VOLUME 30 LOSE IT! 33
ADVICE
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- If you haven’t already started
following an LCHF lifestyle,
start now. Remove all refined
carbohydrates and sugars from
your diet and focus on eating
fresh, whole foods. Even having
fruit alone can trigger a spike
and then a drop in insulin,
leaving you ravenous in no time.
If you are going to have fruit, add
some nuts, a piece of cheese
or full-fat plain yoghurt to it.
For those who are trying to lose
weight and/or combat insulin
resistance, keep your daily carb
content to a minimum (no more
than 50g) and go easy on dairy. - Include a source of protein
at all meals. This will help lower
your ghrelin levels and minimise
a spike in insulin levels to keep
hunger levels at bay throughout
the day.- Eat foods that improve leptin
sensitivity: red meat, almonds,
spinach, broccoli, eggs and
green tea can all assist with
leptin resistance prevention.
They’re also low in carbs and
rich in micronutrients so you
can’t go wrong. - Get enough sleep. Aim for a
minimum of seven hours each
night. Getting adequate rest
helps keep your ghrelin and
leptin levels in check. - Do some exercise – but do
the right kind of exercise!
For years, generic weight loss
advice given by most health care
providers focused on low-to-
moderate aerobic activity such as
walking or running 30–60 minutes
every day. Research from the
past decade reports that ghrelin
increases (and therefore appetite
goes up) and also that leptin
decreases after these types of
exercises, making this notion
obsolete. Instead of doing this
style of ‘steady state cardio’,
rather do some high intensity
interval training (HIIT) a few times
a week. Sessions don’t need to
be long: just 20 minutes will do
the trick, as long as you get your
heart rate high enough. HIIT is
one of the best ways to manage
hunger, as it manipulates ghrelin
and leptin levels. HIIT can also
increase lean muscle mass and
help you lose that extra stubborn
visceral (belly) fat. Q