The Leptin Reset: Week 3 Results, or Can Work Make You Fat?

Photo: My idea of a “big ass breakfast” would be just the steak with real butter, but for my “big ass supper,” I add sauteed veggies…in this case, sweet onions, summer squash, zucchini, and herbs.

(My apologies if you’ve been waiting for Week 3.  I’m past Week 4 now but my computer is still in the shop, so I’m test-driving a Mac tonight.)

After I nearly lost my focus on the Leptin Reset in Week 2, due entirely to  an emotional stress, Week 3 smoothed out nicely.  The bottom-line for the week was that I was right back where I started from , pounds-wise.

Which is good!  The main thing with this experiment was to balance hormones with a new way of eating and to make sure I didn’t gain back weight.  Mission accomplished.  Also, I did have a small reduction in inches in my usual measurements.

The biggest difficulty was keeping work from getting in the way. I found that

The biggest difficulty was keeping work from getting in the way.  I found that the best pattern of eating for me is a big ass breakfast within 30 minutes of waking, as described in Leptin Reset (http://jackkruse.com/my-leptin-prescription/).  That didn’t always work out so well with my job.

While my big ass breakfast held me quite well through all those morning meetings, I found that I wasn’t hungry at 11:00 or even at noon.  By noon, I had that sense of “Well, I’m not hungry at all but I COULD eat, I guess.”  I knew  that I would be hungry by 2PM when I was in the middle of another marathon session of meetings and it just wouldn’t be polite to whip out a great big turkey leg and gnaw it while looking at personnel projections with the Colonel.  I also knew that I wouldn’t last until 5PM or 6 PM or 7PM or whenever I could wrap up my work day.  So on work days (at least, those days when I can’t telework to a webinar training session), I’m stuck with 3 meals a day–1 big one and 2 smaller ones.

I’m actually okay with a small to moderate lunch (eat til I’m full, and with the leptin reset, I do notice when I’m full whereas I really didn’t before).  My evening meal is still a problem on work days.  My mid-day meal isn’t big enough to keep me sated until supper, and in the late afternoon, I start to feel a little wonky and have that feeling of “I need to eat NOW.”  That gives way to grabbing the first  on-protocol thing I can find on my way home, including calling the steakhouse and having them make a meal to order before I can sit down.   Not optimal, but at that point, I have a headache and need food quickly.

This is my challenge to work out.  I may end up leaving work early to eat and then either going back or finishing my workday via telework.    I also find that in the afternoons on days I have 3 meals, I become unreasonably tired.

During the 3-meal days of the week, my weight was up a little, but once I hit the 2-meal days, it dropped right back to where it was and the annoying symptoms went away.

In general, sleeping well, feeling even mood-wise, occasionally tired,  occasionally dehydrated from long meetings, hormones in balance, and more inches disappearing from my mid-section, a little at a time.  Blood pressure is up a little  but that could be the whirlwind at work.  Blood sugar is slightly elevated by nothing over 112 in fasting mode.  Exercise is only enjoyable walks right now and yard work.


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