Appetite Hormones Affect the Body After Weight Loss Leading to Weight Regain
There’s a reason why weight regain is so common
While healthy eating and physical activity are important when trying to manage weight, it’s also important to understand a process that’s happening inside the body that can make weight management difficult.
This is where a team of appetite hormones comes in. These hormones signal to the brain to help manage appetite, including hunger and the feeling of fullness. The body’s response to weight loss can make weight management as challenging as actually losing the weight.
Did you know your brain is responsible for when and why you eat? It’s true. All day, your nervous system—which includes the brain—receives signals about your appetite from hormones that come from different parts of your body, like the stomach, intestines, and fat tissue. These hormones signal the brain to help manage your appetite, including hunger and the feeling of fullness.
Both the brain and these appetite hormones contribute to what, why, and how much you eat, including: for hunger, for pleasure, and reacting to these impulses the brain decides what action to take. But for people trying to lose weight and maintain it, changes in appetite hormones can make things tricky. That’s because when we lose weight by eating fewer calories, our levels of appetite hormones can change.
The hunger hormone called ghrelin increases after weight loss, while appetite hormones that help us feel full—including the ones you see here—decrease. When this happens, it may signal to the brain that we feel more hungry and less full, which causes us to eat more. This response to weight loss can make weight management as challenging as actually losing the weight. Now that you know the truth, learn what you can do about it. Visit truthaboutweight.com.
Here are some hormones that affect appetite
Ghrelin
- Ghrelin is a hunger hormone best known for its role in initiating appetite
- Ghrelin levels are highest when someone hasn’t eaten in a while, or just before they eat a regularly scheduled meal like breakfast, lunch, or dinner
- Ghrelin levels may increase following weight loss from reducing calories. This can contribute to increased hunger and lead to weight regain
Peptide YY (PYY)
- Peptide YY, or PYY, is a hormone released by the intestines in response to eating a meal
- PYY signals to the brain that the body feels full after eating
- After losing weight by limiting calories, PYY levels may go down. This can contribute to increased hunger and lead to weight regain
Cholecystokinin (CCK)
- Cholecystokinin, or CCK, is a hormone released by cells in the gut when eating meals
- CCK suppresses hunger by signaling to the brain that the body feels full
- After losing weight by limiting calories, there may be a reduction in CCK that can contribute to increased hunger and lead to weight regain
GLP-1
- Glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1, is a hormone that is made mainly in the gut but can also come from the brain
- GLP-1 is released in response to eating food and helps determine when someone feels full
- After losing weight by limiting calories, GLP-1 levels may go down, which can contribute to increased hunger and lead to weight regain
Amylin
- Amylin, like insulin, is a hormone released from the pancreas after eating a meal
- Amylin engages with specific areas of the brain to help the body decide when it is full after eating
- After losing weight by limiting calories, amylin levels may be affected, which can contribute to increased hunger and lead to weight regain
Insulin
- Insulin is a hormone made in the pancreas, responsible for allowing sugar to enter cells to be used as energy. Without insulin, the body would be unable to fuel itself. Insulin also lets the body know when to stop eating
- After losing weight by limiting calories, insulin levels may be lower which can contribute to increased hunger and lead to weight regain
Leptin
- Leptin is a hormone made by fat cells in the body
- Leptin is released by fat cells and helps tell the brain when to stop eating
- After losing weight by limiting calories, leptin levels may go down, which can contribute to increased hunger and lead to weight regain
Each of these hormones may react to your weight loss by playing a significant role in regulating appetite and metabolism.
These hormonal changes can make weight management difficult, but not impossible. Reach out to a health care professional. Together, you can discuss personalized weight-management plans.
Ask your health care provider how appetite hormones may play a role in your weight-management plan.
Now that you know more about the science behind weight loss, it’s time to talk to a health care provider about weight management. Not sure where to start? Complete a free TrueWeight® Report to capture weight history and future weight-loss goals.
