As some of you may know. I had a baby 5 months ago, and have been trying to shed the pounds. My baby does not sleep through the night due to issues with eczema, he wakes up itching consistantly, no matter how well i keep his skin moisterized. I have set up an appointment with a specialist because his doctors are just not cutting it. So, I have read a lot about how your body not getting enough sleep, can cause you to not lose weight. So, If I'm not getting any sleep, how do I lose weight? I really don't know what to do as of now. I'm eating right and working out hard.
How can I lose weight if I'm not getting any sleep?
- Thread starter njoyabl
- Start date
I'm sure you're right, unfortunately my baby runs that show.
Lack of sleep doesn't make it impossible to lose wieght, it just makes it alot harder. There are hormones which doon't come into play unless you have had enought sleep, they supress your appetite. In addition there are hormones which increase your hunger if you don't sleep well enough and added to that there is the fatigue which your mind can want to fix with simple sugars like junk food or sugary drinks and you may get cravings for refined carbohydrate foods.
I'd say go easy on yourself- you are trying to look after an entire other person here, it can't be easy without the eczema let alone the loss of sleep and the fact that its only been 5 months...
Maybe set some goals to and take things more slowly. Classes like yoga over classes like circuit for example. If your breastfeeding you really don't want to be losing weight anyway and even if your not your going to need all your energy to keep yourself going mentally and physically. Unless you have a gun to your head, no one is telling you to lose weight other then yourself. If others are cruel enough to pass judgement, its up to you waht you do with that, but I'd say look after yourself and your baby, life and experience whats most important right now, not weight loss.
I'd say go easy on yourself- you are trying to look after an entire other person here, it can't be easy without the eczema let alone the loss of sleep and the fact that its only been 5 months...
Maybe set some goals to and take things more slowly. Classes like yoga over classes like circuit for example. If your breastfeeding you really don't want to be losing weight anyway and even if your not your going to need all your energy to keep yourself going mentally and physically. Unless you have a gun to your head, no one is telling you to lose weight other then yourself. If others are cruel enough to pass judgement, its up to you waht you do with that, but I'd say look after yourself and your baby, life and experience whats most important right now, not weight loss.
Thanks Summer. I'm not breastfeeding, and I have bought some pilates dvd's. I haven't gotten to them yet, but now since my baby is crawling and a surprising 5 months, he loves to be in the floor, so hoping to start that this week. I would have to say, even though the scale isn't moving, I feel as though I am seeing some toning in my waist area. Could that be possible? Hope it's not my imagination.
My son see's a specialist next monday, so, hopefully maybe I could get at least an hour or two of extra sleep to help my body repair itself. Thanks for the encouragement.
ChefChiTown
New member
Lucky for you, there's a member on this forum that has fairly severe sleep issues that could probably offer you some good advice...
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...man, who was it though? SIGH, if only I could remember who it was. Oh yeah, that's right!!! It's...ME!!!
Anyway, I've been dealing with sleep issues for quite a long time now and I know how bad it can suck not getting any rest. When my body begins to feel sleep deprived, it becomes an extremely huge waste of time if I workout. Nothing beneficial comes out of it.
First of all, I'm way too tired to put forth an appropriate amount of physical effort in order to burn any calories, so any effort I would put in wouldn't be worth my time. Secondly, my body is way too messed up for things to be working properly. My body is trying to heal itself, which is something that it normally does while I'm sleeping. So, if I'm not getting enough sleep, my body isn't healing itself enough. And, if I try to workout with a damaged body (so to speak), I'm only going to be making myself weaker and more damaged. So, working out while I'm exhausted is only going to do more harm than good. Last, but certainly not least, when my body feels sleep deprived, I become an emotionally unstable, cranky mess. I don't know if you've ever tried to workout while in an unstable mental condition, but it's not fun. It doesn't make you feel good, like workouts normally do; it makes you pissed off at the world and ignites the fuse which can lead to emotional eating. And, if I start eating emotionally after a workout, then I'm just taking 1 step forward, 2 steps back.
So, in my experience, working out after your body has suffered a true lack of sleep is just a huge negative.
My recommendation would be the same as Jericho's - worry about catching up on sleep first, before you focus on losing weight.
I really noticed it this weekend. I was trying to workout, and it was a disaster. I have spent the last few days taking a break from it because then I was just tired. I had an inhouse babysitter and was able to go home, and sleep like 3 hours straight while my 17 year old cousin watch the kids. Thank goodness. I have decided to just eat well and try and move a little more, taking out the trash and cleaning for the spring. Getting up from my desk at work, and just enjoying the kids. They are hilarious, they really are, and I am feeling better today. My baby slept better last night, and I felt better when I woke up this morning. I would like to take a different approach and not focus so much on the weightloss and in your suggestions, and just focus on my everyday life and enjoy it. Oh, and I started walking around the house in my heels! Great workout by the way. I have a ton of stilettos! Maybe not very healthy for my feet, but I can kick them off whenever, and dancing with the kids really gets me going! Ha Ha! Not sure how long I'll keep that up, but it's fun anyways.
Well, I had two days where sleep wasn't as bad. If you are part of the april 2010 challenge, i reached my first goal and lost the poundage, yea me. Last night was not good, but I planned to be to work 2 hours early, so it actually helped me to get to work. I also figured it would be a good thing thing to kick start my metabolism early. We'll see how the day pans out.
April 12th, I took my baby to the dermatologist. He gave me a cream that had to be mixed which I cannot pick up until today, and an oral medication to give to him at night for itching. I gave him the oral last night, and let me tell you, he slept so well from 10 pm, til about 4:30 am. It was like he was just waiting to get a good night's sleep. The doc told me to give him anywhere from .5 to 1.0 tsp. I gave him .75, right in between. I had to wake up a few times to make sure he was okay, he was just sleeping. I got some of the best rest ever since giving birth. I don't want to speak too soon, but thank goodness.
It seems that I spoke a little too soon, but on the plus side, I have been managing to lose some weight. I wish I had measured myself before because I think that my inches are really down, and I definitely see the progress. My bat wings have really gone down, and I predict in the next 2 to 3 months, they may not even be noticeable, I hope anyway. My baby has started his cream, and I think it might be one of those things where it gets worse before it gets better or something. In a week and a half, I notify the doctor whether it is better or not.
hi there, just wondering if you have looked at diet for your little one? i am a chronic eczema sufferer (also am trying to lose weight with sleep deprivation, hence finding your post), and dairy is a huge trigger for me. since you're not breastfeeding have you considered that maybe it might clear up (truly) if your little one has a different milk feed like soy or oat milk (not goat - is pretty much the same as cow in lactose and banned as an infant formula in Britain).
may i ask how your bat wings are coming lol? i also have a wakeful baby and a post pregnancy weight of 20kg more... eek. have just started trying to take control this week. wish me luck!