The FastDay Forum

Okay, I'm going to try to ask a question. Has anyone tried combining 5:2 diet, low carb diet, a leptin supplement and exercise? I started on the low carb diet in early February and lost 8 pounds in a little less than 2 months. I read about the 5:2 diet and started it on March 25th. I stayed with the low carb diet and fasted 2 days for the last three weeks and, as of this morning, I've lost 11.2 more pounds. I did add a leptin supplement a week ago. So, in summary, low carb, fasting, leptin and exercise. Is this working for anyone else? I have always lost so slowly since I have a thyroid condition (thyroid was ablated over 15 years ago). I have cheated some on the carb diet on feast days - a glass of wine (maybe two), too many carbs with meals, etc. but try to stay conscious of what I'm consuming. I've read a lot about leptin supplements and, being somewhat of a cynic about supplements, I decided to try the leptin. I just take thyroid medication, D3 and leptin supplement. I know some may say I will gain it back but the 5:2 concept is amazing. I want to GET IF OFF, then worry about gaining back when going off low carb diet. It seems it would be easier to lose 3-5 pounds 10 times than lose 30-50 pounds one time!!

Does the leptin supplement provide leptin or just things that are supposed to be beneficial to leptin production / sensitivity ?

What is leptin?

I am sort of low carbing. Not as low carb as when I was doing low carb, but I have not added back things like potatoes, pasta, or grains. I don't love them anyway and I would rather "spend" my calories on things I do really like. ie. an occasional glass of wine or a small bit of an excellent dessert.

I would also like to hear more about the leptin supplement.

(Leptin is a hormone, akin to insulin)

I did a Leptin "reset" with disappointing results (ie. no results)

My guess is that Leptin comes from the Greek word Leptos=thin. Is it a hormone that helps weight loss?

I don't think the connection is that direct, but essentially yes.

[Betsysgr8]

From dictionary.com


lep·tin
[lep-tin] Show IPA

noun
a hormone that is thought to suppress appetite and speed up metabolism.

Origin:
1995–2000; < Greek leptós small, thin + -in2

and


leptin (ˈlɛptɪn)
— n
a protein, produced by fat cells in the body, that acts on the brain to regulate the amount of additional fat laid down in the body

[C20: from lepto- + -in ]

Yes, TML13 you hit it right on the head

Hope I didn't hurt it... LOL!

Now, where do we get that???

I use Leptiburn by Biotrust. I've tried to read all I can find on it with hardly ay bad reviews. Now I've only taken it for a week but I've continued to loose which I'm not very good at.

Quoting Dr Lustig (interview BMJ http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.f2287):

Leptin, a hormone synthesised by fat cells, signals satiety, and acts on the hypothalamus to control appetite and feeding behaviour. The brain interprets low levels of leptin as starvation and promotes feeding behaviour. In obese people, although the serum leptin levels are high, Lustig says, the brain is unable to recognise them and so it promotes further eating, as if it were starving.

So if you're obese leptin levels might already be naturally high but without doing you any good. Seems to me you're already doing well at losing weight without the leptin supplement?

So if you're obese leptin levels might already be naturally high but without doing you any good.

Yes good point, I think you need leptin 'retraining', but although there is a 'leptin reset' protocol the best way is probably to lose weight... Adding leptin 'artificially' is only likely to help those who don't need to lose weight. Catch 22!

There was a nerdy discussion led by PhilT about leptin here way back in the early days (er, that's January): viewtopic.php?p=2601#p2601

Leptin is made in response to fat intake in the food. The hormone tells your brain that you have eating enough, and in turn the brain tells you that you can stop eating. Food stuffs high in glucose/fructose (and possibly other carbohydrates too) do not elicit leptin release. Which is why foods high in sugars are so incredibly fattening. Hope this helps.

[carorees]

Just had a look at the leptiburn website. The ingredients are interesting...various herbs with doubtful claims about increasing leptin sensitivity plus a lot of caffeine! Caffeine is well known for helping weightloss if taken in large amounts but also carries the risk of some nasty side effects. Several diet pills containing caffeine have been identified as a cause of heart problems. I suspect this is a case of jumping on the leptin bandwagon!

Be careful out there folks!

Leptin is made in response to fat intake in the food. The hormone tells your brain that you have eating enough, and in turn the brain tells you that you can stop eating. Food stuffs high in glucose/fructose (and possibly other carbohydrates too) do not elicit leptin release. Which is why foods high in sugars are so incredibly fattening. Hope this helps.

Hmm. http://ajpendo.physiology.org/content/277/5/E855.long looked at this, and said ....

In conclusion, the results of the present study demonstrated that a carbohydrate meal induces a greater postprandial leptin response than an isoenergetic fat meal and that this response is correlated to the physiological postprandial insulin response.

Just had a look at the leptiburn website. The ingredients are interesting...various herbs with doubtful claims about increasing leptin sensitivity plus a lot of caffeine! Caffeine is well known for helping weightloss if taken in large amounts but also carries the risk of some nasty side effects. Several diet pills containing caffeine have been identified as a cause of heart problems. I suspect this is a case of jumping on the leptin bandwagon!

Be careful out there folks!

Caroline, I checked the website but I don't see any caffeine...
I do see brown seaweed though which means that people with thyroid should consult their doctor before taking this supplement.