Day 6 - Me on a diet with Ghrelin and Leptin

10:00 a.m. Woke up this morning and had some coffee while reading the paper. In the USA section was an article featuring Dr. Oz. Seeing Dr. Oz reminded me of the book he wrote with Dr. Rozien, "You On A Diet." I bought it when first came out and read it almost cover to cover. I learned a lot about how weight works and began to practice some of the principles in the book. I think it was another time that I lost some weight that got be back down to the 170 mark but failed to be consistent and did not go beyond the 5-10 pound weight loss. The one thing that stands out in my mind is the part about the weight loss hormones ghrelin and leptin. According to the website pubmed.gov

Leptin and ghrelin are two hormones that have been recognized to have a major influence on energy balance. Leptin is a mediator of long-term regulation of energy balance, suppressing food intake and thereby inducing weight loss. Ghrelin on the other hand is a fast-acting hormone, seemingly playing a role in meal initiation. As a growing number of people suffer from obesity, understanding the mechanisms by which various hormones and neurotransmitters have influence on energy balance has been a subject of intensive research. In obese subjects the circulating level of the anorexigenic hormone leptin is increased, whereas surprisingly, the level of the orexigenic hormone ghrelin is decreased. It is now established that obese patients are leptin-resistant. However, the manner in which both the leptin and ghrelin systems contribute to the development or maintenance of obesity is as yet not clear.

So in other words grhelin bad/leptin good. Dr. Oz equated them to grhelin being a gremlin and leptin be a leprechaun. I guess that kind of gives you a visual to work with. Grhelin stimulates your appetite while leptin is the hormone that when stimulated tells you you are full and satisfied. Anyway, the idea is to stimulate more leptin secretion by your habits and food choices and reduce the habits and food choices that encourage grhelin secreation. Things that stimulate grhelin that are bad in patricular are lack of sleep (hello...night owl here). I recently did some more research on this issue. From WebMD "So what's the connection to sleep? "When you don't get enough sleep, it drives leptin levels down, which means you don't feel as satisfied after you eat. Lack of sleep also causes ghrelin levels to rise, which means your appetite is stimulated, so you want more food," Breus tells WebMD." I am totally guilty of not getting enough sleep. I usually use the late night quiet hours to chill out making cards and sometimes I am up until 1, 2 or even 3:00 in the morning. Not good for weight loss apparently and obviously a very major contributor to weight gain. From Running Times Magazine : "There are two hormones associated with sleep that influence eating behaviors: ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin is the hormone that lets your body know you’re hungry. Leptin’s role is to send a message to stop eating when your body has had enough. When you’re sleep-deprived, your ghrelin level increases. At the same time leptin levels decrease. So you crave additional food while simultaneously not getting the proper message to stop eating. The extra calories and poor self-control soon follow."

Given this information, I am guessing I will have to stop my night owl ways at least until such time that I can consistently sleep in until 9 o'oclock every morning. Until I get get my sleep cycle regulated, the appetite suppressant I am on called phendimetrazine, is working on my nervous system to help suppress my appetite. For me personally, I need a crutch to help get me through the rough patch of decreasing calories to see significant weight loss to stay motivated. Note to myself to find the book and see if what Drs Oz and Rozien say about appetite suppresants.

Quick snapsot of You on A Diet Principles found HERE

2:00 p.m. I am encouraged in that I'm definitely feeling a difference. What normally has taken me weeks to to get to I am feeling it after 5 days. I am in the middle of day 6 and everything is working the way the dietitian said it would.

11:00 a.m. Egg White Omelet (4), Turkey Sausage (2) and Coffee 190 calories

2:00 p.m. Tuna fish salad 135 calories