Leptin: The Hormone That Can Make You Hungry… or Not

Hello Midlife Mayhem—

Today we’re talking about something that explains a LOT when it comes to fat loss and appetite:

👉 Leptin

And I’ll start with this—

I recently did a podcast on appetite, and while the information was solid… I didn’t fully acknowledge the people who are:

👉 Hungry all the time 👉 Fighting cravings constantly 👉 Being told “just eat less” when it feels impossible

This episode fixes that.

Leptin is your body’s appetite regulator, produced by your fat cells.

👉 More fat = more leptin 👉 Less fat = less leptin

And your brain responds like this:

High leptin:

• Eat less
• Burn more

Low leptin:

• Eat more
• Burn less

👉 Perfect in theory… frustrating in real life.

As you lose weight:

• Leptin drops
• Your brain senses “less stored energy”
• You get hungrier
• Your metabolism slows

👉 This is why those last pounds feel so difficult.

It’s not you. It’s physiology.

This is where it really matters.

👉 You have plenty of leptin… but your brain doesn’t recognize it.

So instead of saying: “we’re fine”

Your brain says: 👉 “we’re starving”

And the result:

• Constant hunger
• Lower calorie burn
• Strong drive to eat

👉 This is not a willpower issue.

These medications reduce appetite—and for many people, that’s life-changing.

But then comes a fork:

• No real habit change
• Appetite returns
• Weight comes back

• Better food choices
• More protein
• Strength training
• New identity

👉 Same tool. Completely different outcome.

Strategically increasing calories (especially carbs) can signal:

👉 “We’re not starving”

This can help:

• Keep fat loss moving
• Reduce metabolic slowdown
• Improve adherence

And yes—

👉 It needs carbs to work properly.

Leptin can:

• Help regulate appetite
• Or completely override it

So if you’ve ever thought:

👉 “Why am I always hungry?”

There may be a real physiological reason.

If appetite has ever felt like a constant battle— this one will connect a lot of dots.

I go live on YouTube every Sunday— breaking all of this down in real time.

👉 Subscribe here: @joanneleecornish

👉 www.joannelee.com

👉 hello@joannelee.com