Go to Bed!

You don't have to go to bed right now, especially not if you just got up! But getting to bed earlier might be the answer to several of your weight-loss problems. If you have the luxury, a nap could also help!

If you are like me, you save all your sitting around and television watching for the evening hours. You will NEVER catch me on the couch during the day! But once 8pm rolls around, you will rarely find me anywhere BUT the couch! Unless I am getting up to dig around in the cupboards for something to eat.

All day long, I am very strict about my Zone diet. I even measure and weigh my portions quite often, if not at every single meal. I correctly balance my protein, carbs, and fat every time I eat. I consume plenty of fresh veggies and fruit. But then those evening hours roll around.

Here are my typical excuses:

"I've been SOOOO good ALL day long!"

"I deserve a little treat! I haven't had any sugar today...yet."

"I exercised ___ hours today!" (Usually around 600 or so.)

"I think I might be hungry."

"I have to finish up that _____ (chocolate, cake, pie, etc.) so I won't be tempted by it anymore!"

You like that last one? That's really great logic, right? If I eat it NOW, then it will be gone and I won't have to eat it tomorrow! Yeah, that makes perfect sense.

I have found that the later I stay up in the evening, the more likely it is I will succumb to the lure of the crap. Of course, for the most part, we try to keep the TOTAL crap out of the house completely. So I am talking mostly about stuff that is just extra calories, usually in the carbohydrate form, usually made out of grains. The same stuff I have been able to resist all day long. It could be a bowl of Cherrios with almond milk. Or a bowl of popcorn with nutritional yeast. Last night it was a half of a tuna salad sandwich on our last heel of bread. No one else was going to eat that slice of bread. It would have gotten moldy and ended up in the compost pile. I had to eat it. (Yes, more excellent excuses. I am full of them!)

Now, you may be thinking that doesn't sound so bad. It could certainly be worse! But eating extra calories late in the evening is a recipe for weight gain. I didn't NEED that half a sandwich. I wasn't even really hungry. But nighttime eating can easily become a habit.

How can you fight this late night eating trend? Go to bed!

Getting into bed earlier is a very good idea for many reasons. You might avoid the temptation to eat more. Plus any extra sleep you get is probably much needed. We tend to be significantly sleep-deprived as a nation. And during your sleeping hours, many important hormones are released which work to repair muscle damage, heal injuries, and reduce cellular inflammation. Sleep is absolutely key to keeping your immune system functioning at its best. Researchers still don't understand exactly why it is that we must sleep, only that it is crucial to our continuing health and wellness. And the extra sleep will give you additional physical strength for your workout as well as willpower for sticking to your healthy eating plan.

So go to bed! If not now, then get there early tonight! And have some pleasant dreams!