Burzynski: Cancer Is Serious Business from BurzynskiMovie on Vimeo.

Saturday night my wife received a phone call from her Mom letting us know that we were in a tornado warning. For those that don’t know, a warning means that a tornado has been sited and everyone should take cover. So that was what we started to do. My wife grabbed our 3 month old son out of his crib and I ran into the girl’s room to wake them up and get them downstairs.  Both my girls can be very sound sleepers and trying to get them up and going was not an easy task. I worked on my oldest (9) first.  After some coaxing, she finally woke up and headed downstairs where my wife was waiting.  My youngest daughter (7) was a different story. I could not wake her for anything so I finally reached over the guard rail on their bunk-bed and proceeded to lift her up and over and carry her downstairs.

It’s times like this, that make working out worth it. I hate to think what might have happened if I was not able to lift her up and get her downstairs.

To wrap up the story, we huddled in our half bath downstairs until we received the all clear.  No tornado’s went through our area but surrounding areas got hit pretty hard that night and again yesterday.

My thoughts and prayers go out to those affected.

Where have I been?  Around.

It’s been a week since I have posted anything and for that I am sorry. Things have been pretty crazy around my house the last week. My wife’s high school dance team was getting ready to put on their annual spring show and most of her free time was dedicated to preparing for that. That meant that kid and baby duty were my sole responsibility.  After everyone was in bed, I just didn’t have the energy to get online and put together a half-ass post. So now it’s a week later and I have no problem putting up something half-ass.

Things aren’t going so well in the weight loss area. Last Friday I weighed in for a few contests that I am in and I ended up putting a few pounds back on. I am now officially over 180lbs.  Looking back I am not 100% sure where I went wrong. I continue to do cardio, eat well, and lift.  If I could place blame anywhere, I think it might be that I am not eating enough.

Looking back at my logs, I am probably only consuming about 1500 calories a day. I figure my maintenance level is probably somewhere a little North of 2500. Going low calorie for a few days isn’t bad but doing so continuously isn’t good. I think that is where my weight gain has come from.

Could it be that my body is storing fat in anticipation of not getting enough food?

This week I have increased my calories a bit and am now hovering around 2100/kcal’s a day. Friday will be the true test to see if that approach has worked.

BTW – Weight loss contests are the worst thing to do if you only have a small amount of weight to lose (less than 10lbs). You will get judged for anything that was gained even though to gain can be quite normal in these circumstances. If you fit this bill and someone asks you to join a contest, you would be best to say now. Just my 2 cents.

Sleep Loss Appears to Do Two Things:

1. Makes you feel hungry even if you are full. Sleep loss has been shown to affect the secretion of cortisol, a hormone that regulates appetite. As a result, individuals who lose sleep may continue to feel hungry despite adequate food intake.
2. Increases fat storage. Sleep loss may interfere with the body’s ability to metabolize carbohydrates, which leads to high levels of blood sugar. Excess blood sugar promotes the overproduction of insulin, which can lead to the storage of body fat and insulin resistance, a critical step into the development of diabetes. Borrowed from medicinenet.com Read More

This isn’t new to me and I have heard it all before. One of the Primal rules is to make sure you get adequate sleep.  Ok. I understand that. But what do others do when that is not a possibility?  I cannot be the first person to want to tone up during a time when good sleep comes at a price. Do bodybuilders take off a couple of months when their wives give birth?  Has anyone reading this actually lost weight while not getting adequate sleep?

What Do I Do?

Here is the question of the day. Do I take a break from working out until my sleep patterns get back to normal or do I push myself harder and hope that the extra effort will counteract any negative effects the lack of sleep will provide?  I could see pulling a muscle from poor form brought on by being tired but I don’t want to quit working out because of a “maybe”.

It’s just a matter of time before his sleepless nights will pass and I wouldn’t trade this time for anything. Just curious what I should do in the mean time. Take a break or push through.

Thoughts?

I started this website almost 4 years ago. In its infancy, it wasn’t even a blog. It was an informational website that included articles on health and fitness, a personal trainer listing, and even a store. It didn’t do so well so I decided to go with a different approach. That was when the blog format was born.

Why a Blog?

I wanted to do a blog because I wanted to tell about my story of becoming fit and healthy. I was hoping to inspire people to ask me questions and seek me out for advice. It has always been a goal of mine to become a trainer and help people with their fitness and dietary needs. I felt that in order for people to trust me and what I had to say, I had to make myself seem perfect.  Trying to make everyone think you are perfect can be very exhausting.

I’m Tired

I am tired of putting up a front. Losing weight is not easy for me and it never has been. There are times when I go off my diet. There are times when I just don’t want to work out. There are times when I obsess over every pound.  There are times when I just want to give up. Luckily for me, those feelings never last and I continue on my journey of healthy living. But overall I am struggling just like most everyone else.

Why Am I Telling You This?

I have decided to blog about my day-to-day struggles of being an obsessive fitness fanatic.  I want to show what it’s really like to live my life. I want to show everyone that my life isn’t easy and I have had to and continue to work hard to achieve what I have. I am hoping that my struggles will bring others peace of mind that they are not alone. The journey wont be easy and I may stray from the path from time to time.  But I am human and I am not perfect.  The picture above is not one of me at my best. I am not posing.  I am not showing off any muscles or a great summer tan. It’s me at my most vulnerable. It’s showing me for me.