Feel Great, Lose Weight

If a car is running low on fuel, what happens? A light appears on the dashboard, indicating that it’s time to refuel. If the driver ignores the light, the car will run out of gas – or electricity – and die. It’s as simple as that.

The human body is similar. But, instead of gas or electricity, it needs food. And instead of displaying a low-fuel light, it feels hunger, signaling to you that it’s time to eat.

Unfortunately, things can sometimes go awry under the hood. The body’s signals can break down, telling us to eat when we don’t need to or to store fat when it isn’t necessary.

The key message in this blink is: The biological signals controlling our eating habits can sometimes get out of whack.

The first step on the path to sustainable weight loss is getting familiar with these signals. There are four in particular that we’ll keep coming back to.

We’ve already touched on hunger, the first of these signals. So let’s move to the second – the full signal, which tells us when to stop eating. People feel full when a chemical called leptin is released by fat cells. This tells the body that no more fuel is needed. You know how a gas pump will click off when your car’s tank is full? It’s sort of like that. If this signal malfunctions, then you’ll be prone to overeating.

Third is the store-fat signal. This one is controlled by a hormone called insulin, which is released within moments of eating. The presence of insulin tells your body to stop breaking down fat, and instead burn the food you just consumed – sort of like a hybrid car that changes seamlessly between gas and electricity.

And fourth, we have the weight point. This is the weight your brain believes is ideal for you. As soon as you start losing weight, your body will adjust things like metabolism and hunger to keep you at your weight point. Anyone carrying excess fat likely has the weight point set too high. It would be like a small car that thinks it has the fuel tank of an SUV.

All four of these signals can be reset. In the blinks that follow, you’ll learn how to become the mechanic of your own health and work with the signals your body is sending.