There are two hormones that determine whether you feel hungry or full — Ghrelin and Leptin.

An easy way to remember the names of these hormones is Ghrelin sounds like gremlin, which is the same noise your tummy makes when it is empty and requires food. This hormone is sending the signal that it is time to eat.

The other hormone that is helpful to know is leptin; I love leptin because it sends a message from your stomach that tells your brain you are full. This takes up to 20 or 30 min, so it is best to eat slowly. This is where slowing down plays a major role in your weight loss efforts.

If you eat fast, the tendency is to eat too much because the signals from these two hormones become crossed and you don’t get an accurate reading.

Ghrelin:

• Ghrelin is produced in the cells lining the fundus (bottom of) of the stomach and pancreas
• Ghrelin increases before meals and decreases after meals
• Short term regulator of body weight…”When do we eat, I’m hungry’
• Stomach makes ghrelin when its empty

Leptin:

• Leptin is produced in the adipose tissue
• Leptin  induces Satiation – tells the hypothalamus that we have enough fat and can stop eating
• Long term regulator of body weight
• Can become leptin resistant due to too much body fat; signal is disrupted
• More body fat can screw up appetite signals and make you hungrier

Ghrelin and Leptin may be produced in different parts of the body, but they affect the brain via the hypothalamus (the control center for the autonomic N.S.)

For example: “When you’re hungry, ghrelin sends messages every 20 or 30 minutes. It takes 30 minutes to turn those signals off, so unless you take 30 minutes to eat, you’ll probably eat too much. If you have eaten some food and can wait 20 minutes, leptin will send the message that you’re full and you’ll get over the craving to keep eating. “

Sounds simple enough, right?

It can be until lifestyle, culture, and continued overeating quiets these signals. Then we could have a problem. The goal is for these hormones to work in synchronicity, so here is a line-up of meal ideas to keep growlin’ ghrelin and love’in leptin balanced.

Breakfast: Eat a high-fiber breakfast like oatmeal, quinoa, Ezekiel bread with nut butter, eggs or a protein smoothie w fruit and a cup full of greens.

Snack: Fruit or veggies

Lunch: Don’t think too hard about this; keep your favorites on hand for a quick and easy meal. If you allow yourself to get too hungry the gremlin will come to life and the tendency is to overeat.

For example, a good lunch would consist of BLT lettuce wraps or green salad w chicken and mushrooms w an olive oil dressing.

Snack: have a snack high in essential fatty acids, these tend to put leptin in full swing and you will feel satisfied and full. Example: nuts and seeds, fresh coconut or avocado.

Dinner: Be sure to not skip meals, this puts the ghrelin to growlin’ and you don’t want that by the time dinner rolls around.  Eat a dinner high in lean protein, a few fresh veggies. I like to add in the squashes like butternut or spaghetti, they give a satisfied feeling.

Timing: have your last meal at least 3 hours before you go to bed for the night, eat with circadian rhythm throughout the day eating your largest meal at high noon and smaller meals at breakfast and dinner.

Where you eat matters: sit down at the table at meal time, relax with some music, and allow the senses to come to life so you may not only benefit from the nutrition of the meal but from the experience as well.

Whenever I think of coconut, the Maui air invades my senses and it transports me to the beautiful islands. As I use my senses to draw it in, I become present-focused in the exotic and delectable nature of the coconut. The scent of coconut is so exotic and desired that companies put the fragrance in body lotions and suntan lotions.  Talk about “see the coconut, feel the coconut, be the coconut”!

There are many times that the smell of a favored food brings back warm and fuzzy memories, which makes you want to wrap yourself up in its delightful nature. That is what coconut does for me.  How about you?

Coconut is a favorite with vegans and those who go Paleo so you will find a huge supply of recipes out on the web, using this great tasting oil in alternative baked goods and as a part of everyday food preparation.

Coconut is known as one of the healthiest foods and strongly recommended to add to your daily diet. Its level of essential fatty acid is off the chart good! It is high in Omega 6 fatty acids and phytosterols (known to decrease LDL levels).  The bonus component of the coconut is lauric acid which converts to monolaurin, a fatty acid that helps you fight off viruses and infections.

Because of these components, there are many health benefits you may gain by adding coconut to your daily regimen. Take the time to research coconut oil and your health concern and learn how coconut oil might benefit you.

Not all coconut oils are created equal:

Pay special attention to the labels. When first selecting the coconut oil you want to bake/cook or use as a body moisturizer, choose one that is virgin or extra-virgin and unrefined. AVOID those that declare raw, cold-pressed and no heat. They are low in anti-oxidants. Also avoid hydrogenated, bleached, refined or deodorized.

Ways to use this wonderful oil:

• Take 1 T a day by mouth
• Sauté veggies
• Add to salads or hot tea
• Use as a body lotion
• Use as a daily facial moisturizer
• Rub a dime size amount on to the dry ends of your hair
• Oil Pulling – swish in mouth for 20 min daily for exponential benefits

Coconut is a super food and comes in many different forms: you can eat the meat of the coconut, bake and cook with the oil, PLUS it also comes in flour form so you can use it as a flour substitute (it is gluten free!). Beware, you will use less than what the recipe calls for and it makes baked goods taste divine!

Enjoy adding coconut to your dietary plan!

There are a lot of coughs and colds running around..so I am often presented with this question…..Should I continue to work out? The answer is both yes and no.  Working out while under the weather can be a good thing!  It could possibly help you to get well faster! Woo Hoo…give me some of that!

Workout intensity at a moderate pace (60% of the max heart rate) actually increases your immune system! Those that exercise regularly don’t get sick with a cold as often as those who don’t exercise. However, a workout intensity of 70-90% of max heart rate reduces the immune system for a period of  time immediately following the workout.  When feeling under the weather or if you are still in the recovery process and want to get back started on exercise….the best course of action is working out at 60% of your max heart rate.  Hold off on increasing the intensity of your workout for 1 to 2 weeks depending on how ill you were.

This is great news! You don’t have to give up your workouts…just slow them down a bit.  You can always pick up the pace when you are well.  The important thing is to let the body heal with the increased power of your immune system. On a side note: If you are running fever….your body is telling you to REST! If you are achy and tired with no energy…your body is telling you to REST! Listen to your body…trust it. The Mayo Clinic posted great guidelines on this same issue. What do we do about the immune system?  HIIT training is the best for burning fat and building lean tissue. The only way this process can occur is if the body is temporarily broken down so it can rebuild to a higher level of strength…in every sense of the word.  This is physiological process that must occur to become stronger, more fit and healthy. Since I am your trainer, I will give you the modifications necessary to work at 60% when you are recovering from an illness. But, when you are well,  what do you do to combat the lowered immune system for the next several hours? I suggest Ambrotose.*  The body goes through a break down process at the cellular level everyday…no matter what your activity level. And without proper nutrition, the body cannot rebuild effectively or efficiently.

Ambrotose supports the cell to cell communication in every system of my body so I have one fine-tuned machine that runs at the level that I demand.   When Ambrotose is added to the daily regimen of a recreational exerciser or professional athlete, anyone for that matter…. It supports the body on a cellular level during the long hours, added activity and stress.  The result can be plenty of natural energy from your own body and a stronger immune system.*

Ambrotose does it for me…I don’t need any pep me up type of energy drink.  When you supply your body with good nutrition, it doesn’t need any of the…what I call “fluff”.  The 5 physiological needs I supply my body on a daily basis are:  Ambrotose, sleep, water, wholesome food, and exercise.

Body Weight and how we relate to it is a rocky relationship.  Sometimes we are friends…and sometimes we are arch enemies…but no matter what, we are always connected.

When we are friends with our body weight it is cooperating and staying where we “like” it.  We talk nice and appreciate it, and tend to give the body what it needs. But if the body weight goes up to a place we don’t like, we judge it, we criticize it and we are definitely not nice to the body or appreciate it.  We punish ourselves by over-eating or binge eating OR we over exercise in a punishing way.

Just because we eat something “bad”, doesn’t mean we have to do punishing exercise for eating it.  Food is here to nourish us, not punish.  We are pleasure beings and that is what we are made for. We can experience pleasure in many ways; it doesn’t have to be food, it can be a walk in nature, singing, painting, drawing, jazz, music, ballet, anything.

So, if you want to stop the war with your body, it is time to develop your pleasure inventory.  A pleasure inventory is a detailed list of everything in life that brings you pleasure. Include all things big and small that enrich your life. It could be as grand as an exotic vacation or as simple as petting your dog. Spend time drawing up a list, this may take several days, and you could continue to add to it as you experience more pleasure in your life.

Experiencing pleasure is a vital nutrient in life. Without pleasure, we humans tend to get a little cranky and look to food to ease the tension.  STOP making food the “bad guy”, stop blaming the cause on something else and see the issue for what it is … you are looking for pleasure, plain and simple.

Today when you feel bored, restless, or unfed, take a look at your pleasure inventory for an idea to put the spark back in your life.  Vitamin P is another vital nutrient to add to your daily supplement protocol.