The 100-Calorie Secret - Never Diet Again!

In order to successfully manage hunger, the difference between hunger and cravings needs to be recognized. The “growling” of our stomach, often accompanied by fatigue, weakness, and thoughts of food, is hunger. Cravings are simply a very powerful, irrational need for specific types of foods. Cravings occur even when we are not hungry or after we have just finished a large meal. Hunger can be caused by things like hormonal imbalances, chemicals in people’s blood that affect the brain’s appetite center, and also a number of external stimuli. Failing to recognize these causes usually means that we have little or no control over how much and how often we eat.
One of these master hormones in charge of our eating is leptin (from the Greek word leptos, meaning thin), which is produced by our fat cells. After leptin is made it circulates in our blood. When it reaches the brain, leptin tells our brain how much fat we have stored in our fat cells. When our fat storage is normal, leptin tells us to stop eating. It was first believed that overweight people might be overeating because they have too little leptin. To everybody’s surprise, obese people have too much leptin. However, their brain does not recognize the leptin present and acts as if there is no leptin at all, and therefore zero stored fat. As a result, they feel like they are starving all the time and keep eating. This process is very similar to type 2 diabetes, where insulin levels are high and not low, but that insulin, just like the leptin, has simply become ineffective. Both of these hormonal dysfunctions play a pivotal role in the accumulation of fat in overweight people. Will power and the ability to make better choices can easily be overwhelmed by these powerful hormonal forces.

The foods that we eat stretch our stomachs, releasing chemicals into the bloodstream that travel to the brain and trigger feelings of fullness by shutting off the hunger messages. Some foods are better than others at doing this job. Foods high in protein and fiber seem to produce feelings of fullness for hours. Carbs, whether in sugar form or foods that quickly turn into sugar in the stomach, do not provide much feeling of fullness. Foods also directly affect our brain cells, resulting in the release of endorphins, which make us feel full. People who do not respond to these stimuli cannot stop eating.