Sleepless in Dietland

Sleep is very important to losing weight!

The Big 3 in Dieting:

1. Eat right (we'll get into that)
2. Exercise (YES we know!)
3. Get a good night's sleep

There have been a couple of studies that show a link
between sleep and the hormones that affect weight loss.

The two hormones Ghrelin and Leptin have been identified
as those that have an impact on our eating behavior.

Ghrelin affects our feeling of being hungry. Leptin
has the important job of telling us when to stop eating.

Being sleep deprived results in an increase in both
hormones that leaves us feeling hungry and never
feeling full. Sounds like a recipe for disaster!

I have been plagued with insomnia for years. Both
the problem of "falling to sleep" and "staying asleep".
I've also had sleep apnea for a long time, but the
weight gain has made that worse.

Last night I completed a sleep study for the apnea
where I was fitted with a mask for a CPAP machine
(Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) I wore one
of these at the sleep lab last night. At first it
seemed very uncomfortable and I thought "no way",
but I slept better last night than I have in years!
I'm hoping that my own CPAP gets here soon so
I can start getting more rest.

Now if I could just find a way to lose weight
in my sleep. Dream on!

Time Marches On

Ok, so I was in Physical Therapy A LOT
longer than I expected, but it's almost
over.

This exciting season of "The Biggest
Loser" has come and gone. Are you as
pumped up as I am?

It was great to have a woman become the
Biggest Loser this year. Go Ali!

There is certainly a lot to be learned
from watching the show not to mention
the TONS of inspiration one gets by seeing
that WEIGHT LOSS is possible.

Granted, not all of us get to go to a
Biggest Loser camp where we have expert
trainers and the right kinds of foods in
the house. Nor do many of us have 4 hours
a day that we can devote to working out
like maniacs. But that doesn't mean that
we can't still take off the pounds, get
healthy again and begin a new journey to
an overall healthier lifestyle. We CAN
do all of that and more.

One would think that just being FAT would
be motivation enough to get started, but
for me, it's taken finding out I have obesity
related health problems to get me going.
I'm pre-diabetic, (what they used to call
borderline) and my Cholesterol levels are
whack, not to mention that my Triglyceride
levels are Off The Chart! Pretty scary stuff.

Years of a sedentary lifestyle have made it
nearly impossible for me to just "get going".
I'm having to start of slowly and build up
as I slim down. No way I could just jump
in and do 30 minutes of cardio training.
I had to start with 10 minutes and I'm doing
that 2 times a day. I know it doesn't sound
like much, but it's a start and sometimes just
getting started is the hardest part.

I'd like to share a site with you that will
help you trememdously no matter what shape
you are in, or what your fitness goals are.
Spark People is an AWESOME, not to mention
totally FREE site that can help anyone get
started, stay motivated and get fit.

I urge you to go there and sign up for a free
account and get yourself going. I don't make
a dime from referrals, but please feel free
to use COWGIRLBLUES as the one who referred
you. Yep, that's me!

Then please come back here and share your
experiences with me.

Anyone up for posting Before and After photos?
Let me know. I'll set it up.