5 Strategies to hack your weight loss hormones

Around the holidays, many people gain 5-13 pounds. By January, the motivation to return to healthier choices is high. Use this momentum to hack your biorhythms with these suggestions.

​1. Eat satisfying foods to reduce cravings.
Some foods are more filling than others. You will notice that if you add protein and fiber to each meal, you will feel satiated and satisfied longer.  Protein turns on leptin, a hormone that makes you feel full. Plus, if you keep 4-6 hours between meals without snacking, your pancreas doesn't have to continuously make insulin, a hormone that helps store calories as fat. Ask me about my 30 Days to Healthy Living program.
​
2. Build more muscle.
Lift enough weight with plenty of repetitions to begin feeling muscular fatigue. For men and women, that will turn on the hormone testosterone which builds muscle. Since muscles burn energy, more muscle means more weight loss. 2-3 sessions a week are best.

3. Always eat breakfast.
Bring your body out of its metabolic resting phase and jump start your metabolism with plant-based protein, healthy fats and a few veggies/fruit in the morning. If you are not hungry enough to eat,  make yourself a protein shake with vegan protein powder, veggies and low-glycemic fruit and drink your breakfast. Ask me for recipes. 

4. Get better zzz's
Levels of your weight loss hormone leptin (that makes you feel full) depend on 6-8 hours of sleep each night. If you don't get enough sleep, your leptin decreases and the next day your brain won't get the signal that you aren't really hungry.  With low leptin levels, we all want to overeat to get the energy that makes up for the lack of sleep. For many "busy" people this should be the number one thing they change. Make sleep your priority.

5. Breathe like a yogi
Yoga itself won't contribute to a calorie burn like running a race would, but it calms the parasympathetic nervous system. In a study, 27 cycles of single nostril breathing, repeated four times a day for a month, lead to resting metabolic oxygen consumption of up to 37%. Changing levels of stress-related, adrenal hormones through breathing techniques can significantly effect your weight loss. 

Most of all, practice self-care every day. Engage in an activity that lights your flame...a walk in the woods, painting, cooking, writing. It doesn't have to cost anything.

Whatever you do, enJOY doing it. Your attitude is what will make a difference. Smile for one minute uninterrupted and your brain will release  the feel-good hormone serotonin for you. 

​Feeling better already?

Inspired by www.powerofpositivity.com