hormones

Hormonal balance is an important factor in weight loss if you're following the CIM (carbohydrate-insulin model, as opposed to* CICO—the calories in, calories out model). So as I continue to listen to Autumn Bates, Dr. Sten Ekberg, and Dr. Becky Gillaspy, I keep hearing the names of certain diet-relevant hormones, which I've listed below in alphabetical order.

cortisol

Cortisol is a stress hormone from the adrenal glands, and when people like Dr. Ekberg talk about it, it's usually in the context of running versus walking. Running apparently releases cortisol, whereas walking generally does not, so among the gurus I listen to, walking is considered the better exercise for those trying to lose weight. It's different if you're an Olympic decathlete (as Dr. Ekberg used to be) trying to train for demanding events; obviously in that case, cortisol is just an inevitable reality. For us fatties, though, it's something to avoid, although Ekberg cites HIIT as another instance that might be considered an exception because of the overriding benefits of such training.

ghrelin

Ghrelin is a hunger hormone secreted by the anterior pituitary gland (the front lobe of the pituitary). When this hormone hits your bloodstream, it stimulates the appetite. Your ghrelin levels rise as your brain starts to expect a meal coming soon, and those levels fall once you're satiated. Paradoxically, prolonged fasting (by which I don't mean prolonged nonstop continuous fasting, but rather repeated fasting over a prolonged period) can actually help lower ghrelin levels as you get used to the notion of fasting.

human-growth hormone (HGH)

Dr. Ekberg likes to talk about human-growth hormone, which also comes from the pituitary gland. As WebMD notes, "It also helps to regulate body composition, body fluids, muscle and bone growth, sugar and fat metabolism, and possibly heart function." In adults, this hormone is known to have what are called anabolic effects, i.e., it helps the body to build tissues, such as organs. Fasting is one way to get the body to produce HGH.

insulin

Insulin is the biggie in this list. Produced by the pancreas, insulin lowers blood sugar, which is good to a certain extent, but when insulin is in the bloodstream too long and too often, your body can eventually become insulin-resistant, i.e., the body's response to insulin becomes blunted. What happens to diabetics (and even non-diabetics) is that they constantly gobble carbs, an act that triggers insulin and produces insulin resistance. The other problem is that insulin is a fat-storing hormone, so it helps convert the carbs you're taking in into fat. Diets in the low-carb/keto/Atkins end of the spectrum are generally focused on minimizing insulin production through the restriction of what triggers insulin, and since the "cephalic response" activates even in the presence of diet drinks and keto sweets, these supposedly "healthy" alternatives have to be consumed minimally and otherwise viewed with suspicion.

leptin

Leptin comes generally from two places in the body: fat cells (adipocytes) and enterocytes, i.e., intestinal cells. This is the so-called "satiety hormone" that lets you know you can stop eating. People on keto are encouraged to eat fatty foods (salmon, avocado, eggs, etc.) to induce satiety through the production of leptin. The feeling of satiety has a carryover effect through at least part of any fasting period.

melatonin

Coming from the pineal gland, melatonin is often nicknamed the "sleep hormone" because of its association with the sleep-wake cycle, i.e., your circadian rhythm. Autumn Bates, in her videos, has talked about the "no tech one hour before bedtime" rule as a way to allow your body to prepare for sleep. Staring at a lit screen while in bed (which I admit I do all the time) isn't conducive to falling asleep. Melatonin also has value as an antioxidant, helping to clear your body of impurities (e.g., free radicals).

peptide YY

Peptide YY is a gut hormone (specifically, a peptide) associated with digestion. This is another satiety hormone, allowing you to feel full after eating.

serotonin

Known for its varied and widespread effects, serotonin is located 90% in the gut, so I guess you can think of it as primarily another gut hormone. But Hormone.org tells us that serotonin wears many hats: "Serotonin is the key hormone that stabilizes our mood, feelings of well-being, and happiness. This hormone impacts [our] entire body. It enables brain cells and other nervous-system cells to communicate with each other. Serotonin also helps with sleeping, eating, and digestion. However, if the brain has too little serotonin, it may lead to depression. If the brain has too much serotonin, it can lead to excessive nerve-cell activity. It also helps reduce depression, regulate anxiety, and maintain bone health."

The human body has plenty more hormones, but the above are the hormones that get mentioned most often in the videos I've been watching about diet, exercise, and fasting. Promoting the production of certain hormones while minimizing the production of others is one goal for those of us on the long road to weight loss. Dr. Ekberg is a holistic physician, and while he generally talks scientifically, he also stresses the importance of balance in all things, including hormones. So having a good diet that doesn't stimulate insulin spikes, working out in a way that doesn't throw you hormonally out of whack, and cultivating general peace of mind are the goals he emphasizes. That all seems sensible to me. I hope you find the above educational; I've had fun learning about all this over the past couple months.

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*I really shouldn't say "as opposed to." Given my experience and the research I've done since the stroke, I don't really see CIM and CICO as opposed. One needs the other, really. You can claim to be going keto, but if you're eating 4000 calories' worth of keto-friendly food every day, I suspect you're going to get fat. To me, that means CICO is still a thing. (Strangely, the Wheat Belly Diet says you can eat "unlimited" nuts and seeds. I don't trust that.)