A Lack of Sleep Contributes to "Almost Immediate Weight Gain."

When making changes to your lifestyle and committing to new goals, you need to be performing at your best each day to help ensure you have the physical and emotional strength to stay focused on your priorities, and consistently make the right decisions. A lack of sleep negatively affects your ability to do this in several ways and "studies have shown that people who habitually sleep less than six hours per night are much more likely to have a higher than average BMI."3

"Losing just a few hours of sleep a few nights in a row 

can lead to almost immediate weight gain." 1

Too little sleep upsets the balance of hormones that control appetite, energy metabolism, and glucose processing. 3 This lack of sleep causes the body to:

Increase the amounts of the steroid hormone cortisol in the body. Cortisol is known as the "stress hormone," as it is released in the body as a response to stress to increases blood sugar, heart rate, and prepare the body to repair tissue easily. 4 While this is a temporarily useful mechanism your body relies on to protect you from a perceived threat, it has some negative side effects as well, especially when compounded over a long-term basis. Cortisol also "alters immune system responses and suppresses the digestive system, the reproductive system, and growth processes."4  The "overexposure to cortisol ... can disrupt almost all of your body's processes ... [putting you at risk for] anxiety, depression, digestive problems, heart disease, weight gain, and memory and concentration impairment."4

Increase in insulin following a meal. Insulin is a hormone "that regulates the glucose processing and promotes fat storage; higher levels of insulin are associated with weight gain."3

Lower levels of leptin. Leptin is a hormone that tells brain that body that it has enough food. A lack of sleep results in leptin levels lowering in the body, signaling your brain to "make you feel hungrier than when you're well-rested."2

Increase ghrelin levels. Ghrelin is a biochemical that stimulates appetite. When ghrelin increases in the body, it sends signals to the brain telling it that you're hungry. In addition to the hormonal imbalances already affecting the body's ability to discern whether it is truly hungry or not, a lack of sleep may result in being "more likely to eat foods such as sweets that satisfy the craving for a quick energy boost [and] may leave us too tired to burn off these extra calories with exercise."3 

Perform at a lower level mentally. "Studies show that ... if you're sleep deficient, you may have trouble making decisions, solving problems, controlling your emotions and behavior, and coping with change."2 All of these tools are critical, whether it be in your effort to begin a weight-loss program, adhere to new healthy behaviors, or maintain your healthy lifestyle on a regular basis.

Struggle to Remain Healthy. In addition to the above, your body depends on sleep tremendously to replenish systems that were depleted during the day, such as the immune system. Several days of a lowered immune system, lack of sleep, exposure to stress and pathogens greatly increases your risk of getting sick. Remaining healthy and full of energy is critical in ensuring you are able to take the steps you need to each day to reach your weight-loss and health-related goals.

Some resources for creating healthy sleep habits:

6 Tips to Start Your Own Meditation Routine

Engineering a High-Quality Restful Night

16 Tips for Better Sleep


References:
1. Parker-Pope, Tara. "Lost Sleep Can Lead to Weight Gain." New York Times. 18 March 2013. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/18/lost-sleep-can-lead-to-weight-gain
2. "Why is Sleep Important." National Heart, Lunch, and Blood Institute. 22 February 2012. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sdd/why.html
3. "Sleep and Disease Ricks." Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School. 18 December 2007. http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/consequences/sleep-and-disease-risk
4. Mayo Clinic staff. "Chronic Stress Puts Your Health at Risk." Mayo Clinic. 11 July 2013. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/SR00001
5. Matthews, Jessica.  "When it Comes to Weight Loss, How Important is Sleep?" ACE Fit Family Health. 25 November 2009. http://www.acefitness.org/acefit/healthy-living-article/59/110/when-it-comes-to-weight-loss-how-important-is

5 Things You Need to Do Everyday.

1. Drink Plenty of Water: Everyone knows they are supposed to "drink plenty of water," but how much is enough? According to the Institute of Medicine, an adequate intake for a healthy adult male living in a temperate climate should consume 3 liters (about 13 cups) and females should consume 2.2 liters (about 9 cups). Water is critical in ensuring that a wide variety of functions in the body perform properly such as lubricating your joints, helping the liver and kidney flush out toxins, cushioning vital organs, regulating body temperature, carrying nutrients and oxygen to cells, and many more. Make sure to carry a reusable water bottle around with you during the day and you'll be surprised how much more you'll drink just by having it with you.

2. Get Enough Sleep: The reasons why enough sleep is paramount to good health are endless. From brain function to physical and emotional health, it is crucial to get enough sleep each night to preform optimally each day. According to the National Institute of Health, the recommended amount of sleep for Newborns is 16-18 hours/day, Preschool-aged children is 11-12 hours/day, School-aged children is at least 10 hours/day, Teens is 9-10 hours/day, and Adults is 7-8 hours/day. Commit to creating a regular sleep schedule for yourself, and if you have trouble winding down at night, turn off electronics and media an hour before you plan to head to bed. Here are 16 Tips for Better Sleep. If this isn't enough, it would best to add some meditation in during this time. Here are some quick tips on how to start an easy mediation routine.

3. Eat Enough of the Right Things: We all know eating 3 healthy and balanced meals each day is easier said than done, and at times can feel like an unsurmountable task. You need to know that it's not, and it's much easier than you think. Here are just 2 things you'll need to make this an effortless part of everyday life. First, you'll need to know what your nutrient preferences are for a balanced daily diet, and you can get that info by checking out this easy chart. Second, you'll want to download the Loseit app to your smartphone and set up an account today. There are many tracking apps out there, and whether you're looking to lose weight or not, I suggest this one as I find it the most comprehensive, accessable, and easy to use. If you don't have a smartphone, you can always login on their website Loseit.com. From here, you'll be able to track the nutrients you eat each day, compare it to the nutrient preferences you need, and adjust accordingly. If you have questions, feel free to ask in the comment section.

4. Eat Real Food: There is nothing that disrupts the healthy functioning of your body more than artificial ingredients, stimulants (caffeine), depressants (alcohol), and medication entering your system. Avoiding this 100% of the time and eating all organic, real, whole food, is of course ideal, but not always realistic. Even with all of the planning and prepping you can do, sometimes life gets ahead of us and we are stuck making choices we'd prefer not to make. In those times here are 5 Ingredients to Unconditionally Avoid and 8 Tips to Get You Through the Supermarket. Remember to limit the amount of alcohol you consume, and don't rely on caffein for energy. Sleep, the right food, and exercise should be exactly what your body needs for the energy you need everyday.

5. Exercise: Last but certainly not least, you need to exercise. From stress reduction to heart health, exercise is an undeniably important component in your everyday life. Whether it's an intense workout, or just figuring out how to add more movement to your day, it needs to be done, and you don't need to go to the gym to do it. Here are some previous posts that can help make sure exercise happens everyday: 5 Full Body Exercises You Can Do Anywhere, 6 Ways to Jump Rope, 6 Ab Exercises You Can Do Anywhere, and 40 Ideas for Outdoor Exercise. Everyone has an ideal exercise time that is unique to them, check out the post Find Your Peak Exercise Time to determine yours.

5 Ingredients to Unconditionally Avoid.

High Fructose Corn Syrup - Despite the fact that ALL of Europe has banned the use of HFCS, it is still in almost anything you can pick up in America, especially foods targeting children. For 5 non-debatable and comprehensive, yet brief, reasons to never eat HFCS again, check out 5 reasons HFCS will kill you. It's not as dramatic as it sounds, just useful.

Enriched/Refined/Bleached Flour - When flour is refined, all of the nutrients in the original grain are destroyed. Companies then "add" small amounts of nutrients back into the mix and are allowed to use the word "enriched" on the ingredient list. Fiber, An important components that is lost is not added back. Fiber helps to promote fullness, slow digestion, and prevent the rapid, harmful spike in blood sugar that occurs upon the consumption of enriched flour, or white bread.

Hydrogenated or Partially Hydrogenated Oils (trans fats) - "Hydrogenation is the process of heating liquid vegetable oil and combining it with hydrogen gas. Hydrogenated fats or oils are also called trans fats, a term which refers to the changed bonding arrangement of carbon atoms. These man-made fats have no health benefits, and are known to raise cholesterol and contribute to coronary artery disease." [1] Common foods that contain hydrogenated oils are vegetable shortening, cake frosting, white breads, fast foods, frozen foods, chips, and soups.

MSG or Monosodium Glutamate - This "flavor enhancer" in used openly in lab studies to induce obesity in lab animals so that studies can be conducted on them. MSG is relied on to induce obesity. This ingredient is found in seasoned Pringles, Doritos, and used in food in almost every fast food chain in America. If you're eating whole foods rich in color, you won't need to worry about adding an obesity inducing "flavor enhancer."

Artificial Sweeteners aspartame, saccharin, Sucralose, acesulfame-K - Artificial sweeteners have been proven to promote obesity and cause cancer. Watch out for foods that tout "sugar free" or "zero calorie" claims. Check the labels of these foods and make sure they do not contain any of the above sweeteners or ingredients. Chances are they are replacing the natural calorie-containing sugars with these artificial sweeteners, and the health costs of these are far worse than the few extra calories you are "saving." Artificial sweeteners are far sweeter than natural sugars and they train our mind to prefer, and actually crave, extremely sweet, empty-calorie foods and cause us to shy away from healthier, more filling foods.

Maintaining a Healthy Weight.

6 Tips from ACE for making weight management a
permanent part of your lifestyle. 

1. Weigh weekly. It's normal for body weight to fluctuate by a couple of pounds from day to day and from morning to night depending on fluid balance, meals eaten, clothes worn, medication, and health status. A weekly weigh-in allows you to track the trends without getting hung up on small fluctuations. Here's an easy-to-understand explanation for possible reasons for weight fluctuation.

2. Move as much as possible. Integrate physical activity into your daily life at every opportunity. Here are 9 Ways to Add Physical Activity to Your Day.

3. Create a healthy home environment. Set yourself up for success, only surround yourself with things that will help you reach your goal. Keep only healthy food in the house and plan your meals for the week or month to avoid last minute take-out. Also, keep your gym bad near the door and exercise equipment in plain view. Here are 5 Full-Body Exercises you can learn to and do anywhere to help you stay on-track.

4. Learn to cope effectively with stress. Times of increased stress put you at risk for backsliding to your old behaviors. Learn to change your perspective and respond mindfully to stressful situations instead of reacting. Here are some tips for Reducing Workplace Stress and how to start your own meditation routine.

5. Activate your social life. Integrating physical activity with your social life provides support for your active lifestyle and makes staying active fun and more likely. Here are 8 Ways to Get Fit and Be Social.

6. Keep a measuring tape handy.  The scale rarely tells the whole story, and reaching and maintaining a healthy "weight" is just a part of the battle. Measuring progress in other ways than the scale is an extremely important part of determining your overall level of success. Body fat composition is a great way to determine how much of your body is composed of fat, and if you don't have access to that type of testing, the next best thing is to take, and track, your measurements. Here's how to take your measurements.