My first weight loss change was my sleeping habits.
I had problems getting to sleep and then would wake up several times during the night and then have problems going back to sleep. Most nights I would get about 6 hours of sleep, which is well below what I needed. I didn't know at the time that all of these can contribute to weight gain. I needed to find the path to permanent weight loss so I started doing some research and found out that when you don't get enough sleep your leptin levels are down, which means you don't feel satisfied after you eat and your ghrelin levels are up, which means your appetite is stimulated, so you want more food, and that people getting less than 8 hours of sleep have a higher level of body fat.
So how was I going to lose weight if I wasn't getting enough sleep?
First, I tried going to bed at the same time every night. If I'm not sleepy I am wasting my time going to bed, but I started going to bed 30 minutes earlier than usual and then a little earlier every night until I was up to 1 hour. I didn't watch television or be on the computer for 30 minutes before retiring. I learned to NOT eat or drink a lot of fluids after dinner. I am one of the many who pays the price if I drink a lot between dinner and bedtime. As I am trying to lose weight, I am trying to not drink much of anything after dinner and have found that I do sleep better if I don't need to get up several times to use the bathroom.
Experts agree that getting a few extra hours of sleep is good, especially if you are getting six hours or less a night. All of the above helped me get more sleep and a better quality of sleep.
Once I had my sleep under control I needed to concentrate on losing the weight. I needed to find a weight loss plan that I could live with in the long haul. I think I have finally realized that permanent weight loss is a life style change, not something you can do in the short haul to lose some weight and then go back to your same old eating habits to only gain back the weight and then some.
After finding a plan that worked for me I started to exercise. I had to start slow and tried to add just 5 minutes a day. I feel so much better now that I am exercising and love that it is also boosting my metabolism!
I am drinking eight glasses of water throughout the day and love that it helps flush out the fat and it also helps keep me from being hungry.
I am beginning to think that finally I am on the right road to permanent weight loss.
Sleep plays a big part of losing weight.When you don't get enough sleep your leptin levels are down, which means you don't feel satisfied after you eat and your ghrelin levels are up, which means your appetite is stimulated, so you want more food, and that people getting less than 8 hours of sleep have a higher level of body fat.
I needed to find a weight loss plan that I could live with in the long haul. I have finally realized that permanent weight loss is a life style change, not something you can do in the short haul to lose some weight and then go back to your same old eating habits.
To learn more:
http://www.weightlossnutritionandfitness.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Martha_M_FloydI needed to find a weight loss plan that I could live with in the long haul. I have finally realized that permanent weight loss is a life style change, not something you can do in the short haul to lose some weight and then go back to your same old eating habits.
To learn more:
http://www.weightlossnutritionandfitness.com