One of the most difficult issues for those who are overweight to control is their appetite. Specifying that weight control is becoming increasingly difficult with the constant desire to eat, especially after a while of entering the weight loss process. Dietician Buket Ertaş Sefer explained that this situation was caused by the change in hormones. She pointed out that leptin resistance, which occurs especially after excessive weight gain, eliminates the feeling of satiety.
Although the feeling of hunger and satiety may seem to be related to our own willpower, it is actually mostly related to our hormone balance. Thanks to the fat tissue and the Leptin hormone released from different parts of the body, the brain provides saturation by giving the command "you are now full do not eat anything". Therefore, stating that the leptin hormone is actually extremely valuable in the process of healthy nutrition, Yeditepe University Kozyatağı Hospital Dietitian and Phytotherapy Specialist Buket Ertaş Sefer said that if the adipose tissue is excessive, it becomes unable to fulfill its function by entering a resistance similar to insulin resistance.

“The Urge to Eat High-Calorie Foods While Dieting”

Especially after a while after starting to lose weight, there is less decrease in the scale and the reason for the increase in appetite is this leptin resistance. Buket Ertaş Sefer said: “Leptin decreases with fat from the body and therefore appetite increases. Moreover, not only does it increase appetite, but an even stronger urge to eat fatty, high-calorie foods develops. The brain also tries to return the body's leptin levels to normal. If the war is won with this urge in the process of weight loss, it will be possible to achieve beneficial results for general body health. "

Leptin resistance and slowing of the basal metabolic rate. Buket E. Sefer, “With weight loss, the body feels hungry, protects itself with more eating, and starts to slow down the basal metabolic rate in order to use the energy in hand sparingly. Therefore, there is another difficulty in the weight loss process.”

Dietician Buket Ertaş Sefer said that inflammation in the body, an excessive amount of leptin production with excessive weight gain, and increase in blood fats are among the factors that cause leptin resistance.

“It Is The Reason for the Yo-Yo Effect in Diets”

Leptin, which is secreted from adipose tissue, is not always considered to be broken, although it decreases when losing weight. Buket E. Sefer continued her words as follows: “Although the amount of leptin decreases, resistance may persist. The loss of leptin along with the loss of fat when slimming down leads to a greater feeling of hunger and the body tends to eat more with this condition. This is probably the reason for the yo-yo effect that causes rapid recovery after losing weight in diets. ”

“The Weight Loss Process Needs to Fight Hormones in Some Sense”

Reminding that in addition to reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes, weight loss also reduces the burden on the joints. Buket Ertaş Sefer said that even losing just 1 pound of body weight reduces 4 pounds of pressure on the joints. Therefore, although it is necessary to fight against hormones in order to lose weight, he underlined that it should not be forgotten that winning this war will have very important gains when the results are considered.

“As You Gain Weight, Satiety Feeling Begins To Decrease”

The opposite of leptin is the hunger hormone Ghrelin, which signals the brain that it is “hungry” after the stomach is empty. Buket Ertaş Sefer said, “When leptin is excess in obese individuals, ghrelin is low. Although this may seem like an advantage, as the interest of the hypothalamus towards leptin decreases with weight, the feeling of satiety begins to disappear. "

“Continuous Snacking Keeps the Hunger Mechanism Active”

Dietician Buket E. Sefer pointed out that since the ghrelin hormone can be released more with constant stimulation of the stomach, keeping the hunger mechanism active by constantly eating snacks or snacking can also cause weight gain. Research has shown that leptin supplementation does not help either. Buket E. Sefer said, “Leptin taken from the outside is seen as ineffective because it cannot cross the blood-brain barrier.”   

Is It Possible To Keep Leptin Levels At Normal Levels?

Yeditepe University Kozyatağı Hospital, Specialist Dietician Buket E. Sefer stated that some lifestyle changes are needed for this and gave the following information:
“High triglyceride levels also prevent leptin levels from reaching their ideal level. Therefore, as in every subject, regular exercise and proper nutrition come to the fore here. Without proper nutrition, it just does not work with exercise. You have to think of it as a team game. Along with regular exercise, consuming healthy fats, taking omega 3s, increasing fiber, increasing vegetable and legume consumption, and avoiding sugar-added foods and drinks will also indirectly contribute to healthy leptin levels by helping lower triglycerides.”

Apart from that, it is about ways to get rid of leptin resistance. Buket Ertaş Sefer made the following suggestions: “First of all, it is necessary to repair the deteriorated intestinal flora. For this, probiotic sources such as yogurt and kefir should be used by avoiding processed and packaged foods. In addition, it is necessary to eat pulp-rich foods, which are high in vegetables, fruits, and legumes, to get enough protein and to stop unnecessary carbohydrate intake. "

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