Hormones play a fundamental role in the functioning of our body and each one is responsible for a very specific job. While one makes us hungry, another does the opposite.
While one tells our brain that we need to store fat just in case, another gives us a signal to start burning like there’s no tomorrow. The trick is to learn to activate the hormones we want and deactivate the ones we don’t want.
We always found this really amazing and we can’t wait to show this article to our readers.
Fat Burning Hormones
5. The Hormone That Makes You Feel Hungry
Ghrelin is the “I am hungry” gremlin. It is the hormone that sends a message to your brain that it is time to eat. The interesting thing is that the reduction in caloric intake stimulates the production of ghrelin and, even after 12 months of a hypocaloric diet, its level remains high.
This is one of the reasons that low-calorie diets don’t work in the long run. Our body simply cannot get used to it.
What To Do?
The good news is that intensive cardiovascular exercise can lower your ghrelin level. Cardio workouts can be just about anything: running, weight training, boxing, boot camp, as long as your heart rate rises up to a particular level.
It is important to reach this level, and there are several different tools you can use to read your heart rate. But there is an easier way to find out when you have reached it. If you’re breathing heavily and you can still speak, your heart rate is probably at the correct level.
4. The Hormone That Tells You To Eat Less
Fortunately, our body also produces hormones that tell the brain to use more calories and eat less, leptin is one of them. It is produced by fat cells, which means that the fatter we are, the more leptin we have.
Which sounds great, but it’s a gimmick. After a certain point, our body receives what experts call leptin resistance, a condition in which the brain cannot read the leptin signal.
What To Do?
The solution is simple: foods rich in antioxidants increase sensitivity to leptin. The list of foods rich in antioxidants is very long and you will always find something you like.
Losing weight has the same effect and eventually, the more weight you lose, the stronger the leptin’s effect is.
3. The Hormone That Absorbs Sugar
Insulin is very important for our well-being regulates blood sugar levels and helps us recover from exercise. Our body releases insulin when we eat carbohydrates and it helps cells absorb glucose.
This glucose is used for energy, but if we get more glucose than we need, the leftovers will turn into fat.
What To Do?
The solution is to get most of your carbohydrates from grains, veggies, and fruits that have a low Glycemic Index (GI). The lower the GI, the slower the glucose release will be and the more time we will have to use it all.
This does not mean that you should follow a restricted diet, you just need to replace high GI foods with low GI foods. For example, white rice can be replaced with brown rice or instant oatmeal with traditional rolled oats. It is simple.
2. The Hormone That Tells Our Body To Burn Fat
Adiponectin is also produced by fat cells and the beauty of this hormone is that it increases our sensitivity to insulin and stimulates our body to burn fat into energy.
It may seem strange, but it comes from fat and burns fat. And unlike leptin, the leaner we are, the higher the level of adiponectin.
What To Do?
You can increase adiponectin levels by moving more throughout the day and filling your diet with monounsaturated fats, such as fish, nuts, avocados, and olive oil.
Eating low-GI carbohydrates with dinner also increases adiponectin production.
1. The Hormone That Uses Fat
Glucagon is a hormone that works exactly the opposite of insulin. Glucagon helps break down stored carbohydrates and fats and uses them for energy. The more glucagon you have in your body, the leaner it’s going to be.
What To Do?
High-protein, low-carb foods are the best way to increase glucagon levels and can be really delicious. Fish, meat, shellfish, tofu, and nuts are only a small part of the list.
What advice do you plan to start with to burn fat and increase your hormones? Or maybe you have your own tricks? Tell us all about them in the comment section below.
