Good Morning Everyone!

Ghrelin is the third and last hormone I am going to talk about in the Fat Loss series.  It is best known as the “hunger hormone”.  Produced mainly in the stomach, Ghrelin stimulates your appetite when your body is hungry and promotes the accumulation of fat in the abdominal area which can be the most harmful.  Ghrelin is released right before a meal time when your body needs food/energy.  Levels of Ghrelin are lower in obese individuals however, when you start your journey towards losing weight and create a calorie deficit, Ghrelin levels increase when the calories you consume are less than what your body is used to. Unfortunately, this can make it very challenging to stick to a decreased caloric intake because you feel hungry.

There are things you can do to help suppress your Ghrelin levels so that when you create a calorie deficit, this hunger hormone won’t control you 🙂.  Here’s how:

• Eat protein with every meal

 

• Eat 3-4 times a day…Some are satisfied with eating 3, 500-700 calorie meals and others do better with 4 smaller meals.  Do what works best for you.

 

• Drink 6-8oz of water before every meal

 

• Get a good night’s sleep…7 hours is best

• Lower your stress level or make sure you have a stress release. Allowing your stress levels to stay high for an extended period of time with no release, can increase your Ghrelin levels.

If you’re interested in learning more about Ghrelin, read the articles below:

http://www.momtastic.com/health/380889-ghrelin-the-hormone-that-makes-you-eat-and-keep-eating/

http://www.yourhormones.info/hormones/ghrelin.aspx

In the last 3 Fat Loss emails you will learn about some of the most effective ways to keep your hormones balanced so you can increase your fat loss potential!

Email me with any questions 🙂

Yours in Health and Wellness,

Meredith