Posts Tagged ‘REST’

Winners of the “Body Fat Solution Essay” contest are…

10 Jan

Tags: Answer, body, body fat solution, Challenge, climb, comment, confidence, CONTEST, dedication, enthusiasm, everything, form, Good, person, problem, progress, question, REST, snapshot, solution, Summit, theory, Tom Venuto, week, weight, Winner, work, writing, wrong
Posted in Fat Loss | 6 Comments »

First off, thank you everyone for writing to me and expressing how you feel. The people who won weren’t necessarily picked because they had the “best” essay. Just as those who didn’t win lost because theirs weren’t good enough. I picked based on who, at this time, I feel would benefit most from Tom’s book and the way The Body Fat Solution was written. With that said, the winners are…

Marcia

and

Sean

I left out your emails/last names to protect your identity, but please feel free to post comments here if you desire. You should get an email in a few minutes asking for your address. If you did not get one then PLEASE contact me through the contact form with your home or work address to receive your book.

I hope the book inspires you, and helps you make things click in way that might have not before.

Here are the winning essays.

Marcia’s Essay

In thinking about what the future means to me, I realize that it becomes a two
part question.  What has the future meant to me and what do I want the future to
mean to me?

I have spent most of my life being profoundly dissatisfied with myself.  I have
never been pretty “enough”, smart “enough”, thin “enough” or strong
“enough”.  Therefore, the future has always been the place I lump my
desires.  The present was when nothing was ever “enough” and so the future
was the time when everything would be “enough”.  The future was defined by
“after”: “after” I lose (more) weight, “after” I get my children
raised, “after” I learn to lift weights.  There was hope there and the
expectation that things would be better then.  All things would be better,
obviously, and they would be the way I imagined it.  All the things wrong with
“now” would be fixed and righted.  I thought this was the way to live—to
set goals and to improve yourself constantly.  I thought this was a good thing,
that trying to better yourself and strive for more, more, more was the answer to
leading a productive life.

However, as the years passed the future became more undefined, more gray, and
more murky.  And ironically, the future got closer.  It was no longer
“after” the children are raised;  it became “after” the holidays are
finally over, “after” the next birthday, “after” this busy week.  The
problem was that “after” was always followed closely by another “after”.
 I was struggling through event after event with the only goal being to get
things over with.  I was wasting my life in dissatisfaction waiting everything
to be over so I could make myself into who I wanted to be.  And while I made
progress towards who I wanted to be, it really was still never “enough”.

So what do I want the future to mean?  I want to consider the future
irrelevant.  I want to live in the present and learn to enjoy that, with all its
stresses and chores.  I want to be satisfied with who I am and how I am.    I do
not want to give up on goals or trying to better myself.  But I want to do it in
a way that is full of happiness and hope.  In a way marked with enthusiasm and
pride.  I want to be proud of not just where I am going, but of where I am and
of how I am getting there, and even of where I’ve been.  Most of all, I want
to better myself not because I hate where I am.  I want to better myself simply
because I can.  With that mindset, the future becomes simply a series of events.
Because my life would no longer be defined by the events, my life would be
defined by who I am.  And that would finally be “enough”.

Sean’s Essay

Future is an interesting word.  Interesting in the sense that it represents
merely a snapshot of what we hope to be, as people, given our current
circumstances.

Now (this point in time) is not the future we have predicted in days, months or
years previous.  It is not the static moment in time we usually envision it to
be.  It\'s an idea, a theory; a reflection of our true self.

Everyone wants to be better off.  That\'s a given.  However, there are plenty
of people who think the \"future\" is bleak.  Especially considering the current
economic situation or whatever it is that could be considered the \"doom and
gloom\" subject of the time.  These people view the future as a foregone
conclusion; fate.  A static moment in time.  A moment in time that fastly
approaches as each dreadful moment passes.

We all have people like this in our lives.  The subject matter of \"future\" is
subjective; it does not need to be of large scale.  

The husband who dreads returning home to his nagging wife.  The employee whom
only looks forward to that last second of work.  Only, when it arrives they
shift focus and look forward to that last moment of their commute.  When that
arrives, they look forward to the moment they can finally lay their head down.
The money-centrist who lives and dies, on a daily basis, with the swings of the
stock market.  Starting each day with an expectation.  Ending each day with
jubilation or dispair.

All of these people view the \"future\" as a static moment in time.  A moment
that one must only endure time itself to reach.  A moment that culminates and
passes.  This thoughts process speaks volumes about the individual.  It speaks
volumes about how they feel about themselves, their ambitions and others around
them.

I, however, chose to view \"future\" as an idea; a theory.  A simple
understanding that tomorrow I will be better then I am today.  Not by luck or by
fate, but by choice.  I will be better tomorrow because of the conscious
decisions I am making \"now\"; the present.  There will be challenges, obstacles
and set backs; that is a given.  But I have the utmost confidence in my ability
to grow, persevere and get \"better\".  Again, not by luck or by fate, but by
choice, because I have willed it so.

Most people view the \"future\" as simply the process of ascending the mountain
of life.  Markers along the trail.  Spots that one must reach and pass through
in order to attain the ultimate summit.  We don\'t get there \"one step at a
time\".  No.  We get there \"one correct step at a time\".  Those correct steps
must then be made with the utmost precision and dedication.  Everyday one must
make the right decisions in order to summit their own mountain.

Everyone has a different mountain to climb.  Different heights, inclines and
weather conditions.  It, however, is not a race.  Everyone summits their
personal mountain eventually.  However those who make the correct choices in the
present, instead of starring at the peak that we call \"future\", will get to
enjoy the view much longer then others.

Breaking News: America’s Next Oprah Trainer

10 Dec

Tags: America, Apathy, Bob Greene, Metabolic, News, next oprah trainer, Nutrition, Oprah, oprah fat loss, oprah trainer, oprah weight gain, oprah's trainer, oprahs thyroid, problem, Reason, REST, side, thyroid oprah, weight, Willy Wonka, Women
Posted in Fat Loss, News | 10 Comments »

Flooding an inbox near you is going to be the pleas, the cries, the challenges, the problem solvers, the blamers, and the money hungry fame wanting “gurus” that know the Willy Wonka golden ticket lies in the hands of one woman. It is sad that almost 99% of them get it wrong, and will take her down the exact same path as good ole Bob Greene.

5 Reasons why the next Oprah trainer will fail

Reason #1-The Thyroid Effect
None of the trainers understand the effects of the thyroid on metabolic behavior and how to manipulate it to burn fat. When you are metabolically challenged the game changes. That doesn’t mean you define laws, it means your speed limits are different. I see trainers and nutritionists, even good ones, work with those with thyroid problems, and they still don’t get it. You can’t do the same things, the normal tricks don’t work. You have to play a different game. You aren’t just dealing with the physical either, it is also the mental that comes along side of it.

Reason #2-The Apathy Effect
They don’t really care. All they want is the fame and money, which isn’t even that intense. There are actually easier ways to make money than to toy with the hearts and minds of a talk show host and not to mention leagues of women who watch it all across America.

Reason #3-They Don’t Get Fat Loss
Even if you look beyond the thyroid issue, there is still the issue of the fact that the majority of trainers don’t understand the first thing about training and nutrition for normal fat loss. They ignore the science because it doesn’t help their sales, they ignore their clients because people leaving hurts their pockets, and they teach the “do as I say, not as I teach” principle making the ones who do succeed, feel tied and trapped to them, for life.

Reason #4-They Don’t Get Women
Sorry, hate to break it to you, but they are a different creature to train. The average women is different than the average man. Sure there are exceptions, but Oprah is very much your average woman. You can’t train them the same and anyone who says otherwise only works with athlete women or never trains them. That doesn’t mean they are bad or better, they are just different.

Reason # 5-She will not trust you
Your fault or not she, like many other women, don’t have much more trust left to give. They have been duped, toyed with, and tricked for so long that everything, even the good is just another scam. The only way that you will get through, the only way to stand apart is to be the one that really does. If you are any of the reasons 1-4, then you will not win because she will not trust you.

I for one am not entering the race, I am merely just a spectator. At the end of the day if the “winner” happens to catch this blog post then I have a message for you.

Do your homework, because the weight of millions of women could rest in your hands.

Dieting and Training: Did you Yes or Do you No?

18 Nov

Tags: amount, calories, compliance, compliant, denial, diet, diet compliance, dieting, dieting down, method, Nutrition, Nutritional, opinion, policy, program, progress, question, Recovery, REST, sleep, Training, training adherence, weight loss compliance, weight loss program
Posted in dieting down journal, nutrition and training compliance, tracking diet | 21 Comments »

It is so frustrating for you as a trainee to not even realize if you are screwing things up. Truth is that you can give your heart to a training program but still fail if you didn’t involve your mind. The key to staying ahead of the game is through a system of tracking your diet and training compliance.

With a lot of my clients I do the Yes/No program.

The truth is with any dieting down program you should be as compliant as possible, period. Follow the program, and do what you are supposed to do best possible. In my opinion, the more of a “cheat” policy that is allowed in the program, the less you are going to be happy with the results.

That being said, who does that right?

So, the next best thing is to be realistic about what you have and have not done, don’t “sugar” coat your failures or try and rationalize, that just means living in denial. Best method to do this is to list out the following:

Nutrition
Training
Rest/Sleep
Recovery/Flex

Everyday you should have a goal or plan set for what it is you are going to do. For example:

Nutrition-1400 calories and 120g of Protein
Training-Upper Day
Rest/Sleep-8 hours
Recovery/Flex-2×10 mins program

Now, list out if you did what you were supposed to do and keep it to a simple yes or no. Not an almost yes, maybe no, almost perfect, 80%, etc. That is bull, don’t do that. Write a “Yes” or “No.”

Did you eat roughly 1300 calories and hit your protein amount? Did you? If you did, then nutrition gets a “Yes.”

Did you eat 1500 calories and only 90 grams of protein? Did you? Then your nutrition section gets a “No.” This way when 2 months roll around and progress isn’t what you want it to be, you can turn to YOURSELF and say one of the following:

“Everything was yes, I really did what I need to do so that lets me know that X amount of calories isn’t right for me and I need to change something.”

“There are a lot of “No’s” so obviously I need to be more compliant to the dieting program”

It can also help you highlight what might be causing a nutritional “No.” Was sleep bad? Was training too aggressive? Are you focusing on recovery? At the end of the day your lists should look like this:

Day 1-
Nutrition-Yes
Training-Yes
Rest/Sleep-No
Recovery/Flex-Yes

Day 2-
Nutrition-No
Training-Yes
Rest/Sleep-No
Recovery/Flex-No

Day 3-
Nutrition-Yes
Training-Yes
Rest/Sleep-Yes
Recovery/Flex-Yes

No graphs, no overly complicated system of measuring, and no 90% rule. Just a one simple question:

Did you do what you need to do, Yes or No?

A Child Can Ask Questions That a Wise Man Cannot Answer…

30 Oct

Tags: bodyfat, book, common sense, diet, experience, Fat Loss, fat loss troubleshoot, hormones, Hormones and fat loss, loose skin, metabolism repair, Nutrition, Nutritional, OPT, PCOS and weight loss, PCOS fat loss, pod, podcast, REST, right, troubleshoot, update, weight loss
Posted in fat loss podcast, q&A health and fitness, weight loss podcast | 15 Comments »

When I was little, until around 10 years old or so, I had nose bleeds almost everyday. I had a birth defect that made my nose do something strange. The truth is I never knew why, the doctors never knew why. I am not talking a little blood on the tip of a tissue here. I am talking massive soaking on multiple tissues. The docs said that I had to “let it come out”, that it was so much and that “something” was draining so I couldn’t “clog” it. So every day I would usually sit at a toilet for a hour and just let it drain, drip by drip, until done.

My teachers understood the “let it drain” aspect of it, however, every once in a while a “new adult” would come around and be in the presence of these gushers. They would proceed to try and tilt my head back to stop it from flowing out. I would fight them and tell them, while almost dying and choking, that “it has to drain!” They would never believe me until another adult came along and said that what I was saying was correct. By that time my Punky Brewster shoes were covered and I was a pissed off little kid.

I believe this was one of the beginning reasons as to why I grew up thinking that adults were stupid and that I was smarter than they were. It also instilled to me that authority and social proof were more important that the common sense teachings of a child. It was then I knew that I was on my own and left to fend for myself. When I would get a nose bleed around strangers I would take off running, not out of embarrassment like they must have thought, but out of protection of their stupidity.

Fast forward to now…

Now when I go to the doctor office for something (rare and only if really really needed) they hurt me, usually don’t know what they are doing, and still will not listen to the common sense of the person who “lacks a clear authority.” Let me state here and now, that this is why I am who I am and I do what I do. I do not like to think that I have to depend on uneducated person to help me help myself. When at all possible I try to answer my own questions. When at all possible I “run” from the stranger that is trying to fix a problem the wrong way that I know how to fix the right way. It is NOT being cocky, it is self preservation. It is NOT being paranoid, it is being educated. With that being said, not everyone has the time or the ability to do that.

No problem, allow me please.

I will do the best I can to be an “authority” that listens to what you have to say. I will do the best I can to be a “leader” that guides you to the answer and how to find it, not just expect you to believe me. I will do the best I can to not be that stupid substitute teacher that tried to hold my head upside down as I was telling her the answer to my problem. Keep sending in your questions, the “doctor” is in.

Episode 16: I Found Leigh On the Fitcast

1- Hila

Hi Leigh!

I had visited your website after hearing you on the FitCast podcasts, I love listening to you. You talk so clearly and to the point, and obviously know what you’re doing. You have a fan from Israel

I have a question for you, I’m a female, 23 years old, and after a ~100 pound lost. (If you want to check me out these are my progress pics: http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/Hilush/more.php?section=progresspics)
I’ve read Alan’s Girth Control, Tom’s Burn the fat, endless articles and forums and I’ve never read anything related to the hormonal aspect of weight loss for women, it has been mostly about deficits and other thermodynamics laws. My period has been very unstable since the weight loss, and tends to disappear for months then suddenly come back. According to my blood tests only, my doctor said I have PCOS (or PCO) and I should take birth control pills. She said this has nothing to do with my weight loss and that it is a born syndrome with no real cure. I am very concerned about this issue since I’m afraid I somehow messed up with my female hormones!

Do you know of any relation between PCO appearing after a big weight loss? Could the loss of period be caused by anything else besides PCO? I’m not a doctor but my blood test kind of seems alright to me and I suspect it is just the doctor’s default answer to period being irregular… My weight loss was done through a pretty drastic deficit, combined with resistance training and cardio.

Do any of your books talk about hormones issues? I’d definitely buy a book that’d shed some light over this topic I really agree with your realistic approach to fat loss and how you emphasize the body & mind connection in the process, oh and your videos are priceless, you always make me laugh

Waiting to hear your advice,
Thanks!
Hila.

2- Fred

Hi,

I have been listening to the fitcast and you seem to be up on nutrition, duhh, I have a question that has been bugging me.

Although I am not vegetarian I have been interested in varying my protein sources but combining protein chains for veggie sources is perplexing me, as you will see below.

I am looking into combining grain/nut/legume into full branch chains for protein. I have found loads of combinations (lentils and oats is my favorite at the moment, ends up like a savory pottage). However vegetarian websites don’t seem to mention if you sum the protein from each source or divide. To clarify here’s an example:

Total Protein (read from nutritional info on packets):

(A)
100g lentils + 50g oats = 26g + 6g = 32g protein

(B)
100g lentils + 50g oats = 6 + 6 = 12g protein

(C)
100g lentils + 50g oats = 6/2 + 6/2 = 6g protein

As you can see option (A) assumes that the amino acids to combine to create a larger more complete chain so you get more protein. Option (B) assumes that since the Oats only have 6g protein only 6g of protein can be utilized from the lentils to create a larger chain. Option (C) assumes that rather summation the aminos “interweave” so in fact you only get 6g of “full” protein.

I am not a veggie. I normally have 1-2 scopes of whey, 1 fish, and 1 chicken/mince portion a day so I am getting full branch chains elsewhere. I was just wondering how to process vegetarian combinations.

Thanks

(Edit for Fred-Check out Lyle’s Protein Book Here, If Desire to Order Click on Book To Purchase)

3- Diana

Hi Leigh,

It’s possible I may need some modifications during the re-feed (diabetes). I can handle insulin adjustments and sugars just fine but would prefer to set it up in such a way as to avoid wild swings if possible as then I just feel like crap. Anyway I would love your thoughts on that rather than me just winging it myself. On the other hand it’s just one day so maybe just leave well enough alone. And I perfectly understand just fine if you don’t want to get into it being as this is a medical condition we’re talking about here.

Thanks
Diana

4- Hot Rox

Good Morning Leigh,

Just want to say first and foremost keep up the great work! I finally bought your book The Fat Loss Troubleshoot and have already skimmed over most of it An audio version would be a great compliment to it. It would be great for people such as myself who have the attention span of a circus monkey and would benefit from listening either on the job or at the gym. Your awesome personality during your audio works make it enjoyable to listen to, and learn a great deal at the same time, you sound like a person that would be fun to throw back some beers with.

But this message isn’t entirely intended to kiss your ass, but you do deserve some major kudos.

Quick update
Male
27 years
5′6″
130.8 lbs lost since 3/5/07
Currently about 174 lbs
Omron handheld bf% mid 16’s through October measured first thing in morning

Not happy with the way the skin situation looking.

Yes I feel great, and I’m doing all kinds of nifty little things I couldn’t do before such as a pull up and now 20 push ups! I really love the physical aspect, and new found confidence in my physical abilities and I look good in clothes

Alas…Seeing myself naked is something that happens on a daily basis, and it is something I think about every day, as I slowly run out of bodyfat to train off.

Frankly the thought of invasive surgery and anesthesia scare the shit out of me. I briefly recall heard something about the anti-aging crowd using HGH to look younger or something along those lines, maybe even Testosterone. Maybe you know someone via your connections that might have experience with this taboo subject?

I want to reinforce that I’m not looking for a quick fix. Diet and exercise has been my staple and I pride myself and transforming with hard work, and the couple uses of Hot Rox extreme. I’m just a pussy when it comes to having pieces of me cut off and removed

Are You a Fat Writer?

09 Oct

Tags: 100 calories, Activity, Activity Level, amount, Bad, blog, blogger diet, burn, Calorie, calories, calories burned in a day, calories burned sitting, carbohydrate, change, computer, cortisol, deficit, desk training, difference, Fat Loss, fat writers, fight, healthy, HIIT, how to burn calories easy, how to burn fat at a desk, how to lose fat while sitting, increase, level, Men, Min Burpees, Min Fast, Min Jumping, Min Planks, Min Speed, movement, office exercise, office training, person, plan, Rate, reading, REST, stress, study, sweet, Timer, tips, Training, training for writers, war, weight, why cant office workers lose fat, workout, writers fat
Posted in Fat Loss | 16 Comments »

When I was writing my books one of the biggest problems I faced when trying to control my weight and maintain the body I wanted was dealing with the harsh change of my activity level. I went from training people in person all day long to spending a large chunk of time stuck at a computer. Sure I was producing a masterpiece, but I was also producing an ass.

In a day we burn X amount of calories. Everyday it changes. If you have a day you lay in bed and do nothing, you burn very few calories. If you have a day where you shovel snow so that you can go to the store and shop for two hours and then return home to make food for another hour and then you try to get in that HIIT workout before bed, then you burn a lot of calories.

To put it simply, you move more, you burn more.

The drag is that if you move less, you burn less.

During that period of time as I was finishing up my books I went from a daily caloric burn of 2500-2800 calories on average to 1600-1900 on average (the days I was really caught up in writing).

That is a decrease of roughly 1000 calories. That is a huge difference, HUGE.

What if I would have been trying to lose fat?

Some days, even eating 1200 calories, I wouldn’t even land in a 500 deficit. That is a harsh truth to face. Recently I have had a lot of arguments come my way about the fact that the calories you take in don’t matter. Just don’t eat “x” amount of “these kinds” of foods and you will be fine. However, the majority of my clients that come to me come because even with doing those “things” right, even with restricting carbs, even with avoiding those “bad” foods like a plague, they still couldn’t budge the fat. They still could not obtain the bodies they wanted.

You can blame carbs or fats all you want but at the end of the day, a fat free salad can still cause you to be stuck in your fat loss efforts.

Quick Fact: If you weigh roughly 130-160 pounds, are a generally healthy person, then every hour you sit and write you burn the amount of 1 egg or less.

Try and wrap your head around that. The average large egg is roughly 70 calories. At that weight, you hardly burn an egg. The average writer/blogger/forum poster can spend hours at a time writing, ranting, and working up one heck of a cortisol filled appetite.

Have you ever noticed how when in the middle of a back and forth conflict you turn to food? Have you ever noticed that while in the midst of what should be your Pulitzer Prize winning smack down, that all you want to do is grab a ciggy or glazed doughnut? That is writers stress at its peak! The intensity and passion of your emotions in that given situation need to be fueled! But guess what, on average you barely deserve a hard boiled egg. Is what your grabbing even close to what you are burning?

Why do you lunge for the carbs?

The only thing that suppress that stress and feeds the angry rage or blissful muse is insulin spiking, sugar bearing, sweet carbohydrates. Your body is smart, it will grave what it needs, and if it is around, you are going to go for it. You either fix or you feed the stress, which will it be?

How do you fix the stress?

Getting up and moving in interval sets of time is a big help towards…

Keep caloric burn up so that you can eat more
Lower stress levels by reducing cortisol
Upping serotonin levels so that you aren’t in such a bad mood and wont fight on the interwbz

Beyond that knowing that your nutrient intake is on point and that your calories are under control is the next. If you don’t know how to do those things then I suggest reading those books I gained an ass for.

>>Click Here<<

If you can’t do that I am not going to leave you hanging. Here is the best tips to up your calories while still writing your master pieces and being able to stuff your face with hot pockets.

Tip #1-Timer Training

I did a study on 3 people just this past month who sit all day. The difference in caloric burn in timing training was an average of 340 calories a day per person. That is huge and with little effort. Timer training is very simple, all you do is set out specific intervals of time where you can fit in as much aggressive movement as possible in the shortest amount of time. I recommend every hour doing 5 min rounds of the following…

1 Min Jumping Jacks
1 Min Speed Crunches
1 Min Burpees
1 Min Fast Body Weight Squats (Advance to Pistols if need)
1 Min Planks

If you hit at that every hour for 8 hours that is a 30 mins workout that will lead you to getting ripped in no time.

EDIT: For the Skirt Ladies (or men cause you know, equal fat loss rights here). Kick off heels though okay ladies/gents.

1 min Jog in Place
1 min Push Ups (if bent knee throw a proposal under there;) )
2 Min Plank Variations (Standard, One Arm Switch, One Leg Switch, Side)
1 Static Lunges

Enjoy!

Tip #2- Pace Yourself

Every time you take a call you stand up and start pacing. Pacing during a phone call can increase your caloric burn 200% over sitting. Meaning in 20 mins instead of burning 20 calories you can burn 60.

Tip #3- The Unstable Air Chair

I did another study around 5-6 months ago know with 4 people and monitored their burn while sitting on a Swiss exercise ball while working. Posture and caloric burn improved on average of a little over 100 calories. Please note that some did experience hemorrhoid increase, so get the H if need.

Overall if you combine just these three things you can increase your daily burn, without going to the gym, and without losing writing time on large levels, by upwards to 500-600 calories a day. You can still write your award winning piece, and looking hot doing it.

How many hours a day do you normally sit? Should you just be eating eggs every hour on the hour?

Sleep, eat, and screw…yourself over?

25 Aug

Tags: Asia, belt, Calorie, carbohydrate, cortisol, damage, decline, deficit, Fat Loss, ghrelin, hormone, hours of sleep, leptin, metabolism, Rate, REST, sleep, sleep fat loss, sleep hunger, sleep study, sleep weight loss, stress, study
Posted in rest and diet, sleep and hunger, sleep for weight loss | 8 Comments »

In 2004 a study was done (1) that showed that lack of sleep for a short period of time saw an 18 percent decrease in leptin, a hormone that helps regulate the brains signaling for need of food, and a 28 percent increase in ghrelin, a hormone that triggers hunger. What this means is that in a very brief amount of time lack of sleep can do a big damage on fat loss efforts. Sleep loss seems to alter the ability of leptin and ghrelin to accurately signal caloric need and could lead to excessive calorie intake when food is all around. Add the chance of being hungry already due to a deficit and we get a final result that is not exactly optimal.

For the record, if you think just one night of no sleep is okay, think again. This recent 2008 study shows just one night of sleep affects hunger levels. (2)

To throw a different kind of log on the fire you have to look at the average decline of sleep in general over the past century. On average now adults are getting roughly 6 hours of sleep a night. We are seeing a decline in sleep and an increase in belt lines. While it is important to put so much of a focus on food this isn’t always the main issue at hand. Yes, overall calories do matter when it comes to fat loss. Sleep or no sleep, if you are eating in an excess little will matter. That being said, if you are set up to fail from get go, it is going to make this process that much harder.

One might want to argue that, again, the reason that the obesity problems are so out of control is due to the increase of carbohydrate intake over that same period of time. To this I want to point back to the original study (2004) in which that the 4 hr sleep folks wanted more candy and cookies and less dairy and meats. Why? When we lose sleep we increase hunger and decrease feeling of fullness and feed. However, we also increase cortisol and stress stimulation in the body. The main thing that blunts this in the body is carbohydrates. Since your body is pretty good, on average, of craving what it wants then it is going to lead you more to doughnuts and less towards the egg whites. The worst part is that lack of sleep decreases carbohydrate metabolism so you, again, are set up to fail. To point to a interesting side note it makes you wonder and think why Asia is starting to hop on board so fast with the obesity issues, being that a recent study showed there sleep has decreased by 2 hours a night on average. A country with already a very high carbohydrate diet is now suffering a worse fate. Could it be all that stress and lack of sleep isn’t helping?

I still blame Starbucks and McDonald’s myself.

My assignment to you:

1 week of sleep charting and accounting of your sleep habits.

I see so often people worrying about how many grams of starch carbs they are getting in a day, but neglect sleep. The goal is to try and get at least 7 hours of sleep at night (more is better) for 1 week. By the end of this I want you to share how you did putting an extra focus on how it affected your fat loss. Next Monday I am going to re-visit with you to see how it unfolds.

I am providing you with a PDF download I totally stole from some site off of goggle. I have no idea what they are selling or if they are. This is not a promotion for their product. I googled “sleep journal”, looked at a few, and thought this one was simple enough. I urge you to log even more than what this asks but I figured worst case you can print this off right now, and get going this evening.

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/pdf/sleepjj.pdf

Nite, nite.

1-http://www.annals.org/cgi/reprint/141/11/846.pdf
2-http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18564298