Week 8: Zzzzzz

I was up till 1:30 a.m. trying to see if some of the states were ever going to count their votes.  Then I gave up and went to bed.

Which brings me to my topic for this week... lack of sleep can hinder weight loss.

According to Harvard, there are several research studies that show a higher risk of weight gain for those who do not get enough sleep, compared to those who sleep 7-8 hours a night.

Why is this?

Researchers speculate that chronic sleep deprivation leads to weight gain because (1) it increases how much a person eats, and/or (2) it affects how much energy a person burns.

(1) Sleep deprivation may increase in calorie intake due to:

• Increasing hunger by altering the hormones that control hunger
• Giving people more time to eat
• Prompting less healthy food choices, including more snacking and eating out 

(2) Sleep deprivation might decrease energy expenditure because:

• Decrease in physical activity and exercise
• Sleep deprivation tends to lower body temperature, which may decrease metabolism

There is also a link between sleeping too much and obesity, but the causation is reversed.  Issues such as sleep apnea, obstructive lung disease,  depression, or cancer may be obesity-related, which causes the increase in hours sleeping.

You can read more about this on their website by clicking here.

If you have problems falling asleep, try the following routine:

During the day
Even doing half of the recommended weekly 150 minutes of moderate activity and 2 muscle-training sessions has been shown to reduce sleep problems in women by regulating body temperature and reducing depression and anxiety.

Two hours before bedtime
Mimic twilight by lowering the lights.  Also consider the color of the light.  Harsh white light like you get from fluorescent bulbs have a blue component that suppresses the body's release of melatonin.  Shop for bulbs that say "soft" or "warm" with 3000 kelvins or less.

One hour before bedtime
Dim your screens (TV or computer), which emit even more blue light than your light bulbs.  That light, plus all the brain-stimulation you get from exciting or disturbing content, will keep your mind churning.

Half hour before bedtime
Turn off your screens.  Experts recommend reading a book by dim lamp light.  Avoid any exciting books, or anything related to work or school.  It's chill down time.

I found an old SNL bit to share:

If you are still reading at this point, you will be happy to know that I finally ran out of topics to ramble about!  I hope somebody out there learned something new that was useful, or at least got a chuckle. :)  Keep those updated weights coming!

I will post again when I have some news, an incredible revelation, or an enormous amount of coffee intake.

Goodnight!
Fatniss

The Winner Is...

Dearest Tributes,

Please join me in congratulating the winners!

Drum roll please...

First Place - $240 goes to How the Hell Did This Happen? ...Kathy Lester

Second Place - $168 goes to Plumpish ...Alisa Bengs

Third Place - $72 goes to Fifty Shades of Weigh ...Carie Mossman

You winners worked very hard and I applaud you!

Several of you did a wonderful job of improving your health.  If you did not win money, just think of this as a relatively cheap weight loss program.  Haa!  For those of us who did not manage to shrink ourselves, we have more potential for winning in the next round.

I shall now indulge myself and share my before and after pics...
Before:

After:

Thank you all for playing!  And thank you so much for your kind support of my efforts.  Have a very Merry Christmas!

If you want to save any of the files I've included on previous blog posts, now is the time, because I plan to take this blog down very soon.  It's laden with copyright infringement.  To be able to see all the posts, click on the top banner where it says "NICU Hunger Games", and you will be able to access all the posts in order from newest to oldest.

Per popular request, Hunger Games II will be coming in January.

Peace Out,
Fatniss

Week 7: Water

Hi Tributes.  I decided to talk a little about water today, because I realized just how little of it I drink.  At the end of a workday last week, I figured out that all I had was most 8 oz of coffee, the milk on my cereal, and another 6 oz of water.  Since our brains are 75% water, this might explain why I am such an AIR-head... and struggling with weight loss.  Here is an info-graphic I found.  The face is kinda Halloween-creepy, but the rest of it is good.

You may have heard the 8 x 8 rule  "Drink eight-8 oz of fluids per day."  This is pretty close to the Institute of Medicine's recommendation of 9 cups of fluid/day for women and 13 cups/day for men.

Now, I get pretty bored with water, so I did a search for ways to make it taste better.  Here is a link to an article on Food Network.  It has suggestions and pretty pictures.  I'm not too sure about the tomato-basil infusions. Water that tastes like spaghetti might be a bit weird, but if you try it and you like it, let me know.

Here is a link to a water infuser on Amazon.  It has good ratings.  I'm ordering one today.  It has an insulating sleeve that would effectively hide the fact that there is food in your water, there in Hydration Station.  Just don't be tempted to crunch on your cucumbers back there.  Big no no.
https://www.amazon.com/Fresh-O2-Fusions-Infuser-Insulated/dp/B01EW50G9I/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1478099797&sr=8-5&keywords=water+infusers

 I am really proud of the competitive spirit in you all.  I think I like the fact that you are waving food and candy under each others' faces.  I'm not sure which I enjoy the most... watching you help each other, or watching you try to sabotage each other.

I did not receive very many home weights this week.  If I get better participation next week, I will post them on the blog.  In the meantime, I will email updates to those who have updated me, just to be fair to those who have been "revealing" themselves.  :)  

Soon I will be posting info on the final weigh-in.

Ciao!
Fatniss