If you struggle with feeling tired, food cravings and trouble losing weight, you may be interested to learn what is the Leptin Diet?
This plan was created by board-certified clinical nutritionist, Byron J. Richards back the early 2000s. And it was developed as a lifestyle habit more than another fad diet.
This weight loss plan was built on the principle of finding more energy from eating less food. It works to regulate the body’s appetite and fat storage hormone, leptin.
It’s a very simple way of eating based on 5 rules, that has effectively helped thousands of people to lose weight and keep it off.
How important is leptin to weight loss?
Leptin is a hormone that was only discovered in 1994, according to Healthline.
This hormone is created in the body’s fat cells. Its role is to let your brain know that you are full so that you don’t overeat.
Leptin also plays a vital role in an efficient metabolism and regulating body weight. Therefore, it is important in controlling weight loss, gain or obesity.
Unfortunately, too much leptin in the body can cause leptin resistance. When that happens, weight loss can become difficult.
What do you eat on the Leptin Diet?
Although strict calorie counting is not necessary on the Leptin Diet, it is good to be aware of how much you are eating. Try to keep your meals between 400 and 600 calories.
Each meal should contain approximately 40 percent protein, 30 percent carbs and 30 percent fat.
Artificial sweeteners, added sugars and soy should be avoided.
If you eat dessert, have fresh fruit such as berries.
On this plan, you will be able to choose from fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins.
For protein choices, consider meat, chicken, turkey, and fish. Nut butters, eggs and cottage cheese can be eaten in small portions.
The best carbohydrates to choose would be those that are also high in proteins. Things like quinoa, lentils, legumes and oatmeal would be excellent choices.
The diet suggests drinking 8 to 16 ounces of water in between meal times. Other beverages that do not contain added sugar are also permitted.
To learn about other healthy drinks that can help boost your weight loss efforts, read our article, Drinks that help you Lose Belly Fat – 7 Easy Things To try.
Leptin Diet Rules
Some things that you will want to keep in mind are the quality of the food you eat, as well as the time of day that you choose to eat.
Let’s take a look at the 5 rules of the Leptin Diet:
- Do not eat after you finish dinner. Always allow for at least 3 hours without eating before bed.
- Eat 3 meals per day, spaced 5-6 hours in between without any snacking.
- Eat a high protein breakfast (ideally 20 to 30 grams of protein).
- Don’t overeat. Finish eating just before you feel full.
- Cut back on carbs but don’t eliminate them completely.
To learn more about the Leptin Diet, you may enjoy viewing the following video from Byron J. Richards about his plan.
What are the benefits of the leptin diet to lose weight?
It seems fairly straightforward. There is no calorie counting or food-specific restriction, which could make this easier to stick with than other diets.
Another advantage is that it promotes eating plenty of fresh, organic foods. The goal is to stay away from processed foods full of unhealthy added chemicals.
Instead of severely reducing carbs, as you would on the Keto diet for example, this plan allows you to eat carbs in moderation.
This could help with providing necessary variety along with reducing the chance to binge eat.
The emphasis on portion controlled, high-quality, fresh foods and regular, attainable exercise are the keys to success with the Leptin Diet.
For ideas on exercise for weight loss, you may like to read our article, What is the Best Exercise to Lose Belly Fat – 7 Simple, Effective Exercises.
Risks of the Leptin Diet?
Before starting any dietary change, you should always check with your doctor, as this plan may not be suitable for everyone.
This is especially important for those who are taking prescription medications, anyone under 18 years of age, someone with an eating disorder and/or anyone pregnant or nursing.
What’s interesting to learn about this diet is that certain elements are not addressed. For example, there are things that do have an influence on the foods we choose, like cravings and activity levels.
However, cravings will reduce naturally by implementing the 5 rules.
The Leptin Diet revolves around following the rules to control your eating. More research is still needed to determine whether your leptin levels are actually altered or not.
Is The Leptin Diet the same as Keto?
These 2 diets are not the same.
The Keto diet strictly controls the consumption of carbohydrates and mainly consists of high fats and moderate amounts of protein whereas the Leptin Diet revolves around eating fresh, organic, whole foods.
On the Leptin diet, you are encouraged to avoid artificial sweeteners, sugary sodas and energy drinks. However, if you are trying to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle, that is probably in your best interest anyway.
Does The Leptin Diet really work?
This diet targets the regulation of leptin in the body. The goal is optimal leptin function so that appetite can be controlled and weight loss will follow.
A timed, controlled eating approach along with moderate exercise will enhance the success of this diet.
Many people claim to have lost weight using these principles. But as with any diet, there is no one-size-fits-all.
Moderate amounts of exercise, avoiding high sugar foods and soy can be helpful with this plan. However, when weight loss is the goal, nutritious eating and regular exercise are always good choices in any case.
Final Thoughts on The Leptin Diet
The Leptin Diet encourages eating a wide range of healthy, fresh foods at specific times of the day with no snacking in between.
By following 5 simple rules, leptin can work efficiently. This in turn can increase metabolism, control appetite and assist with losing weight.
This easy-to-follow strategy can help with healthy weight loss. But, it may not be right for everyone.
Have you ever tried the Leptin Diet? What were your results? Tell us in the comments below.
There are so many popular diets around that it is sometimes difficult to keep up with all the new ones. I have not come across the leptin diet before, so found it very interesting to read how weight can be managed through control the fat hormone, leptin. I am sure that anybody wanting to lose weight, will benefit from trying the leptin diet, specially as it is not a fad diet, but rather a change in lifestyle.
Thank you for this great introduction to the leptin diet.
There are a ton of diets being pushed. That will probably never change and neither will peoples’ desires to lose weight. But the Leptin Diet might be a helpful lifestyle change that could lead to sustainable results. Thanks for commenting and dropping by!