Mastering Leptin: Your Guide to Permanent Weight Loss and Optimum Health (Third Edition)

Let me start by acknowledging the sudden passing of the author, Byron Richards, who collapsed during a routine jog in March of 2014. Let’s just say that I find it very confusing when a relatively young man who seemed so dedicated to optimizing his health through nutrition and exercise passes away suddenly. I wish more information about this was available.Regarding the book, I did find it very helpful and enlightening, although I didn’t care for the author’s rants against the Atkins Diet. I was able to lose a substantial amount of weight on Atkins and remain convinced that it’s a good nutritional course to follow when done properly. I had reached my goal weight (proper BMI) but was stopped there. I then supplemented Atkins with the advice in Mr. Richards’ book about controlling leptin, and was then able to lose another four or five pounds and did notice a decrease in the remaining belly fat. So, I think Mr. Richards’ methods are helpful and would recommend them to people who are at a weight-loss plateau and need a little something more. But I’m not sure I could have lost the sheer quantity of weight that I did if I had followed just this plan. I think sometimes it’s a matter of what works for each person.At the time I initially read this book, I recall thinking of this book as “the intuitively obvious diet”. The author’s main points, such as not overeating, not snacking between meals, not eating after dinner, eating only three meals per day, proper meal timing, etc, seem to be common sense for someone trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. Maybe pulling it off is another matter for some of us. It does counteract a commonly-held dieting belief that you need to eat more smaller meals, and the author explains his reasoning well enough for me to believe that his methods have value. There are literally hundreds of references in this book to various health studies and other publications, so clearly a lot of work went into the author’s research.The book is very detailed and parts of it are hard to follow for non-medical folks. His writing style is a little quirky at times and he seems to make some leaps of faith at times with his reasoning. But enough summaries are presented so that the reader can assimilate the main points without necessarily following every detail (I think there is a condensed / less detailed version of this material in another book of Mr. Richards, but I’m not sure of the title). So, I would certainly recommend this book to those who would like a different perspective on dieting, proper weight maintenance, etc.

In 2009 I was told by my doctor that I had low leptin levels. Unfortunately, the doctor also gave me terrible advice for my laundry list of problems: reactive hypoglycemia, high cholesterol, skin problems, high cortisol levels, muscle pain, insomnia, and debilitating cognitive difficulties. My thyroid failed and I moved into menopause abruptly. Thr doctor's dietary advice caused me to gain 30 pounds in 90 days. My former doctor has a successful medical preventative medicine practice in Seattle claiming expertise in metabolism and dietary matters. I had always been slender and fit and I found myself unable to lose the weight. NOTHING worked, even the most draconian dietary methods combined with a serious exercise regime. I began to feel like one of those people we all hear about who say that no matter what, they can't lose weight. Until I was in that spot myself, I could not believe their claims.Fat and sore and miserable, I felt I was on the fast track to dying young. I saw specialists and a naturopath, but made no progress. I was spending a fortune on monthly blood tests and doctor fees and only getting sicker. A blood test showing that I had low leptin levels caught my attention. People who have gastric bypass surgery and anorexia have this problem, and I could not figure out why yet another of my hormone systems was out of balance. I set out to find out if balancing leptin would be the key for me and learned of Byron Richardson's web site and books. It seemed that the leptin "diet" can be used for weight loss, but even more importantly the things you will learn can be used for wellness. Fast forward to 2015: this book literally changed my life. The easy rules allowed me to drop the excess pounds, fixed my reactive hypoglycemia, resolve the brain function issues, eliminated the muscle pain, and even helped with my thyroid. Everything fell back into place for me. I felt better after ten days, so told my doctor about this amazing book. She completely rejected the notion that she could learn something from it. Now she is my former doctor and I have no health problems.I really appreciate the detailed scientific explanations about exactly why certain things (such as eating late at night) are harmful and why other actions/ foods / exercises/ supplements are helpful. This book is not a gimmick - if you follow the program, you will lose weight. And you will never be hungry. I have read and re-read this book on my kindle several times because there is so much information that I find additional value with each re-reading. I'm now at top form, looking and am now feeling truly great. Byron Richards would speak on his podcasts about how he did not want to put together meal plans, but if you purchase Dr. Mark Hyman's website or book "10 Day Detox," the delicious recipes will work for you. His advice is much the same, but I really like the details that Mastering Leptin offers. Just eat whole foods, not things made in factories with ingredients that only a chemist would recognize. Whole foods fill you up. Eat protein first thing for breakfast. Give up breads and sugars. Space your meals. Yes, I can cheat from time to time and I have no guilt about it when I do. I also recognize that when I eat unhealthy things I will not feel well, so I don't cheat often.This book will be well worth the purchase price. You can also use wellness resources.com, the accompanying web site which has additional information. Best of luck to you!

Excellent book, well researched. Once you get your head round Leptin and follow the advice on when to eat the weight will slowly drop off. The advice is easy to follow and will stabalise your weight once you have the habit of eating at the correct times. I didn't change much about WHAT I ate. Do not expect to become an unhealthy underweight with this advice...just your correct BMI

I have been diagnosed with Type two diabetes. The current NHS advice is as far from useful as a bowl of cereal and two slices of toast is to someone with Type 2 or even raised blood sugar levels. This book really explains the digestive system and how the various hormones such as insulin, leptin and adrenaline all work in unison to control and maintain healthy body function. A must read for everyone. Ignore its contents at your peril!

at last the truth about weight issues, its all down to your hormones. I always wondered why someone would overeat when they had no known emotional issues, which was the usual explanation for overeating. This is a very comprehensive book about leptin and other hormones that are depenedent on it and has accelearated my own weight loss and what i use with my clients.

I suggest this book covers a wealth of wise information that raises awareness about the body and it's workings that if so desired the reader may apply some or all of to their own.

I found this far too difficult for the lay person to follow.