You Snooze You "Lose"?

Today was the final weigh-in for WW's Lose For Good campaign.  I love the whole idea of this campaign - that others gain with each "loss."  Such an inspiring thing and such a great visual to see your total weight loss in the form of canned goods going to benefit someone who needs it.  If you have been reading my blog the last few weeks, you know that I have been trying to meet a personal goal of 80 pounds by the end of this 6 week campaign.  To be honest, I wasn't sure if I'd make it.  I had some big weeks, but mostly steady weight loss over the 6 week time frame.  So...the verdict??  I made it!!!!  :)  This week I lost 3 pounds bringing my total to 80.4!  Hooray!  Thank you all for encouraging me and to my family for the extra canned goods to help me reach the 80 pounds of food to donate.  Here is a picture of the 80 pounds (approximately).

And here is yours truly with my 80 pounds...

I was shocked at how heavy even 12 or 24 cans were to carry...I can't even wrap my mind around how heavy carrying all 73 cans would be...and I used to walk around every day with that around my waist, chest, legs.  Unbelievable.  I know I still have a ways to go, but I am so proud of where I am today. :)  Thank you to WW for making weight loss so much fun and for giving us something beyond ourselves to think about in this process!

Meanwhile...I promised I would talk about 2 things this week: sleep and poo.  Just stick with me for a second.  My friend, Jaime and I were talking about what we have learned along this journey so far.  Obviously, if you know my whole story, I have come a long way from chocolate cake to avocados (by the way...try some sliced up on top of your chili - heavenly!).  We all know that there are good foods and not-so-good foods.  We know that exercise is of utmost importance.  We know these things...but have you ever thought beyond that? Like...what other factors work along with "diet" and exercise to help you reach your goals?

Something I have noticed (and others have confirmed) is that sleep and poo are very important things in the world of weight loss.  Now mind you, these are my own personal thoughts and observations, but I am sure I could do some "google-ing" and find some science behind all of this.  So let's break it down.  Why is sleep important for weight loss?

First of all, sleep is healthy.  Sleep is our way to shut down and reboot before taking on the challenges of a new day.  Sleep also is the time when our bodies start to heal and detox, and of course, rest.  During most of the waking hours, our bodies are working on one main function - energy production.  We need energy to do everything from breathing to digesting food to running a 5k (go Jaim!).  At the end of the day our bodies go into a rest mode and use very little energy which frees up our cells to switch roles and clean-up and clean-out.  Our immune system kicks in.  Our digestion slows to a hault.  This is also (in my opinion) the time where our bodies whip out the checkbook and try to balance out the day - calorie-wise - either with a surplus or a deficit.  That equals either weight loss or gain.  I have noticed that the weeks where I am most sleep deprived I feel puffy, lethargic, and retain both water and poundage.  Why?  Because my body hasn't been able to catch up on it's nightly duties.  It's in overdrive - overworked and underpaid.  The good news is that it can be remedied with some good ol' snooze time.  Just think about it this week.  Are you getting enough zzzz's?

And now for the more humorous, but also very serious side of the coin - poo.  OK, so what is it and why does it have anything to do with weight loss?  Well...it's waste.  It's toxins.  It's excess "stuff" that our bodies can't use and need to get rid of.  What happens when we don't get rid of it?  Answer: it rots and ferments in our intestines.  Yummy!  I hope you're eating lunch right now!  Ha!  All joking aside though, this is a serious matter.  That rotten stuff can make your body go haywire and it also is a breeding place for all kinds of bacteria and disease.  Not good.  Think about this too...how much do you think a day's worth of food weighs?  What if you only go potty (sorry, that's the mama speaking) once or twice a week?  I think it really shows up on the scale!

So what?  What can you do?  Well, for starters, eat less processed food.  Eat less refined carbs (say white bread, white flour, white sugar, white rice, white pasta).  Eat whole grains.  No...I don't mean you can just go buy a loaf of "whole wheat" bread and polish it off.  I am talking about whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, oats, groats, barley, millet, amaranth, bulgar, etc.  Add in some healthy protein and fiber with beans and lentils, nuts and seeds...and then eat lots of whole fruits and veggies.  What I mean is don't just settle for a glass of apple juice or some V-8.  You need to chew! ;)  Also, don't think that just because a food is labeled high in fiber that it's good for you...it may also be high in a lot of other things like sugar and chemicals.  Limit dairy and meats.  No...I didn't say you have to eliminate them completely.  Just know that both dairy and meat can clog your plumbing.  Why?  Because our bodies have to take more energy to break them down - they are more foreign than an apple.  You eat an apple and your body says, "It's an apple. I know what to do with this!"  You eat a hunk of cheese and your body says, "hmmm what shall we do with this?"  Then it waits until there's enough other stuff behind it to push it on out!  Try abstaining from dairy or meat for one week and see how it affects your body.  Do your OWN experiment and see what happens!  Who knows, it might make a big change on the scale!  What do you have to lose?

P.S. - Corn sugar = High Fructose Corn Syrup...don't be fooled! 

Stay tuned for my Kings Island edition vlog! :)