Excellent description of the importance of stimulating leptin the "fullness" hormone for all other processes to work

Excellent description of the importance of stimulating leptin the "fullness" hormone for all other processes to work

Fiber, leptin, and weight loss - Byron Richards
http://www.wellnessresources.com/weight_tips/articles/fiber_leptin_and_weight_loss/

Key points -
-soluble fiber is especially important although both are important
-overweight people need an extra amount of fiber to feel full because their leptin levels are out of whack
-fiber is a major stimulant of leptin
-without leptin stimulation the body produces too much insulin, thyroid does not run metabolism at full speed, and you stay hungry
-most American food is low fiber, does not stimulate leptin and fullness

My tips:
-If you eat out a lot, find some go-to restaurants which sell good high-fiber vegetable sides like green beans, beans, cole slaw, etc. For example all the fast-Mex places have beans and avocado/guacamole, both high fiber. Popeye's has pretty good green beans and so-so cole slaw, lots of barbecue places have good cole slaw and beans. Many pollo places have the best beans, the Latin touch has a flair for beans. Even add double mushrooms and onions at Five Guys. Double up and chow down on these the fiber sides. Even if you don't eat your main dish there you can get your two or three veggie sides and go somewhere else for chicken, tuna, beef, pork, etc.

-Increasingly companies are making higher-fiber bars. Certain KIND nuts and spices bars are high in fiber like Dark Chocolate Nut and Sea Salt. I found a new one recently at MOM's Organic market called Rawxies, their Mint Chocolate Chip is good with 5 g fiber and gluten free.

-Eat the skins on everything to get more fiber provided they are edible and clean (have to be organic). You can eat orange skin it is very good for you as long as it is pesticide-free. Potato skins are really good for you (although I don't eat potatoes because of a big nightshade intolerance).

-Also see which fibers you tolerate better than others for example fructooligosaccarides, raffinose, etc. have very different effects. Not all fiber is created equal. If beans make you bloated there are other fibers that won't.

-The problem with Whole Foods veggies for me personally is a lot of their salad bar is raw and they tend to put huge amounts of nightshades like peppers in everything, at least near me. The veggies behind the deli are cold and clammy and not all that good. I like hot cooked vegetables, that's why it's hard to beat restaurant side.

"Once your brain gets the leptin driven full signal, all other hormonal systems, such as thyroid, are given a green light, and energy production and metabolism run at an optimal pace (as your subconscious brain knows you aren’t starving). At the same time, the higher levels of leptin signal your pancreas to quit making insulin, thus completing the feeding and calorie transport process. This is the normal way your body handles a meal, transports the calories to needed places, and tells you that you are full.
...

If you eat less food, so that your brain doesn’t really get the leptin driven full signal, then your body thinks it is starving and your metabolism is not given a green light, again resulting in weight gain even though calorie intake is lower. People stuck in this rut are darned if they do and darned if they don’t. Any person who is overweight and cannot easily lose weight is stuck in one of these two patterns of insulin and leptin inefficiency.

Adequate soluble fiber can go a long way toward breaking you out of this metabolic rut, cut your desire for food, and help you get normal leptin driven full signals eating less food."