How a Lack of Sufficient Sleep Makes You Fat

The subject is SLEEP:  how lack of sufficient sleep disrupts your hormones, your immune system, and your ability to think clearly. The average person in our modern world gets between 5 and 6 hours of sleep each night.  And that’s just not enough.

Ever wonder why you can’t diet or exercise your weight down to where you’d like it? Or, have you ever thought about why you have a spare tire around your midline, even though the scale says you’re not overweight?

Resistant weight loss and belly fat are intimately related to your hormones, and your hormone balance can be severely disrupted by chronic sleep disruption.

Did you know that your sleep habits are just as important as what you put on your fork when it comes to releasing weight? (especially the extra padding around your middle!) Research shows that shift workers are, on average, heavier than those who work day jobs! And it has to do with disruption to the hormone dance that happens while you sleep.

The hormones affected by sleep control your appetite, the growth of lean muscle and your fat, and carbohydrate metabolism.

How Insufficient Sleep Affects Your Weight:

1. Decreased serotonin and dopamine production, which leads to cravings for sugary foods to bring the levels back up.
2. Increased ghrelin (a hormone that makes you feel hungry even if your body has enough food) and decreased leptin (makes you feel full and satisfied after eating) – the result means sugar cravings and continued hunger even after you’ve eaten a full meal.
3. Decreased growth hormone, leading to decreased ability to burn fat and lay down lean muscle.
4. Increased cortisol, “the stress hormone” which triggers the breakdown of muscle stores, increased blood sugar, and increased insulin. This leads to the deposition of fat, mainly around your waist.

Module 3 of my new program, B4 Be Gone, is called The Hormone Dance. In it, I outline the exact steps to take to determine how much sleep you need and what to do to get your hormones in balance so you burn rather than store fat at night.

Sleep Your Way Slim

My video, The NOT-So-Sexy Hormone Imbalances That Keep You Flabby, Foggy and Fatigued goes into a lot more detail more about the hormone imbalances and offers you a couple of steps to take right away to turn your bed into a super charged fat burning monster. On that video, I bust the myth of eating small frequent meals, which plays havoc on your hormone balance.

It’s not just important for your appearance that you get a good night’s sleep. These same hormone imbalances can have long term, dangerous consequences on your heart, increase inflammation and pain put you at a higher risk for cancer.

The loss of my parents, then my sister, a couple of friends and cousins, and most recently my brother-in-law and father-in-law has made me fiercely determined to stop the madness. I know their deaths could have been prevented had they just known what to do and had a guide to take them through every step of the way.

Turning Loss into Life

I created the B4 Be Gone Program to offer just that step by step guidance that so many need. Within 30 days, most people have lost their cravings and reset much of the faulty metabolism by bringing into balance five key elements: diet, stress, exercise, sleep and TIMING.

All the sleep research has me really taking a look at my own choices. I push the envelope with sleep because I feel fine even when I don’t sleep. But that’s on the outside. I know enough to realize that what’s going on inside as a result of my lack of sleep could come back and bite me in the you-know-what. Indeed, I have noticed that I’ve been extra hungry during the day these past few sleep-deprived weeks.

I am looking forward to doing the 30-day metabolic reset with the group and committing to getting enough sleep.

It’s All About Balance.

Balance is the key. It’s not enough to just drink green smoothies or just exercise daily or just get lots of sleep. The balance among stress, sleep, exercise and diet are key.

And on top of that, Timing is EVERYTHING.

You can do all the right things, but if it’s out of sync with your bio-rhythms, your belly will stay flabby — no matter how many sit-ups you do or green drinks you drink.

If you’re feeling flabby and frustrated, my advice to you is to sleep on it and then join us in the next B4 Be Gone Journey.

Thyroid Issues: What’s Really Leaving You Feeling Flabby, Foggy, and Fatigued!

- by Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo

Thyroid imbalance can leave you feeling flabby, foggy, fatigued and unfocused because your thyroid gland rules your metabolic rate.

Fatigue is a huge part of thyroid imbalance… and not just general fatigue either. Did you know that your organs and glands can suffer from fatigue? Your skin and immune system can too.

When you turn down the internal metabolic furnace and burn your fuel more slowly, the inevitable result is weight gain or the inability to easily shed your extra pounds. Generally, this slow-down is accompanied by a feeling of exhaustion, but not always.

Often the “exhaustion” is at a cellular level. When your skin is tired, you get outbreaks and slow wound healing. When your digestion becomes sluggish, you may experience constipation or indigestion. A fatigued immune system can’t adequately protect you from microbes and starts to attack itself. And a worn out liver is unlikely to be efficient at eliminating toxins.

While fatigue and exhaustion can have many causes, an underactive thyroid is a very common one. And what most people don’t realize is that most hypothyroidism (about 80%) is caused by an autoimmune process. Which, incidentally, means the real cause of your fatigue and weight gain has nothing to do with your thyroid.  The thyroid gland is just an innocent bystander in the war that’s raging in your immune system, for it’s your immune system that creates antibodies that attack the thyroid and make it malfuntion.  So simply replacing thyroid hormon without fixing your immune system does not solve the problem.

Learn all about thyroid function, testing, and a few tips to restore balance on my video here. It’s best to identify autoimmune thyroid problems early on, before your thyroid is completely destroyed. And the best way to do that is to balance your immune system. We’ll discuss that more in the new 5-part video series Bye-Bye Belly Fat, Brainfog, and Burnout, so be sure to sign-up and follow the series!

Join the program here:

http://www.B4BGone.com

Fatigue and Burnout: Strategies for Adrenal Exhaustion and Just Plain Tiredness

Are you suffering from adrenal burnout and fatigue? Low thyroid function? Chronic fatigue or Fibromyalgia?

Do you have as much energy as you’d like to have?

What would you do if you had more energy? Think about what it would be like  to pop out of bed in the morning, bright, cheery and ready for the day.

As you go through your day, you feel energized by your food, your conversations, your work and your activities. When asked by a friend or family member to participate in a fun evening activity , you always say yes,
without fear of losing steam at the end of the day, and being too tired to to do much more than flop on the couch.

You participate in activities you love, eat healthy meals, exercise and are fully present for your relationships. You never hear yourself utter the words, “I’m too tired.”  Instead you say, “I feel so energized.”

Sound like a romantic fiction novel? This life is possible for you.

Fatigue, exhaustion, tiredness, weariness, low energy…whatever you choose to call it, it’s a real problem and it happens to real people like you. There are many causes. Some are obvious, others not so obvious. When I asked  at one of my workshops for a show of hands of people who felt that were fatigued, or had low energy, all but 1 or 2 people raised their hands.

Then I proceeded to give one of my favorite definitions of fatigue. The definition goes something like this:

The decreased capacity or complete inability of an organism, an organ, or a part to function normally because of excessive stimulation or prolonged exertion.

I talked about how you may feel like you have plenty of energy (caffeine and other stimulants can give you that illusion), yes parts of you are operating sub par. Maybe your neurotransmitters are sluggish and you have difficulties with focus, or your digestion and you’re constipated, or your hormones, and you have menstrual irregularities.

It takes all of your parts working in harmony to achieve vibrant energy.

At the end of the presentation, one of the women who’d not considered herself fatigued, thanked me and said that she didn’t associate the sluggishness in her digestive tract with fatigue. She just figured it was “normal” for her. My talk inspired her to look at ways she could energize her digestion and thus improve her overall experience of vibrant health and high energy.

There are many causes of fatigue. Here are five:

1. Underfed and toxic mitochondria
2. Hormone imbalances – especially thyroid, adrenal, insulin and leptin
3. Digestive Inefficiencies
4. Autoimmune Processes
5. Serious diseases, like cancer, heart disease and diabetes

I’ll be exploring the topic of fatigue and its underlying causes and strategies for identifying and removing them on my Creating a Vibrant Life Blog Talk Radio Show on Wednesday, March 24 at 12:30 PM central time.

We’ll demystify adrenal fatigue, and distinguish it from thyroid fatigue. We’ll share strategies, stories and inspiration, to help move you from exhausted to energized.

Submit your questions for me pertaining to fatigue and regaining energy in the comment box below so we can address your concerns on the show.

The shows are all recorded and you can access the recording and download to iTunes by going back to the show link afterward. There are archives of past shows there as well.

http://www.drritamarie.com/go/RadioShow

And watch for my article called Running on Empty in the spring edition of Purely Delicious Magazine, due out in April.

http://www.drritamarie.com/go/PurelyDelicious

I look forward to connecting with you soon.

Love, Health and Joy to You,

Dr. Ritamarie

P.S.  Comment below:  What are you committing to for your health?  Today is day 22 of the 30 Day Sleep and Fun Challenge.  I am happy to report that I have gotten more than 6 hours of sleep for 3 days straight.  Over the weekend, I actually managed to get 9 hours!  And my exercise is consistent again – almost everyday!

How about you?  Commit below and make it happen.

My Commitment to My Adrenals: No Fatigue, Just Sleep!

When I work with people with fatigue symptoms, related to thyroid and adrenal overload, I talk about several key things:

1. Whole foods, fresh diet, high in raw foods
2. Proper hydration
3. Omega 3 fat balance
4. Getting off allergenic and inflammatory foods, including gluten, dairy, and sugar.
5. Fresh air and sunshine
6. Exercise
7. Restoring their adrenal reserve and enhancing detoxification via sleep.

I model the first 6 beautifully. I am committed to being as healthy and vibrant as I can be so that I can be a role model to others.

So why is number 7 so ###!!## hard for me?

I did really well on my sleep commitment the first week of my 30 day challenge.

My adrenals loved me for it, and I warded off a bout with adrenal fatigue by giving myself what I needed.

So why can’t I make a firm and lasting commitment?

I’m backsliding. I won’t even say how late it was when my head finally hit the pillow.

There’s still lots to do…there always will be. Yet I am off to meet my pillow and keep my commitment to me.

I made no commitments today and I kept none. What a deal. Tomorrow is a new day.

I did make myself a quart of green juice to start the day. It was lovely. I also did a great job on my omega 3′s today.  The subject is on my mind, as balancing the immune system was the topic of the week for Balance My Body.

I noticed dark circles under my eyes…not good for a fatigue expert to look tired. Not good for someone who prides herself in looking much younger and having the body of a 20 something year-old to notice signs of aging.

Commitments for Sunday, and the rest of the week.

• I will get outside and exercise
• I will make at least 16 ounces of green juice and 32 ounces of smoothie
• I will get my omega 3′s again
• I will eat consciously and with gratitude
• I will…can I say it and mean it…I will…..I will…..go to bed by 11PM…at least Sunday

Please hold me to it. Write me and ask me what time I went to bed. I can’t lie.

Post below and be bold enough to check in and make sure I am doing what I committed to. Sleep is vital for health. Food is great, exercise is great, greens are great…but they will only take me so far if I keep burning the candle at both ends.

Have a wonderful Sunday.

Sleeeeeeeeeeeep!

Love, Health and Joy,

Dr. Ritamarie

WISH: Detoxification to Support Adrenal Exhaustion, Low Sex Drive and Digestive Issues: Sleep and Fun are Important Components

Detoxification and cleansing programs are in the news, on the health food store shelves and talked about now in casual conversation. They are said to cure everything — adrenal exhaustion and chronic fatigue,  sluggish thyroid, depression, decreased sex drive and even cancer.  Seriously, you’ve probably heard about detoxification over and over…yet do you have a clear understanding of what the process is all about? There are powders and potions, and olive oil liver flushes and lemonade diets that have become popular, yet what really is detox and why is it important?

On my interview for the Women’s International Summit for Health (W.I.S.H.) I discuss the process of detoxification, it’s importance in hormone balance, digestive health, energy, sex drive and every other function your body does for you.  Learn how to support your body’s natural detoxification mechanisms daily and when to engage in a special program.  If you haven’t already listened in, you can sign up at Women’s International Summit for Health (W.I.S.H.).

If you’ve already listened to the call, you know that we decided to do a Women’s 3 day mini green detox program.  It’s short, easy and powerful.  And you don’t need any special equipment or potions to make it happen.  All you need is a blender, some fresh, raw leafy greens and some fresh or frozen fruit.  Are you ready to begin?

To start, download my FREE e-book “Blended Greens for Health and Longevity”.  If you’ve already participated in my powerful 7 day Green Smoothie Cleanse, you can use your Green Cleanse Recipe Guide, with over 50 delicious smoothie and soup recipes.

Here’s what to do:

Preparation for 3 Day Green Cleanse and Detoxification Program

Download “Blended Greens for Health and Longevity” or search the web for green smoothie recipes.

Join in on the Raw Divas 3 day green smoothie mini course for day to day email support.

The essence of the program is to do the following for 3 days

• Drink Green smoothies and green soup all day long, as much as you’d like and as much as you need to keep you satisfied.
• In addition to the green smoothies, you may eat one or two large salads, loaded with greens and rainbow vegetables and fresh whole fruit.
• For Dressing, you can keep it simple by blending cucumber, apple and fresh herbs, or blend tomato,celery and lemon juice, or tomato, mango and lime juice, or red bell pepper, tomato, lemon or lime and herbs.  Or, make up your own simple blend – it’s easy.  You can also get the e-book  70 Healthy Salad Dressings Recipe Book, a collection of  easy, low fat  and tasty salad dressings you can make in less than 2 minutes.  For the 3 day cleanse, choose dressings that contain little or no added fat for best results.

You’ll soon be feeling lighter, cleaner and clear-headed.

If you like how you feel, who knows, you may decide to keep it going a little longer, or may even decide to join on my next green cleanse.

Comment below if you’re joining in.  Make a commitment to yourself and to thousands of women across the globe.

And also join in the ongoing 30 Day Sleep and Fun Challenge.  Every day, we’re posting our commitments to health supporting activities that we’ll do that day.  It helps keep you on track.  Take a look through previous days posts to see the kinds of things people are accomplishing.

So what do fun and sleep have to do with detoxification?  Lots!  Fun changes your chemistry, decreases internally produced stress toxins and frees your liver to more effectively detox.  The WISH call talks more about this.  And sleep is master at helping you to cleanse.  While you sleep, your detox mechanisms are going full steam ahead and cleaning you up from the days debris.  Between the hours of 11 and 1, your liver is especially active at detox, unless you’re still awake.  Then you get hungry because of the increased metabolic fire that’s intended for detox. So sleep, especially before midnight is very important for cleansing

My challenges lately have been not taking enough time for fun and sleep. That’s why I started this challenge.  I’m making progress, but as you’ll see below. I’m not perfect yet.

My report card from yesterday:

1- bed by midnight - I had so much to do with the WISH summit, Balance My Body Program and private client follow-up that I missed my deadline and made it to bed by 1:30am.  Still, a lot earlier that I’d been doing before this challenge started.  Progress, not perfection is my motto.  The important thing is my awareness is there and I am not unconsciously staying up too late.  Plus I feel so energetic at midnight.

2- running in the sun - it rained here so running up and down stairs was the best I could do

3- 15 minute fun break - my fun was creating a kelp noodle lunch!

4- 2 quarts green smoothie - this is easy for me by now.  I love my green smoothies

My commitments for today

1- get out for a run in the sun (its sunny again)

2- finish writing a chapter in my new book

3- bed by 12:30 – I am being realistic here…knowing what needs to be completed

4- Green smoothies only ’til dinner

Are you joining the 3 day green detox challenge?  What are your goals?  What are you committed to today?  Comment below and be sure to sign up here to be notified whenever I post a new article here so you don’t miss anything.

Subscribe to Dr. Ritamarie’s Creating Vibrant Health Blog

Love, health, joy and happy green detox to you.

(how appropriate that we begin on Saint Patrick’s Day, the day of the green.)

Dr. Ritamarie