Study found measuring the ratio of leptin and ghrelin helped predict success

link to article

Well, that's a good thing, IMHO. Perhaps this might help unravel why some of us just can't seem to maintain no matter what (or get stuck when trying to lose).

These are some of the same regulators supposedly manipulated by the hCG diet... and why I'm hopeful that losing with hCG is what's going to make the difference for me to finally succeed at maintenance.

This seems to be implying that we are at the mercy of our hormones. While they may affect our minds and lead us to make unhealthy choices, the bottom line is that no hormone puts the food into our mouth.

The real predictor of a person's successful maintenance of weight loss is taking a look at how they handle life, how they let their feelings and desires control their decisions, how motivated they are, and what other skills they are using or not using to maintain their loss.

The responsibility sits with the person and their thoughts, no matter what the hormone ratio is.

Yes, some may find it more difficult because of the hormonal influences, but the study showed they were capable of losing the weight, so it would imply that with the proper mind-set they could keep it off as well.

I am not on a high horse. I have regained weight I lost, so I speak from experience, and maintenance is a skill (like any other skill) I still need to learn. But I will never blame my regaining on my hormones. I blame it on choosing processed carbs and consuming too many calories. The emotional and mental reasons (thought patterns) are mine to heal.

And, BTW, I have a feeling those hormones fluctuate, so how precise could that test be, anyway?

I'm not sure we're such masters of our own fate, otherwise why does something like 95% of the people who lose gain it back? If humans could override their biological impulses so easily with their intellect we wouldn't have an AIDS epidemic, obesity, unwanted pregnancies, car accidents, and all the other things that seem to be driven by impulses and urges rather than higher thought.

Hi Nancy!



I think people are the masters of their fate and that the reality is that we can control our thoughts. It is NOT EASY. It takes lots of hard work and determination to change thought patterns, but it can be done..it's called neuroplasticity. How we think actually changes the physiology of our brains!

The reason most people regain weight is that they are really victims of their unconscious thought patterns.

For example: I have found that if I want to eat and I just stop long enough to ask myself what feeling I am feeling, feel the fear of having that feeling, and allow myself to feel (along with avoiding the processed carbs that contribute to the insulin response that makes me want to eat) I can actually just sit there and not put something into my mouth to make myself "feel better."

The problem is that most, not all, but many people are using food to "feel better" and as you prob. know it affects brain chemistry. Serotonin and dopamine feel GOOD.

Also, worrying about how fat one is getting is a lot easier and less scary than growing up, facing one's issues and taking responsibility.

I think as humans, we are pretty lazy and scared and have found lots of ways to cope with life.

It is an enormous challenge to admit that we are the masters of our fate, we are in control of our thoughts and how we perceive our reality, and to take responsibility for our actions. I would much rather eat ice cream. LOL!

edited to add...or spend time on this forum rather than doing work. I admit it.

What was their ratios after the diet? Possible the low-calorie diet reversed the ratio? I'm assuming having more leptin than ghrelin would be favorable to weight loss or do I have it akbasswards?

[pointless rant deleted]. Extra characters added to cope with software bug.

No person can inhabit the mind of another. We cannot feel the urges another person feels, or know the strength of those urges. It is good to aspire to high standards of behavior, but a large proportion of the population cannot meet these standards. I do not believe that failure to control one's food intake is a moral failing or a failure of "willpower." Some people are fortunate enough to have the combination of personal behavior, environmental support, and physical biochemistry such that they have made major changes in their body composition. I believe we have to be open-minded and compassionate about obesity and accept that there is much about this physical condition that we do not understand.

Seems like the researchers didn't consider that the type of diet itself might alter the ratio between leptin and ghrellin. If you eat a nutrient-dense diet, either traditional low-carb, or higher-carb paleo, the body will usually be more satisfied longer, and the temptation to overeat simply won't be there. We really need to have this experiment repeated with different diets other than simply a calorie-restricted one.

amundson,

Thanks for your reply; it's much wiser than my initial post, now deleted.

I'm glad, at least, someone is studying ghrelin and leptin as opposed to the typical silly studies that populate research in the realm of obesity. I do think the feeling of hunger drives the average dieter in what seems a biological force. I think if people had the knowledge of low carb and why it works, many would succeed. Not all, but more then are trying to maintain losses on low fat diets. Just my two cents.

Concerning hormones, what if one person's hormones (insulin, leptin or whatever controls metabolism?) are such that a higher percentage of incoming fuel is automatically directed to fat cell storage than another person? Seems like the first guy's going to have to eat a lot less and put a lot more effort into weight loss or maintenance than the second guy whose body doesn't have so much tendency to shuttle off fuel to fat storage.

What comes to mind is processed fake foods not causing the brain to send the right signals to the body, regardless of carb amount.

I think these hormones can vary from person to person causing different problems. For instance someone with too high grehlin and lower leptin would get hungry very easily, but would not eat a large amount of food when they ate - my aunt had this and was morbidly obese - she had a gastric bypass, which drops grehlin levels and now no longer feels continual hunger. (not that I'm endorsing WLS, as I don't).

On the other hand, I rarely feel actual hunger, but once I start eating, I have no 'stop' signal, which indicates high leptin, low grehlin, and you can see what weight I am.

Add into the mix high insulin levels due to insulin resistance, and either high grehlin or high leptin can lead to excess fat storage.

I do think it can be important to know the levels of these hormones, and to understand how they work in your body, as I believe not everyone is successful on the same type of diet due to differing hormone levels, and knowing levels can advise how to eat.

For instance, for me with high leptin, very high insulin and low grehlin, the only WOE that works for me is low carb IF of only one large meal a day. I take advantage of low levels of hunger, high leptin means I'm able to eat a large meal (though this regime is reducing my capacity to eat really large meals, which I assume means a lowering of leptin), and by only eating once a day means I keep my insulin response as low as possible most of the day. But this would not work for everyone, and would be highly detrimental to some.

Now anyone who believes that obesity is due to a personality defect meaning lack of willpower or control should try fasting 23 hours a day, every day, and see how much 'willpower' they have. Its nothing to do with willpower. Its hormones - whether its leptin, grehlin, insulin, or dopamine if you have an addiction to something like sugar (which I have).

Lee