5 Things You Need to Know About a Fat Resistance Diet

1. Birth of the Fat Resistance Diet

Dr. Lee Galland, creator of the Fat Resistance Diet, was a popular doctor in New York City before his book, "Super Immunity for Kids," became a bestseller. Educated at Harvard and NYU, Dr. Galland focuses on silent inflammation and the way it prevents the body's natural ability to regulate and maintain its weight. The Fat Resistance Diet is borne out of the premise that inflammation-induced leptin resistance is a big reason many obese people have a difficult time losing weight.

2. The Leptin-Weight Connection

Research has shown a link to obesity in both humans and rodents with high levels of leptin in the bloodstream. High levels of leptin found in the bloodstream of obese people is a phenomenon known as "leptin resistance." When leptin works as it is designed to, it acts as a way to let the brain know how much energy the body has stored, so it can regulate the metabolism and appetite. So, if you gain a few pounds, the body's blood levels of leptin would increase telling the body to decrease appetite and increase the metabolism. In people experiencing leptin resistance, the body has become desensitized to the hormone's effects on regulating the body's metabolic response. Leptin's effects on the body get disrupted and are no longer able to send the proper information to the brain, appetite doesn't degrease, metabolism doesn't rev up, weight is gained, more leptin is released and the cycle continues.

3. Diet to Prevent Leptin Resistance

Dr. Galland believes people can combat leptin resistance with a diet that prevents the inflammation that caused the resistance in the first place. Inflammation disrupts the body's natural ability to regulate its weight, causes cravings, a slowed metabolism and ultimately unchecked weight gain. According to Dr. Galland, certain foods, like berries, whole grains, walnuts, almonds and fish are designed to prevent the body from experiencing inflammation, reversing the leptin resistance and leading to weight loss.

4. Work the Fat Resistance Diet Phases

The Fat Resistance Diet has three stages. Stage 1 lasts for two weeks and is designed to pack your diet with inflammation fighting foods that will quickly aid in weight gain and regulate the body's blood leptin levels. In this phase, dieters can lose between 10 and 14 pounds. Stage 2 is a 90-day plan that builds on the success of Stage 1. You're allowed to eat a wider variety of foods while keeping your hormone levels under control and continuing your weight loss. Finally, Stage 3 is the lifetime maintenance phase. Here you take all of the skills you've learned to continue keeping your hormones in check and continuing to lose weight until you hit your target weight.

5. It's All About the Super Seafood

Foods high in Omega-3 fatty acids are considered super foods in the Fat Resistance Diet. They have been shown to have positive affects on weight control such as enabling the body to burn dietary fat, helping prevent genetic tendencies that promote inflammation and helping stimulate the release of leptin to aid in the body's ability to regulate appetite.