The Leptin Diet: How Fit Is Your Fat? Paperback – December 18, 2006

I accidentally happened upon this book. On a forum I frequent, one of the folks posted a very scientific explanation of leptin that was, frankly, over my head. But my curiosity was piqued, especially since I was, at the time, trying to lose a couple pounds. After doing my research on the subject, and coming across many articles on the subject that were over my head as well (I was *not* a science major!), I found that Byron Richards was supposed to have written a good book on the subject and in non-scientific terms, Mastering Leptin. I didn't want to pay for that book, so I cheaped out and bought this one. I just wanted to read about the basics, to see if I might be interested in the longer book. I didn't want to pay too much money for a book I couldn't understand!So, I bought this, and it was perfectly comprehensible and made such perfect sense that I found a way to apply these principles to my own life. That was about three weeks ago, when I was trying to lose five pounds. I've lost eight so far. And it's basically effortless, as long as you look at it properly. The 'diet' boils down to this: Don't snack, and plan your meals for at least 4 hours apart, though 5-6 is preferable. Also, give your body time to digest your food before bedtime (about 5 hours). There are also guidelines on what you should put on your plate (not too many carbs, a reasonable amount of protein and non-starchy veggies). And include a little exercise in your days.I almost knocked this down a star, because he's a little over the top about natural foods (beyond just plain eating organic). However, the principles of eating described in the book are just so... good that I didn't want to turn anyone off the book. Anyone who has a mind of their own can figure out what is or isn't going to work for them, personally. And common sense is all it takes to figure out if this plan is do-able for you.It's worked so well for me that, already, I can't imagine why I would grab a snack when my stomach wasn't truly empty. Just habit. A hard habit to break, but I feel so much better now! I've learned to distinguish between feeling 'snacky' and actually being hungry, with the help of this book. Good job.

This is a short book and simple. The core of it covers 5 simple eating habits that will change the way the body deals with leptin, the hormone that signals us that we are full. The first three: never eat after dinner, eat three meals a day - at least 5 hours apart and don't eat large meals specifically address how our bodies interact with leptin. The next two: eat a high protein breakfast and reduce carbohydrates are more general diet tips. While I couldn't find this specifically, the carbohydrates in rule five seem to refer to the simple carbs in refined foods. In other places in the book, the author recommends whole grains and legumes, both carbohydrate rich foods.I've been following the plan for about a month and have lost 5 pounds. That may not seem a lot but I've been eating carefully for over six months and had lost almost 30 pounds already. But like many who lose weight I'd hit a plateau. It seems that non only what I eat matters but when I eat it. Fewer carefully spaced meals better regulate leptin metabolism. I'm now substituting fewer and larger meals for the six small meals a day that many diet experts recommend. It took a couple of weeks to not feel hungry, but I've made the transition and am again shedding pounds.If you want your explanations simple and general guidelines rather than detailed diet plans, this is your book. The basics are here and the science is simplified without being dumbed down too much. There is the kind of sales pitch for this plan that you'd expect from any diet book that sidesteps areas where research is less than certain. But we are just now learning the mechanisms of weight gain and loss so that's probably for the best. Citing conflicting reports makes things messy.

I'll begin with some quick facts: I lost 64 pounds in 4 months, going from 308 to 244. I still need to lose another 50 pounds to get fit, but I now feel like it is a reasonable goal, rather than an impossible challenge. To be frank, I'm not the kind of guy who had been strugling with ineffective diets. Just about every diet I took worked for at least some time, so shaving off weight was not a problem. Losing a lot of weight though, was a big struggle, and keeping it off was nearly impossible. After 5 to 6 weeks, all previous diet plans started to fail, metabolic rate was lowered dramatically by the brain's survival drive and eventually I gave up, just to regain all the weight back.Now, the big thing about this book is not its recipes, because it simply doesn't have any. The real good thing here is the down to earth simple and easy to understand explanation about the metabolic mechanism related to distribution and absorbtion of energy, and Leptin's central role in controling that mechanism. You can build your own meals very easily and with great flexibility, since there are no "carved in stone" rules for what you eat. How frequently you eat and how well you distribute your food categories is a lot more important.The 5 basic rules can be followed anywhere. One could find suitable meals in any restaurant menu and carry on eating according to the plan forever, because it is not really a diet, it's just a framework for how you choose and balance your food.After 4 months, I can intuitively choose foods and I have never felt I was on a diet. Looking at the numbers drop in the scale every week is always surprising, because looking back at what I ate during the week, I'd really not expect to lose any weight, but I did anyway. I'm on a steady 2 pounds per week rate now.I'll finish by asking readres to bear in mind that I'm not a health professional of any kind and I'm not a nutrition specialist. So, please don't take my positive review as an indication that this will work equally well for you. I'm positive it will work, but I'm even more certain anyone looking to lose weight should read this book and at least try its suggestions.