Hormones & Weight Loss Part II

All right...a few of you asked, so I will finish up the last few tidbits of info...some of which was new news to me.

* pyy & glp-1 if you wait more than four hours to eat:

Like I said before, I really think that three hours is a better interval to try to be eating. After reading The Three Hour Diet, I'm pretty much sold on the reasons why, so if you are in for a good read, you should get it. Very interesting.

Anyhow, after a meal PYY, a chemical that is produced in your gastrointestinal system travels to the brain where it helps to switch off the urge to eat. An empty stomach squelches the production of PYY, so the longer you wait between meals, the more you may consume before the "full" switch kicks in. The key is to keep hormone production revved up. You can outsmart this delima by eating frequent small meals which will help activate the hormone GLP-1 which is another satiety hormone, increasing your feeling of fullness.

I know that I've turned to raw almonds as my every few hour snack, (and wasabi almonds....SHHHHHH....not as good for you), but I'm here to tell you that both Tracey and I dropped 8 - 10 pounds in one month and the only thing we can think of that we did different was adding the raw almonds. We both had been exercising regularly, but the month that we added almonds our weight dropped significantly. We got lazy about eating them, but stocked up at Costco a few weeks ago, and have both seen a difference again. And boy oh boy are those wasabi almonds pure heaven!

* Progesterone during PMS (This was new info to me. Interesting!)

Estrogen dominates the first half of your menstural cycle peaking during ovulation leaving you energized. After ovulation, progesterone increases in preparation for a possible pregnancy slowing you down and prompting you to eat more calories, sugar and fat. You can outsmart this problem by overhauling your diet in the first two weeks of your cycle when eating healthy will be easier. Don't try to start a new habit when progesterone is raging. You're least likely to suceed then. Also consider days 14 through 28 of your cycle "red alert" days when your fitness vigilance matters most. In other words, don't be like me and get lazy about exercising the week that flo comes cause it's hard to get back in the swing!

* Ghrelin & Leptin when you don't get enough sleep.

This one if for you Tracey...if you're reading. Also new info to me!

These hormones mess with your weight on their own AND together. A lack of sleep drives appetite inducing ghrelin up and leptin - the "I'm full" hormone down, so you wind up feeling even hungrier. Not only do you want to eat more, you crave junk food to get a quick energy boost. Outsmart this delima by aiming for at least 7.5 hours of sleep a night. (Yeah..Tracey...no more going to bed at 3 AM! - Sorry you were having RNG woes!) Can't get that much rest in one shot? Even catnaps help. "Just 30 minutes can help reset appetite-regulating hormones".

Well there you have it. Havoc wreaking hormones!