Have you ever been dieting only to fall off the wagon and cheat on your diet? Ever wonder why dieting for the first couple weeks goes great and then you hit a wall? Understanding the hormone Leptin and how it functions in your body is the key to unlocking your bodies fat loss potential and breaking through any plateaus that stand in your way.
The hormone Leptin is not some new drug to hit the market or some new supplement that promises you unlimited fat loss with the flick of your fingers. Leptin is already found in abundant quantities in your body, it is the hormone responsible for sending signals to your brain that your body is either in a time of famine or abundance. Leptin is a self-preservation mechanism built into our bodies since the dawn of man which is meant to conserve energy and preserve life in times of famine. Working with your body in understanding how this hormone functions is the key to effective dieting and uninhibited fat loss.
Leptin
Leptin is abundantly produced by fat cells in your body; When you are under normal eating conditions your Leptin levels are normal and the signal sent to your brain is that your food supply is abundant and plentiful. On the flip-side, dieting for as little as one week has been shown to decrease your bodies Leptin levels by up to 50% and in turn sends a signal to your brain that you are starving or in a time of famine which causes a corresponding decrease in your bodies resting metabolic rate (RMR)
This is the reason that most peoples fabulous dieting results come to a halt after only 2-3 weeks of dieting leaving them in a power struggle with their own body for continued fat loss. With this in mind periodic cheating on your diet can not only be beneficial psychologically but also speed up their fat loss rate by raising your leptin levels which in turn raises all the other hormones responsible for your body's Resting Metabolic Rate....
This will serve two purposes: first of all it will allow you to satisfy your cravings for certain foods or sweets. Secondly because of the Leptin increase the other hormones responsible for your body's metabolism will adjust and your Resting Metabolic Rate will increase back to normal (or at above normal levels in some cases)...
There are two ways to go about cheating on your diet (although they should be structured to avoid falling off the diet completely). The first way is with a cheat meal twice a week, the second way is to do whats called a refeed. Which option that is the best for you is going to depend on several factors like how your body responds to carbohydrates when they are consumed as well as your starting body fat percentage are the two biggest factors in determining whether two cheat days or one re-feed a week would be the option that better suites you...
One of the best diets I have found to date allows a person to lose weight while still eating the foods they crave and love. For more information CLICK HERE!
Understanding Leptin - How Cheating on Your Diet is Not Only Beneficial But Increases Your Fat Loss!
No stranger to the fitness scene, Chris Russell got his start as a competitive powerlifter and over the course of four years he won 1st place on the State(twice), National(twice) and World stages(once) by the age of 18.
In 2001 Chris studied Exercise and Sport Science at UNC and today he helps clients achieve their fat loss, fitness and athletic goals.
If you have any lifting, fitness or nutrition related questions Chris can be contacted by e-mail at crussell08@hotmail.com.
For more information visit All Organic Health [http://www.allorganichealth.com]