Burning Calories While You Sleep

While your body sleeps it’s performing many operations whether you realize it or not. This of course requires energy to be expended thus calories are being burned while you sleep. It’s important to understand how this works so that you can take the proper steps to maximize the amount of calories burned in your sleep.

First off here is how you can determine about how many calories on average you’re burning. During sleep, a person's weight and the number of hours he/she sleeps determine how many calories are burned.

Normally, a person burns about 0.42 calories for every pound in one hour of sleep. For instance, a 150 lb. person burns about 63 calories in one hour. If this person sleeps for eight hours total, he/she burns 504 calories for the whole duration. Just multiply the average rate with every pound of weight and number of hours of sleep. Therefore, the heavier a person is, as well as the longer a person sleeps, the more calories are burned.

Or you can just go to this link and the FitWatch calculator can do the math for ya J

http://www.fitwatch.com/phpscripts/viewexercise.php?descr=sleeping&mets=0.9

Here are some of the factors that contribute to the amount of calories burned during sleep:

MUSCLE MASS

Muscle mass impacts the rate of burning calories. Even while sleeping, a person with greater muscle mass burns more fats and sugar, compared to a person with average muscle mass, or worse, a person with more fats. A single pound of muscle consumes 50 calories for one whole day, while a pound of fat consumes only nine calories.

Metabolism also plays a key role in calorie burning. An active person requires more energy and burns more calories. On the other hand, a person with slower metabolism rate consumes less energy. It is during sleep that a person replenishes what he/she has lost during the day. Because an inactive person does not spend much energy during the day, there is not much energy to replenish when he/she sleeps.

BODY TEMPRATURE

You'll burn more calories --- several extra hundred each night --- while you sleep if you keep your body temperature cooler. When you bundle up in heavy blankets and wear thick pajamas, your body does not have to work to supply natural body heat. Sleeping with a cooler body temperature, sans excess blankets and cozy pajamas, makes your body's thermostat work to provide natural body heat.

LACK OF SLEEP

Substituting exercise for sleep time sounds like it would be an ideal way to lose weight, but it's actually not. Not getting at least seven hours of sleep each night can contribute to extra fat storage. When your body gets fewer than seven hours of sleep, hormones that increase your appetite kick into high gear. This will likely make you eat more than you would if well-rested. In addition to being hungry, your body will also crave carbohydrates and other high-calorie foods.

ALCOHOL

Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages before going to sleep. It slows down your metabolism rate.

So by increasing your awareness of these variables that effect the amount of calories burned in your sleep you can tip the scales in your favor to maximize your results!

Drinking And Exercise

Many of my clients like to have a drink every now and again. Some more than others ;)

When considering alcohol from a dieting standpoint most look straight to the nutritional information. How many calories are there, how many carbs etc?

So what is so detrimental about alcohol to your weight loss even if it’s a low calorie/carb drink?

It has to do with how your body processes alcohol, and the effects that process has on your body and your metabolism.

Slower Recovery

Hard workouts drain the glycogen stores (carbs stored in the liver and muscles) and leave your muscle tissue in need of repair. High levels of alcohol displace the carbs, leaving your stores still 50 percent lower than normal even eight hours later, according to one study.

Added Weight

When you drink, your body, besides having to deal with the surplus of calories, prioritizes metabolizing the alcohol over burning fat and carbs. Alcohol also breaks down amino acids and stores them as fat. It also increases levels of cortisol (a stress hormone), which further encourages fat storage, particularly in your midsection.

Disrupted Sleep

Drinking also disrupts your muscle recovery and performance by sapping your sleep. In a study of 93 men and women, researchers found that alcohol decreased sleep duration and increased wakefulness (particularly in the second half of the night), especially in women, whose sleep time was decreased by more than 30 minutes over the night. Disrupting the sleep cycle can reduce your human growth hormone output (which builds muscle) by as much as 70 percent.

Depleted Water and Nutrients

Alcohol irritates the stomach lining, which can reduce your capacity to absorb nutrients  For every gram of ethanol you take in, you drain out 10 milliliters of urine (that's about 9.5 ounces for two beers). As little as 2 percent dehydration hurts endurance performance. 

Caffeine

Caffeine is the most widely used stimulant drug in the world, usually ingested in the form of coffee, tea, soft-drinks, and of course energy drinks.

Caffeine is absorbed by the stomach and intestine, and peak blood levels occur about 45 - 60 minutes after ingestion. Once in the blood stream, caffeine causes a number of responses in the body. Caffeine is well known for it’s stimulant effects on the brain, but there are a number of other effects that occur.

Blood pressure, pulse rate, and stomach acid production are increased, fat stores are broken down, and fatty acids are released into the blood stream. These effects can last from a few hours to as long as 12, but within 4 days or so of regular use, the body develops tolerance to many of the effects of caffeine. For example, although caffeine increases blood pressure and pulse in a first time user, a regular user will not experience any significant change.

Because caffeine increases the production of stomach acid it may worsen ulcer symptoms, cause heartburn, or give you that sick feeling in your gut. Insomnia, poor sleep, and anxiety are also side effects of caffeine. Regular evening use of caffeine may, over time, deprive the body of proper sleep, resulting in lack of energy and fatigue.

Abrupt discontinuation of caffeine in a regular user may trigger caffeine withdrawal symptoms. The most common symptoms are headache and fatigue. The headache may begin as soon as 18 hours following the last dose of caffeine. Differences in metabolism, diet, and frequency of caffeine use are some of the factors that can determine how an individual will react to caffeine.

Although caffeine does not appear to significantly alter water balance or body temperature, dehydration is a potential concern because caffeine is a mild diuretic.

Caffeine like anything else should only be used in moderation. If you rely on it on a daily basis to “get through the day” odds are you’re barely reaping any real benefit from it, or have to consistently increase your intake. Your best bet is to use it sparingly. Take a few days off now and again from it. You never want your body to become reliant on any substance to function. Proper diet and exercise will always trump any sort of stimulant whether you are using it for energy, weight loss, or both.  

Sugar Cravings

What Causes Sugar Cravings?

Sugar cravings can come from both physical and mental causes.

Sugar is a source of energy for your body. So when it needs energy it produces adrenaline. The adrenaline calls for sugar to fuel it. Lack of energy isn’t the only trigger for adrenaline to be produced though. Stress will set your body off to produce it as well. It’s a survival mechanism. Just like if you were being chased by a bear!

Daily stresses such as difficulties at work, home, personal life etc. will trigger lower but constant adrenaline levels thus causing a craving for sweets. This is one reason why sugary foods can be such a “comfort” when you’re feeling stressed or down.

This can also leads to a mental association with sugar and feeling “better”. So, even if your body doesn’t require sugar on a physical/chemical level your brain associates it as a solution to your mood and thus triggers your desire for it.

Another reason sugar can have such a relieving feeling is that it increases endorphin levels in your brain which has a pain relieving effect making you feel good. Sugar cravings are associated with premenstrual syndrome on account of the drop in endorphins that a woman experiences during this time, thus their craving for sugar kicks in.

Imbalances in a person’s serotonin levels can also play a major part in sugar cravings as serotonin has a large impact on your mood.

As much as sugar can provide you energy… once you have burned through it, or if you overindulge in it and saturate yourself with it, you will face an inevitable “crash” and feel suddenly very tired and lethargic.

So how much sugar should you have?

The general ratio for someone on a 2000 calorie a day diet shouldn’t exceed more than 40g of sugar in a day. If you want to get more specific about it… As per the latest details from the American Heart Association (AHA), the recommended daily sugar intake, that is healthy and not harmful for the body, has been established for men, women and children:

• Recommended Daily Sugar Intake for Men: 36 grams
• Recommended Daily Sugar Intake for Women: 20 grams
• Recommended Daily Sugar Intake for Children: 12 grams

Now don’t freak out! I know that seems low, and you’re saying… “Tommy! A piece of fruit has more than that!” This is true. When recommendations for “sugar” intake are made in this scenario it refers to what are called “added sugars” or “white sugar”. These are sugars found in cereal, peanut butter, anything but fruits or vegetables really.  A recent finding shows that even ONE slice of whole wheat bread has about 5 grams of added sugar. That means if a woman eats a slice of whole-wheat bread, she has accomplished 1/4 of her recommended daily sugar intake.

So what do you do about it?

Well there are several basic steps one can take to try and control one’s sugar intake in spite of their cravings.

Protein

Now this isn’t just me getting on my protein “soap box”, but often your body will exhibit cravings for sweets when what it really needs is protein. So, keeping a high protein diet will help limit your sugar cravings.

Fruits

If you find yourself craving sugar go for fruit. The sugars in fruits are not the same as sugar found in candy, or baked goods known as “white sugar”. It processes differently in your body, aids in digestion, carries nutrients in them unlike the empty calories of white sugar, and they are sweet! Do they contain sugar? Yes, but these are “free” sugars. These don’t get counted against you. Besides, if you’re going to have sugar at least get something out of it!

Timing

Try to hold off on foods with significant sugar levels in them until later in the day around the late afternoon or early evening. The reason being, if you start your morning off with say a sugary cereal it will stimulate sugar cravings throughout the day.

Avoid Artificial Sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners have been known to increase your cravings for sweets. So while they may fill a void temporarily they may ultimately be digging you a deeper hole you’ll inevitably fill with a binge of bad sugars.

Meal Frequency

Meal frequency helps not only maintain a higher metabolic fat burning level in your body, but also helps regulate consistent blood sugar levels. This way you are less likely to find yourself with a drop in sugar levels leaving you with an insatiable desire for sweets. Yet another good reason to eat multiple well balanced meals throughout your day.

So, keep an eye on those sugar levels, maintain your meal frequency, keep your protein up, and you should find yourself having fewer, and more controlled sugar cravings. Thus resulting in weight loss, and a healthier you!

Sodium

Paying attention to your sodium levels is important not only in dieting for weight loss, but in maintaining a healthy diet in general.

Sodium levels have a way of creeping up on you and achieving high and even dangerous levels due to the way that food is produced, and distributed in the world today. Sodium is used to preserve foods, or add flavor to foods boasting a sugar free status. So pre-packaged/canned foods, frozen meats, and fast food are all very high in sodium.

Sodium is important as is it used by your body to regulate blood pressure, and blood volume. It’s also critical for the functioning of muscles and nerves. These are all pretty important processes controlled by something that few people pay much attention to.

So how much sodium should you take in? Your average healthy adult on a 2,000 calorie a day diet should be keeping their sodium at 2,300mg or less. People who suffer high blood pressure, and or are dieting for weight loss should keep their sodium at 1500mg or less.

Sodium does not cause you to gain or lose fat. It has no calories. High levels of sodium however do cause you to retain water. The higher your sodium intake the more water your body retains, and vice versa. After we consume large amounts of salt, it is the water moving from our bloodstream into our skin that gives us that "puffy" look. When we consume lesser amounts of salt, the same process works in reverse to remove the excess water from our bodies.

It also is one of the leading causes of high blood pressure or hypertension which can lead to strokes, heart attacks as well as heart and kidney failure.

Though the terms are often used interchangeably, salt and sodium are not the same thing. Sodium, which is found naturally in most foods, accounts for approximately 40% of table salt. Therefore when salt is added to food, the sodium content increases by approximately 40% of the amount of salt added.

Our bodies rely on electrolytes, most significantly sodium and potassium, to carry the electrical impulses that control our bodily functions. In order for our bodies to function properly, it is important that the concentration of electrolytes in our bodies remain constant. Which means maintaining a consistent yet healthy level of sodium in your diet.

A high concentration of sodium in our blood triggers our thirst mechanism, causing us to consume adequate amounts of water to return to the proper concentration of electrolytes. This is one of the reasons why bars provide free salty snacks like pretzels and peanuts. The salt causes us to become thirsty and drink more.

Here are some examples of sodium levels in various forms of food from fast food, canned, to frozen:

Fast Foods

Burger King - Tendergrill Garden Salad: 920mg

McDonalds - Premium Southwest Salad With Grilled Chicken: 960mg

Subway - 6” Subway Club (from the 6g of fat or less menu): 880mg

KFC - Grilled Chicken Breast: 460mg

Taco Bell - Fresco Chicken Soft Taco from the drive thru “diet menu”: 480mg

Canned Foods/Condiments

Campbell’s – 1 Cup Chicken Noodle Soup: 870mg

Del Monte – ½ Cup of Cut Green Beans:  390mg

Progresso “Light” – 1 Cup Chicken Noodle Soup: 690mg

Diet Sodas/Crystal Light – Can have anywhere from 30 to 70mg per 8oz

Heinz Ketchup – 1 Tbsp: 160mg

French’s Yellow Mustard – 1 Tsp: 55mg

Hellman’s Low Fat Mayonnaise – 1 Tbsp: 130mg

Molly Mcbutter  Fat Free Natural Butter Flavor – 1 Tsp: 190 mg

A-1 Steak Sauce – 1 Tbsp: 280mg

Compared to frozen foods you might have at home…

Tyson – Grilled Skinless Chicken Breast: 220mg

Omaha Steaks – Grilled Skinless Chicken Breast: 130mg

Gorton’s – Signature Grilled Tilapia: 140mg

Jennie-O – All Natural ¼ lb Turkey Burgers: 160mg

Think about how quickly that can add up past your daily recommended sodium requirements!

Your best bet at keeping your sodium levels down is to buy fresh meats, fruits, and vegetables. This will limit added sodium to them. You do however have to eat the food before it goes bad, or freeze it on your own. Sodium is used as a preservative that allows you the convenience of storing foods for long periods of time without it going bad, or the ability to toss it in the microwave and heat it up.

Weight Watchers/Jenny Craig: Consistency Is KEY!

While I handle the diets of the majority of my clients there are a few who are more comfortable with either the Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig programs.

I have my issues with both of these programs as the foods involved do not promote muscle retention, and therefore have very little effect on retraining and boosting your metabolism. Those who are on it consistently will lose weight, but they will become slaves to the program if they want to keep it off.

Even with a regular exercise/workout routine they will not see much change in their shape or definition. They will simply shed muscle along with fat, decreasing their weight and inches yet looking the same… just smaller.

So, it’s always my preference to handle my clients’ diets myself. Plus you save money on the additional payment of these services. I believe it’s better to learn proper nutrition with real foods, and develop the habits necessary to achieve and maintain your goals on your own.

Weight Watchers/Jenny Craig are however more convenient for some, and sometimes are just a good jumpstart into the world of dieting before taking more aggressive action towards re-programming your metabolism.

The problem I run into almost 100% of the time is lack of consistency with the program. Both program’s method of success depends on the individual sticking to the meal plan 100%. This means if you are on Weight Watchers you should only be eating Weight Watchers recommended foods, and nothing else. Too many people eat some of the food they are provided or recommended, and then add in a little this and that of their own. By doing this you are lessening the efficiency/effectiveness of the plan. This goes for any diet really. Just because you go for your weekly consultation, and eat SOME of their food doesn’t mean you will see progress.

You are either on it or you aren’t.

The meal program works effectively only if you stick to it 100%. These programs are effective for overall weight loss as I said, but they are also businesses designed to keep you as a client for as long as possible, thus the necessary consistency for results and maintenance.

So while I’m not wild about these programs, if you are going to be on them, then at the very least do yourself a favor and either do it or don’t. Stick to it 100% or you are wasting your time, and just making them richer the longer you stagnate in their program.

My Fitness Pal: Calories Aren't Everything

Many of my clients have been using the MyFitnessPal.com website to track their nutrition intake, and have all fallen in love with it.

The program is a fantastic and convenient way to track your food, especially if you are able to utilize the App that syncs with the site. It has lead to clients of mine tracking their food more religiously than ever.

The program however puts a lot of emphasis on your daily calorie intake. While this is important to track and be aware of, it is not the sole gauge for how you should lose weight. Weight loss is much more involved than simple calories in, and calories out. The program is a great tracking tool, but it’s still important that I set your limits/goals regarding calories, protein, carbs etc.

As your trainer I know you better than the program does. I know your routine, your sleep patterns, and your energy output in a week. It’s not to say you can’t lose weight by simply creating a calorie deficit in your diet, but more often than not that leads to you shedding as much muscle as you do fat. You may get smaller/lighter, but your shape and tone will stay the same. You also won’t be retraining your metabolism to work on a higher level, in fact it may even slow it down leaving you fighting a constant uphill battle to keep your weight down.

There are ways in the settings of the program to change your calorie limits, as well as your other nutritional goals to be more specific to your personal needs. I will sit down with you and help set that up. These numbers will also change as you progress as well, and will need more adjusting as we go along.

Another great feature of this program is that you can “Friend Request” me, giving me viewing access to your log at any time. To do so just follow these steps…

1.      Go to “Settings" and choose "Diary Settings". Choose - Friends only.

2.      On your home page click on the COMMUNITY tab.

3.      Click on “Find Members”

4.      In the USERNAME box type: T3_Fitness

5.      Send the request

Once I accept the request I’ll have viewing access to your log, and will be able to see what you’re eating each day, if you’re being consistent with your entries it will allow me the ability to offer nutritional guidance between sessions if necessary garnering you better results more efficiently. 

Nobody HAS To Drink

I hear often from clients how they have situations come up where they HAVE to drink.

Be it a business dinner, or meeting with old friends... Nobody HAS to drink. While not drinking may not be as fun while around others who are, you have to ask yourself what is more important: Those couple of drinks or your health/weight loss goals.

Some are embarrassed to not drink with their friends, or co-workers in that they don't want them to know that they are dieting or trying to lose weight. But this goes beyond simple weight loss. One of the greatest benefits to weight loss beyond the cosmetic, is that it allows your body to function healthier.So you could always cite health reasons, or just tell them it's none of their business why you're not drinking.

I'll write you a note to show them that says your trainer won't allow it if that's what it takes!

If you had diabetes, or were a recovering alcoholic you wouldn't drink. Regardless of the circumstances. You just wouldn't. Your weight loss has to become just as important of a reason for you to not drink.

Many argue that there are some benefits to some alcohol such as wine. This is true. However, if your goal is weight loss then the drawbacks far outweigh the benefits. Some look at the calorie content in liquor and more often than not it's less than 150 calories a drink... so no, nothing too over the top,. But 150 empty calories are 150 more you're going to have to work off. This may not sound like much, but it adds up quickly.

Remember, though you track your calories and various other nutritional information throughout each day, and start at zero with each new day, your body doesn't start each day at a zero count. It's still carrying calories and carbs from the day before, and the day before that. To create a calorie deficit in your body can take weeks of strict dieting to achieve. THAT'S when progressive weight loss occurs.

Little snacks, and alcoholic beverages are silent killers towards your weight loss goals as they seem like nothing at the time. The bottom line is that they do add up, and alcohol takes longer for your body to break down and process. It's man made, and your body isn't technically built for processing it.

I'm not saying you'll never drink again. But if you're paying for a personal trainer, dieting, and striving to achieve health and fitness goals then going a 6 week period without alcohol should be completely worth the effort, and social alienation.

When I prepare for a bodybuilding competition I go 12-14 weeks without 1 drop of alcohol, and there's a very good reason for it. Trust me, if it didn't matter and I could get away with it. I would.

So, I don't want to hear from any of my clients how they HAD to have a drink that night they went out.

Nobody... HAS to drink They CHOOSE to, and if you choose to while dieting, you are choosing to slow down your progress and force yourself to work harder than you'd otherwise have to.

The Calorie Deficit

Counting calories is a pretty big part of dieting/weight loss. Many struggle to understand how it works, why they have to do to it, and how your body processes calories going in and going out.

Let’s start with what a calorie is:

“A unit of energy-producing potential that is contained in food and released upon oxidation by the body. “

Each day your body burns a number of calories from your usual daily activities. In each person the number is different. Let’s say for example your number is 1000.

One pound of fat contains 3500 calories. From a caloric standpoint, you would have to eat a surplus of 3500 calories to gain a pound of fat. These are calories not spent in your daily routine. So if you spend 1000 calories a day in energy output, then you’d have to take in 4500 calories to put on a pound of fat. Sounds like a huge task to take in that much right? Remember though, you don’t necessarily start each day at a zero count for your calories. Unburned calories can carry over day to day. Equally however, you have to burn 3500 calories to take off a pound of fat, which means creating a calorie deficit, or burning more calories than you take in.

For example:

If you followed a 1000 calorie a day diet, (which in most cases I don’t recommend), creating at 200-500 calorie a day deficit through simple dietary changes, it would take 7-17 days to lose one pound of fat. If you incorporated 400 calories of daily exercise, now you could lose more than a pound a week. The process takes time and patience. It comes down to putting out more energy, than calories you’re taking in.

Once you are able to create that calorie deficit, then your body will begin eating up your stored fat for energy. Slow weight loss is always better, as it gives your body time to adjust to the changes, and ensures the weight loss is coming from fat, and not muscle. It also gives your skin time to tighten up and adjust to your new shape.

When you are going through your daily routine, about 85% of your energy comes from fat. Fat is the energy source of choice in a resting body. When the body is rushed through a weight loss process, it tends to eat up muscle. Building and maintaining muscle increases your metabolism. A lack of muscle makes for a slower metabolism. It takes less than 1000 calories of energy to burn a pound of muscle. It may not seem fair, but it’s just the way the body works. So maintaining muscle is EXTREMELY important.

On paper, weight loss is a simple process. It does however, require a great deal of patience and will power. The fat was not deposited overnight, so you can’t expect it to disappear the same. Now, mind you this is fat loss based on calories alone. There are a number of other variables to be considered as well as discussed in previous articles.

This is simply a look at the caloric aspect.

Varying Your Protein Sources

The importance of protein in your diet is something I continually stress. It fuels, and rebuilds your muscles as well as ignites your metabolism.

A common mistake people make however is when they become too married to their protein sources.  A common example is when people rely solely on protein drinks or bars. These are good from a convenience standpoint, and for those who it applies to, can be particularly beneficial post workout as whey protein mixes are absorbed by your body quickly. These should not however be the only substantial source of protein in your diet.

You ideally want to have protein in every one of your meals throughout the day continually fueling not only your muscles, but your metabolism as well. Most protein supplements are meant to be fast acting. For those who have just worked out. The protein is released into your system, and is only doing it’s job for a limited time. Protein that comes from food is released slower over time as it is digested. You want that continual release of protein especially overnight when you sleep, as that is when your body does the majority of it’s healing and growing.

Your body is built to adapt, and this applies to how it reacts to chemicals, and nutrients. Just like you can build a tolerance to alcohol, or caffeine, your body can build up an adaptation to a protein source, and it then begins to lose it’s effect on you. So, if chicken was your only protein source… over time it would begin to have a weaker, lesser effect on you.

The challenge for some can come in the form of personal likes/dislikes. Some people don’t like fish, or chicken. This can be a limiting factor for some. It’s one less source for them to utilize. I personally take in 5 to 6 different sources of protein a day. That doesn’t mean you have to, but you just don’t want to become too routine in what you eat. While I enjoy fish, I am admittedly not that good at preparing it, and therefore it is a limiting factor for me. It’s something I eat when I go out.

An example of where my protein might come from in a day is as follows… I’ll have a whey protein drink in the morning post-workout, turkey at lunch, tuna mid afternoon, chicken for dinner, and a casein protein drink before bed. I don’t do this routine every single day. It changes, but as you can see, meal to meal I’m varying where my protein comes from. If you are even taking in protein from 3 different sources a day you’re doing well. The point is to always remain conscious of it and not fall into a routine.

This is something I monitor in my client’s diets, and is something you should too to stay progressive in your health and fitness goals.