Wednesday, March 14, 2012

I'm Trying to go to Sleep!



Bedtime...the time when the body renews itself and when it restores and repairs itself as well. For those of us that are overweight, it is also the time when we find ourselves snacking the most! My issue is that I have a toddler...can't change that, nor do I want to. However, it is usually only after she goes to sleep at night, around 9 PM, that I have time for myself. So, I don't usually go to sleep until after 1 AM. Sometimes, not until 2 AM. So what happens when you eat dinner around 6 or 7 PM and then you are awake for another 7 or 8 hours? You guessed it folks! You get hungry! I used to find myself snacking on sweet and salty foods during that time. Lately, I have been trying to just eat fruit after 7 PM, if I find myself getting hungry. When I think about it, however, I am probably not hungry. I am probably either bored, or thirsty. We often confuse our thirst for liquids, with our hunger, for foods. I know this, because as I track my water intake, and shoot for the 64 ozs. of water recommended as a daily dosage, I find myself coming up short by the end of the night. So my body is probably actually craving some of the water it did not get earlier in the day. Don't fret about not drinking at least, or more than, 64 ozs. of water, per day. I also read that we should also "eat" our water. This means, most of the food we should consume on a daily basis has a high dosage of water already in it. So if we are consuming foods that are nutritious and healthy, ie: fruits such as watermelons or pineapples, along with veggies such as green beans and cabbage, our bodies are also pulling some of its water from those sources. Just make sure you stay hydrated; and if you consume a lot of fibrous foods, make sure you drink an abundance of water to help those foods flush out the toxins in your body. I read a long time ago that one of the reasons salad (lettuce) is so good for you is because of its texture. When you eat it, it gently scrapes the intestinal walls as it passes through your colon, thereby, helping the body remove waste that has been deposited there. It would also help to explain one of the reasons I lost approximately 30 lbs. in one month, when I was in high school. I had decided that I wanted and needed to lose weight. So I ate NOTHING but salads for an entire month! That's right, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, all salads. I put whatever I wanted to on top of the lettuce. I didn't discriminate on the salad dressing, or the toppings. It was usually whatever was in the fridge at the time. Although I wouldn't recommend that drastic of a measure, it did flatten my stomach and I was able to see parts of my body that I hadn't seen (without assistance) in the months prior. Problem was, it was not a lifestyle change and it couldn't be sustained. Moral of the story, eat your water, drink your water, and try to go to bed early!!! :)

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