5 Real World Truths of Weight Loss

 

Let’s face it, there are so many reasons for cutting weight, such as:

• Aiming to improve your health
• Improve your appearance
• Making a lower weight-class or getting on a bodybuilding stage
• Getting to a healthy weight
• Maybe even a vacation or photo shoot to look your best

Losing body fat and cutting weight is a common goal shared by many.

A 2014 article in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition reviewed the literature pertaining to metabolic consequences of dieting, with an emphasis on athletic populations.

This was a strong paper because it helps identify and acknowledge the difficulties and hurdles faced by dieters.

This evidence also can help practitioners and fitness enthusiasts identify solutions to these common metabolic consequences from cutting weight.

But to avoid these obstacles, we must acknowledge 5 real-world truths of weight loss.

(Side Note: Looking to get your individual macros? See the IIFYM flexible dieting calculator)

1. Your Metabolism Will Adapt During Calorie Restriction

When cutting weight, you lose body mass from muscle tissue, bone, water, etc. Naturally, you would expect that less overall tissue equals less demand for energy, and therefore a reduction in metabolic rate.

This is absolutely true, but with weight loss, the issue goes a bit deeper— metabolic rate often slows down beyond the amount we would expect from decreased body mass.

In the 2014 article in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, a number of metabolic adaptations contribute to this reduction in energy expenditure (metabolic rate), such as:

• You see reductions in hormones related to metabolic rate, including thyroid hormone, insulin, and leptin
• The reduction in anabolic hormones and increase in catabolic hormones threaten the retention of lean mass
• You also see increased efficiency of energy production—When efficiency increases, we lose less of this energy in the conversion process. This means we can meet our demand for ATP by burning fewer calories, which serves to reduce metabolic rate and oppose our weight loss goals

The numerous metabolic adaptations to calorie restriction and cutting weight result in a clear response, a reduced metabolic rate.

This affects total daily energy expenditure which pertains to 4 compartments:

1. Basal metabolic rate (calories burned during rest)
2. Exercise activity thermogenesis (calories burned during formal exercise)
3. NEAT- Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (calories burned outside of formal exercise)
4. TEF- Thermic effect of feeding (calories burned during digestion)

As you can see, the human body appears to fight perceived starvation by increasing its efficiency.

Unfortunately, many of the underlying adaptations persist after active weight loss is achieved and weight maintenance is underway.

When you impose an “energy crisis” by dieting, cutting weight, and losing body fat, these adaptations serve to reduce energy expenditure.

It’s the metabolic equivalent of tightening up your budget during tough financial times.

Take Home Point:

Understand that your metabolism will adapt during a long dieting phase, especially if you lose both muscle mass and fat mass. To mitigate this, take more frequent diet breaks, have 24-72 hour refeeds, lose weight slowly, have proper macronutrient ratios, and keep resistance training in.

 

 

2. Muscle Mass Will Be Lost

To be 100% honest and fair, this one doesn’t necessarily apply to everybody.

The reason being If you’re dieting from 30% body fat to 25%, you can probably do so with minimal loss of lean mass (muscle tissue) because a 5-pound difference won’t really sacrifice muscle mass.

Now, if you have been under-eating protein or had not been resistance training, you could even gain lean mass while losing fat (body recomposition) by increasing protein consumption and starting a properly-designed resistance training program.

But if you’re shooting for a stage-ready, competition-level body fat, the loss of lean mass is pretty much inevitable.

The data shows two different case studies have documented contest preparation in male natural bodybuilders.

Although both competitors were on well-designed diet and training programs, they lost 6.2 and 14.0 pounds of lean mass (pure muscle mass).

Realistically, a natural athlete will not likely approach 5-6% body fat without a loss of lean mass.

But in all honesty, the case studies previously mentioned could be considered quite encouraging.

One athlete lost 14.0 lbs of lean mass, but 36.9 lbs overall, meaning they lost 22.9 lbs of fat.

The other athlete lost only 6.2 lbs of lean mass while losing 30.8 lbs overall— nearly 80% of the total weight lost was fat!

So, while we must accept that natural athletes tend to lose some lean mass while dieting and cutting weight, we can certainly strive to push the proportion of fat loss up.

Take Home Point:

Understand that you will lose some muscle mass during a long dieting phase. To mitigate this, take more frequent diet breaks, have 24-72 hour refeeds, lose weight slowly about .5-2 pounds per week, have a high protein diet, keep cardio as minimal as possible, and keep resistance training in.

3. Your Hunger Levels Will Go Through the Roof

Insulin and leptin are both considered “anorexigenic” hormones. Put simply, these hormones relay the message that there is plenty of energy available, leading to increased satiety and decreased hunger.

On the contrary, ghrelin is considered an “orexigenic” hormone; ghrelin rises just prior to meals, and it functions to stimulate hunger and food intake.

Leptin is released from fat cells, and smaller fat cells are more sensitive to insulin.

In the context of cutting weight, fat cells shrink in size. Accordingly, studies have shown that weight loss diets result in decreased leptin and insulin, along with increased ghrelin.

When the diet is “over,” the individual is left with a repressed metabolic rate, and an overwhelming desire to eat.

On top of these endocrine effects, there are a number of adaptations within the brain, along with psychological factors of dieting, that increase the desire to eat.

Truth is, there are some hard gainers out there that are so sick of force-feeding that they welcome the idea of decreased food intake. But for the overwhelming majority of dieters, hunger is an unavoidable real-world truth, especially as body fat gets significantly low, overall total daily calories reduce, and total daily energy expenditure decreases.

This is where proper macronutrient ratios, having a higher protein intake, and a sound resistance training program comes into play.

Take Home Point:

Understand that you will get hungry during a long dieting phase. To mitigate this, take more frequent diet breaks, have more frequent refeeds, experiment with mini carb ups when hunger is extremely high, eat satiating foods, and try having a glass of water and a salad prior to your main meals, at least 2 of your daily meals.

 

 

4. Maintaining Lost Weight Isn’t the Easiest Thing to Do

Let’s say you weigh 190 lbs. If you can drop to 171 lbs and maintain that weight for one year, you are fairly exceptional— less than 20% of individuals are able to lose 10% of their body weight and maintain that weight loss for one year.

In a real-world setting, cutting weight is not the hard part. Countless studies have successfully induced weight loss with all kinds of diet and exercise programs. But when you shift your focus from the 10-week studies to those lasting 6 months, 12 months, or beyond, you start to see that maintaining weight loss is a much more difficult task.

We previously discussed that metabolic rate is generally reduced in response to weight loss and reduced caloric intake.

Unfortunately, many of the underlying adaptations persist after active weight loss is achieved and weight maintenance is underway.

This means that even though you think you’re “done” cutting weight, we still see the following issues:

• a repressed metabolic rate
• altered hormone concentrations
• increased hunger and desire to eat

While some of these adaptations may subside after prolonged, successful weight maintenance, evidence has suggested that some may persist for over a year after weight loss.

The presence of these adaptations set the dieter up for a phenomenon known as “post-starvation obesity,” “body fat overshooting,” or in laymen terms “rebounding.”

When the diet is “over,” the individual is left with a repressed metabolic rate, and an overwhelming desire to eat.

This combination can result in huge caloric intakes that lead to rapid fat gain.

There is also evidence that weight is preferentially gained as fat mass (body fat) in this post-diet period, and we are particularly susceptible to adipocyte hyperplasia (the addition of entirely new fat cells).

These factors may lead to body fat overshooting, where the dieter actually ends up with more fat mass (body fat) than they had before the diet.

Take Home Point:

Understand that maintaining lost weight isn’t the easiest thing to achieve. To help keep the weight off, have proper macronutrient ratios, keep resistance training in, don’t fall into the rigid black and white mindset, and take a long break from dieting.

5. Your Mind Will Play Games with You

Out of the 5 real-world truths to dieting, this one has to be one of the hardest ones to overcome.

The reason being if you were cutting weight and losing body fat, let’s say you lost 20-40 pounds, and you retained some decent muscle mass, and completely changed your physical appearance.

Chances are you are going to want to stay with this look year around or perhaps push the needle and get leaner.

The problem is, after cutting weight, dieting, losing body fat, and metabolic adaptations occur, your body needs a break, or it may even need to put on some body fat to reverse some of the metabolic adaptations such as a suppressed metabolism, increased hunger, and shot hormonal profiles.

Your mind will play games and want you to stay at that level of leanness or push it to be leaner.

Your mind will play games when you look at your old progress pictures or when you go down the Instagram feed.

Your mind will play games with you when you hear your friends are hitting the stage or dieting and cutting weight for a vacation.

First, you need to be educated on that your body needs a break after dieting.

Two, it’s okay to put on some body fat and not be shredded year around.

And three, a strong support system and environment to help mitigate these games your mind will play.

Take Home Point:

Understand that your mind will play games with you. To mitigate this, understand your social and environmental surroundings, enjoy other activities in life, and acquire the mindset that fitness is a long-term journey.

Conclusion

Cutting weight and weight maintenance are no walk in the park, but you probably figured that out by the alarming prevalence of obesity, and the small number of bodybuilders achieving truly exceptional conditioning.

When losing weight, you’ll run into some obstacles that make the process a bit challenging.

But, by understanding these 5 real-world truths of weight loss, employing some effective training and nutrition strategies, and surrounding yourself with a strong support system and environment, you can attenuate these challenges and set yourself up for success for a long-term, joyful, and results driven fitness journey.

 

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Is Working Out While Sick Detrimental To Your Health?

 

Waking up grumpy, achy and a nose running more than a broken facet, only to end up working out anyway (because gainz) sounds quite admirable. Nothing’s going to stop you from sweating your way to an even better version of yourself. Yeah, that sounds cool until you’re “that person” sneezing all over the equipment, truly “leaving your mark” on the gym.

(Once you’re over your cold, checking out the IIFYM Macro Calculator can help you get started back on the right track!)

For those of us that truly place our health and continued physique progress as a priority, gym time that was once skipped from even the lamest excuse is now hard to ever miss without feeling guilty.

Even if we aren’t feeling up to par, chances are most of us don’t plan to skip working out if at all possible. In reality, even if we have a home gym or plenty of antiseptic wipes, working out while we’re sick may not necessarily be the best move for our health.

Like most things in fitness though, it depends, and I’m here to help break down just how it depends, along with considerations to help prevent the dilemma from occurring as often in the first place.

Sick Workout, Bro

When considering how working out affects health, particularly when we’re already under the weather, it’s important to keep in mind that working out in itself is a stress on the body. Beyond initial, beginner programs, working out only entails greater and greater stress on the body.

This fact alone is largely how we improve muscle size, strength, and other performance parameters. Since our bodies are consistently being subjected to greater and greater stress, but as a result consistently adapting and becoming more capable of handling greater stressors in the future.

For example, improved capacity to lift a heavier weight, complete more reps, or produce more force in a given exercise.

…“pushing through the pain” may not do much aside from prolonging that “pain” as our immune systems has a double-decker stress sandwich to try and process.

This pertains to our current topic because that stress we experience when working out, namely intense exercise like weight training does appear to negatively (but temporarily) affect our immune system through various mechanisms.

Research has been published to suggest that working out can cause temporary suppression of our immune system for somewhere around 30 minutes to upwards of 24 hours after completion of a training session (1,2,3).

 

 

Exercise Type and Effects

Among the research reviewed for this article, it seems that “intense exercise” that most likely causes the temporary immune suppression can be classified as lasting 1.5+ hours at intensities of or similar to 55% of maximum oxygen consumption or above (3). Put more simply, most serious weight training or cardio sessions in most cases.

Ironically though, working out consistently has also been shown to improve immune function over time. Again, likely due to consistent, well-programmed exercise (“stress”) leading to positive adaptions over time. Somewhat similar to the positive adaptions that occur in muscle tissue after weight training creates micro-damage it then recovers and grows from.

Knowing that consistently working out on properly designed programs can improve our immune system, you may be left wondering why in the heck I even mentioned the temporary immune suppression single bouts create.

Well, that matters because theoretically, when we’re sick with something such as the common cold or a respiratory infection, our immune system is already suppressed as it fights to overcome whatever illness we have.

Stress On The System

When athletes I work with ask whether or not they should be working out while sick, I try to use this reminder. It’s important to keep in mind that working out while sick is essentially putting more stress and potential immune suppression on an already taxed system working to overcome the illness.

This realization can help explain why, based on the available research, theoretically, “pushing through the pain” may not do much aside from prolonging that “pain” as our immune systems has a double-decker stress sandwich to try and process. Rather than being allowed to simply focus on overcoming the illness and getting back to 100% sooner.

For this reason, I typically suggest athletes forgo working out for the duration of their illness. Instead focus on getting extra sleep, staying hydrated, and getting in their normal intake with a special emphasis on fruits, vegetables, and other nutrient dense foods to help support recovery as well as possible.

As a result, we may help reduce the time we have to deal with illness, helping us get back to full swing sooner, and able to train at full speed sooner than if we tried to push through by working out while we’re under the weather. Not to mention, avoid getting everyone else sick at our gym by spreading whatever we have. Your body and your gym buddies will thank you!

Curing The Conundrum

Staying cooped up in our house for days on end while we recover does sound absolutely awful. Especially since cabin fever is a real phenomenon if we aren’t getting outside and moving around in some capacity.

For that reason, instead of nearly dying working out like normal, I prefer to suggest my athletes use their best judgment and consider instead using a home treadmill or going outside (weather permitting) to get a casual walk in and move through some mobility & flexibility work just to get some fresh air and stay limber in the meantime.

Although some casual activity may not speed up your recovery time all that much, it also won’t likely hinder your recovery either. On the same token, it’s easy to see that simply moving around a little while away from the gym can help keep us gym rats from feeling like total blobs while we’re out of commission.

 

 

Rules of Thumb for Working Out

Each specific situation will call for slightly different approaches. However, I find it helpful to provide some general rules of thumb to my athletes as they consider whether it’s reasonable to miss a few days of training while they recover, or if they’re just being wimps making excuses.

Stay Home If:

You’re dealing with anything contagious, a high temperature, cough or especially if you’ve been prescribed medication.

If these symptoms are present, chances are you have something relatively serious that would not only keep you from training with enough intensity anyway but could get other people sick, which is, of course, no bueno.

Stay home, get extra rest, stay hydrated, and focus on recovering more quickly so you can get back at it full speed once you’re over the illness.

Consider Pushing Through If:

You aren’t experiencing the symptoms above, and honestly feel like you can have a pretty good workout without getting other people sick in the process. You may just not necessarily feel ultra chipper while working out that day.

Keeping in mind the approximate duration of immune suppression working out can cause…

Something like allergies acting up, sinus issues, or general fatigue can be worked around relatively easily with some over the counter medications (allergy medicine for example) and some auto-regulation to adjust your workout accordingly.

Be honest with yourself about whether or not you’re actually sick, or just feeling less than stellar. Just as there’s no reason to force working out when we’re genuinely sick, there’s no reason for not working out just because we don’t necessarily feel 100%.

Prevention Is The Best Strategy

It would be completely silly to think any of us can completely prevent ourselves from ever getting sick. Sometimes stuff just happens. That said, prevention goes a long way in keeping those situations from coming up as infrequently as possible.

Keeping in mind the approximate duration of immune suppression working out can cause, it seems reasonable to control the environment we’re most often in during that window of time immediately after working out.

Being conscious of some risk areas and how we can best control them may help us prevent common illness and bugs before they even happen, at least part of the time.

• Program for Recovery. Programming training to allow for periods of lower intensity training to break up other high-intensity blocks, along with sufficient recovery days each week, can help prevent unplanned overreaching and subsequent immune suppression. In other words, keep recovery high to keep illness frequency low.
• Sufficient Sleep. We likely all know just how important sleep is for proper hormone balance, hunger regulation, recovery, and growth. Consistently averaging around 7-9 hours of sleep each night can go a long way in proper immune health and recovery.
• Nutrient Density. Flexible dieting is great, but as my previous articles have stressed, and the IIFYM coaches highlight with their athletes. It’s foolish to neglect nutrient density and food quality when meeting our daily macro goals. All those vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other micronutrients are much more important than they typically get credit for. Keeping a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, proteins and fat sources in our diet can go a long way in promoting optimal immune health. Not to mention, optimal training performance, body composition, and countless other benefits.
• Wash Hands Post-Workout. You may think your mom slipped this bullet point in because it sounds like a very motherly thing to nag about. However, consider the acute immune suppression working out can cause. It only makes sense that in the minutes and hours after working out, that we wash our hands well to avoid germs that are undoubtedly all over the equipment and locker rooms in our gym.
• Clean Your Shaker. I’ll be the first to admit if I’m not paying attention, I can go a few days before fully washing my shaker. Instead of opting for a simple rinse out between uses for a few days. Building on the last bullet point, it seems reasonable to control for variables we’re most around during the times of day we’re most likely to experience some immune suppression. Keeping our shakers and water bottles cleaned consistently can help prevent bacteria exposure and keep us running at full speed.

Cancer & Exercise

It should be noted that in this article we’re referring to “sick” as in the cold, flu, upper respiratory infection, basically short-term, common illnesses we often attempt (or need) to push through during daily activities.

Although working out during illnesses such as these could be more counterproductive than helpful, we in no way want the advice in this article to be extrapolated into other illnesses as the context would greatly change the suggestions.

In reality, research is continuing to come out on the variety of benefits exercise seems to have on both the prevention, but possibly even more exciting, the successful treatment and continued remission of long-term illnesses, namely various cancers.

Professors such as Dr. Lisa Sprod currently out of the University of North Carolina Wilmington have helped contribute a mass of published research on the topic of cancer and exercise as it relates to improving otherwise negative consequences of various cancers. As well as improvement of the often-negative side effects common treatments produce.

Worth The Effort?

So although working out while you have a cold or flu may not be very helpful, it’s important to realize certain exercise protocols in others realms of illness tells quite a different story. Professionals directly related to that field are best to discuss topics of that nature.

Although the available research is truly amazing on just how much exercise can be “medicine” for many chronically ill populations. (4,5,6,7)

Nobody visiting this website wants to miss out on opportunities to improve their health and appearance. At the same time, we can all appreciate the fact we eat well and train hard to improve our health and avoid sickness.

When the situation arises where we happen to fall under the weather anyway, being honest with ourselves on whether or not we’re doing more harm than good by being stubborn and refusing to skip working out is crucial.

Take rest days when needed, be patient, and remember that the sooner you’re better, the sooner you can get back to doing what you love and making the progress you crave!

 

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9 Low Calorie Fast Food Meals Worth Trying

 

Who says you can’t eat fast food? While IIFYM allows you to leave all food options on the table, most think you can’t eat fast food without getting fat. WRONG! In fact, I’m going to show you nine low calorie fast food meals that you can grab when you’re in a rush.

For starters, it’s always good to know your daily caloric and macro requirements. If you aren’t sure where to begin, check out our IIFYM calculator. You will be able to input all of your information and it will spit out your numbers. Simple and effective!

 9 IIFYM Recommended Fast Food Meals

1. Dunkin Donuts Egg White Flatbread with Hash Browns

Calories: 421
Carbohydrates: 50g
Protein: 17g
Fat: 17g

When breakfast rolls around and your tummy is making all sorts of noises, many swing by a fast food location on the way to work (and to grab a cup of coffee as well). If you want to pick up a low calorie fast food meal for breakfast, this option from Dunkin Donuts definitely makes our IIFYM recommended list.

2. McDonald’s Egg McMuffin with Apple Slicesd

Calories: 308
Carbohydrates: 33g
Protein: 17g
Fat: 12g

Some areas of the nation might not have Dunkin Donuts locations to grab the meal mentioned above, but McDonald’s is surely found across America (in fact, almost too accessible). A great low calorie fast food breakfast at McDonald’s would be the Egg McMuffin with apple slices. This is one of my personal favorite breakfasts when I’m running late.

If you prefer to make breakfast at your home, you can always consider one of our IIFYM recipes found on our website. With so many delicious options to choose from, you’ll never go bored with your IIFYM lifestyle.

3. Chick-Fil-A Grilled Chicken Cool Wrap with Fruit Cup

Calories: 433
Carbohydrates: 43g
Protein: 36g
Fat: 13g

A great low calorie fast food meal you can enjoy anytime comes from one of my favorite places, Chick-Fil-A. This grilled chicken wrap and fruit cup are slammed with protein, healthy carbohydrates, and fiber. This wrap easily slides right into your IIFYM meal plan and will definitely fill you up.

4. Chipotle Salad with Romaine Lettuce, Brown Rice, Black Beans, Fajita Veggies, and Roasted Chili-Corn Salsa (vegetarian)

Calories: 458
Carbohydrates: 76g
Protein: 16g
Fat: 10g

For my vegetarian friends, you have a great low calorie fast food option from another one of my favorites, Chipotle – in fact, my three-year-old loves this place. While I tend to roll with the chicken bowl, I wanted to find a great all in one meal that you can grab anytime you need an IIFYM vegetarian style meal. This salad from Chipotle will definitely get the job done and have you leaving completely satiated.

If you are a vegetarian and are looking for an amazing meal plan, check out the 12-week 1-on-1 coaching we offer on IIFYM.com. The coaches on staff are some of the most knowledgeable IIFYM experts and can customize a plan to suit your individual needs.

5. Taco Bell Two Fresco Soft Tacos with Steak and a Side of Black Beans

Calories: 370
Carbohydrates: 46g
Protein: 24g
Fat: 10g

If you are in the mood for an IIFYM Mexican low calorie fast food meal, Taco Bell will give you your fix. Grab yourself two fresco soft tacos with steak and ask for a side of black beans and you’re good to go. Super quick and convenient Mexican meal when you are in a pinch and have a craving.

6. KFC Grilled Chicken Breast with Green Beans

Calories: 235
Carbohydrates: 4g
Protein: 39g
Fat: 7g

When you aren’t exactly starving, but you want a quick and simple meal while traveling, KFC is the golden ticket. You can grab a healthy grilled chicken breast and pair it with an individual side of green beans for the ultimate in healthy low calorie fast food meals.

Another nice thing about low calorie fast food is that you’re saving up for other delicious foods later in the day.In addition, the lower the calories, the less exercise needed to burn them off.

Speaking of which, do you know your BMR or RMR? We have calculators on the IIFYM site that can give you both.

7. Wendy’s Power Mediterranean Chicken Salad with Small Chili

Calories: 402
Carbohydrates: 49g
Protein: 20g
Fat: 14g

Generally known for their burgers, the Power Mediterranean Chicken Salad combined with a chili from Wendy’s is a match made in heaven. This low calorie fast food meal is loaded with flavor. If you are in the mood for a “soup” and salad while you are out and about, Wendy’s should be at the top of your list. This is especially tasty in the colder months of the year.

8. Hardy’s Trim It ¼ lb. Low Carb Little Thickburger with Side Salad

Calories: 474
Carbohydrates: 51g
Protein: 18g
Fat: 22g

While heavy on the greens, this meal is even heavier on the beef – Black Angus beef that is. The Hardy’s Trim It ¼ lb. Low Carb Little Thickburger will surely fill you up. Add the side salad and you have one nutritious low calorie fast food meal.

9. Subway 6-Inch Turkey Breast Sub, No Cheese, with Avocado

Calories: 340
Carbohydrates: 49g
Protein: 18g
Fat: 9g

If you are hungry for a sub, where do you go? Subway. The 6-Inch version of their subs provides you with a low calorie fast food meal, but one that contains a powerful punch of flavor and healthy fats. Turkey and avocado make for the perfect combination.

 

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The Hunger Hormones That May Be Hindering Your Weight Loss

 

When the average person decides to hop on the weight loss bandwagon the only aspects they’re thinking about are finding the nearest treadmill and dumping all their Little Debbie’s in the trash. If only they were to start on the IIFYM website and see that they could salvage those delicious treats!

Following IIFYM could not only allow them to continue eating the foods they love but by also starting with an IIFYM coach or using the macro calculator they could save themselves some serious dieting hassle. Little does this dieter know, there are intricate systems at work that could be helping or hindering weight loss.

Leptin: The Body’s Satiety Hormone

It’s been a long day and you’re STARVING. You’ve been daydreaming about pizza night for days. You settle in and eat 3 slices, push yourself back from the table; satisfied. Guess who’s to thank for this? Leptin! Leptin is a hormone that’s produced by the body’s fat cells.

The more fat in the cells, the more leptin that’s produced. These fat cells use leptin to tell the brain how much fat is stored. Therefore, the more fat you have, the faster you fill up, and the less fat you have, the more you can eat without feeling satiated.

Another way to put it; when you eat, your body fat increases along with your leptin, and therefore we eat less and burn more. Or, we don’t eat, our body fat decreases along with our leptin, and therefore we eat more and burn less. It’s the body’s survival mechanism (1). So for weight loss purposes, the more leptin, the better.

Ghrelin: The Hunger Hormone

It’s 11:30 AM. You steal a glance at the clock every 3 minutes; counting down the time to when you get to escape to the wonder that is the lunch break. What is it that’s triggering this intense hunger pang? Ghrelin!

Ghrelin is a hunger hormone and released predominantly in the stomach, but also small amounts in the pancreas and small intestine and travels through your bloodstream to your brain. Its main function is to increase appetite and promote fat storage.

Along with this increase in appetite, it also affects carbohydrate metabolism, sleep cycle, and taste sensation

When your stomach is empty, ghrelin is secreted and it signals your brain that it’s time to eat. The higher your ghrelin levels, the hungrier you’re going to get. The lower the levels, the more full you’ll feel, faster.

Another important job ghrelin takes on is releasing growth hormone which breaks down fat and aids in building muscle. So for weight loss purposes, the less ghrelin, the better (2).

 

 

How Do Leptin and Ghrelin Affect Body Composition?

We’ve covered what leptin is but what does this mean for body composition? Our bodies are fine-tuned machines that will do everything possible to maintain homeostasis.

When entering a diet phase, numerous hormones throughout the body begin to shift; most predominantly our hunger hormones. Have you ever noticed that many people who lose massive amounts of weight end up gaining most or all of it back?

There’s a reason for this. As fat mass decreases, so do leptin levels. With this decrease, there is no signal to our brain that we’re full and we can stop eating. Therefore, we continue eating past the point of usual satiety (3). It’s a cruel game our bodies play.

Rather than rewarding us for losing weight, our lower body fat results in less leptin, and therefore an insatiable hunger.

Paired with this decrease in leptin, ghrelin increases. When this hunger hormone increases, it signals your brain to eat. Obviously, when trying to lose weight, you’re trying to curb that urge to continue eating.

Along with this increase in appetite, it also affects carbohydrate metabolism, sleep cycle, and taste sensation (damn you hunger hormones, damn you!).

Sleep, What Sleep?

Another sick joke our bodies play on us? Fewer calories equal less energy. With this newfound exhaustion, you’d think sleep would be a dream (pun intended). But, as experienced dieters know, prolonged dieting can result in horrible insomnia. When we sleep, leptin increases.

So, with this lack of sleep, our leptin levels only worsen. Also, you guessed it; a lack of sleep also causes an increase in ghrelin. This increase in our hunger hormone, as we know, causes us to become even voracious.

Not to mention, cortisol increases while dieting, taking in too much caffeine, and not getting the adequate amount of sleep (4). So as we can see, it’s a vicious cycle that results in a stall in weight loss.

Which usually leaves the dieter frustrated and reaching for copious amounts of food whilst throwing their goals out the window.

Leptin Resistance

There isn’t much research or information on what causes leptin resistance, but many doctors believe it’s related to being overweight. What exactly is leptin resistance? That is when the brain struggles to detect leptin and doesn’t trigger the ‘I’m full’ response.

With leptin resistance, even if your body produces enough leptin, your brain still doesn’t receive the signal. Obviously, a massive problem when trying to control hunger and maintain or lose weight.

…leptin levels are affected by carbohydrates opposed to fat. So, by increasing carbohydrates on your refeed day, this may aid in increasing leptin levels.

If you think things can’t get worse; they do! With leptin resistance, the more you eat, the larger your fat cells become, thus resulting in higher leptin resistance. What’s interesting about leptin resistance is that it is much like insulin resistance.

Both of which are related to obesity (3). So thankfully you’re here on IIFYM and following a macro plan to keep those calories in check!

 

 

How to Avoid an Imbalance in Leptin and Ghrelin

We see it all the time. Competitors, or just insanely dedicated gym folks who are constantly pushing themselves to the limits. Hours and hours in the gym, and months upon months of hardcore dieting.

Most people assume if they have the will, they will find a way! What most fail to take into account though, are the mechanisms that go on beneath the surface.

As we’ve already covered, our hunger hormones can be a serious hindrance to weight loss efforts. So, if we want to continue pushing forward and reaching those goals how can we control these hormones?

Refeeds

For many, gone are the days of ‘cheat meals’. Why? The point of having a day of excess calories is to impact our hunger hormones, specifically leptin. While it may seem like the difference between a free meal and a refeed day are insignificant, this is untrue.

First, we’ll start with the obvious fact that a ‘cheat meal’, especially while dieting will have an impact on hormones already (yes, I can, in fact, finish this whole cake!). It can result in a massive and excess intake of calories. I’ve heard it multiple times, “you can’t gain fat from ONE cheat meal!” Sorry, but yes you can.

So, by having a controlled refeed, you can avoid the dreaded unnecessary fat gain. Second, leptin levels are affected by carbohydrates opposed to fat. So, by increasing carbohydrates on your refeed day, this may aid in increasing leptin levels.

Diet Breaks

I have a whole article covering this topic, but I will break it down as simply as possible here. There are two approaches with a diet break; a full and partial. A full diet break, when time allows, is always best, but partial still has its benefits. With a full diet break, you will take 10-14 days off of dieting.

This consists of increasing calories, tracking more loosely, and reducing cardio by 50%. With a partial diet break, you can either add 500 calories or increase by 20% to perceived maintenance.

Rather than loosely tracking, you’ll continue tracking as usual. The less body fat you have, the more frequently you’ll need to take a diet break. This break from your diet can aid in rebalancing those hunger hormones and keep you on track to continue losing weight.

Offseason

While not everyone on IIFYM is a competitor, they can absolutely adopt some approaches competitors use. Competitors generally have a ‘prep season’ and an ‘offseason’. Prep is a period of dieting (calorie deficit), while offseason is spent in a calorie surplus.

Not only does a calorie surplus allow for potential muscle gains, it also puts the individual in a prime position for balancing those hunger hormones, and achieving adequate weight loss during their diet period.

Unfortunately, there’s a trend of competitors competing season after season, or not increasing their calories to an appropriate amount in their offseason.

This results in having to grind unnecessarily hard to peel those extra pounds off. Taking time off from dieting in order to build and rebalance hunger hormones is always a great idea to aid in overall health and to reach those long-term goals.

Although it’s tempting to see the competitors on weight loss programs losing copious amounts of weight and think ‘well if they can do it I can too!’; it’s just not reasonable.

As I stated above, these drastic weight losses almost always result in a dramatic weight regain. If you’re in it for the long haul, slow and steady wins the race.

While it may seem that willpower is the only aspect you need when venturing out on your weight loss journey, continue on keeping in mind that there’s much more beneath the surface that can affect your weight loss efforts and overall health in the long term.

So, if your weight loss stalls, keep those hunger hormones in mind and consider the above methods in order to move forward and hit those weight loss goals.

 

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