Dee, going to bed is a GREAT thing to do for you! We all need to do more of that, to be honest.
And on that note, since this is my thing, I thought I'd share a quick note on why adequate sleep is such an important part of weight loss and maintainance.
Weight loss ALWAYS comes down to the laws of thermodynamics, which say that if you take in more calories than you burn, you'll gain. If you take in fewer calories than you burn, you'll lose.
When someone is sleep-deprived they may:
* not feel like exercising, or moving their bodies much at all. They may park closer to the store, e-mail a co-worker instead of walking to their desk, ask the kids to run to the basement to get something instead of doing it themselves, etc etc. This causes fewer calories to be burned.
* be less likely to cut up veggies and fruits or prepare a wholesome, balanced meal.
* crave comfort foods, which are often high in simple carbs and fat. Simple carbs and fat are burned very quickly and easily in the body, and the result is a quick sugar-high and then the person is hungry/tired again and often will eat more. They are also higher in calories.
* choose convenience foods because they just don't feel like making the effort to choose better ... which equates to highly processed/sodium-laden/fast food/etc. And then not feeling truly satiated, since nutritional needs are still unmet, and wanting to eat more soon after.
* eat for emotional needs instead of just hunger. One of our favorite little pithy sayings is, "If hunger isn't the problem, then food isn't the solution." My next tv spot will be talking about some techniques for dealing with emotional eating (stress, boredom, grief, loneliness, reward, and tons more).
When we're well-rested, we simply tend to feel better and thus make better, healthier choices overall.
Hope no one minds the quick lesson. If so, please ignore.
