Ello,
If you’re dieting right now and wondering why you’re suddenly ravenous all the time…
… it might not be your calories.
… it might not be your training.
… it might not even be your willpower.
It could be your sleep 👀
One thing I see clients get wrong again and again is underestimating the importance of getting enough sleep. It’s not just about having enough energy.
🧠 Your brain’s playing tricks on you
Here’s what happens when you don’t sleep enough:
Hunger hormones (ghrelin and leptin) go all over the place.
Your body mistakes tiredness for energy deficiency.
You start craving the quickest energy source available… which isn’t broccoli. It’s chocolate, crisps, biscuits, and anything else calorie-dense.
And when you’re already in a calorie deficit, those cravings hit like a train 😢
“I was so tired, I just needed a snack”
No. You didn’t.
You needed to sleep.
But when you’re running on fumes, your brain starts looking for the next hit of “energy.”
Calories are the easiest way to get it, so you convince yourself you’re hungrier than you are.
It’s not real hunger — it’s fatigue dressed up as an appetite.
😴 Why not getting enough sleep tanks your diet
Poor sleep doesn’t just make you hungrier, it also:
Wrecks your willpower (so saying “no” feels 10x harder)
Lowers training performance (so you burn fewer calories in the gym)
Slows recovery (so you feel more sore and less motivated to train)
Basically, you’re more tired, more sore, more hungry, and less likely to stick to the plan.
The solution is easy (but it works)
You can play “damage control” when you’ve had a crap night’s sleep:
Acknowledge your appetite will be higher.
Stick to your plan anyway.
Avoid situations where you know you’ll cave (don’t walk past the bakery when you’re starving).
But the real fix?
Get your Z’s.
It’s the cheapest, most underused fat-loss hack there is 🤷♂️
Cheers,
Sheep 🐑
P.S. If you want a plan that factors in your training, nutrition and lifestyle habits like sleep so you stop sabotaging your own progress, my Spud to Stud programme is running now.
It’s 8 weeks of fat-loss done properly — no bullshit, no crash diets, no mystery why your progress has stalled.
