Mastering Leptin (1st Edition)

Purchased this book in Mid August '06, and immediately implemented. Also purchased "The Fat Resistance Diet" by Leo Galland, M.D., which has a great recipe section, and also addresses Leptin, although not as well as in "Mastering Leptin." Family member A diagnosed with Parkinson's following Depakote (sp? anti-seizure medication) poisoning (climaxed one year ago). Had brain tumor removed 10 years ago. Had gall bladder removed two years ago. Bladder issues. Poor mental clarity. Arthritis from childhood. 63 years old. Results of Leptin regulation so far: Shaking in one hand has ceased, and has significantly decreased in other hand (is not taking any medication to reduce tremors). Has consistently lost weight at rate of ½ lb. per week. Mentally MUCH clearer. Less heartburn. Noticeable improvement in bladder control (can hold it longer and with more confidence when out and about). We are now in the process of adding supplements to help with body's natural dopamine production, and she feels ready to begin weaning off anti-depression medication. No noticeable change in arthritis, although the weight loss has made it possible to go for regular two mile walks in spite of arthritic knees. Family member B has struggled with being underweight, lack of appetite, chronic fatigue, insomnia, shoulder joint pain, lower back pain, slow bowels (every three days), and heart irregularities (2 minor heart attacks and bothersome palpitations at night). Pre-diabetic. 53 years old. Results of Leptin regulation so far: Heart is stable, with no symptoms. Has gained 5 pounds in muscle mass without trying. Regular bowel movements (once a day, to every other day). Sleeping much better and has substantially more energy for daily demands. Is finally aware of hunger pains (doesn't like going longer than recommended in the book!). Shoulder pain decreased by 75%. The jury is still out about lower back (only because no incidents). Family member C had been 7 years on low fat regimen, but it wasn't working anymore (35 lbs over weight). Struggled with evening over-eatng. Also, cellulite from childhood, long-term adult acne, inability to go the night without bathroom visit (or occasional accidents during sleep), fast heart beat (84 resting bpm from teenhood, non-smoker), fatigue, insomnia. 42 years old. Results of Leptin regulation so far: Has lost 22 lbs in 15 weeks (this is eating until full; book suggests slightly less). No evening cravings. Cellulite has significantly decreased beyond weight loss. 100% clear skin. No night bladder issues in over 2.5 months. Sleeping better. Resting heartbeat down to 68 bpm for first time, ever. No fatigue, and greater ability to handle stress. Comments: Teenagers in the family unwilling to make the dietary changes. "Too many vegetables," they say. Grocery bill has respectively doubled (no inexpensive fillers like Raman or potatoes). Has not increased cooking time, but we're not fancy cooks. Also,

I can not say enough good things about this book -- it is the diet bible. It has all the most up to date information on how the body stores and burns fat, addresses every issue that prevents or slows down weight loss, and gives easy to understand suggestions for nutrition and healing your body. If you want to feel good, feel alert, and have energy while loosing weight and not have constant hunger and cravings then this is a MUST have book. Everyone needs this book - if you want to live longer and stay heathly, if you are just starting on a diet, if you have been yo-yo dieting for years, if you have 5 lbs to loose or hundreds, if you have totally given up but feel awful about your health and weight, if you have any eating disorder or health conditions (most are related to poor nutrition) -- then get this book. It is a big book, and contains a LOT of information which can seem overwhelming, but it is broken in to small chapters and organized very well. It is written clearly and in every day language so its not hard to understand and not filled with medical technical jargon. To begin all you need is Chapter 14 and 27 to start feeling better and eating to turn your body into a fat burner (rather then a sugar burner) and start loosing weight. From there you can read the chapters that relate to your body and health issues. At your leisure you can take in the rest of the information, which is enough to give you a clear understanding without being to much that it becomes boring or overwhelming. It is truly an eye opener to learn how the body works and how simple habits we've all gotten into (like snacking at night, sugary breakfast foods) have slowly turned our bodies into sluggish, piles of mush. Their plan allows you to eat healthy, loose weight and really does eliminate almost if not all hunger and cravings. I've lost 7 lbs. in the first week just making the 5 simple changes they suggested and the changes to what or how much I ate were slight - I have been on yet another strict diet since May 06 and struggling to loose 1 or 2 lbs. a week, but this week was not hard at all following the suggestions in this book. I have been dieting for decades and struggled every time - loosing and gaining it all back and more since I first tried to loose 5 -10 lbs when I was 13 years old. I am an expert at putting off hunger and cravings, counting calories and eliminating fat. For decades doctors would tell me eat less (so I did down to 800 calories a day) or gave me perscription diet pills (which I took for almost 5 years but still it didn't work) and then this year at age 50, with about 150 lbs to loose, I have been considering stomach bypass surgery because I just can't take it any more. But now after reading this book I finally fell like I have the key to nutrition and being healthy - scientific research has finally found the answers (or at least most of them) to why diets don't work and how to get heathly and stay fit without struggling each and eve

This book is amazing. It should be required reading for anyone who wants to lose weight. Richards gives a LOT of background research, and technical information, but in a very easily read way. His suggestions for solving the problem of obesity have been working for me, which is incredible. I have been under a doctor's care for years for Metabolic Syndrome, been put on all kinds of drugs, and I finally had enough of pumping my system full of chemicals that gave NO improvement. I started following the simple steps in this book and have lost 16 pounds in four months, without drugs!

I have finally read the right book!! After many, many tries and different approaches, these 5 simple rules have given me the right information to not only lose weight but feel so much better. Since I no longer snack in between meals, I can safely put food out of my thoughts for hours at a time. Then, when I do have a meal, I am truly hungry, get to eat real food and enjoy it without guilt. At first, I'll admit, my body experienced some discomfort waiting the 5-6 hours to eat but after just a few weeks I've adjusted and do not find it difficult at all. I do have real hunger by meal time but don't feel weak or lightheaded anymore. If you do this, give yourself time to adjust and don't give up. It is very freeing.

Thanks to the authors for producing the first-ever (in my opinion) truly no-diet diet book. This book has revolutionized my understanding of food and the function of the body. I've only had a minor weight issue (5-8 lbs) but it's so frustrating to use diet after diet and not keep the weight off, and not understand why. This book explains why. I'm an avid health reader and have read many books on metabolism and body types and nutritional strategies, but this is the first to address the core of the issue that has plagued me. As a hypoglycemic with a thyroid problem (and a family history of diabetes), I've been told to eat many small meals in a day. WRONG! This book explains why NOT snacking is the best thing you can do for your hormones. And it's been working great for me. It also explains when to exercise in relation to eating, why you have cravings and how to make them stop (REALLY!), etc, etc. All very practical information with no stupid meal plans, recipes, calorie counters, or food lists to follow. This book is about giving you knowledge, not controlling your life. It's very liberating. The book is not elegantly written, but the authors are nutritionists and medical researchers, not poets. There are extensive footnotes that reference hundreds of medical journals that will be relevant to medical professionals, but the book is also organized in a way that you can skip all the technical info and just read the chapter summaries at the end of each chapter. Or, if you're really short on time or patience, you can just read the guidlines - there are 5, which would be easy to state here, but really I think it's worth the price of the book to purchase it. Also important are the exercise tips - wait at least 3 hours after eating and take antioxidants right before exercising. Simple guidelines like that are what this book is about. Backed up with hundreds of scientific reasons why, if you're the type that needs that. These people didn't pull the leptin theory out of thin air, but they are the first to organize the research and bring it to the public. Bravo and thanks.