Today I have been on it and off it in equal measure...and the is because I am tired.
I started noticing this morning that, over the last two days,I have been 'sneaking' things I normally wouldn't eat regularly anymore...crisps, chocolate, biscuits: but there they were, in my hand and going in to my mouth. This is something I have noticed today too. I mean,I know that when I am tired that cravings usually hit me harder and I find them harder to resist, but the last two days I've been eating those things and almost convincing myself that I haven't actually eaten tremor actively reducing the amount of it that I have eaten.
There was a rather obvious flaw in my plan...I know what I eat so I can't really lie to myself. It's a physical and meant impossibility. I can absolutely guarantee that I know everything I have eaten. Despite having read that some people claim to have conditions that stop them remembering when they eat, almost blacking out the aforesaid binging and unhealthy eating, I don't really buy into this; plus it's a convenient way out of feeling guilty about the things you eat and a great way of alleviating yourself of the responsibility of eating healthily and eating junk. It's bull.
Personally, on reflection,I can seethe it's because I am exhausted. I have had a lot of marking to complete, a lot of cover work to set for next week, as I am in Normandy with a year 7 school trip, my daughter has been rehearsing for her school play, so picking her up at 7.30pm has been hard, I went to Leicester City and watched them beat Birmingham City and then walked the 5 miles home and arrived at 11pm...so I am absolutely exhausted.
Put on top of this the normal things I do, taking the dog for a walk, planning for school, making dinner on certain days, tutoring, cleaning the house, making breakfasts, making pack ups, writing my blog, reading, writing, going to the shops, etc etc...the stuff all adults do, and you are left mightily tired and open to the lure of junk food and giving in to the temptation to eat things you wouldn't normally or wouldn't as often as you have been since you've been lighting the candle at both ends.
So, having 'read up' a little on tiredness, it seems it is a common cause of weight gain and there are a whole host of health related issues that have been linked to tiredness - weight gain being but one of them. Regular poor sleep puts you at risk of serious medical conditions, including obesity, heart disease and diabetes, it can also generate high blood pressure – and it shortens your life expectancy: something we should all take seriously. Apparently, it is also believed that people who sleep less than 7 hours a day put on more weight than those that don't because of reduced levels of leptin (the chemical that makes you feel full) and increased levels of ghrelin (the hunger-stimulating hormone).Who knew?
Additionally, it seems that missing out on deep sleep may lead to type 2 diabetes by changing the way the body processes glucose, which the body uses for energy. I mean, this is serious stuff! Who knew that not having enough snooze time could cause so much havoc in your body?
Now obviously I am not going to change my sleeping habits overnight, I've been living with too little sleep for too long and normally I am fine with it. Margaret Thatcher was said to have regularly lasted on 2-3 hours sleep a day at times. However, now that I know a little bit more about it, I can start to reflect on it and try and change it a little at a time so that I can get a little more sleep and help myself to keep on track with my healthier lifestyle and and weight loss. Rome, though, wasn't built in a day. As a normal human being with a job and kids and lots of things that take up time...I will just have to make sure that this old dog can learn some new tricks and find a little more time for somewhat-eye!
Thanks for reading.
Stay strong. Stay healthy!
Sean.
(All the information on sleep and the links came from the NHS website: www.nhs.uk)
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