What's your weight?

“Some research shows that our bodies have a natural weight or ‘set point’ that it will return to regardless of what we eat and how much we exercise. What does that mean for your weight-loss goals?” — Heather Alexander, MD Anderson

My set point is what I have been struggling with lately. I can’t seem to get the scale to budge past 160 and keep going down. This is SO frustrating! I did a deep dive into this, so I could learn how to reset my set point and keep the scale going down. According to Dr. Nancy, you should get good sleep, manage stress and maintain your energy level throughout the day. This opened up a new portal for me into answering the question “What is good sleep?”  What I learned…

1.     Have a set bedtime and bedtime routine (you should turn off screen at minimum 30 minutes before bed).

2.    Make your bedroom a restful and peaceful environment.

3. Manage stress and, if needed, journal before bed to clear your mind. (Mayo Clinic)

I have always known that sleep is important to weight loss. Factoring this is with the set point theory, it makes getting a good night’s sleep all the more important. I do have some nights when I stay up watching YouTube or playing games on my phone. Going forward I will try at these times to read or journal so I can put my body in a restful state as I work toward feeling tired. I will do this while sticking to a set bedtime (Wish me luck!). My ex-husband has always said you should go to bed at the same time each night and wake up the same time each morning, even on the weekends. Most of us don’t do this and it affects are bodies.

Another way to create a restful state is breathing exercises. The one my daughter taught me (she learned it in elementary school) is 4-5-7 breathe. You inhale for a count of 4, hold for 5 and exhale for 7. Repeat as needed until you feel a state of calm (more tips here). Hopefully by focusing on getting restful sleep each night I can reset my set point and get the scale to go down (and down and down).

(P.S. I wear a sleep mask to block out all light from the clock, the neighbors’ backyards and my humidifier. I’ve been told this can help too.)