Weight Loss - 5 Things to Do 30 Minutes Before Bed to Lose Weight

 What’s the best place in the world to lose weight?

The gym! say the muscle-bound personal trainers, raising their hands (but not really getting that far because their deltoids get in the way).

The (huff!) track (puff!) say the distance runners, bicyclists, triathletes, and other types trucking along with sweat in their eyes and numbers stuck on their chests.

The kitchen! say the nutritionists, dieticians and organic-produce purveyors offering weight loss tips.

But they’re all wrong. Because real, successful, sustainable weight loss comes from achieving excellence in a completely unexpected realm: the bedroom.

No, you can’t lovemake your way to being lean. But you can absolutely sleep your way to staying slender. In fact, no matter how many pounds you press, how many miles you log, how much kohlrabi you crunch, it won’t get you anywhere near your weight loss goals unless you’re also getting enough quality sleep. A recent study, uncovered in the New York Times bestseller Zero Belly Diet, found that sub-par sleep could undermine weight loss by as much as 55 percent! The good news is just a few simple tweaks to your PM routine can mean serious weight loss success.

1-GIVE SNOOZE ITS DUE

To turn sleep into prime weight loss time, realize how important a good night’s sleep is for optimizing and regulating all your bodily functions, including how you use and store caloric energy. The hormones at play here are leptin and ghrelin. Leptin helps to regulate your energy levels and keep your appetite low, while ghrelin stimulates hunger and often initiates the need to eat. People who get more sleep have reduced ghrelin and increased leptin levels, which helps to control their appetites throughout the day. That was the finding of research conducted at the University of Wisconsin. Another study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that overweight people, on average, got 16 minutes less sleep per day than people of regular weight. Although that might not sound like a big difference, those minutes — like your belly fat — accumulate over time.

 Weight Loss - 5 Things to Do 30 Minutes Before Bed to Lose Weight 

2-Have a Cup of Tea

Wind down with a cup of rooibos tea, and burn belly fat while you do it! Naturally decaffeinated, rooibos tea is made from the leaves of the “red bush” plant, grown exclusively in South Africa. What makes rooibos tea particularly good for your belly is a unique and powerful flavonoid called Aspalathin. Research shows this compound can reduce stress hormones that trigger hunger and fat storage. To learn more about the wonders of tea, and get started on a 7-day plan that will melt fat fast, buy the 7-Day Flat-Belly Tea Cleanse now! Test panelists lost up to 10 pounds in one week!

 Weight Loss - 5 Things to Do 30 Minutes Before Bed to Lose Weight 

3-TRYP YOUR SLEEP SWITCH

Don’t count sheep, eat lamb! (Or better yet, a bit of turkey.) Tryptophan, an amino acid found in most meats, has demonstrated powerful sleep-inducing effects. A recent study among insomniacs found that just 1/4 gram—about what you’ll find in a skinless chicken drumstick or three ounces of lean turkey meat—was enough to significantly increase hours of deep sleep. And that can can translate into an easy slim-down. Researchers from the University of Colorado found that dieters consumed 6 percent fewer calories when they got enough sleep. For someone on a 2,000-calorie diet, that’s 120 calories per day, which could amount to nearly a one-pound weight loss in a month! The National Sleep Foundation suggests seven to eight hours of sleep for most adults. So add these meats to your list of protein that will help you lose weight.

 Weight Loss - 5 Things to Do 30 Minutes Before Bed to Lose Weight 

4-EAT COTTAGE CHEESE

Completely avoiding food before bedtime can actually be bad for your weight loss goals. First, going to bed with a rumbling tummy makes falling asleep difficult. Second, people who wake up feeling hungry are far more likely to pig out on a big breakfast. Have a little cottage cheese before bed. Not only is it rich in casein protein, it also contains the amino acid tryptophan.

 Weight Loss - 5 Things to Do 30 Minutes Before Bed to Lose Weight 

5-CREATE A ROUTINE

By doing the same thing every night, for at least an hour before bedtime you’re actually programming sleep triggers. These triggers could include writing in your sleep diary, having a cottage cheese snack or indeed any other items from this list. Over time, your brain will begin to associate those things with bedtime and fast track you into fat-burning slumber.

 Weight Loss - 5 Things to Do 30 Minutes Before Bed to Lose Weight