How important is sleep for weight loss ??

cosob

Hello,

This is not a success story but rather a question for those of you who have succeeded or working towards their goal.

I just had a baby 5 weeks ago n I have a toddler that just turned two 2weeks ago. I am alone with the kids n thus am sleep deprived. Nonetheless I have started to track my calories n workout May 1 because I have about 60lbs to loss.

My question is if I don't sleep 8hrs, does it mean the weight is not gonna come off as quick. I average about 4-5hrs of sleep. I been read alot about this topic n everyone is talking about sleeping.

Pls shed some light on to it.

ninerbuff

REST is when you utilize STORED BODYFAT as fuel. When one physically moves around a lot, it's glycogen first. Glycogen gets restored in our cells from the food we consume and if there's a surplus, it's gets stored as body fat. Lack of rest reduces the body's ability to tap that stored body fat for fuel. Also lack of rest correlates with higher cortisol release which also inhibits fat usage. And last but not least, lack of rest leaves someone awake many times leaving that person access to eating more than they may want to.


A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

thetrishwarp

Sleep makes things easier, however the ONLY thing required for weight loss is a calorie deficit.

Sleepiness (for me personally) makes me crave things like sugary coffee, or sweet treats - which are great when I plan for them, but can easily throw me over my daily calorie goal if I'm not careful - and if I'm super tired I'm not careful.

As long as you can stay at or under your daily calorie goal, you WILL lose weight.

deannalfisher

lack of sleep makes me retain water, so I see higher fluctuations if I have a weight of crappy sleep vs. a week of solid 6-7hrs

KristaaDawwnn0831

Same as you , 2 year old and 10 week old . Sleep isn't effecting me I'm still loosing at healthy eating ,(1250 calories) and cardio . If your breastfeeding some people have a hard time loosing weight where as some the weight falls off but if your breastfeeding I would just do healthy choices and lower calories by 100 a week so you can see what makes your supply worse or better .

cosob

KristaaDawwnn0831 wrote: »

Same as you , 2 year old and 10 week old . Sleep isn't effecting me I'm still loosing at healthy eating ,(1250 calories) and cardio . If your breastfeeding some people have a hard time loosing weight where as some the weight falls off but if your breastfeeding I would just do healthy choices and lower calories by 100 a week so you can see what makes your supply worse or better .

You just made my today! Thx

I intake about 1300-1400 calories n I find myself forcing to eat the last 2-3 hundred calories during the night. Cuz I thought I have to eat alot since I am nursing otherwise I won't have enough supplies, but I am making more milk than before since I am drinking a lot of water(120 oz) and tea also moving more. I think cardio increases milk supply.

I was feeling guilty about wanting to loss the weight right away ....I always hear take your time, you just had the baby... relax, eat more to make milk... breastfeeding burns calories and would help you with the weight etc. but I have learned from experience breastfeeding makes me fat where others claim to have magical loss it.

cosob

thetrishwarp wrote: »

Sleep makes things easier, however

the ONLY thing required for weight loss is a calorie deficit.

Sleepiness (for me personally) makes me crave things like sugary coffee, or sweet treats - which are great when I plan for them, but can easily throw me over my daily calorie goal if I'm not careful - and if I'm super tired I'm not careful.

As long as you can stay at or under your daily calorie goal, you WILL lose weight.

That's very encouraging and makes me want to focus even more on what I can control....which is how many calories I consume n the exercises I do. I want to sleep more but it's not happening now n I am not going to stress about it, I'll move on and work on this weight loss thing while I am awake.

Thanks

sardelsa

OP don;t worry I was and am where you are (mine is still not sleeping.. haha). I had a baby last January while my daughter just turned two. It was chaotic.. broken up sleep (sometimes 4 hours or less), hardly any rest. I had no issues at all losing weight (not only weight but bodyfat in my case since I was lifting). I was also nursing, but I ate like a beast.. 2700-2900 haha.. still had no issues.

sardelsa

ninerbuff wrote: »

REST is when you utilize STORED BODYFAT as fuel. When one physically moves around a lot, it's glycogen first. Glycogen gets restored in our cells from the food we consume and if there's a surplus, it's gets stored as body fat. Lack of rest reduces the body's ability to tap that stored body fat for fuel. Also lack of rest correlates with higher cortisol release which also inhibits fat usage. And last but not least, lack of rest leaves someone awake many times leaving that person access to eating more than they may want to.


A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

@ninerbuff

What if someone (new moms in particular) sleep horribly and hardly ever rest? I actually had no issues losing bodyfat. But maybe 4-5hrs of sleep was sufficient?b

12774

You just had a baby . Give yourself a couple months Concentrate on eating healthy and getting adequate rest. You have enough work/exercise with the toddler and the new arrival.

Running_and_Coffee

I got no sleep after each of my three kids was born and found losing "baby weight" a gazillion times easier than any other kind of weight loss. The breastfeeding/lack of appetite due to stress was a winning combo.

I remain a terrible sleeper and haven't had a hard time maintaining a healthy weight. I wish I slept better, though. I consume crazy amounts of coffee and am cranky. :-(

cosob

12774 wrote: »

You just had a baby . Give yourself a couple months Concentrate on eating healthy and getting adequate rest. You have enough work/exercise with the toddler and the new arrival.

I totally agree with you about eating healthy and I appreciate your advice.

However , I am not comfortable with being 200lbs so I am taking baby steps to get it down. I am pleased with the kind and amount of food I am eating.