Sleep and weight loss

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kyraleigh7163
kyraleigh7163 Posts: 21 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
How much does sleep really affect losing weight? I’m on a 750 calorie deficit right now, but I don’t seem to be losing any weight? Sometimes the scale even says I’m gaining. I’ve read that not sleeping enough could cause that but I’ve lost 20 pounds already basically with the same sleeping schedule.. I’m wondering why it’s stalling now..

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  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    It can impact weight loss but the biggest issue is that you are likely eating more than you think. Tighten up your food logging, use a food scale so you can be as accurate as possible at how many calories you are consuming.
    You are lighter now by 20lbs so will be burning less in general, has MFP changed your calorie intake lately? it should do that every 10lbs.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Can you clarify what you mean by not "seeming" to lose weight? Are you weighing regularly and not seeing a change on the scale? Over what time period?

    When I was losing weight, I had some periods when (due to work), my sleep was either really limited or irregular. It didn't seem to slow down my weight loss, but I do notice it is much harder to stay on plan when I'm sleep-deprived. I seem to crave sweets a lot more and it's harder to turn down higher calories foods that may tempt me.
  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
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    Congrats on the 20 pound loss! Also remember if you lost the first 20 pounds really fast some of that could have been water weight. Once the body sees this is the new normal the water tends to come back and even though fat comes off the scale doesn't reflect that. Keep going it will start dropping again.
  • kyraleigh7163
    kyraleigh7163 Posts: 21 Member
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    My calorie limit according to MFP right now is 1480, usually I’m even under that too.

    I’m weighing almost every day first thing when I wake up. It’s been almost 3 weeks without really any change.. before that I was losing up to 4 pounds a week with the same diet. The one thing I guess is that I haven’t had time to workout as much as I was before. Work has gotten really busy lately
  • aeloine
    aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
    edited February 2018
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Can you clarify what you mean by not "seeming" to lose weight? Are you weighing regularly and not seeing a change on the scale? Over what time period?

    When I was losing weight, I had some periods when (due to work), my sleep was either really limited or irregular. It didn't seem to slow down my weight loss, but I do notice it is much harder to stay on plan when I'm sleep-deprived. I seem to crave sweets a lot more and it's harder to turn down higher calories foods that may tempt me.

    THIS
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    edited February 2018
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    4lbs a week! wow! that was too much for one thing unless you are over 300lbs.
    3 weeks is too soon to tell and isn't a plateau as such. There are a host of reasons why you could be appearing to hold on to weight. Hormones to mention one thing really do play havoc with scale readings and can make us appear to gain several pounds.

    If you have been accurately tracking those calories all should be ok, give it a few more weeks, a loss can take time to show up on the scales sometimes.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    kyraleigh7163 wrote: »
    My calorie limit according to MFP right now is 1480, usually I’m even under that too.

    I’m weighing almost every day first thing when I wake up. It’s been almost 3 weeks without really any change.. before that I was losing up to 4 pounds a week with the same diet. The one thing I guess is that I haven’t had time to workout as much as I was before. Work has gotten really busy lately

    4 pounds a week is a very rapid weight of loss. If it's been threeish weeks since you've lost weight, your body may simply be adjusting to that rapid weight loss.

    Assuming you are tracking accurately, stay on plan. You don't have to be under your 1,480 if that is your MFP goal.
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,300 Member
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    Good for you having lost 20 lb already. Depending on how much one has to loose when you get close to you goal even 2 stone away it can become more difficult to loose a 1lb a week its best to set to half. Another thing to consider, weight loss is not linier, so it is common to not loose for a while though you may find the tape measure saying differently. If you have a good sleep regime which is undisturbed the less effect sleep will be having. 8 hours a night is good as a general thing but as in all things, personal requirements may be more or less, keeping things regular all week round also helps.

    Please don't become disheartened keep going and it will happen. You could check your macros, going low, some under on carbs is not too bad but being light, under on protein and fats this can impact on muscles and hormones. If you are averaging a good balance then there is nothing to worry about. All the best.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
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    IMO, the connection is this.....

    When I don’t get adequate sleep, I have low energy. My body (or brain) interprets that as needing food. Usually sugar. The sweets give you a quick burst, then crash. Viscous cycle.

    I try to sleep a lot. 8 hours a night. Plus, you don’t wanna open the pantry every 5 minutes when you’re asleep!
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
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    Sleep is my favorite food-avoidance tactic. When I'm tired, I don't make good decisions, such as overeating and giving into foods that put me over my calories.

    And just to re-emphasize everything that everyone else is saying, regardless of your sleep, calories are king for weight loss, so make sure you are measuring your intake accurately (weighing solids on a kitchen scale, using measuring cups for liquids) so that you know you are meeting your calorie goal. You don't have to come in under the MFP target calories, because the deficit is already built in.
  • Stoshew71
    Stoshew71 Posts: 6,553 Member
    edited February 2018
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    Another connection with sleep and weight loss. Assume that your last meal is a couple of hours before you go to bed. Then you get a good 8 hours of sleep in. That's 10 hours of fasting. During that time, your body will initially want to burn more of the sugar that is already in your blood that came from your last meal, then the stored sugar in your body (glycogen). It will burn some fat too but in lower quantities. But as you get more and more into your sleep, your body will begin to burn more and more of your fat and less percentage of sugar. So by the time you wake up, you will have burned a significant (maybe not noticeable) amount of fat.

    During the day, you're more likely to be relying on sugar burning. You eat, carbs get digested and sugar is ingested into your blood stream. Your body is happy and wants to burn that sugar. As the day goes on and your blood sugar is lower, you start to get hungry and you eat more. More carbs are digested and sugar is ingested into your blood and your body is very happy burning and storing that sugar. So by the end of the day, you're relying mostly on sugar to get you through the day.

    The more hours you are awake, the more you are battling with hunger and your body wanting to burn sugar.

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