Sleep vs exercise for weight loss... (veggies, hormones, workout, lose weight)

[RunD1987]

Hi, starting to make changes to lose weight. Haven't exercised in a few months and years ago use to be an avid runner.

I have started eating more veggies. Cutting out fast food. Sweets are slowly being cut out. Cutting soda out of my life and drinking water.

Just did a sleep study and waiting for the CPAP to come in.

My question is I normally can sleep till 5/6 in the morning then start the day. Go to bed at 11.

Heard arguments best to sleep an extra hour than get up an hour earlier.

Do you think this is true or do you feel that an hour of exercise is more beneficial than an hour of sleep?

Thanks!!!

[Ghaati]

Why does it have to be one or the other? You're getting between 6 and 7 hours of sleep every night. That means you're awake between 17 and 18 hours every day. You can do squats while you brush your teeth in the morning. Sure, that's just 2 minutes, but it's good for your core even if it doesn't burn calories.

While you're sitting down eating your breakfast or having your morning cup of coffee, you can do leg lifts. Good for your butt, upper thighs, and posture.

At some point during the day, you'll get 15 minutes of time to yourself that doesn't involve eating. Use that time to break a sweat.

At some point during the evening you'll get 15 minutes of time to yourself that doesn't involve eating. Use THAT time to break a sweat again.

[kel37]

Originally Posted by Ghaati

Why does it have to be one or the other?

This is good point: You don’t have to pick one or the other. You could do both.

Find a way to get another hour (or more) of sleep and see what happens. From personal experience, on days I don’t get enough sleep I crave more unhealthy foods and am more likely to overeat in general. Some research shows that hormones like leptin, ghrelin and insulin get disrupted with poor sleep quality. And these are directly connected to regulating blood sugar, hunger, fullness and fat storage. All this can add up over time.

[RamenAddict]

It depends on how much sleep you are getting in the first place. If you normally sleep 11-7, then you probably don’t need that extra hour. If you are already waking up at 5, moving the wake up time to 4 is going to leave you with 5 hours of sleep. That is not enough time to rest and recover from any exercise you do. I usually aim for around 7 hours of sleep a night.

You don’t necessarily need a full hour of exercise during the day. Just try to fit it in when you can. Sometimes all I do is a short 15-20 minute YouTube or Apple Fitness workout or a 30-minute lunch walk (AF is included with gym membership). On other days, I do more. Today I’m going to a 45-minute Pilates class followed by a group walk/festival outing.