Sleep and Loss of Muscle Mass in Weight Loss

Having the ability to build muscle mass is an asset in this world of worship and beauty that is that of our society. Whether you want to have the appearance of Brad Pitt or Megan Fox, good muscle mass is essential for an impeccable appearance. Many people, not to target women, do not understand, or just do not want to understand, that more importantly in proportion is your lean mass ("muscle"), the lower your percentage of fat.

Low% fat = beautiful body composition = "Nice shape"

So muscle hypertrophy (increase) = decrease in fat% = "Nice shape"

And yes, even for women! And you will not look like HULK, do not worry.

It goes without saying that to maintain our muscle mass is excessively important. This is what raised a very interesting question in me:

Does sleep have an impact on muscle mass?

In recent years, we have seen a decrease in sleep time and an increase in obesity in North America. A link has indeed been drawn between these two variables. However, we can say that lack of sleep creates, as it were, a loss of muscle mass. Of course not. This is only a correlation link.

However, a very recent study has shown that a lack of sleep has a considerable impact on the loss of muscle mass and on the reduction of fat oxidation. This study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine (October 2010) compared two groups to assess the impact of a decrease in sleep time (8.5 hours vs. 5.5 hours) on body composition.

"We examine the effect of sleep restriction, designed to approximate the short sleep times of a society, and may compromise the effect of reduced-calorie diets on excess adiposity [... ]. The combination of energy and sleep restriction in overweight adults resulted in a modified state of negative energy balance by a decreased loss of fat and considerably increased loss of fat-free body mass. Our experimental data show that sleep plays an important role in the preservation of human fat-free body mass during periods of reduced caloric intake."

The scientific community has clearly demonstrated the correlation between sleep deprivation and weight loss. A lack of sleep makes weight loss very difficult to achieve, since it has a direct impact on two hormones related to the regulation of appetite. In the occurrence leptin and ghrelin. (If you would like to have more information on the subject, please let me know in the comment section that follows the article).

What makes the study so interesting is that it demonstrates a direct link between lack of sleep and loss of lean mass in a caloric restriction situation.

Thus, it would seem that during a period of caloric restriction, a lack of sleep would cause a metabolic, neuro-endocrine and behavioral reaction that would make your attempts at weight loss excessively difficult.

In clearer terms:

A lack of sleep makes weight loss difficult.

But a lack of sleep during periods of caloric restriction makes a loss EXCESSIVELY difficult.

So keep in mind that it's not all about numbers. It is not so simple to lose weight that you spend more calories than you ingest. Several variables have a very important impact on the possibility of oxidizing as much fat as possible. That's fine weight loss, but what we're aiming for is no more a loss of fat in order to get a body composition worthy of your dreams.

For this you need your MUSCLE MASS.

That's why your healthcare professionals such as your kinesiologist, nutritionist or doctor are constantly talking about having a healthy lifestyle.

Here are some factors that will have similar effects to lack of sleep:

1. Stress

2. Poor nutrition (quality)

3. Lack of recovery from your workouts

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Rice Diet - Brown Rice Detox Recipes

Nowadays, people are getting more aware about the importance of maintaining their health. There are many things that people do in order to keep healthy such as exercising regularly, doing yoga or meditation, quitting smoking, reducing the consumption of alcohol, avoiding unhealthy foods, doing a detox program, going on a healthy diet and many more. For those who are overweight or with a serious health problem, doctors might suggest them to go on the Rice Diet. This diet is an excellent weight loss program; you can lose between 20 to 30 pounds in the first month, and 2.5 to 3.5 pounds per week in the later stages.The program consists of very low-calorie, high-complex carbohydrate, low-fat, low-sugar, low-sodium, low-protein diet that will help detoxify and treat chronic health problems. The diet plan requires the use of brown rice. Regular white rice contains a lot of sodium, sugar, and bad fats which are some of the major causes of weight gain and many diseases such as diabetes. On the other hand, brown rice is rich in fiber and healthy fats that help lower bad cholesterol levels.Besides fiber and good fats, brown rice is also rich in iodine, potassium and essential minerals that are good for your body. It also helps detoxify your body and enhance your energy levels as well mental awareness. Furthermore, it can help you lose weight quickly. Most people do not like the taste of brown rice. However, you can easily turn them into delicious dishes by following easy brown rice detox recipes that can be found in various diet books or on the internet.The detox program does not require you to consume only brown rice throughout the day. For breakfast, you are allowed to consume one serving of fruit, such as banana, apple, pear or citrus. For a wholesome breakfast, you can try the following rice porridge recipe. Combine ½ cup of brown rice, 1 cup of almond milk and ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg powder in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring frequently. Cover the pan and reduce the heat. Simmer for about 45 minutes and serve with walnuts, ground flaxseed and chopped Fuji apple.For lunch and dinner, you must consume about 1 to 2 bowls of fresh vegetables in each meal. You can choose whatever vegetables you like, and they do not have to be the same every day. The following Brown Rice Pilaf is very easy to make. Chop 1 medium onion and 1 green pepper and saute them in a large pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add 1 ¼ cups of brown rice and 2 cloves of garlic; stir until the rice is lightly browned. Add 1 ½ cups of water, 1 cup of chicken broth, a pinch of dried thyme and a pinch of pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Simmer for 40 minutes or until the rice is tender. This dish serves up to 6 people, and you can serve it with a side of green salad.

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Steaming Food in a Food Steamer - Healthy Eating

Healthy eating is not just about choosing the right food to eat but also how you cook it. Steaming food in a food steamer is one of the healthiest, most nutritious methods of healthy eating.
The raw food diet is undoubtedly the healthiest of all diets but using a food steamer and steaming food comes in at a close second.
When you cook by steaming food in a food steamer the food never comes into contact with the water, so vital nutrients are not lost in the cooking process.
A food steamer will retain the cellular structure of food tissues as well as their aromatic composition because the heat when steaming food is gentle.
Inside a food steamer, the steaming food is wrapped in watery steam and cooking takes pace through a convection process. You will also notice that meat, in particular, stays tender and tasty.

Which Foods to Cook in a Food Steamer
Steamed vegetables keep most of their flavonoids and vitamin content, so other than eating them raw, steaming vegetables is the next best way of cooking them.
Fish is also excellent when cooked in a food steamer because it retains all of its flavors and nutrient content such as the essential Omega-3 fatty-acids found in all seafood and fish doesn't fall apart during the cooking process.
Stir-frying, boiling, grilling, and other high temperature heating methods destroy many important nutrients. If you want to maintain the nutrients and rich flavors of fresh foods, then steaming food is the key!
You can use your food steamer to steam fish, chicken, vegetables, dumplings and much more and reap the health benefits of fat-free cooking that produces crisp and delicious results.
A Food Steamer is a Healthier Choice
All it takes is a simple change to your dietary habits to greatly assist in promoting better health.
Good health and vitality go hand in hand with great tasting food, steaming food perfectly seals in all the natural vitamins and minerals of foods which are vital to maintaining a healthy and balanced diet.
A Food Steamer Preserves Vitamins and Minerals
Brown rice, for example, should be cooked in a food steamer, because this is the only method of cooking brown rice that guarantees the retention of its valuable vitamin B1.

A diet including five servings of steamed vegetables a day can help in the fight against aging and also protect against several serious diseases.
It's the abundance of vitamins and mineral salts that is so important and by steaming food you will minimize the risk of losing these vital vitamins and nutrients while cooking.
Overcooking or burning food will destroy most, if not all, of the health benefits from eating it, this can be easily avoided if you use a food steamer.
If you are health conscious you may prefer steaming food in a food steamer to other methods which require cooking oil, resulting in lower fat consumption.

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Nutrition Pyramid Clarified

The nutrition pyramid is now called USDA's My Plate. It's a huge improvement over the confusing and hard to understand pyramid from before.
My Plate
My Plate looks just how it sounds, like a plate. The plate is split in half down the middle. The left hand side is half vegetables and fruit, and the right hand side is half grains and protein. There is a small cup of dairy to the top right corner of the plate.
It's a simple update to its predecessor, My Pyramid. And, it utilizes something that we use on a daily basis, the plate, to show exactly how it needs to look.
The Advantages
The one great advantage of My Plate is that it clearly defines how you need to select your food groups. One half is vegetables and fruit. The other half is grains and proteins.

There aren't any measurements to take, or needing to weigh any portions. You see the relationship of the different food groups, and know what to put on your plate.
Also, it's easy to remember. With My Pyramid, I couldn't recall how many servings of each food group to incorporate into my meals. There was just too much information to remember.
The Disadvantages
The picture may be a little too simple. Let's say I was presented with the My Plate visual.
Okay, I can see how my plate needs to look like. But what kind of fruits and vegetables? Do fried pickles and caramel apples count? (Of course not.)
What about white rice and a fatty porterhouse steak? I can make my plate look like the picture, but with what kinds of foods?
When you go to USDA's website, they give more information as to what kind of foods to eat for each category, but that information is not found in the picture. As with any food nutrition guide, it's very useful to use common sense.
Foods that are fried or soaked in butter are not the healthiest for you, even if there is some glimmer of a vegetable hidden behind the breading. Sticking with foods that are lean, fresh, and wholesome are your best bets.
Another disadvantage I find with the My Plate visual is that there is no account for exercise and activity. Maybe the USDA could add a stick figure walking after the meal? Or, running towards the plate?

Nutrition is 75% of the equation to lose weight, but exercise plays a role too. When you include exercise into your daily routine, you'll find it easy to lose pregnancy weight and keep it off too.
All in all the My Plate is a huge improvement over the My Pyramid. The nutrition pyramid had too much information to process.
Use the My Plate picture to build your meals, and remember to stick with the fundamentals of sound nutrition. Lean protein, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and low fat dairy are the building blocks to any meal.

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