Cut 549 Calories in a Day

Gaining weight, yet can’t figure out why? Your love of Leno may be to blame. People who don't get enough shuteye are more likely than others to overeat, says a recent report presented at a conference hosted by the American Heart Association.

The researchers studied the sleeping and eating patterns of 17 healthy young men and women for 8 nights. The subjects were split into two groups—the only difference was half were allowed to sleep and wake as they normally did, and the other only slept two-thirds their normal time.

The results: The sleep-deprived group consumed an average 549 calories more each day, according to food logs and daily interviews the subjects had with dieticians.

More from MensHealth.com: 9 Sneaky Ways to Eat Less

“Previous studies have shown that there is a link between lack of sleep and weight gain,” says coinvestigator Andrew D. Calvin, M.D., M.P.H., cardiology fellow and assistant professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic. “Yet what we found interesting was all it took was a difference of 1 hour and 20 minutes to cause an increase in consumption.”

So lets say your a night owl, what can you do to fight away fat? The obvious answer here is sleep, but if it’s not possible to log more shuteye—alter your diet so you’re not craving Doritos around 10 P.M.

Try portioning your food throughout the day so you’re saving up the majority of your calories at night. By having a couple thousand calories to work with at dinner, you’ll be less likely to have cravings later in the evening because you’ll feel fuller longer, says Alan Aragon, M.S., the Men’s Health Weight-Loss Coach.

More from MensHealth.com: 7 Stupid Simple Ways to Eat Less

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