Why I weigh myself every day - part 3

Realizing that sleep had such a direct and marked impact on my weight was an important moment in my journey.

The weight hadn't increased because of a difference in the hours of sleep I had gotten, which had been overlapping, but rather when I had gone to bed:

• The day I gained weight I had gone to bed at 12:00 a.m.

• The day I lost, I had gone to bed at 10pm.

I found the piece I had been missing to finish the puzzle!

Evaluating my weight records, I found that the weight spikes occurred approximately every 7 days, after weekends or weekdays when I had gone to bed late.

After investigating the science behind this effect, I came across different possible mechanisms:

1. Cortisol produced at night by not keeping to our biological rhythm can lead to an increase in fat cells, leading to weight gain

2. Another effect of cortisol is to increase salt reabsorption in the kidneys, leading to increased fluid retention

3. Yet another effect is the impact it has on blood glucose and insulin levels, which can lead to an increase in fat tissue.

Knowing this had practical consequences for my daily life and weight loss process:

• For one thing, I stopped worrying if I gained weight after going to bed later. I knew the reason and that reason was not sloppiness or non-compliance on my part;

• For another, I started paying more attention to my sleep, in particular the time I go to bed.
  

The great advantage of weighing ourselves every day is that we can adjust the plan to our reality, understand what we are doing right and wrong and correct it so we can achieve the results we want and deserve.

Once we start doing it, we love the daily feedback that the scale gives us!

After almost 4 years, I still do it every day and when I don't do it, I feel insecure, not knowing if I'm acting as I should to continue on the path I want to follow.