What's on your Wednesday Menu?

Happy Hump Day my friends! I got a lot done yesterday which was great but I still have so much to do before the weekend. I have a bunch of assignments due and I'm teaching a huge class again this weekend. These classes are so fun but the prep work is insane!

QOTD: Do you watch any of the tv shows about obese people losing weight? I have only watched a few episodes of My 600lb life or others in the genre. I was not inspired by any of it, so I didn't bother watching more. But there was a show on Netflix a few years ago that closely followed some WLS patients in New Zealand called the Big Ward and I really liked it.

Accountability: I forgot to eat lunch, and swapped out dinner to a Smart Ones frozen dinner to make a dent in the freezer so that I can store more cookies in there!

B: egg bites

L: Smart Ones frozen dinner

D: veggie burger w/ cheese

G'morning all!

Don't know why but have been up since 1:00 am, and reading the "Refuse to Regain".

I haven't set foot in a gym since Mar 2020. Is it weird that I miss it? I miss the socialization and the variety of machines, but during the pandemic I bought enough equipment that my trainer can write down all kinds of workouts for me. I would love to have a vault like Amy's where everything is organized, bcz my dumbbells are all sitting on the floor in the corner of my bedroom.

QOTD: right after WLS I used to watch my 600 lbs life as a warning to myself, although I would get upset when they were not following the plan or right out lie to Dr Now by saying they didn't know why they weren't losing weight. I haven'****ched an episode in a long time. I'd love to see a program where they check on people after 5-7-10 years of surgery to see where they are and what they have done to maintain.

My meals yesterday:

• Coffee
• Hb eggs + tuna pouch
• jello, iced coffee w/PP
• Tacos w/cauliflower thins as shells
• E: cardio + weight

Happy hump day!

Did you even sleep? That is crazy early. I'm glad you mentioned the name of that book, I need to order it as well; reinforcement and new tips are always welcome!

Haha! Yes 11:00-1:00. And then again 5:00-7:00.

Oh boy, you're going to be tired today! Yesterday I woke up at 3:45 am (bed at 10:30 pm) and couldn't go back to sleep. By the end of the day, I was tired. Also tired when I went to yoga, but the workout really helped energize me for a little while. Maybe you can get a nap in.

Do you think this is an age thing, WLS or what. I know Jen has never slept much, but the rest of us seem to struggle.

It is an interesting thought. I assumed that the change in sleep pattern was related to my weight loss. However, I decided to look at the literature to confirm... Here are some findings:

1) Severely obese bad sleepers improved their subjective sleep quality, the components of sleep, and cardiorespiratory fitness through an exercise training program. Improvement in subjective sleep quality was linked to an increase in handgrip strength.

2) LSG and RYGB surgeries significantly improved the patients' (subjective) sleep quality, decreased daytime sleepiness, and reduced the risk of OSA. Overall, BMI reduction and lack of OSA can significantly affect sleep quality.

3) Shortened sleep duration causes hormonal and metabolic changes that favor fat accumulation and weight gain. Obesity, in turn, may reduce sleep quality and contribute to sleep loss.

4) Individuals with extreme obesity, compared to the nonobese, obtain less sleep and experience poorer sleep quality. Bariatric surgery improves sleep duration and quality.

5) With aging, sleep patterns tend to change. Most people find that aging causes them to have a harder time falling asleep. They awaken more often during the night and earlier in the morning. Total sleep time stays the same or is slightly decreased (6.5 to 7 hours per night). It may be harder to fall asleep and you may spend more total time in bed.

Perhaps the greater quality of sleep post WLS contributes to the shorter duration of sleep in some individuals. I feel that my quality of sleep has improved vastly as I have lost weight and improved my overall fitness. In general, when I wake up at 4am I don't feel tired and have good energy throughout the day. I do not have difficulty falling asleep (I do take melatonin every night with hydroxyzine as a sleep aid, but I am tired by bedtime due to my early morning awakening). I think that the sleep duration and quality is multifactorial (age, amount of weight lost, sleep hygiene, sleep apnea or other sleep conditions, etc).

It looks like more research needs to be done with the relationship between WLS and duration of sleep.

I'm guessing it's 5 plus the higher quality/lower volume thing. I miss 8 hours sometimes, though.

Lol, yes, for me - other than sleeping more during the initial recovery, my sleep hasn't changed at all. I am a sleep weirdo!

sleep can definitely be related to age, too. I'm sure I've read that people seem to need less sleep as they get older.