sleep and weight loss

Research suggests sleep may be more important than you realize when it comes to your weight.

Several studies from the April issue of Sleep journal suggests that our poor sleeping habits could be an important part of our expanding waistlines. Americans are sleeping one and a half to two hours less, per night, than 40 years ago. Almost one third of Americans report sleeping less than six hours per night. Studies suggest that people who sleep only five to six hours per night gain almost twice as much weight over a six year period as people who sleep seven to eight hours per night. But don’t think that even more sleep is better – those who slept nine to ten hours gained almost as much weight as those who slept five to six hours. So, if you’re struggling to lose weight, you may want to start making some changes in the bedroom in addition to the kitchen. Try to improve sleeping habits by going to bed at about the same time every night, limiting caffeine intake after 3pm, and limiting computer time before bed (the lights from the computer can affect sleep patterns). And if nothing helps, talk to your doctor about other options.

protein pretzel-icious

Regular pretzels are basically just white flour with salt. With 10 grams of soy protein per serving, Better Balance Golden Butter Twists Pretzels go far beyond the average salty twisted snacks! One serving (note: there are 1.5 servings per container) has 110 calories, 2 grams of fiber, and like I said, 10 grams of soy protein (entire bag has 165 calories, 3 grams of fiber and 15 grams of protein). The combination of fiber and protein makes this a super satisfying and delicious snack. Check them out at www.kaysnaturals.com and let me know what you think!

limit variety = lose weight

I still see patients a couple of days each week, and doing so really helps me understand why some people are successful and others are not. One of the things that I think helps, especially initially, is limiting variety to some extent. Research actually proves that if you eat the same thing for each course at a meal you will eat less than if you have something different at each course. I think this can be applied to both individual meals and an overall diet plan. I find that people who get into a routine, not necessarily eating the same thing every day but the same type of things, do much better losing weight and keeping it off. I think it goes to my fundamental point of having a plan and some structure – not just letting meals happen. So try to find some things that you really love for meals and snacks and rotate through them every week. When you get bored, change things up but maintain the structure. I find that I tend to rotate through meals and snacks every couple weeks but I stick with the same types of foods. It makes shopping, planning, and even eating out easier as you know what works best for you. And you can always spice things up with low-fat sauces and spices to keep things interesting.

tools for weight loss

Having the right tools for weight loss is an important key for success. Here are five things that I recommend.

1. Food scale – use this for a week or two to get familiar serving sizes again – especially if you are eating higher fat meats or cheese.

2. Measuring cups – again, to learn portion sizes. I actually keep a measuring cup in my cereal box for easy access.

3. Food journal – record what you eat until you are losing consistently and if you hit a plateau start tracking again. You will be surprised at how much you can learn about your eating habits, what works and what doesn’t with this tool.

4. Home scale – don’t use it more than once a week at the same time preferably without clothes. Weighing yourself more often will drive you crazy!

5. Pedometer (step counter) – this is a great tool for tracking how much you move during the day. Challenge yourself to increase daily steps by 500 per week up to 10,000.

As always, I love to hear your tips, ideas and success stories for weight loss!