Leptin diet, snacking vs not snacking, Byron Richards?

Question.
I'm sure you are aware there is a "Leptin Diet" circulating around, and one of the hard and fast rules is, "NO SNACKING". The claim is that you must wait at least 5 hours between each meal or the Leptin will not be effective in your body (something like that).

Dr. Rosedale, can you please clarify this for us? I know you say that you don't want us to be hungry, and if we need to eat, we should eat. I am always hungry between meals and do feel the need to snack, although it's a veggie or other healthy type snack. At the same time, I want the Leptin in my system to work optimally. THANKS

Answer.
Byron Richards misinterprets and just plain misses critical elements of the science of leptin, and therefore his conclusions about what and when to eat are wrong. In particular, leptin ultimately will be heard louder and act more effectively if it is kept low. Also missed is the fact that non-fiber carbohydrates cause large spikes in leptin which ultimately cause the brain to become desensitized to the signal i.e. leptin resistant. He has people not snacking between meals because he has people eating the wrong foods, therefore the less one eats of them the better. Otherwise his recommended foods would cause more leptin spikes and people would get even more leptin resistant. Basically, his diet is based on telling people to eat less by not snacking. My grandmother told me that. If you eat less food, especially bad food, you'll do better. On the other hand if ones diet is based on foods that keeps leptin levels to a minimum thus minimizing the body cells from becoming resistant and maximizing its strength of signal, i.e. the Rosedale Diet, then one can eat without fear of spiking leptin levels that otherwise would cause ultimate resistance to the signal. It's much better to never eat a big meal and only eat snacks when you're hungry... if they are the “right” snacks that won't raise leptin, and only if you're really hungry, not just bored or anxious. The exception to that would be for three hours prior to bedtime when it's best to not eat so that your digestive system can sleep also.

Response.
Thanks so much for that clarification, Dr Rosedale. I've seen first hand how your program not only helps me lose weight, but makes me feel absolutely phenomenal!! It's a relief to know that leptin sensitivity is mostly dependent on the right food combinations, not the time intervals of the meals. I totally appreciate all your research and writing a book to help others to improve their health and longevity.