Day 33-
Since I have been writing this daily blog for over a month now, I wanted to do more than just list my daily food consumption, although I will still do that to help me stay accountable, but I also want to begin looking at some of the issues related to losing weight so today I want to talk about sleep. Not many people actually consider sleep when it comes to weight loss, yet research shows that getting adequate sleep can have a big effect on your weight and overall health. Doing your best to eat right and exercise can be sabotaged by too little sleep.
According to WebMD “Researchers found that when dieters cut back on sleep over a 14-day period, the amount of weight they lost from fat dropped by 55%, even though their calories stayed equal. ... So it's not so much that if you sleep, you'll lose weight, but that too little sleep hampers your metabolism and contributes to weight gain.”
Poor sleep has repeatedly been linked to a higher body mass index (BMI) and weight gain. This isn’t great news for folks like me dealing with menopause and the obligatory night sweats. The average adult should get a minimum of eight hours of sleep, and negative effects on the body and metabolism can start when you get fewer than seven hours a night.
Some people think that staying awake longer means you will be burning more calories but that is not how the body works. Sleep is essential for a variety of your body systems. Not sleeping enough increased the likelihood of obesity by 89% in children and 55% in adults.
Even more studies show that lack of sleep can increase your appetite. Another study showed that poor sleep can decrease your resting metabolism, or the amount of calories you burn, making it even harder to lose weight.
There are many, many other studies that show the beneficial effects of adequate sleep and its relationship to weight, but I think you get the idea. If you are trying to lose weight, getting enough sleep should be just as much a priority as food choices, exercise and adequate hydration.
Here is a fun graphic I saw online with tips about getting a good night's sleep.
In terms of my diet, today was actually one of my worst days so far. Its not just that I probably exceeded my carb limit today, which I did by munching on macadamia nuts, but that I was just feeling frustrated. Today was my day to just feel discouraged. I know we have been so successful on this diet and I have lost a good amount of weight, but when I look at how much more I still have to lose it just felt overwhelming.
I think its normal to feel like that. I am so lucky that when I have those kind of days, I have an amazing support system to pick me back up. My husband and my daughter are like built in cheerleaders. Seriously, they are always happy when I say I’m heading to the YMCA. It helps a lot. I know that everyone who is trying to lose weight and improve his or her fitness level feels like this at one time or another. The key is to just stick with it. Focus on one day, one meal and one workout at a time.
I had some cheese and macadamia nuts for a morning snack. I ate a big healthy salad for lunch. I was still full hours later so I didn’t cook dinner which was a mistake, because I got hungry and ate leftover summer sausage and over a cup of macadamia nuts in the evening. (They have 19 carbs for a one cup serving). Then I broke down and had one of those unhealthy Atkins candy bars. It really wasn’t a good day, but it was an important reminder to not skip meals. Hopefully I will do much better tomorrow.
As Scarlet O’Hara reminds us – “After all tomorrow is another day”
Nice
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