A poor routine.....damages

This first week of weight gain has been a total failure.
I have managed to skip breakfast 4 out of 5 days and I still continue to have a light lunch and a massive dinner. (This combination obviously does not induce weight gain for me).

Thinking about my past routine I have been forced to accept some hard truths. Since I was 14 I have failed to get to sleep at a normal time. When I was at school this would usually be 1am/2am. When I started university this increased to 2am/3am. Now it can be as late as 4am on some days.

If I work the early morning shift (7am) I usually get around 3 hours of sleep.
This is how it goes....
- I wake late to get more minutes of sleep
- Therefore, I miss breakfast
- I work several hours on nothing but nervous energy.

I have started to call it 'nervous energy' after reading an article written by Schmidt in The Guardian titled 'Karen Carpenter's Tragic Story'. This article talks about Karen's routine during her anorexia years. Schmidt identifies that Richard and her managers expressed concern over her weight for years, and in 1975 Karen admitted she was emotionally and physically drained. She cancelled the four week European tour scheduled, giving her a break from her demanding schedule.

Under Agnes Carpenter's close watch, Karen slept 14-16 hours a day. "My mother thought I was dead," Karen told biographer Ray Coleman. "I normally manage on four to six hours. It was obvious that for the past two years I'd been running on nervous energy." 

Now, I'm sure Karen Carpenters schedule was much more rigurous and demanding - not to mention physically and emotionally draining than my educational years. However, our routines in terms of hours we sleep a night have similar traits.

It is very possible that I have also been running on 'nervous energy'.

Kora Organics started by supermodel extrodinaire Miranda Kerr identifies the best ways to gain weight. In the web article 'How to Gain Weight the Healthy Way', Sally Joseph the nutritionist identifies five reasons people lose weight. (or fail to gain weight)

1. Poor Absorption
2. Genetics
3. Illness
4. Poor Nutrition
5. Stress

I will explore this in more depth in my next post - however it is important to examine that weight gain or loss does not solely rely on food intake but also lifestyle routine.

References:

Schmidt, R (2010) Karen Carpenter's Tragic Story, The Guardian.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/oct/24/karen-carpenter-anorexia-book-extract

Joseph, S (2012) How to Gain Weight the Healthy Way, Kora Organics.

http://www.koraorganics.com/blog/live-in-my-skin/all-things-organic/organic-certification/how-to-gain-weight-the-healthy-way/