Metabolism, sleep deprivation and excuses

There has to be a reason, there just has to be . . .

For what, you ask? How about the way my pants fit? OK, I know I am getting older (closer to 40 than to 30) but something has happened, slowly over the past year or more. It isn't leftover baby weight, as I was actually thinner when my son was an infant than before I got pregnant.

Now, I know being a size six and having five to ten extra pounds may not seem like much to fret about, but it is frustrating when I have been doing so much over the past few months to get back into fitness. Even though I have lost some inches, my pants still don't fit. Another point of frustration is that I have never had to watch what I eat due to an extremely high metabolism, and now when I do, it shows no results.

Can I really blame the extra pounds on age? Fitz says no, and I want to believe her. So what could be the problem, short of a thyroid problem, which I am sure I don't have! Here's my latest "excuse" . . .
I have been truly sleep-deprived over the last two and a half years, up most nights with a sleepless baby turned sleepless toddler. I remembered somewhere seeing something about sleep deprivation and metabolism, so I did a little digging.

Lack of sleep produces more of the stress hormone, cortisol, which leads to an increased appetite even though you are eating enough. Have I been eating more? Well, I admit that I may not yet have stopped eating for two.

Sleep deprivation also causes increased fat storage b/c lack of sleep causes an inability to properly metabolize carbohydrates and blood sugar levels become higher.

A study showed that a decrease from eight to four hours of sleep nightly caused changes in glucose tolerance and endocrine function after only less than a week. WHAT??? You mean lack of sleep can effect one's metabolism in less than a week?

Well, I think there may be something to my latest excuse; now to get that toddler sleeping . . .