How important is sleep for weight loss?

If you are following a weight loss program or visiting a slimming centre but still not getting the desired results, you must be doing something wrong. Before you blame it on your poor diet or lack of exercise, ask yourself whether you are having enough sleep every night. Often, we underestimate the importance of a good night’s sleep for weight loss. A chronic sleep debt can undo all the positive results from hours of exercising and days of healthy dieting. Here is how adequate sleep helps you to lose weight.

Balances hormone levels

Leptin and Ghrelin are two hormones responsible for your appetite. While Leptin helps suppress your appetite, Ghrelin enhances it. When you do not get enough sleep, your body produces less Leptin and more Gherlin. As a result, you may end up eating more resulting to a weight gain . The only way to restore the hormonal balance is by getting adequate amount sleep every night.

Improves metabolism

Lack of sleep may boost the cortisol levels in your blood, which may affect your metabolism. Cortisol turns protein into glucose. With excessive glucose stored in your body, you may gain fat. Cortisol also affects your ability to develop muscles. If you want lower Cortisol levels in your blood naturally, you need to sleep well.

Expedites growth and recovery

Your body produces growth hormones when you sleep. Growth hormones help speed up the process of growth. You start to grow stronger. If you get any muscle injury during exercise, you can recover faster during sleep. Taking rest allows your body to heal, grow, regenerate, and lose weight.

How to improve your sleep

If you have a very busy schedule, you may not get enough sleep despite your best efforts. You know that sleep is important, but it is easier said than done. So here are some useful tips.

• Make a schedule – Depending on your work hours, you may want to go to bed a little late. That’s okay, as long as you complete your eight hours of sleep every night. If you plan to go to bed at 11 pm, set your morning alarm at 7 am. If you get to bed at 12 am, you should wake up at 8 am. Make your own schedule and stick to it – no matter what.
• Restrict the entry of electronic items to your bedroom – Watching TV or using mobile phones before sleep may distract you easily. Instead, you can read a book or write something. That is a great way to ensure going to bed on time every night.
• Avoid procrastination – Procrastination is a bigger problem than you can even imagine. Many people fail to follow a schedule due to procrastination. They don’t start working until it’s too late. This can cause you to miss deadlines and extend your work hours, which would eventually affect your sleep time. You should address this issue very seriously. If required, seek advice from a good counsellor.

In some cases, lacking of sleep could be a medical symptom. If you find difficulty having a good night’s sleep despite your best efforts, consider seeing a doctor. Sleep well and visit a slimming centre to speed up your weight loss.

How to lose weight with traditional chinese medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicine dates back thousands of years. It works with a number of techniques like cupping, acupressure, Guasa and acupuncture. The principle of TCM revolves around strategic eating, massaging, diet, and body movement like going for walks. A holistic science, TCM slimming focuses more on the body’s energy balance than on mere calorie deficit. It diagnoses weight gain as the ‘deficiency of qi.’ If you want to lose weight with TCM, consider visiting a TCM slimming centre. There are a number of ways to lose weight, using TCM. Here’s a look.

Respect the body clock

Healthy habits are of the utmost importance in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Get up early and have a healthy breakfast early in the day. From seven to nine in the morning is believed to be the best time for digestion. The lunch should be moderate in amount, and the dinner even lighter.

Restore your Qi

Qi is the basis of a healthy body, in Chinese philosophy. However, constantly changing one’s dietary regime can stagnate the Qi, and lead to ‘dampness’, characterised by sluggishness, cravings, bloating, and even gas. Whole foods, fruits, and vegetables complement the Qi. Avoid drinking cold beverages. Visit a good slimming centre to determine the Qi harmony of your body.

Drink the right amount of water

Drinking enough water is an indispensable part of almost every weight loss program. Traditional Chinese Medicine advises drinking sufficient water as well. Warm water early in the morning, can help flush out toxins and clear the bowels. This is necessary to kick-start metabolism. However, avoid drinking too much water.

Use acupressure

Certain points on the human body, when pressed in the right manner, can suppress appetite. One such point is located near the ear canals of both of your ears. Simply pinch this area intermittently for about a minute, 15 minutes before a meal. This helps prevent overeating, especially if you are feeling a little too hungry.

Visit a good Chinese medicine slimming centre

It is better to figure out your weight loss program using Traditional Chinese Medicine at a slimming centre. TCM experts can guide you on diet management and exercise. You will benefit from special therapies like Guasha and cupping. TCM treatment can readjust the constitution of the body, and help prevent/control lifestyle diseases.

Get enough sleep

The TCM system believes that our bodies detoxify around 11 in the night. Sleeping late can have a negative impact on the detoxification process.

Replace coffee with tea

TCM slimming believes that coffee aggravates dampness and is phlegmatic. Instead, tea should be taken. Tea supports weight loss, prevents stagnant bowels, and keeps the Qi intact. Oolong tea is a popular alternative for weight loss.

Do not fill yourself while eating

Traditional Chinese Medicine recommends incorporating bitter foods in one’s diet. Bitter foods make it difficult to overeat and help to feel full. Do not eat too fast or while watching TV or using your phone. It is important to fully enjoy your food and feel satisfied without overeating. It is ideal to eat for about only 80% of your appetite

Is it a good idea to take slimming pills?

Taking diet pills to hasten your slimming treatment may not be a good idea. Slimming pills are often merely a combination of diuretics and caffeine. You might lose a couple of pounds initially, but the results are short-lived. The dehydration caused can be dangerous. Overdosing on weight loss pills has proved fatal in the recent past. They pose other threats to health as well, including organ failure and even strokes. Before you decide to take pills to lose weight, consider the following.

Consequences of taking weight loss pills

Orlistat and phentermine are licensed in Singapore. However, medication should not be taken without consulting your doctor. The number of people ordering unregulated drugs on online stores for unmonitored weight loss programs has increased. Overdosing on Fluoxetine caused the death of a 22-year old student in China in 2016. Popular Singaporean celebrities like Andrea de Cruz and Cheryl Miles have had bad experiences with slimming pills as well. Let’s take a look at the side-effects of different kinds of slimming medications.

Appetite suppressing pills

Stimulants in nature, this type of weight loss pills can induce conditions like nervousness, palpitation, irritation, and abnormal heart rates. A lot of them have been taken off the market after it was found that they pose serious threat to life. Slimming pills that suppress the appetite have also been found to increase blood pressure. Hair loss and constipation have been reported in some cases.

Metabolism boosting pills

Metabolism boosting slimming pills often trigger increased heart rates and palpitations. Other side-effects, including physiological and psychological changes are quite similar to what most appetite suppressants trigger.

Fat-absorption reducing pills

Pills that work on the principle of absorbing fat from food stored in the intestines can cause liver injury. The symptoms include loss of appetite, itching, yellowed skin and eyes, pale colored stools and brownish color of urine.

What’s the truth behind herbal pills?

These are available over the counter at chemists. Herbals pills are being advertised aggressively as having less side effects. They claim to be 100% natural and packed with vitamins and calcium. However, certain medications sold online contain dangerous amounts of stimulants like sibutramine. Other common ingredients include Chromium, fiber, and fat burning substances. Fiber is delivered in the form of laxatives, too much of which can result in bowel disease. Some herbal pills also contain substances similar to amphetamine. Common side effects of herbal pills include headaches, vomiting, elevated blood pressure, and insomnia, among others.

Are there any safer alternatives?

The most popular way to achieve your weight loss goal is by burning calorie through diet management and exercise like going for a long walk for a start. However, for obese people or those with specific health problems, alternative slimming treatments are also available. Safer alternatives like Yoga and Traditional Chinese Medicine have no side effects. Moreover, they can help deal with lifestyle diseases like diabetes.

TCM slimming treatment involves techniques like acupuncture and massage, besides specialized treatments like guasha and cupping. Chinese medicine relies on establishing a healthy ying-yang harmony within the body. Coupled with the right exercise and diet, TCM slimming can be an effective and safe way to lose weight.

How to speed up your metabolism

It is a well-known fact that an active metabolism burns calories faster and thus speeds up your weight loss program. However, you have to train your body to break food down more efficiently. Though genetics do play a role in determining your BMR, you can improve it with proper diet and exercise. Alternative techniques like TCM slimming can also help you lose weight. Here are some practical ways you can speed up your metabolism.

Get more sleep

A poor metabolism could be because of insufficient sleep. If you are regularly sleeping for 4 hours or less, your body will find it difficult to process carbohydrates. Exhaustion throughout the day forces the body to conserve calories and leave you feeling tired. It also lessen your determination to for for long walks to get started in leading a healthy lifestyle. Visit the slimming center early in the day. Warm baths make falling asleep easier.

Eat a protein-based diet

Building muscle is integral to losing weight faster. Even as you work out, a protein-based diet can help you develop muscle. This translates into a higher BMR, allowing you to burn fat even when the body is at rest. Try eating around 30 grams of protein in each meal. Meals with a high protein content include cottage cheese, chicken, legumes and yogurt.

Workout with interval training

Exercising in short bursts trigger fat-burning responses in your muscles. Interval training includes stepping up intensity and taking less time to complete the same amount of repetitions. One way of doing this is to insert a 30 seconds long sprint in your jog every five minutes or so. You should also integrate cross training in your daily workout to boost your metabolism.

Do not skip breakfast

Eating a nutritious breakfast is half the job done. If you are skipping your breakfasts, your weight loss program will go kaput. Missing the first meal of the day sends your body into starvation mode, which actually slows metabolism down. Make sure your breakfast is filling, and take time to digest. It should ideally be a combination of lean protein and carbohydrates.

Consume low fat dairy

Women who consume dairy on a daily basis lose 70 percent more fat than those who don’t. Just make sure that your milk and cheese are low fat. Dairy has Calcium, among other useful substances, which stimulates the fat burning process. However, calcium is not as effective in supplements, calcium-rich foods or calcium-fortified products.

Stock up on Iron and Vitamin D

Iron is highly important for your weight loss program. Iron supplies the oxygen needed by muscles for fat burning. Some iron rich foods are cereals, lean meats, beans, shellfish and spinach. You can even carry spinach smoothies to the fitness center. Vitamin D helps preserve muscle tissue, which is responsible for maintaining a healthy metabolic rate. Salmon, eggs, cereals, and tuna contain vitamin D.

Stay hydrated

Water is one of the most important ingredients of a successful weight loss program. Drink at least 3 liters of water every day to suppress cravings. Drink a glass of lukewarm lemon water right after you get up. Drinking cold water has its benefits, too. Experts believe that it can stimulate the body to raise its temperature and up the metabolism temporarily.