Five Rules for Mastering Leptin - I found this a ready summary of Byron and Mary Richards' book Mastering Leptin. The book itself contains an enormous amount of detail, as the authors present their findings from a thorough research review on the recently discovered appetite controlling hormone leptin.

  1. Never eat after dinner - And finish eating about 3 hours before you go to bed, i.e., never go to bed with a full stomach. Avoid eating anything for 12 hours between dinner and breakfast.

    REASON - During the first 6-8 hours after eating dinner, the body is burns calories consumed during the day. During the 8th to 12th hour after dinner comes "the most effective fat burning time." Having a snack before bedtime (or a late evening meal) causes leptin release, which tells your body/brain that no additional energy is required, and no fat will be burned during the latter part of the night.
  2. Eat 3 meals per day - And allow 5-6 hours between meals. Do NOT Snack.

    REASON - During the first three hours after a meal, insulin is storing calories from the food we have eaten, putting our bodies in glucose burning mode. In hours 4-6, our bodies shift into fat buringin mode. Snacking withing that 5-6 hour window will stimulate insulin release, and thus bypass the fat burning mode.

  3. Avoid eating large meals - Do not give your body more fuel than it can use.

    REASON - Regular large meals will invariably lead to leptin and insulin resistance. So eat slowly and chew really well, because it takes your brain ten minutes to let you know you're full. Another technique, after you've eaten half of your meal, take a 5-minute break. And don't feel you have to "clean your plate."
  4. Eat high-protein breakfast

    REASON - Keeps your body in the fat-burning mode from your night's fast and may reduce late afternoon energy crashes.
  5. Reduce carbohydrate consumption. But don't cut out ALL carbohydrates.

    REASON - Carbs lead to the release of insulin, which puts you in glucose burning mode.

    Byron and Mary Richards recommend a ratio of 50/50 of carbs to protein, which amounts to a palm-sized portion of protein and starch, plus eat as many vegetables as you like, except for the peas, corn, cooked carrots, and other starchy veggies, which count as carbs.

Check whether you're eating too many carbohydrates - Weigh yourself first thing in the morning, and again at bedtime. If your bedtime weight is 2 pounds over your morning weight, you've probably eaten too many carbohydrates.

Health and Nutrition Article - The Five Rules for Mastering Leptin - The Hunger Hormone

Mastering Leptin: The Leptin Diet, Solving Obesity and Preventing Disease
by Byron & Mary Richards

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