i have to say I am quite disappointed in myself, i haven't lost anything at all and its been almost a month. However, i have been pretty stressed lately and its hard for me to go to the gym some weeks. I have grad classes 3 nights a week and working full time. And since it's almost the end of the semester I have TONS of writing to do. Because of all that, i haven't been sleeping much at all. I just wanted to know how important sleep is to weight loss? Does stress or sleep make any kind of difference on weight loss? siiigh.....
Both of those things--too little sleep and too much stress--can make us hold on to fat. They can actually make us gain weight. Sleep--well--you have to make the time. Stress can be reduced with regular exercise, meditation, yoga, contemplative prayer, stuff like that.
But I notice you didn't mention your eating, so I'm wondering if you are tracking what you eat. If you haven't lost any weight in a month, chances are it's because you're eating more calories than you are burning. Everything else (sleep, stress, TOM) is just a side issue.
So, tell us about your food plan--maybe we can make some suggestions.
They both make HUGE impacts. I used to get very little sleep. I started using Sleep M.D. for awhile and it helped. Now, I just put my eye mask on and shut off all sounds and I can drop right to sleep on my own.
As for stress, yoga and other attempts didn't work for me, but they work for many people, so try them. Thankfully, the stress in my life finally finished up its nastiness. Try writing down what's bothering you just before bed. Sometimes that helps both issues.
Jay
i think the main problem with me is that everything stresses me out. I tend to start thinking about things that need to be done and the list just seems so overwhelming. As for the food plan:
breakfast: yorgurt or sometimes bagel
lunch: yorgurt or salad with broccoli, some kinda meat, and beans, no dressing
dinner: whatever i have the house, come times cereal.
snack: apple, orange, or cashews
i try to get to the gym at least 3 times a week, but i have evening classes 3 times a week, and they end at 7pm. If i go the gym i don't get back home till about 9:30. So what usually do is, on the days i have class I go to my school early and wonder around D.C. for about an hour. On Friday's I used to go snowboarding, but since the season is over i started climbing again. I make it a point to be active on the weekends and sometimes walk about 15 miles in one day. I also try to do push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and some kind arm exercises with my 10 lbs weights every night, but because of classes i sometimes don't get to bed till 2 am, and i have to be up at 7 to go to work. I suppose to could try to go to the gym more often and lift more weights. let me know if there is something i need to change.
Hey, good to see you back. Yeah, sounds like you're stressed just by thinking about the stress!
The food thing. You're gonna think I'm nuts, but it looks to me like you're not getting enough food (unless you're going way overboard on those cashews! ). Calories seem pretty low, if that's all you're eating, and that can be not only more stress on the body, but actually make us hold onto the weight we've got. Especially if you're working out on top of it.
One thing I see is not enough protein--although you didn't say how much of that "some kinda meat" goes on the salad. The yogurt is good, the beans (green beans??) are good. It's just... well, not enough, and not enough variety of foods. Probably high in carbohydrates.
You may think this sounds like even more stress, but I'd recommend you start tracking the calories. You can use FitDay, an online site, for that--and there are many other calorie tracking sites and programs. You can download FitDay to your computer if you prefer to have it that way. Just to see how many calories you are getting in a day, and how much protein, fats, carbs.
How about--add an egg now and then at breakfast. If you're pressed for time, you can hard-boil some in advance. Have some low-cal dressing with your salad, and vary what kind of salad you have. Tuna salad can be good, if it's water-packed tuna. For dinner, buy yourself a supply of Lean Cuisines once a week and have them on hand. For snacks, fruit is good--but also think of half a dozen crackers and an ounce of cheddar cheese, or a nutrition bar like Kashi bars. Now, I'm no nutrition expert, and I'm not a meal planner or cook, either--so my suggestions are geared more toward convenience. I just want to give you some ideas.
The important thing is that you track your foods so you can see how much you're eating. Aim for 1500 calories to start--that's just a general number, you may need more or less. (FitDay has a "goal" module that helps you set a target for calories.)
I know, it's just one more thing to do. But life is like that! It doesn't take that much time to come up with a plan and follow it, once you get past the startup stage.
The way I combat some of my trouble sleeping, with thoughts racing around in my head just as I would lie down, was to place a pen and pad on my nightstand. If a thought occurs, I can jot it down and not need to get up and go do it or find paper to write it down on for tomorrow.
i try to get to the gym at least 3 times a week, but i have evening classes 3 times a week, and they end at 7pm. If i go the gym i don't get back home till about 9:30. So what usually do is, on the days i have class I go to my school early and wonder around D.C. for about an hour. On Friday's I used to go snowboarding, but since the season is over i started climbing again. I make it a point to be active on the weekends and sometimes walk about 15 miles in one day. I also try to do push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and some kind arm exercises with my 10 lbs weights every night, but because of classes i sometimes don't get to bed till 2 am, and i have to be up at 7 to go to work. I suppose to could try to go to the gym more often and lift more weights. let me know if there is something i need to change.
Woah sweetie...take a breath. I understand how crazy you must feel... I did the full time job while pursuing my masters degree at night and man its tough (I just finished mine in December....turst me there is a light at the end of the tunnel!)
Stress and lack of sleep are huge factors... I've been hovering around the same weight for a couple of months now...and a huge factor in that (aside from some only average eating) is that I've been super stressed with some work stuff going on and sleeping really terribly....which is in part due to the not so great eating and the stress. Its such a vicious cycle. Things I've been trying to decrease the stress and sleep better....prepare all my food in advance...for instance i cook on sundays for the week so that I don't have to worry about it during the week. Yoga. find an hour for a mani/pedi and think about nothing, cut back on caffeine.....anyway best of luck to you! You can do it!
Jay, it is weird to hear that it may not be enough calories...and it also seems like a scary thing to add calories, healthy or not. and i do get stressed out just by thinking about stress.
Yeah, I know--it does sound weird. But remember, it's not FOOD we want to avoid, it's OVEREATING, and in this case, maybe undereating! I've read that a person shouldn't go under 1200 cals a day, average, even for weight loss, unless under medical supervision. I think what you're eating may not be that much.
That's why it's best to track the food somehow. If you know the target number of calories for the day, and you can see that you stayed close to it, then you don't have to stress about it. You just follow the plan.
You might enter what you eat into FitDay some evening just to see what it adds up to. Information is a good thing.
how does sleep and stress effect weight loss?
Try writing down what's bothering you just before bed. Sometimes that helps both issues.
). Calories seem pretty low, if that's all you're eating, and that can be not only more stress on the body, but actually make us hold onto the weight we've got. Especially if you're working out on top of it.
