Timing is Everything

Who would have thought that achieving and maintaining a healthy weight might have as much to do with when we eat as it does with what we eat? A new discovery about how our bodies function shows that this is indeed the case.

Almost anyone can parrot the weight loss mantra "Eat less, exercise more". That is not going to change. The good sense of eating foods that are lower on the glycemic index is not going to change either. What may change is our idea about grazing, eating numerous small "meals" during the day, and snacking.

In a recent Harvard study, authors Cutler, Glaeser, and Shapiro pointed to extra calories from snacking as the weight gain culprit. They reported that the average number of daily snacks has risen by 60 percent since the early 70s. Just three cookies a day can account for a weight gain of 10-15 pounds in 20 years. Although most peoples don't think 20 years into the future, we only think of how much weight I can lose today. Cutting out the snacks is a good first step toward "eating fitness". Perhaps we ought to go back to the drawing board and give weight loss a look-see from a whole perspective.

What would you say if you learned that the answer to weight loss lies within the very cells that are making us fat. Not because they are there, that's obvious, but because of what they do. They don't just pad our organs, help us maintain our body temperature, and act as caloric storage units. They function in a specific way that is directly related to our appetites. In persons who are overweight or obese, this function has gone array. Healthy weight- and health improvements which go beyond those bestowed by weight loss alone-can be obtained by restoring these cells to their proper synchronicity.

To simplify a complex conversation, in 1994, scientists discovered that the fat cells in white adipose tissue (or body fat) secrete a hormone that directs appetite, affecting energy balance and metabolism. This hormone has been named Leptin. Until this discovery, glands were identified as specific clusters of tissues like the thyroid, adrenal, and sex glands. In effect, body fat can be conceived of as a large endocrine gland, similar to the skin as a respiratory organ of the bulk of intestinal bacteria as a digestive organ.

Leptin was soon discovered to be involved with insulin, with the cardiovascular system, immune function, reproductive function, stress, bone health, cancer, and inflammation as well as interacting with all our known hormones. ( In fact, fat cells communicate with at least 15 other signals...a much more complex system than previously believed.)

In varying pulses and surges throughout the day and night, leptin sends messages to the brain. When there are problems in this ebb and flow, health conditions can follow. In addition to obesity, these include anorexia, loss of immunity, bone loss, gastrointestinal problems, liver malfunction, heart disease, cancer, cognitive problems and nerve problems.

Leptin functions by gauging our fuel supply. It does this by allowing or restricting energy production. In their remarkable book Mastering Leptin, authors Richards and Richards declare, "Leptin is truly the survival principle of the subconscious mind." When the brain senses that leptin levels are high, we get the message to decrease food intake (our appetite is reduced) and our metabolic rate increases, breaking down fat and supplying us with energy. When it senses that leptin is low, then the brain slows down our metabolism so that we don't run out of fuel and die of starvation. Equally importantly, we will be hungry and want to eat.

Seem straight forward, doesn't it? Here is the paradox. Overweight and obese people have high leptin levels, so why don't their brains notify their bodies to amp up and burn more fat? Basically, this is because our bodies are tuned to lack of food. This is a problem that doesn't exist for most people living in the US. The [problem here is " food everywhere". Constant eating yields constant messaging from fat cells. The brain becomes leptin resistant even though there is more than enough leptin (produced by more than enough fat).