Awhile back I wrote a natural weight loss tip where I briefly mentioned some hormones that can affect weight loss and gain. You can read my previous post here: Weight Loss Tip. I found this article which discusses one of these hormones, leptin, in a little more detail:

Are our hormones helping us lose or gain weight?

Why does weight loss seem like such an elusive goal for some people? Should it not be as simple as eating less? If this was the answer though, then the classic restrictive diet approach would have worked decades ago.

The spare tire is not just a cosmetic dilemma anymore. Between the ages of 20 and 40, North Americans gain on average one to two pounds a year. That could be another 40 pounds stored around our waists. But it doesn’t stop there.

Weight gain and loss isn’t just a simple mathematical equation involving calories. We all probably know someone who can do damage to the buffet line without gaining an ounce.

Researchers have been examining the hormonal impact of dieting…

Read the full article: Hormones and Weight Loss

The article also recommends a gradual approach to weight loss, which I have also strongly recommended many times. Making too drastic a change sets you up for failure, as your habits resist changing too much or too quickly. Slow and steady wins the race.

The article also suggests a food diary, which I have also previously discussed. (Read that post here: Journal Your Way to Weight Loss.) Try using a food diary, even for a week. It will make you much more aware of how and when you eat, and when you are most likely to overeat. You can record not just what you eat in your food diary, but also how you felt, if you were eating because you were hungry, or was it just out of habit, or boredom?

A food diary is a simple, natural weight loss technique that can make a difference. Try it, you can start today. You don’t need any special journal or stationery, just a piece of paper, or record it into a smart-phone.