Stress: Physical, mental or emotional strain.
Yup. That's about right and I've dealt with all three in the past week alone - and on more than one front.
I won't bore you with all of the details, but let's just say that the emotional roller coaster of life has been kicking my ass lately. I can't sleep. I can't eat. I'm f-ing tired and completely drained - and there's no end in sight.
On the bright side, I've lost another pound, but can still lift more than ever. I'm weighing in at a whopping 116 lbs now and, last night, I deadlifted 145 x5 and could have easily done twice that many. For chins I did BW +15lbs x 4, +10 lbs x5, +5 lbs x 5 and BW x 8...then did another 8 after my abs.
On top of that, I'm struggling to stave off a cold. It started a few days ago, but it hasn't totally reared its ugly head yet. Last night I had that drippy nose and teary eyes thing that keeps you up. I firmly believe that it's my diet and fasting that's keeping me from getting sicker. The only reason I have any symptoms is because of the stress and ensuing lack of sleep. I'm wound so tight right now I feel like I'm going to snap.
So, what to do? Keep on keeping on, I guess. Work has been great - very busy, but that's a good thing most of the time. I'm heading to Wichita next week and looking forward to meeting a ton of people I work with but whom I have never met in person. Unfortunately I'll be looking at 12+ hour days, so I don't see myself catching up on my rest.
Finding the motivation to workout has been tough since I'm dragging ass, but it did feel good to get back at it yesterday. Tomorrow is chest day. Let's see if I can break the 100-lb mark!
Comments
Solution? Refeed. As soon as I upped the carbs I finally managed to sleep again. I now know that I can go about 3 days on a hard deficit before reaching the insomnia stage.
Are you refeeding regularly? I think that is why Martin's programme essentially shifts from deficit to surplus on a daily basis, so that you avoid running yourself to the ground!
Well done on the weight-loss nevertheless!
I will probably take your advice on the refeed, though as I haven't even been eating maintenance lately. Thanks for reading!
Lea offered some VERY important advice. I know you don't want to think it's the way you are implementing Martin's protocol, but, trust me, it is. I'm recovering right now from hitting that very same wall. I'm your height and i had many of the same weight issues that you do and I know how fast you lose inches and body fat by fasting. I couldn't believe it either. However, it is very dangerous to have your catecholamines raised all the time -- that's why you can't sleep, you have no appetite, and everything seems crazy stressful (and everything that's going on in your life is only making the situation worse, which may be why you're starting to crash). You're not eating enough -- even if you think you are. Eating as few as 1300 calories a day for just a few days at a time is enough to drive your leptin into the ground and raise those catecholamines through the roof all the time. It means you're heading for adrenal burnout. I leangains and Martin too -- I'm a huge, huge fan -- and one thing that Martin makes extremely clear is the need to do this slowly. Painfully slowly. You're losing too much body fat too quickly and your body thinks it's starving. It's keeping you up all night in the hopes you'll finally get up and look for some food! When I first started leangains, I did go slowly and got terrific results, so I thought, in my infinite wisdom, that I'd speed things up a bit. a few months of that and I crashed. Hard. Couldn't sleep, food made me sick, the whole world seemed crazier than it already is -- and then my appetite came roaring back. I didn't binge really and I never eat junk food, so I only gained back what I lost on leangains (plus a bit extra belly fat). At my lowest I dropped to 108 pounds and now I'm back to 118 -- which is still reasonable for 5'2". I'm starting slowly doing leangains again after having to stop for a week or so, and now I do 14-16 hours (martin recommends 14 hours for females) and I make sure I eat enough calories so I lower my catecholamines after I eat. Now I sleep great. Go slowly! Lea's right -- refeed, refeed, refeed -- with carbs, of course, but try not to eat less than 1800 calories a day until you're sleeping better and your life calms down. Then lower it to 1700, and so on...
Fasting is great -- I love it! -- and it really works for us short girls, but it is a stress on the body and it must be handled cautiously.
I hope you take my advice. I like your posts and you seem really nice. Take Martin's advice! Go slowly!
Best,
Nicole Vanessa
Nicole Vanessa
i just found out that my dad's prostate cancer may have returned, we're selling our home b/c my husband's job is moving and we're going to lose everything we put into it and then some (and may have to PAY the bank at closing). And we weren't one of those couples who uses their home as an ATM. The BRAC subcontractor for the government is low-balling EVERYONE and then flipping the houses and making the money they should have given to us.
I can't move with my husband b/c I'm staying local for my daughter (not leaving her and not taking her from my ex, her father)...I have a condo in new orleans that needs something fixed every month and I don't have the money... And all of this has pretty much come to a head in the past week. It's not my diet. I wasn't exaggerating about my stress.
But thank you both for your concern and for the comments. I had dinner and a healthy stack of OREOS and a big glass of milk last night, took some cold medicine for my post-nasal drip and I was out like a light. And I'm planning a big pasta dinner tonight for the family.
:)
Take a moment, stop and look at all the great things you have in your life, and all the love and support you have.
You could try a pre-workout supplement that has stims to really get you focused and motivated.
As for sleeping, I have been getting great results by taken a Calcium/Magnesium supp, seems to knock me right out.
:)