Your Fat Burning Hormones – AFL 2.5
In this video, I’m going to talk about your fat loss hormones and how you can leverage them for fat loss.
I wanted to continue the trend of this second AFL series and go ahead and delve into your hormones and glands that contribute to your ability to lose fat such as leptin or ghrelin and your thyroid.
Now, before getting started I want to mention the freebie that comes with this video, which is Accelerated Fat Loss 101.
This eBook is designed to give you all the necessary tools you need to master your fat loss and reach your goals in an expedited fashion.
Fat Loss Hormones/Glands
No. 1 Your Thyroid
Now I want to preface this discussion, by talking about your thyroid.
Your thyroid is a large gland found in the middle of your neck that produces three hormones Thyroxine (T4), Triiodothyronine (T3), and Calcitonin.
When someone thinks or hormones released from the thyroid they are often referring to T3 and T4.When released, your thyroid hormones act on almost every cell in your body to increase cellular activity or metabolism.
When released, your thyroid hormones act on almost every cell in your body to increase cellular activity or metabolism.Too much or too little of your thyroid hormones and the metabolism of your entire body is impacted.
Too much or too little of your thyroid hormones and the metabolism of your entire body is impacted.
Such as hyperthyroidism, when your body produces too much thyroid hormones. Or hypothyroidism, when your body produces too little thyroid hormones.
Given that thyroid diseases are extremely common, it’s a good idea to get yourself checked out for an over or under active thyroid gland as it will have a significant impact on your ability to lose fat or gain muscle.
Moreover, about 80% of people with thyroid conditions are women.
The reason I bring up your thyroid is that its importance for fat loss cannot be understated. And even if your leptin and ghrelin levels are kosher, they can be significantly overshadowed by an over or under active thyroid.
No. 2 Ghrelin
Moving on, Ghrelin, known as the “hunger hormone” is a hormone produced in the lining of your stomach and pancreas.
It’s responsible for stimulating your appetite, promotes fat storage and increased caloric intake.
Moreover, since ghrelin plays an important role in hunger it can also contribute to weight gain.
When your stomach is empty ghrelin production is stimulated and when your stomach is stretched/full it is inhibited.
Additionally, a lot of fat loss studies aim to reduce ghrelin levels and/or production in order to increase satiation with meals, even with smaller portions.
No. 3 Leptin
I bring up ghrelin first because it’s fat loss counterpart is leptin.
Leptin, known as the “fat burning hormone” is released from your fat cells.
It regulates long-term food intake, energy expenditure, and inhibits hunger.
Those at a higher body fat percentage will produce more leptin; therefore, the more fat an individual has the more leptin they will have circulating through their body and the higher their fat loss potential.
Increase your fat mass and your leptin levels increase, decrease your fat mass and your leptin levels will naturally decrease as well.
Leptin is one of the most important hormones to take into consideration when you want to lose fat. And depleted leptin levels are directly correlated to an increased difficulty with fat loss.
When you follow a fat loss diet for an extended duration of time your leptin levels will naturally decrease. And without taking any preventative measure, such as refeed days, to keep them elevated, you will reach a point when your fat loss potential becomes significantly repressed.
And if you continue to lose weight while in a depleted leptin state, you will do so in the form of muscle, not fat. Which, you spent a lot of time working for, so why willingly sacrifice muscle to have a lower number on the scale?
5 Tips to Naturally Increase Leptin Production
Since leptin level production is something you can be directly involved in.
I want to address a few ways that you can either naturally increase leptin production or avoid depleted leptin levels.
Meaning you can enjoy a successful long-term fat loss program.
No. 1 Avoid Severe Caloric Restrictions
Firstly, when you follow a fat loss program being a little hungry is normal.
However, if you try to lose fat in a severe caloric restriction you will not only be extremely hungry but you won’t be providing your body with the nutrients it needs for regular metabolic function.
This means your body will throw down the emergency brake and tighten its grip on your metabolism because it thinks it’s being starved.
Your hormones will go out of whack and your fat loss potential will go to rock bottom.
And while being in a caloric deficit is necessary for fat loss, a severe caloric restriction is the fat loss equivalent of trying to fight Conor McGregor with two hands tied behind your back – an extreme disadvantage to say the least.
No. 2 No Yo-Yo Diets
A yo-yo diet translates to you trying to lose fat in a severe caloric restriction then binging on the weekend. Or swapping between your muscle building and fat loss goals like the clothes of a dressing room.
Your hormones need time to adjust to your diet and if you constantly shock your body with a low caloric intake and binging your body simply won’t be able to keep up.
And doing so can have significant consequences on your metabolism and hormone production.
AKA, you won’t be able to lose fat because your consistency is as lackluster as the color grey.
No. 3 Eat Nutritiously
Eating nutritiously is a trademark of having elevated leptin levels.
This means avoiding simple carbs like refined sugars that spike your insulin and instead consuming high-value carbs (or polysaccharides) that are low on the GI scale.
Large insulin spikes that come from simple carbs will lead to insulin resistance and impede leptin production.
Additionally, consuming enough protein will have a significant effect on your satiety meaning you will inhibit the production of ghrelin and keep your leptin levels elevated throughout the day.
And finally, leafy greens, veggies, and high fiber foods. Vegetables and greens are packed with important nutrients yet low in calories, which means you can consume a lot of them yet still have not consumed a large caloric quantity. And because fiber rich foods will also help with your satiety they help promote leptin production.
No. 4 Employ a Healthy Lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle doesn’t just mean having a good diet. It means through and through your life is conducive to your overall health.
That means getting enough sleep on a regular basis because sleep helps regulates your hormones.
Avoiding stress or finding ways to decompress because when you’re constantly stressed your cortisol levels remain elevated, which have a negative impact on hormone regulation. If you don’t do so already, try experimenting with yoga or meditation.
And last, but not least, exercise regularly. Regular exercise has countless health benefits, including stress relief and assistance in maintaining homeostasis.
No. 5 Utilize Refeed Days
Finally, I want to introduce refeed days.
Refeed days are just a more controlled and strategic approach to a cheat day, that provides you with essential dietary reprieve without shocking your body.
Additionally, when you do refeed you will still be in a caloric deficit, which means you won’t promote any unwanted fat storage that typically occurs during a cheat day.
The benefit to a refeed day is that it will help provide your body with some much-needed dietary reprieve, boost your leptin levels and help reset your fat loss potential.
Conclusion
Your hormones have a significant impact on your body’s ability to lose fat.
And while leptin production is correlated to your body fat by having a healthy and active lifestyle you will give your body the requisite ingredients it needs to permit long-term fat loss without hurting yourself in the long run.
I want to mention again that the freebie that comes with this post is the Accelerated Fat Loss 101 guide; this free eBook was designed to help you master your fat loss and reach your goals in an expedited fashion.
Click on the box below to get your free copy!
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And finally, I want to thank you for watching this AFL video on your fat burning hormones. I wish you the best of luck keeping your leptin levels sky high so you can lose fat with ease.
That’s all for today – Cheers!
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