Slayer's Den

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No-Diet Fat Loss​

Eat 4200 fewer calories every month without feeling hungry. Here's how according to science.​

There are two basic ways to lose body fat:

1. Adopt a diet plan. This usually involves tracking calories or macros or at least trying to improve food choices.
2. Make a non-diet lifestyle change that inadvertently makes you burn more calories or naturally consume fewer without really thinking about it.

The first way makes sense, but 80-95% of people who diet regain it all in one to five years. So, let's focus on the second way to lose fat. If changing something in your life causes you to "accidentally" consume less sugar and fewer overall calories, the extra body fat slowly disappears without much conscious effort. It's not fast, but it's easy.

What can do that? According to a recent study, it's as easy as sleeping for one extra hour per night.

The Study​

Researchers recruited 21 short sleepers – people who get between 5-7 hours per night. They were instructed to sleep an extra 90 minutes per night and try to get about 8 hours. They were taught all the usual sleep hygiene tricks and wore motion sensors on their wrists that monitored sleep. Food intake was also tracked for the four-week study.

What Happened?​

The successful extra-sleepers averaged 52 to 90 minutes more sleep per night. Although they weren't told to change their diets, they "accidentally" consumed 150 fewer calories per day, mostly by eating less sugar and sugary foods.

Researchers concluded that getting adequate sleep leads to better food choices. On the flip side, crappy sleep makes it easier to reach for more sugar and more low-nutrient junk.

Unconsciously and effortlessly, the participants dropped 150 sugary calories from their daily intakes. Over a month, this typically adds up to just over a pound of fat loss.


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But Why Did That Happen?​

We know that lack of sleep makes us crave more junk. And we assume it's because we're tired and our dumb bodies are demanding that quick hit of fleeting energy. But there's more to it than that.

Another study sheds some light. This was the first study to find a specific brain mechanism linked to food cravings caused by poor sleep.

Researchers from UC Berkeley found that sleepless nights have a direct impact on brain regions that control decision-making. Lack of sleep activated the deep, primal regions of the brain, the ones that respond easily to immediate rewards. This is considered low-level, monkey-brain activity, in contrast with high-level activity like making good decisions.

In short, if you don't sleep enough, good judgment is blunted while reward-seeking behavior is amplified.

How To Use This Info​

Try your damnedest to get adequate sleep. Easier said than done, I know. But here's something most people overlook: poor sleep is one of the first signs of magnesium deficiency. So, the math looks like this: low magnesium = bad sleep = monkey-brain eating.

Magnesium regulates the neurotransmitters involved in sleep such as GABA, a calming neurotransmitter that helps the brain transition into sleep. Low magnesium levels disrupt GABA function, making it harder to fall and stay asleep.

Magnesium is also involved in melatonin synthesis, the hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles. Low levels of magnesium impair natural melatonin production. As a bonus, magnesium also reduces stress and anxiety before bed.

Since a lot of magnesium is stripped from our foods by modern farming practices, take a supplement, preferably chelated for better absorption.