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According to much of the advice I've read surrounding leptin, the leangains approach is not very healthy. Skipping breakfast, eating at night, etc. I've tried each of them and leangains works much better for me. I'm just not very hungry in the morning and I like eating a large lunch and dinner (I've been eating two meals a day so that's not exactly leangains, I know). I've been skipping breakfast for about two weeks and have lost 7lbs without any calorie counting and a couple minor cheats. I'm not all that active right now, I sleep very well, no alarm clock, etc.

So what's going on here? Sorry for the vagueness. Why is leangains healthy and effective given that it violates some of the leptin rules?

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 Most "rules" involving diet are usually just pure speculation. Do whatever works, and when it stops working do something else. – Paleo2.0 Jan 19 2012 at 14:41
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 Cause the leptin "rules" are only for if you are leptin resistant? Not everyone is. – JayJay Jan 19 2012 at 16:25
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 I disagree.....IFing helps sensitize you to leptin, increases your PPAR gamma functioning all while increasing insulin sensitivity to increase body comp. The only issue is you should not do it if you are LR. Once you fix that IFing is an awesome tool – The Quilt Jan 19 2012 at 17:06
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 Plus one to JayJay above because his point is spot on. – The Quilt Jan 19 2012 at 17:06
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 There's a feeding window of 8 or so hours. It doesn't have to be 3 meals, but 2-3 meals is reasonable in that time frame. – Wisper Jan 23 2012 at 10:47
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The leptin 'rules' are meant to reset sensitivity, as mentioned above. As someone who is leptin sensitive, I still follow the 'rules' for the most part and it really works well. I also include some IF as well as fasted workouts however.

Eating soon after rising may not sound appealing but your body will adapt within a week or so and you may find it works for you. My ideal meal pattern is a big protein and fat breakfast around 8 and another big meal around 3, without needing any snacks. This gives me a 17hr fast without feeling like I'm putting much stress on my body, and is quite easy to do (and convenient).

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No issues without eating at night? I'm sure one could adapt, but I just feel like I need to eat when the sun goes down. – Todd Jan 20 2012 at 0:29
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 Try being outside when the sun is setting... The color of light emitted from the sun at that time should start a whole signaling cascade of hormones that among other things should make you less hungry. Also, avoiding bright indoor light (tv, etc) after dark will also keep you full. TS Wiley's book 'lights out' explains a lot of this. Also, leptin levels rise at night and these should alleviate hunger. – Jeff Jan 20 2012 at 1:27
I eat my last meal around 1-2am, go to bed at 3am, no issues. – Wisper Jan 20 2012 at 11:14
wisper is that because you have a night job? – Jeff Jan 20 2012 at 14:30
Sorry, I guess I was a little unclear in my question. I've been eating breakfast all my life. Food doesn't repulse me in the morning, I just don't crave it. Three meals per day seems to make me likely to binge at night. I figured I had some kind of hormonal imbalance/resistance. When I stopped eating breakfast it went away overnight. It's been about two weeks now and I haven't had a craving once. I really like big meals, if I eat breakfast and then I'm never satisfied with a normal size dinner. – DerKommissar Jan 20 2012 at 16:01
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Because most advice is based on individuals who have an abnormal hormonal makeup compared to ancestors. Average male is what 18-20% bf?

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Depends on what you mean by "average." Given that 2/3 of Americans are overweight or obese, 18-20% is awfully low - but I'd say that "should" be the average. – Wisper Jan 20 2012 at 11:16

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