipment. She strives to inform, educate, and motivate her readers via authentic, straightforward, and fact-checked information.
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The Leptin diet is one of the best diets to follow for those who want to lose weight. Following the leptin diet, along with exercising and making lifestyle changes, will burn fat and build muscle mass. You will shed about 10 pounds and look great in your skinny jeans again.
Leptin, a hormone produced by the fat cells, sends a signal to the brain to eat more when there is less food to burn, and to eat less when the “fuel tank” is full. However, sometimes, an anomaly leads to the overproduction or underproduction of leptin. This leads to overeating, and as a consequence, we gain weight. The Leptin diet does not require you to eat less or go on a crash diet. Instead, what you eat and when you eat are the most important factors in losing weight.
In this article, you will learn about the leptin diet, a sample diet plan, foods to eat and avoid, exercises to do, and lifestyle changes to make.
In This Article
Leptin Diet For Weight Loss
1. What Is The Leptin Diet – How Will It Help Lose Weight?
Hormones play a major role in keeping your body fit and functioning properly. Any kind of hormonal imbalance can have a direct impact on your body weight, making you gain or lose weight. Hence, you need to follow a diet that helps in keeping all your hormones functioning properly.
The Leptin diet explains how to unleash the power of hormones to resolve food cravings, fatigue, body weight issues, and thyroid problems. Mastering the fat hormone leptin is the single most important factor in preventing obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
The Leptin diet helps you stay fit by regulating the amount of leptin in your body. Leptin is a hormone released by the fat cells and tissues. It acts as a messenger to your brain, telling it how much fat you have in your body. If you have enough leptin in your body, the brain can regulate your metabolism to help you burn the excess fat. So, if the leptin hormone is functioning properly, you do not need to put in much effort to lose fat.
Most people today eat compulsively and ignore the signals sent by leptin to their brain, which causes obesity. If you keep a check on your eating according to the signals sent by leptin, you have better chances of keeping fit. This is why the Leptin diet follows five simple rules to help your body listen to the signals sent by the hormone.
2. 5 Rules Of The Leptin Diet
a. Stop Eating After Dinner
Dinner and breakfast are two meals that are highly important for the Leptin diet. The gap between the dinner and breakfast should always be 12 hours. This is because when we are sleeping or resting, our metabolism slows down. Hence, we should not burden our bodies with excess fat to process when our metabolism is slow. The 12-hour gap gives our bodies enough time to process the food that we take for the dinner.
Any food that you take after dinner directly adds to the fat reserves. This is why the diet strictly prohibits the intake of any food after dinner, no matter how hungry you may feel.
b. Stick To Three Meals
Research shows that our bodies need three meals to function properly. This is because when we take three meals, our bodies get more than just nutrients. Our bodies accumulate triglycerides that clog the passage of leptin to our brain. To help the leptin do its job, we need to get rid of these triglycerides.
If we have the habit of snacking, the triglyceride levels keep getting replenished. By sticking to just three meals, we use up the stored triglycerides. Hence, the leptin can easily reach our brain and do its job.
c. Eat Slowly, And Eat Less
While having your meal, remember that it takes 20 minutes for leptin to reach your brain. Your brain does not understand if your stomach is full till the leptin says so. Hence, it is important for you to have your meal at a pace with which the leptin in your body can keep up. In addition to eating slowly, it is important to not keep eating till you feel full. Eating till your stomach is about to burst is the worst idea. Always eat just enough to keep your body functioning.
d. Start With Protein
Like many other diets, the Leptin diet weight loss challenge also emphasizes the importance of breakfast. What you have for breakfast is very important for your body. If you have a high-protein meal after a 12-hour break, your metabolism can go up by 30%. Hence, if you plan to go on the Leptin diet, you need to start your day with a protein-rich meal.
e. Cut The Carbs
Carbohydrates are to be cut down drastically if you wish to go on the Leptin diet. Eating carb-rich food can fuel your body and stop the triglycerides from being used up. Thus, your stored fat remains stored. If you do not work out, the carb-rich meal will add to your reserved fat. This is why people are advised to stay off carbs for the duration of this diet.
3. The Leptin Diet Plan
| Meal | What To Eat |
| Breakfast (8:00 a.m) | Options:
|
| Lunch (12:30 p.m) | Options:
|
| Dinner (7:00 p.m) | Options:
|
This diet plan follows the 5-rule policy of the Leptin diet. Start your day with a protein-rich breakfast. Eat a small portion of lunch and avoid using mayonnaise or any fatty salad dressing. If you feel hungry, drink water. In the evening, if you feel like snacking, have a cup of green or black tea. Have a good amount of veggies for dinner along with protein. For dessert, stick to fruits with natural sweeteners such as maple syrup or honey.
4. Leptin Diet Recipe
Capsicum And Cottage Cheese Wrap
What You Need
- 1 tortilla bread
- 1/4 cup shredded cottage cheese
- 1/2 capsicum
- 1/2 red onion
- 1 teaspoon dried mango powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon rice bran oil
- Salt
How To Prepare
1. Julienne the capsicum and onion.
2. In a frying pan, heat the rice bran oil and sauté the capsicum and onion.
3. Warm the tortilla bread and place the sautéed capsicum and onion in the middle of the tortilla bread.
4. Add the shredded cottage cheese on top.
5. Sprinkle a little cayenne pepper, dried mango powder, and salt.
6. Wrap the tortilla bread.
Non-Vegetarian Alternative
You may use chicken breast/lean turkey/lean ground beef. Sauté the meat with capsicum and onion.
Low-Fat Alternative
If you do not wish to use cottage cheese, you may use other veggies such as julienned carrot or bean sprouts.
5. Foods To Eat
Veggies – Spinach, Brussels sprouts, green beans, bean sprouts, tomato, kale, broccoli, onion, garlic, ginger, celery, leek, zucchini, eggplant, radish, beetroot, bell peppers, chili, okra, pumpkin, squash, etc.
Fruits – Apple, banana, grapes, grapefruit, lemon, berries, orange, kiwi, watermelon, honeydew melon, pomegranate, pineapple, papaya, peach, plum, and pear.
Healthy Fats – Olive oil, rice bran oil, almonds, peanut, walnut, peanut butter, margarine, and avocado.
Proteins – Beans, soy, lentils, sprouts, mushroom, flax seed, pumpkin seed, fish, chicken breast, lean cuts of turkey, and beef.
Dairy – Low-fat milk, yogurt, sour cream, eggs, ice cream (small quantity), cottage cheese, and ricotta cheese.
Wheat & Grain Products – Multigrain bread or cereal, whole wheat bread, wheat bread, oats, barley, multigrain biscuits, oats biscuits, wheat pasta, and wheat noodles.
Herbs & Spices – Coriander leaves, basil, dill, rosemary, thyme, fennel, fenugreek, coriander powder, cumin, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, oregano, dried mango powder, etc.
Beverages – Water, fresh tender coconut water, fresh fruit and vegetable juices (no packaged drinks), smoothies, and detox drinks. Avoid alcohol, aerated, and sweetened beverages.
6. Foods To Avoid
- Avoid eating carbohydrate-rich foods. Eat carbs in small quantities, especially after working out.
- Avoid eating unhealthy fats. Also, eat fats in limited quantity.
- Avoid eating white foods such as white bread, white flour, sugar, and too much salt.
7. Leptin Diet Supplements
A number of leptin supplements are available in the market, and they claim to aid weight loss. However, there is not much data to confirm this claim. Eating more food can be induced by an overproduction of leptin or very less production of leptin. If your body is overproducing leptin, adding more leptin to the body will not help. Therefore, understanding the cause of your frequent hunger pangs is necessary to know if you need to take leptin supplements to reduce weight. Consult a doctor before deciding to take any weight loss pills.
8. Role Of Exercise
Since you are trying this diet to lose weight, and it does not require you to eat very low calories, exercising regularly will give you better and faster results. Walking, brisk walking, running, stairs running, rope jumping, squats, aerobics, and strength training can help you lose weight faster. Make sure to lose a few pounds first before you start strength training. Strength training builds muscle mass, and without losing fat first, you will start to build muscle. Thus, you may see no slimming results.
9. Benefits Of The Leptin Diet
- You will lose weight faster.
- After the first few days, you will not feel frequent hunger pangs.
- It builds muscle mass.
10. Side Effects Of The Leptin Diet
- Eating three meals a day may not work for everyone or all body types.
- You may regain the weight easily.
- May lead to mood fluctuations.
11. Lifestyle
- Go to bed after three hours of dinner and get a good seven-hour sleep.
- Wake up early and drink warm water with lemon juice first thing in the morning.
- Workout regularly.
- Play a sport at least three times a week.
- Eat your meals at the correct time.
- Take up hobby classes.
- Do not talk about food with friends or family.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to fix my leptin issues?
If you have leptin-induced weight gain, avoid foods that are high in carbs, sugar, bad fats, and bad cholesterol. Eat three meals per day and exercise regularly.
How to remove leptin resistance to get rid of obesity?
Follow the above-mentioned diet plan, keep in mind the five rules of the leptin diet, exercise regularly, and change your lifestyle.
Can I follow leptin diet post-pregnancy?
Do not start the leptin diet immediately after your delivery. Take rest and eat healthy foods. Consult your doctor after a month to know if the leptin diet will help you lose weight.
Obesity leads to a host of health complications. There are many reasons for being overweight, such as insulin resistance, genetics, etc. For the Leptin diet to act effectively, you have to first make sure that the overproduction or underproduction of leptin is the cause of your extra fat. Hence, it is best to see your doctor before deciding to follow the Leptin diet.
If you have any questions or want to share your experience with us, please leave a comment in the box below. Cheers to good health!
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