a peek inside the fishbowl

20 Sep, 2012

Nine things for Operation Trim: #6 - Perchance to sleep

Posted by andrea tomkins in: Challenge me, challenge you| Yaktivism

Remember waaaay back when I was writing about Operation Trim?

Well, I didn’t finish my list of nine things. A very hot summer in a very hot apartment sucked the energy right out of me. Let’s see.. where did we leave off?

  • Post #1 was about water - Sigh. I started out really well but it never became a habit. The only time I can manage to remember to drink water is right after I brush my teeth in the morning and at meals. Hmm.
  • Post #2 was about walking - This, I can do. And I AM. Woot! I go for at least one good brisk walk every day.
  • Post #3 was about healthy treats - I still love treats with heat. And I enjoy my meals more if they’re spicy. I have been buying a lot of these.
  • Post #4 was about meal planning - And you know what, I’m still terrible at it.
  • Post #5 was when I went breadless, and it wasn’t long after that that I launched my Daily Lunches challenge (which is still going strong!). I would say that I’ve been moderately successful at eliminating bread from my daily diet. I eat very little processed bread (the stuff that you get at the grocery store in the bread aisle). I have had a bagel from the Ottawa Bagel Shop recently, as well as a baguette from Art-is-in and a freshly-baked buttery croissant from Sobeys. So basically, when I do eat bread, it has to be AMAZING bread. If not, I don’t eat any at all.

Anyway, all this to say that I’m doing well at some things but not others, but it must be working because I’m down a few pounds and my pants are fitting better. Yay!

I think I’ve figured out what works best for me. And here it is, four simple words:

Eat less. Move more. I will be writing more about this in my next post in this series, but now that I think about it I realize I need to add one more word: SLEEP.

Sleep eluded me this summer. It was often too hot to sleep in the apartment, and when I’m restless at night I turn into a zombie by day who feels kind of like this:

Piper naps

And when I’m tired I tend to snack. And snacking is (generally) bad. And when I’m tired I don’t want to go for those energy and mood-boosting walks. Being rested makes everything else - the food prep, the speed walking, the EFFORT - so much easier to bear.

So yes. SLEEP. It all begins with sleep, that’s why I am trying to get to bed a little earlier and get some quality ZZZs.

I would love to be the kind of person who doesn’t need a lot of sleep to get by, but this is not the case. What about you? Are you getting enough sleep?

Related posts:

  1. >Nine things for Operation Trim: #5 - Hello breakfast, goodbye bread In the first post of this series I mentioned that...
  2. >Nine Things for Operation Trim: #1 is about water In my head I'm actually calling this series of posts...
  3. >The post I have no energy to write This post is sponsored by Swiss Natural, however opinions remain...
  4. >Nine things for Operation Trim: #4 - planning the family feedbag I have always been a terrible meal planner. This will...


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2 Responses to "Nine things for Operation Trim: #6 - Perchance to sleep"

1 | Javamom

September 20th, 2012 at 12:29 pm

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There is one thing I recommend with the drinking water thing. First off, a capped tall cup (clear ones from Loblaws with straw inserted work great for me) is a must since you stick it someplace where you spend most of your time (or get two and put them in the kitchen and office if that is the place you spend the most time in). They are always there in your face so you must sip. Because you can’t help it…they’re right there!

Second - add a slice of lemon. Seriously. If you like coffee you are acidic. If you drink lemon water this will help your pH….

And I am terrible at meal planning too. :)

2 | Lynn

September 20th, 2012 at 1:16 pm

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Just yesterday morning on the CBC they had a report that said that getting a regular 7-9 hours of sleep per night leads to better weight loss. They compared people with similar physical activity, and a similar cut in calories (they were actively trying to lose weight), and those with better sleep lost more.

Furthermore, those who went to bed early and got up early lost more than those to stayed up late and then slept in.

So it turns out getting quality sleep is a likely factor in getting trim - scientifically proven!

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