Did you eat everything you wanted at Christmas, and then more because you couldn’t stop? Your hunger hormones were opening your eyes wide without consulting your stomach. Yes, hunger hormones. They exist. But, like a bad boyfriend, they run off chasing easier targets at the first opportunity, leaving your stomach to pop like an overinflated balloon.
Like any good couple, opposites attract. Ghrelin is like a little gremlin hormone that makes you feel hungry, and leptin is your appetite suppressor. They play tug of war constantly and most of the time, you’re the loser. You see, it’s not just about willpower. Actually it’s hardly ever about willpower. It’s not your fault you ate that whole tub of Ben and Jerry’s. Blame it on your hormones.
Not all is lost though. You can reel back that boyfriend and chain him up to your bed. You can also get control over your hunger hormones with these 4 hormone-happy tips.
1. Eat some protein with each meal. This keeps your ghrelin in check so you stay full for longer. Think eggs, meat, fish, poultry, cheese, nuts… all that good stuff will guard you against the gremlin’s (ghrelin’s) grasp.
2. Get more sleep! Losing sleep gives you higher levels of ghrelin and less leptin love, leading to an out-of-control appetite, cravings, and binge eating. So if you’re always hungry, sleep your way to some hormone happiness.
3. Eat slower. Much ssssslllooowwwerrrrr. Leptin is like the tortoise to the hare. It’s message that tells your brain that your stomach is full is a slow one. If you’re shovelling that creamy deliciousness (the hare) down as fast as you can, your tortoise can’t keep up. Slow down and smell the roses, or at least your meal, and your leptin will send it’s message to stop eating before your belly blows up.
4. Low calorie dieting is BAD BAD BAD for your hunger hormones, which means it’s even worse for you! If you’ve lost weight, then found it again, and you keep doing this down/up/down thing like the yo-yo left in your Christmas stocking, it’s because your diet is killing your hunger hormone balance. You feel like you’re starving to death on this type of diet because your body thinks it is!
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