Struggling to lose those last few pounds you want to before summer? The key may be your SLEEP!

I was up all night with my middle child recently, and the next day felt like walking through fog with a short fuse. The cravings hit hard, my energy was flat, and I caught myself mindlessly reaching for snacks, not out of hunger, but out of exhaustion and survival mode.

Sound familiar?

If you’ve been trying to feel better in your body this summer — maybe hoping to shed some of the inflammation, bloating, or extra weight that crept in over the past few seasons — I want to gently suggest something that has nothing to do with cutting calories or exercising more:

Your sleep and your stress levels could be the missing link.

When we don’t sleep well, especially for multiple nights in a row (or chronically for those of you with insomnia), cortisol (our stress hormone) stays elevated. That single shift sets off a chain reaction:

• Cortisol makes your blood sugar unstable, leading to that 3 p.m. crash or constant hunger.
• It ramps up cravings for quick energy (aka sugar, caffeine, and salty snacks).
• It slows down your metabolism and tells your body to store fat, especially around the belly, as a protective mechanism.
• It disrupts the delicate balance of your hunger hormones like leptin and ghrelin, making it harder to know when you’re actually full.
• And maybe most frustrating of all? It makes you feel like you’re doing everything wrong, when really, your body is just overwhelmed and trying to cope.

This isn’t about willpower. It’s not about eating “perfectly.” It’s about working with your biology instead of against it.

If you’re tired of feeling stuck, my Metabolism Mini-Course can help you reset, from the inside out. We cover how stress, sleep, blood sugar, and hormones all connect to your metabolism (and no, it’s not just about burning calories). You’ll learn how to nourish your body, support your nervous system, and create sustainable shifts that feel good — even if you’re sleep-deprived and managing a million things.

You can check it out here.

And if you’ve had a rough night, give yourself some extra grace today. A calm body is a metabolically healthy body, and sometimes the best thing you can do is less.

With love and balance,

Kelley