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Volume No.

384

Sleep is essential. It is the time when our bodies replenish, repairing the mental and physical wear-and-tear we suffer during the day. However, our "always-on" culture has created a sleep-deprived generation. Cell phones, computers, PDAs and 24-hour cable television keep our brains stimulated. The result is fatigue, poor health and, surprisingly, weight gain. This week we focus on Lack of Sleep Linked to Weight Gain For New Moms. Do not forget to check out better sleeping tips.

Don't try to lose weight during the holidays -- this may be a self-defeating goal. Instead, strive to maintain your weight by balancing party eating with other meals. Eating lighter foods doesn't mean taking the joy out of celebrating. It only means skimming off the fat, cutting back a little and learning to modify traditional recipes. Try boiled shrimp or scallops with cocktail sauce or lemon. Go easy on fried appetizers and cheese cubes. To help ensure there will be healthful treats, bring a dish to the party filled with raw vegetables with a yogurt or cottage cheese dip, or bring a platter of fresh fruit.

Take stock of your accomplishments

In order to achieve long-term goals, you need to set some shorter-term goals, too. Achieving those smaller intermediate goals will give you a sense of accomplishment and make it easier to keep striving for the bigger ones.

At the end of each day, review what you've achieved and the progress that you've made. Building a successful personality is a long journey of many small steps, so remember that each day an effort made brings you closer to your ultimate goals.
 

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"The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back. That's real glory. That's the essence of it." 
~ Vince Lombardi

Chicken-Potato Quiche

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fat-free egg substitute or 8 egg whites

• 1 cup non/low fat cottage cheese

• 1 tablespoon unbleached flour

• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

• 1 cup non-stick cooking spray

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced

• 2 green onions, chopped

• 2 potatoes

Directions:

• Combine egg substitute or egg whites, cottage cheese, flour, pepper, and hot sauce and stir well.

• Stir in cheese, chicken, and green onions. Set aside.

• Coat a pan with nonstick cooking spray (nonfat).

• Slice the potatoes 1/4 inch thick, and place the slices in a single layer over the bottom and sides of the pan.

• Pour the egg mixture onto the mixture.

• Bake uncovered at 375 degrees F, for 40-45 minutes.

• Allow to cool at room temperature for 5-10 minutes.

Nutritional Information: 1 slice (1/6 of quiche):

• Calories: 230

• Fat: 1 g

• Cholesterol: 20 mg

• Protein: 23 g

• Carbohydrates: 32 g

• Fiber: 2 g

• Sodium: 300 mg

Lack of Sleep Linked to Weight Gain For New Moms

Sleep is essential. It is the time when our bodies replenish, repairing the mental and physical wear-and-tear we suffer during the day. However, our "always-on" culture has created a sleep-deprived generation. Cell phones, computers, PDAs and 24-hour cable television keep our brains stimulated. The result is fatigue, poor health and, surprisingly, weight gain.

According to a study conducted by Kaiser Permanete and Harvard Medical School/Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, it was found that moms who got less than five hours of sleep a day when their babies were 6 months old were three times more likely to be carrying 11 extra pounds at the child's first birthday than those who get seven hours. The bottom line –- those extra two hours of sleep could make all the difference.

Other studies have shown that persistent sleep deprivation causes hormonal changes that may stimulate appetite.

Sleep, Hormones and Weight Gain

Leptin and Grehlin are hormones that help the body control appetite and weight gain and loss. Leptin suppresses appetite, while Grehlin increases appetite and may prevent a person from losing weight.

When lack of sleep becomes a chronic problem, levels of Grehlin increases, causing greater appetite, and levels of Leptin decrease. Regardless of diet and exercise, it's possible that some obesity is caused, or made worse, by sleep deprivation.

Research subjects who slept only four hours a night for two nights had an 18 percent decrease in leptin, a hormone that tells the brain there is no need for more food, and a 28 percent increase in ghrelin, a hormone that triggers hunger.

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