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Amanda Wikan | MS RD

Beware of Dieting Traps That Make You Hungrier By Disrupting Hormones

Weight Loss

Beware of Dieting Traps That Make You Hungrier By Disrupting Hormones

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So many of my clients tell me during our first session that they struggle with cravings or feeling hungry all the time, and they believe it’s holding them back from achieving the results they want. 

Maybe you can relate?

To liberate them from this struggle we begin by exploring the concept of hormonal balance and the hormones that regulate hunger. Namely leptin (helps you feel full) and ghrelin (stimulates hunger). 

If you haven’t heard of these hormones before, let me be the first to introduce you. Leptin is a hormone produced by your body’s fat cells, and its primary role is to regulate food intake preventing overeating.  Ghrelin is produced by cells in your gastrointestinal tract and its main role is to signal to your brain when it is time to seek out food.

Leptin and ghrelin are your body’s tools for energy balance meaning they keep you from starving and from overeating. 

Leptin resistance

Today something is wrong with the mechanism that is supposed to prevent us from overeating and gaining weight – this is known as leptin resistance.

A decrease in sensitivity to leptin (remember leptin signals fullness) leads to overeating and weight gain. 

Obesogenic chemicals and chronically elevated cortisol levels are the two main causes of leptin resistance. 

In this blog post, you will learn why these two things create leptin resistance and what you can do about it. I’ll provide practical strategies you can implement immediately to correct leptin resistance and the resulting hormonal imbalance that leads to weight gain. 

It’s easy to get sucked into the mindset trap that weight loss is all about restriction and calorie counting. I’m here to tell you that’s not going to work in the long run because you are fighting your biology. 

You have to address the root cause of leptin resistance so that your body will naturally regulate hunger and fullness, allowing for long-term weight loss and weight maintenance without calorie counting or restriction. 

Let’s start with the number one cause of leptin resistance 

I’m talking about obesogenic chemicals.

It is no coincidence that obesity rates have risen right along with our exposure to toxic chemicals in our food and environment. ⁠⁠

These chemicals, known as obesogens, promote weight gain by increasing the number and storage capacity of fat cells. Obesogens also change how the body regulates hunger. Obesogens contribute to leptin resistance by making you hungrier and less satisfied by the food you eat. ⁠

Your body stores these chemicals in fat cells to protect you from the damage they cause when circulating in your bloodstream. If your body didn’t do this, they would cause damage to your DNA and increase your risk of chronic disease. 

Take a moment to recognize how brilliant your body is and send it some love and appreciation. It’s just trying to protect you. 

The most impactful step you can take is to limit your exposure to these chemicals. It’s not that hard to do. Start by avoiding synthetic fragrances.

The most common places you’ll find synthetic fragrance is in everyday household products like scented laundry detergent, scented soaps and cleaning products, Glade plugins, and other air fresheners or perfumes. Swap these out for unscented products or those scented with natural essential oils.

High fructose corn syrup is another contributor

Chemicals aren’t the only cause of leptin resistance. Highly processed ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, which is used as a sweetener in many processed foods, also cause leptin resistance. So read ingredient lists to help you avoid this sweetener. 

As the public has become more aware of the health problems associated with high fructose corn syrup, corporations have tried to outwit them by changing the name from high fructose corn syrup to corn sugar, glucose-fructose syrup, and isoglucose. You can make this easier on yourself by avoiding products with complicated ingredients and instead choosing products sweetened with plain old cane sugar. Your body knows how to process cane sugar. 

Chronically elevated cortisol

The next most common contributor to leptin resistance is chronically elevated cortisol levels.

I’m sure you’ve heard of cortisol. It’s a stress hormone that can become elevated from dieting.

Many people have bought into the myth that restriction and deprivation are a requirement of weight loss. They believe that pleasure is completely separate from the nutritional value of food and has no metabolic function. They fear that if food tastes good, they will automatically be triggered to eat more and lose self-control.

The truth is we are genetically programmed to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Denying this part of ourselves is unsustainable and can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food.

When you are afraid of pleasure and constantly restricting food because you fear the calorie content, you’ll generate more cortisol.

Ironically, cortisol decreases the amount of pleasure derived from food and may cause you to eat more to get the endorphin boost you missed by eating in a stress-induced state.

When we don’t allow ourselves to experience pleasure, our appetite increases thanks to neuropeptide Y. Neuropeptide Y is naturally elevated in the morning and stimulates appetite. It is also elevated during dieting and periods of deprivation.

If you deny yourself the pleasure of food through low-calorie eating or restrict yourself to a flavorless diet, the body responds by chemically demanding pleasure, resulting in a cycle of yo-yo dieting and bingeing – increasing cortisol and contributing to leptin resistance. 

Inviting pleasure into your meals is an act of self-care. And it’s often overlooked in our diet-obsessed culture.

Your body knows how to regulate appetite

If there is one thing you take away from this post, I hope it is the realization that you don’t need to count calories to lose weight – your body naturally knows how to regulate appetite. The problem occurs when obesogenic chemicals, highly processed food additives, and chronic dieting interfere with hormonal balance leading to leptin resistance. 

Leptin resistance will make weight loss feel practically impossible. You can begin reversing leptin resistance by avoiding these chemicals and food additives while using a more intuitive approach to eating that honors hunger and decreases stress around eating. 

If any of this feels far out of reach, please know it isn’t because you aren’t capable. Rather it’s because weight loss is a complex topic that needs to be broken down into a simplified step-by-step process.

A process that works with your biology, not against it. When you work against biology you experience sugar cravings and rebound weight gain. When you work with your biology you experience weight loss and vibrant health.

Need support on your weight loss journey? Here are some ways I can help.