As many of you know, I finished my HCG Diet Round 1 in late May and embarked on my Maintenance Phase. I say Round 1 because I still have at least 40 more pounds to go to a weight that is healthy and comfortable for me. I say comfortable, because I do believe that the presence of the mind plays an important part in your health and well-being. You can do everything the doc tells you to do and be skinny as a rail, but not feel "yourself." YOU are your own BEST health advocate. What you think matters.
David and I at Sterling Vineyards. We had such a fun time! |
It's like my naturopathic physician says ...if you hit your mark 80% of the time, you are still much healthier than if you did nothing. (You can find a naturopathic doc in your area here.)
So what's sleep got to do with it? Well, there's a lot of research out there to support the role of sleep and obesity... and many other disorders for that matter. When I returned from vacation and we resaddled the hoss, I began to see my
So one morning I was awakened by my precious dog, Sandy, who never seems to be able to "wait" until the family is up to go out for her business at the ripe hour of 6:30 am. Mind ya, I am NOT a morning person. Well, I can be ...just a couple hours after 8 am! So I did my usual routine of weighing in. I continued the weigh in part of the HCG Protocol as that was part of the instructions for maintenance phase by my doctor. I continued the measuring phase for my own retentive yearnings. And, it was helpful to see as I went through my "gain" just where the fat was coming back. It was interesting to see how it could creep up on you, and it's no wonder that we suddenly feel like our clothes no longer fit anymore. Because seriously, we hardly notice when our blouse becomes a little too tight (unless, it's in the arms for me ...). But...did I say BUTT ....let those pants get a little too tight and we go ballistic! Or at the very least, we beat ourselves up about our gain. I no longer do this as much, and I think it took the "gain" of vacation to teach me that. And, I have to honestly say, if I were still operating on the "old" thinking that the weight couldn't possibly come off ....I might still feel that way.
Me on my 10th Wedding Anniversary (June 25, 2011). I had to buy a new dress to wear. I am now TWO sizes smaller! |
Ok...I digressed...back to the sleep thing. What I observed, was that 1) I still "felt" tired at 6:30 that morning. So I weighed myself and skipped the measuring. I figured I would still be the same size when I awoke at a decent hour. I can always tell when I haven't properly rested my body. The first thing I notice is the bottoms of my feet hurt. It hurts to move. When you have rested your body properly, your body provides the energy it needs to move. That morning, I noticed. So when I awoke a couple of hours later, around 8ish, I went through my routine again. WHAT????? REALLY?!?!?!? I had lost a HALF POUND just by sleeping? I'm serious.
So I thought. Well, it's just one day. So I tracked this situation over the next several days. As usual, one of the dogs generally wanted to go out before we awoke. EVERY morning that I returned back to bed IF I did not feel rested, I LOST at least something. One day it was a FULL pound!. It has kind of trailed off to a steady decrease, about 0.2 pounds per day. Today, I lost nothing. But, I was relieved after all the carbs and beef I had put into my body over the last two days. Bottom line here ... SLEEP IS IMPORTANT!
If you want to really address your health issues, including being overweight, make sure you get the proper amount of rest. Seriously, this doesn't mean "what's right for me" or the "I can get by on 5 hours" stuff. I mean REALLY REST YOUR BODY. The body needs anywhere from 8-10 hours of restful sleep to recharge (I would say +/- 2 hours is still healthy). Kevin Trudeau speaks to this in his book The Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About. Trudeau talks about the body systems going through a cleanse process between 11 pm and 2 am. If you aren't going to sleep until after that, your body cannot heal itself!
All in all, I do believe that my body has arrived at a new set point. The body constantly tries to keep itself to a homeostasis ... an even keel. So I'm good. I'm letting go of a lot of things I used to think about weight loss and eating. I now eat to give my body energy. Does that mean I forgo the occasional fare of chocolate? NO! Are you kidding ....that would be blasphemy!
To your health ...
'Til next time .... Just let go... Edna