There are numerous ways to lose weight. One of the most accepted & implemented methods is to consume a healthy diet with the right intensity of workout.
Cheat meals or cheat days are common practices followed by fitness enthusiasts & aspirants. However, does having a cheat meal is good for health? Occasional cheat meals helps you in building your metabolism & pushing you towards your body goals
When you consume high calories specifically through high content of carbohydrate & fat, your body releases different kinds of hormones. We are going to discuss today about hormone called Leptin. We shall explain how having a cheat meal can impact your Leptin level & helps you in meeting your weight loss objective.
Leptin is generally released by adipost(fat) tissue. When you eat, your Leptin level rise & goes low when you are low on fuel. Leptin does the following:
- Regulates energy & fat metabolism
- Regulated energy balance & body metabolism.
- Controls food cravings & food seeking behaviour.
Production of Leptin depends upon number & size of fat cells in the body. There are numerous ways by which Leptin is released in the body. However one of the most prominent reasons is food consumption or level of blood sugar & insulin levels. Leptin levels can also change insulin level & its sensitivity.
Leptin level increases with stress & insulin levels & decreases with less sleep & high hormone workout. It is also impacted by change in meal timings & daily routine. Leptin level increases during night to suppress your food cravings when you are asleep.
How Leptin is impacted by your weight loss strategy
If you are losing weight by consuming less calories, Leptin level decreases thereby increasing the craving for food & impacting food seeking behaviour. Lower Leptin level also lowers metabolism since it preserves food & energy stores.
Production of Leptin also depends upon fat/body fat %. In case you have high body fat %, your body will release more Leptin. However high Leptin level in these cases does not result in controlled food cravings. This is because of Leptin resistance which happens when body constantly have high level of Leptin. Ultimately, this makes body ignore the signals of Leptin. You end up eating more to satisfy your food cravings.
So how does cheat meal helps in regulating your Leptin & Metabolism level & leads to weight loss?
When you follow a particular routine of consuming less calories for a long period of time, your body responds accordingly & maintains lower level of metabolism & hormones. This is how we reach weight loss plateau & after some, your weight loss becomes stagnant or stops. It is always advised to change your routine periodically
Consuming cheat meal gives shock/surprise to your body & acts as a catalyst. It raises your metabolism level & helps in spiking level of Leptin. Doing cheat meal once or twice a week increasing your Leptin level & prevents your body from getting accustomed to a particular routine. This regulates your metabolism & helps you continue to lose weight. Cheat meal can be increased based on the intensity of workout & strict diet you follow.
Do not compensate for cheat meal by indulging in high intense workout since it will defeat the purpose of increasing your Leptin levels. Although workout will increase your metabolism, burning more calories will keep your Leptin levels at bay.
