Jump Start Your Weight Loss Plan the Right Way

I just recently attended an excellent lecture. The speaker was Mary O’Brien M.D. and she covered a lot of information during an interesting and fast paced 6 hours. One of the most interesting topics was related to how getting adequate sleep was tied to maintaining a healthy weight. She went so far as to give her own instructions to effectively start losing weight. Here is a basic overview of her weight loss plan.

For the first two weeks get some sleep.

The only thing you should do during the first 2 weeks is develop good sleep habits. If you are not getting adequate and restful sleep it will be difficult to lose weight or to maintain a healthy weight. When you get a good night’s sleep there are many chemical processes occurring in your body which are essential for proper health.

Deep sleep is restorative and your body uses this time to repair muscles, connective tissues and the immune system. This time is also used to produce hormones such as growth hormone and leptin. Growth hormone plays an important role in maintaining a healthy weight and muscle mass. When leptin is low you get hungry, therefore it is important to get enough sleep so your body will produce plenty of leptin.

Also, a lack of sleep has been shown to increase cortisol levels. Prolonged elevations in cortisol levels can result in increased body fat, increased muscle loss, decreased immune function and decreased ability to repair tissues. The advertised cortisol blockers have not been shown to prevent these problems. You need to get a good night’s sleep.

In the first 2 weeks if you focus your energy on getting about 8 hours of restful sleep you are creating a chemical environment which will allow your body to take full advantage of the following steps. If you don’t do this first step you are less likely to succeed in your weight loss attempt. If you find during this 2 weeks you are having trouble getting a good night’s sleep, talk to your doctor. Also check out the healthy habits of good sleep.

The next two weeks you increase activity

Once you have established a healthy sleep pattern, you are ready to progress to this phase. Continue to get enough quality sleep and add activity to your day. You can add activity any number of ways. The ideal would be to include muscle building exercises and cardiovascular exercises.

Every day look for ways to increase your activity level. Walk around the house during TV commercials, do not use the drive through at the bank and store. Walk around the supermarket twice before you put anything in the cart. Park further away so you have to walk further. Do more gardening. Take an aerobics class. Find things you can do to challenge your body.

You should try to do some exercise every day that makes you break a sweat and gets your heart rate up. Remember, the less you do the less you will be able to do as you age. It is very important that you remain active and challenge your body.

The following two weeks you will cut calories

You have now mastered a healthy sleep routine and have increased the amount of activity in your life. Now is the time to address the food portion. You will not lose weight if you are eating more calories than your body uses. Your body is using more calories because you are now more active but you need change what you eat.

To efficiently lose weight you must cut back on sugar, starches, oils and salts. You also need to increase the amount of water you drink and avoid “diet” drinks and foods. Artificial sweeteners do not help with weight loss. Look around at all the fat people eating and drinking “diet” products. They do not work. Eat more fruits and vegetables and smaller portions of everything else.

Notice the only thing eliminated above are items with artificial sweeteners. The rest of the plan is an increase in healthy foods and a decrease in the less healthy. You use smaller portions and decrease total calories but no food is eliminated completely.

In addition to smaller portions, you should consider eating more frequently. A healthy snack between meals will help curb your appetite and you will feel less hungry when the next meal comes along. Also, smaller mealtime portions are more likely to satisfy you than if you had not snacked.

Conclusion

This advice just scratches the surface. There is a lot more information to be found about each category above. I hope this information gets you on the right track. Start tonight, get a good night’s sleep and you will be on your way to a healthier lifestyle.

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