The phrase "death by snacking" is not too far from the truth, especially if you are overweight and struggle to lose weight. Two studies confirm the dangers of snacking, something I have been adamant about since I wrote Mastering Leptin in 2002.

Both studies appeared recently in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The first followed 29,206 U.S. men who were free of metabolic disease for 16 years. The study found that skipping breakfast was associated with a 21 percent increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes, which is why The Leptin Diet tells you to start your metabolic engines with a high protein breakfast. This study also confirmed the relationship between a high BMI, snacking, and the risk for type 2 diabetes.

Another controlled human study found that snacking caused a loss of the ability to sense fullness, resulting in consumption of larger and larger snacks. Snacking appears to induce a repetitive strain injury to your taste and pleasure system, making them numb to normal intake.

The more food you eat, the fatter you are likely to become, which is news to nobody. Figuring out how to feel satisfied on less food is the trick. This is why following the Five Rules of the Leptin Diet are so important.

When you do not have leptin working to your advantage, leptin entry into your brain is decreased, while leptin levels in your blood elevate; this problem is known as leptin resistance. In addition to leptin, the other important hormone made by your fat is adiponectin. Both of these hormones are made in tandem when you are metabolically healthy. Once you develop leptin resistance, your adiponectin levels decline. This causes insulin resistance and increased risk for type 2 diabetes.

When you eat is just as important as what you eat. It isn't just an issue of how many calories you consume; it is also an issue of how efficiently you can metabolize the calories you do consume. Eating in harmony with leptin is by far the best way to improve metabolic efficiency.