Timing... Is it really everything?

[IsabellaBobby]

You can put in hours at the gym, follow your strict diet plan, but recently I'm wondering if there's more to weight loss than that. You can't believe everything on TV- but Dr. Oz (from Oprah) was talking about timing and how closely related it is to weightloss. That without 8 hours of sleep a night you will not lose weight- or it will drastically increase the time it takes. I can't help but ask if this is really true? On one hand- I have noticed my weight loss take a VERY slowwwwww pace; but then I wonder if that is just because I am trading my fat in for muscles...OR if it could be the fact that I sleep anywhere from 4-7 hours a night?
It's so important to eat on time- every 3 hours. But does your body also need you to go to bed at the same time everynight? Should your workout be around the same time each day?
What do you think?

[IsabellaBobby]

WHICH i can't help but think "TOTALLY UNFAIR!!!" Our bodies should be on OUR team- they should WANT to look like the greek gods/godesses we are trying to sculpt them into! If you are busy and can't sleep 8 hours a night your body shouldn't ruin all your hard work!
;)
that is all.

[huafist]

I've wondered about this myself - it's obvious that the body has an internal clock (once we get into a routine, it tends to keep us there, like waking us up around the same time every day, etc). I don't know how that affects nutrition, but I would have to assume it would somehow.

[huafist]

I've been doing some research since I saw your post, and what I've found suggests that sleep deprivation causes hormonal imbalances that end up disrupting your body’s metabolism. I can't way with 100% certainty that this is true, but it sounds plausible to me.

[DavidHill76]

I feel like no matter what, if you eat right and work hard you will achieve your goals.

I remember one year of college I drank rum and coke, every weekend for a whole semester, smoked cigarettes, had way tooooo much fun and never got "enough" sleep.

now kids, "Do as I say, not as I do" right?

yet each day, I was in the gym lifting, running, and each night i was eating healthy, counting calories, and thinking that I can do it!

its really true what they say about mind over matter, which I think is the real key.

So thats not a great reply, but its just my thoughts on what you said.

[xIAmCorey]

I've been doing some research since I saw your post, and what I've found suggests that sleep deprivation causes hormonal imbalances that end up disrupting your body’s metabolism. I can't way with 100% certainty that this is true, but it sounds plausible to me.

yeah me too. I'd like to bump this just to see if anyone has anything else to say about it as my knowledge of it is limited.

[jenn9175]

Not getting enough sleep is definitely detrimental to muscle gain/fat loss goals. You may not notice as much when you are 21, but you won't be that young forever. Sleep is when your body recharges itself. When you work out, you create microscopic tears in your muscles. The gains are found after the workout, not during. You need to take in proper building matrials (nutrition) and let your body rest to rebuild itself. Each time it rebuilds itself, provided you give it enough time to do so, it will make itself stronger in anticipation of the next workout. But if you don't get enouh rest, you are only partially charged. Think of a rechargeable power tool -works much better fully charged than if you use it half full.

[IsabellaBobby]

Thanks jenn! very informative!! THat's awesome. I'm assuming then it's the same with fat loss?

[DIL22]

Fat loss is much more of an energy balance than gaining muscle. You will lose weight if you eat less than what your body needs to maintain weight. Calories are units of energy, and everything you do during the day requires energy. If you don't get that energy from food, your body begins to break down fat (and possibly muscle if your diet isn't in check) to make up for the energy that it needs. If you need 2000cals to maintain weight, eating 1500 calories a day will net a 3500 calorie deficit a week, therefore you will lose 1lb (assuming it's all fat loss).

Meal timing matters very little if at all. Eating small meals frequently is to help with hunger throughout the day, but plenty of people lose weight using an intermittent fasting approach or something like the warrior diet(1 meal a day). Most diets don't work because people don't understand how to count calories, nor do they understand the amount of calories they need to consume. You can eat all the lean meat, vegetables, and fruits as you want, but if you're consuming more calories than you're burning off you will gain weight. Unless lack of sleep is causing major thyroid issues, you will lose weight no matter how much you sleep as long as you are in a caloric deficit.

There are stickies in the fat loss section that better explain the points I'm trying to make and can also point you in the right direction as far as how many calories you should be consuming and what macronutrients those calories should consist of.

Gaining muscle on the other hand requires you to physically tear fibers in the muscle, then protein and rest to repair the fibers that were broken down.

[Smittaye]

^^^^^^^^^^^^
What he said. Meal timing matters very little if at all.

I don't get near 8 hrs sleep. That's because I can't sleep that much anymore. everyone is different. Sleep is important but I don't sleep soundly straight for 8 hrs. I usually get 6-7 hrs and I'm good. So listen to your body about sleep because people do vary on the required # of hours.