Earlier this week, I had an interesting conversation with a patient, and this newsletter is a great way to share that conversation with all of you. So here is the story:
One of my patients came in complaining about her inability to lose weight. She noted that she has been doing all that she can in terms of monitoring her diet and exercising on her own. (As an aside, she was even doing more resistance exercise than cardio!) After a lengthy discussion regarding her dietary habits and the timing of her meals, we started to investigate some of the other variables that impact her weight loss journey. So, what else is there besides diet and exercise? Two other variables that play a considerable role in our ability to lose weight: Hydration and Sleep!
Do you want to know what her problem was? She was getting less than 5 hours of sleep every night! She NEVER SLEEPS MORE THAN 5 HOURS PER NIGHT! You may be wondering... What does that have to do with weight loss? The lack of sleep tends to throw hormone levels off significantly. Most patients experience increased Grehlin (the hunger hormone) along with decreased Leptin (the full hormone) levels. Those that sleep less than 6 hours per night often have a higher BMI as a result of the changes in the levels of those hormones. So, this amazing woman went home from my office with a new option in her battle to reach her goal weight! Only time will tell if sleep is the missing link for her, but if not we will have to analyze her hydration levels... but that is another newsletter for another day!
- Bananas
- Salmon
- Tart Cherry Juice
- Kale
- Sweet Potatoes
- Almonds
- Chick Peas
- Eggs
- Milk
- Cereal
- Herbal Tea
- Oatmeal
Dr. Chip
