I want to give a quick update on the Valerian Root I mentioned last post.  That is some really interesting stuff.  Like I said, it won’t help you go to sleep, I actually have to put down the remote and head upstairs.  But when you are asleep it does what the label says, helps keep you asleep.

It is also supposed to help with dreaming, you know, entering REM sleep.  That works as well.  I almost rarely dreamed at night, or at least I never remembered dreaming when I woke in the morning.  Since starting the Valarian Root I dream almost every night.  And in the morning I remember the dreams and dreaming.

No night mares or anything like that, just dreams.  Some good, some not so much, but I am told that is normal for dreams.  So a thumbs up on the Valerian Root, it does what it is advertised to do.

Merlin Here - It has been 8 weeks of lifestyle changes and I have lost 16 pounds that I no longer wanted or needed. I have been watching everything I put into my mouth. I keep a daily food journal with a breakdown of the When, What, How Much and What the food did to me in calories, carbs, fiber, and protein.  This really is keeping me in check so I know exactly what I did each day.

I am also using a Omron Walking Sytle Step Counter - I have the one that I can hook up to the PC and it will show me exacly how many steps I did and how I am progressing. It also shows how many I did each hour. (I will be giving a fuller review coming soon)

But the biggest factor is learning to see if I am truely hungry. I am taking my time eating and mentally checking to see if I am full and not overeating just to eat. If I feel hungry I will take a glass of water - as I learned that sometimes I am thirsty and not really hungry. If am I still hungry I will grab some fruit or some vegies to satifisy myself. (I love frozen grapes and other frozen fruits to snack on) This will usually tide me over until dinner time.

Here is a helpful article on how to tell if you are truely hungry or not - From calorielab -

Now it is time to see - What do you do to stay full and not hungry with cravings. How is your weight loss coming along? Let us know here at FourFatGuys.com

-Merlin

Ok, ok, ok. I admit it. I am a late night binge eater. I love to sit in front of the telly and munch on whatever I can hold in front of me and flip between Jay Leno, Scrubs reruns, and Jimmy Kimmel. I sometimes even catch Conan’s monologue and if I am up reeeeeealy late it is Poker After Dark.

I know it looks like I am one of the only NBC fans in the world, but I don’t have cable and NBC is one of the few channels I can get clearly (CBS is right out clarity wise, and good thing too since I HATE David Letterman). But even without cable I am staying up WAAAAY too late. Wifey usually has to call downstairs to remind me to get to bed.

Problem is, during college I never slept. In my last 3 semesters I carried 22, 19, and 26 credits each term to graduate with a double major (neither of which I use in real life). So for the next 20 years I have never gotten to like sleep again. To paraphrase Poe, “Sleep, those little slices of death, how I loathe them.”

So I figure, since I am working out but not trying to count calories (I have FAILED every calorie counting scheme out there) I can try to regulate my sleep. A backhanded attempt to eat less since I have never been known to eat in my sleep (somnophagia?)

But how to get to sleep when the only way I can drowse off is to be so exhausted I can barely crawl up stairs to the bedroom? Valium and other narcotics are out, my liver is scarred enough from all the extra weight, I don’t need the pills adding to my cirrhosis.

I am going to give a natural herbal product a try, Valerian Root By Gaia Herbs [60 liquid-filled capsules]. Similar to the way Valium acts but non habit forming and easier on the liver. I have given it a try and so far the results are promising.

I am not saying it makes we want to go to bed at a reasonable hour, that is my responsibility. But when I do lie down to sleep I brain isn’t going a million miles per hour keeping me awake and frustrated. This is product is also NOT used to keep one asleep. I still woke up to go to the toilet and all that.

But so far, going to bed at a normal human hour seems to be helping. It is early and I still don’t have a baseline weight yet. Still have to stop at Walmart to get the scales. I’ll let you all know when I do.

I never thought I would think that; looking forward to a workout.  But I did.  It is frustrating on some levels since I don’t have access to a scale that can measure my weight.  LA Fitness has state of the art equipment for working out and targeting every major and minor muscle group in the human body, but they have $9 Walmart scales for weigh-ins???  That is okay, my primary care physician’s scale can’t measure my weight either.

I am going to go to Walmart and get TWO scales and stand on both and add up the totals.  Won’t be the most precise but it will give me an idea of what I weigh and some progress feedback.

I am feeling my way through the workout experience on my own.  I don’t have a workout buddy on the days I visit LA Fitness. Even if I did, I would not be able to hold much of a conversation just yet.  My stamina is just now beginning to show signs of actually coming back to life.

But that is ok.  A big guy first and foremost is looking for anonymity during his public appearances, and having a pal around can sometimes lead to more anxiety than is necessary, whether that anxiety is real or perceived doesn’t matter.  Especially to big guys, perception is reality.

While on the elliptical the other day I noticed something.  It seemed to be a bit easier on my legs during the workout when I closed my eyes and just listened to the music on my headphones.  However, all the machines like the elliptical and the stationary cycles all have bio-feedback screens and readouts, what if I missed a bit of information.

Honestly, I thought to myself, at this stage in the drama that is my life, I am only concerned with finishing the 20 minutes of the machine.  I am not vigorously counting calories just yet, or clocking my RPMs on the stationary, or logging distance on the elliptical.  Some nights I can’t get to the end of the 20 minutes, some nights I can.

So I decided to try my entire lower body workout (elliptical and stationary) with my eyes closed.   No watching the televisions, no checking out the hotties strolling around, no staring at the heart rate indicator wondering if it is good or not.  Close my eyes, listen to the music, get to the end.

So far I am two for two using the closed eye focusing method. I am not constantly shifting my focus from this or that, or even getting so distracted that I lose my stride.  I am very pleased thus far.

So, if you want to focus your lower body workout, try closing your eyes (on the equipment that lends itself to this technique).