You might be crushing your workouts, dialing in your nutrition, and trying to hit your macros like it’s your job…
But there may be a hidden disrupter that is making fat loss more difficult.
Can you guess what it is?
I’ll save you the suspense.
It’s your sleep (I know, no one wants to hear this).
But this is backed by science.
If you’re sleeping less than 6 hours a night?
Your body is already working against you.
There’s a study that found just one night of sleeping 6 hours or less led to a drop in leptin (your “I’m full” hormone)… and a spike in ghrelin (your “I’m hungry” hormone).
The result?
People ate an extra 200–500 calories the next day without even realizing it.
And no, that wasn’t a special occasion.
That was just their brain trying to stay awake and survive.
When your sleep suffers, so does your appetite regulation, energy, mood, metabolism, and willpower.
It’s like trying to diet while your foot is on the gas and the brakes at the same time.
Here’s the truth no one talks about:
You don’t need more discipline. You need more sleep.
So if fat loss has felt harder than it should…
Start by asking:
“Am I sleeping enough to support the body I want?”
Because no meal plan in the world can outsmart a tired brain with jacked-up hunger signals.
Look, I get it. Not everyone has total control of their sleep routine due to crazy work shifts, babies, or whatever other obstacles you’re dealing with. I personally struggle with sharing the bed with my 200 pound super buff husband, and our almost 60 pound yellow lab, Molly, who refuses to sleep in her own Tempur-Pedic bed. Most mornings I wake up feeling like a pretzel. Mainly because I sleep like a pretzel with my legs positioned around dog and human limbs.
However, instead of just throwing your hands in the air and saying screw it…
Why not focus on quality as much as possible (and if you can change the quantity, even better).
Some tips for better sleep:
- Have a wind down routine in the evenings. This could be some light stretching, foam rolling, hot/cold shower, hot tea, Gratitude Journal, prayer, sex, etc.
- Make sure your room is pitch black, cool (apparently 65 degrees is the optimal sleeping temperature), and minimal noise. You might want to think about black out curtains, an eye mask, ear plugs, or white noise.
- Have comfortable bed/bedding.
- Avoid eating a big meal too close to bedtime.
- Try some herbal teas to support calm and digestion. My faves are Peppermint, Ginger, Camomile, etc.
- Consider an evening snack that includes foods like Tart Cherry Juice, Pistachios, Cherries (fresh or frozen), as they are high in melatonin. As a Dietitian, one of my fave snack to suggest is Greek Yogurt + Frozen Cherries and Berries + Pistachios and Cashews + Dark Chocolate.
- Magnesium Glycinate (150-300+mg) about 1 hour before bed. Magnesium is a calming mineral to support the nervous system. I prefer Glycinate (vs Citrate) as it doesn’t impact digestion.
- Minimize social media and blue light (all screens) too close to bedtime (or grab some blue light blocking glasses). The blue light increases cortisol and decreases melatonin.
- Ensure that we are in a calm headspace before bed.
Do you feel like poor sleep is messing with your fat loss results?
