Sloth is one of my major besetting "deadly" sins. And I've been really slothful this week. No exercise at all. Lots of sleeping. (Medication may need tweaking.) And, weirdly, though I'm menopausal, I've had a crampy "period". I think it's cause I lost 10 pounds in the last couple months and may have a reaction to the estrogen release. Not sure, prolly. At age 50, I'm not thinking I've starting popping out eggs again.
So, I had to scrounge in the back of the linen closet for a box of unused tampons leftover from my last Aunt Flo visit...
But I'm happy to update my ticker and stats with another slow downtick. I weighed in at 256.6 for a total of 42.4 lost.
And I'm very happy to see the slow, consistent progress.
The sloth is not so great. I'm glad I'm seeing the endo in a couple weeks, and I got blood taken out yesterday. It may or may not be the thyroid/med change. It may be the killer heat of August. 97 degrees yesterday with triple-digit heat index.
Whatever.
Appetite is good and NOT binge-y. I still am feeling calm about food, though I certainly could eat plenty if I don't watch it. I'm happy with a 1 to 2 pound loss a week and not feeling at all anxious. Whether that's related to the slothful lethargy, who knows.
I think if I can get past the sleepies and move more, I can up my loss.
Then again, moving more can up my appetite, too, so I worry about that.
I'll be back to Pilates next week (my trainer was on vacation last week), and that should help, too.
I'm eating pretty normal (though lower quantity) meals and less fruit than I was used to eating in a quest to have lower carb--not low, lower carb--meals. I had raspberries with my breakfast of caprese salad with EVOO and teriyaki wings. Yeah, teriyaki has carbs, but my mouth wanted it, so it was nicer to feel satisfied on a small bit of it. I have some pretty peaches I can have with supper. I find if I have my WonderSlim protein stuff between meals, the meals themselves tend to be normal (not my usual pig-out). And if I have something late at night, say 3 hours before bed, I feel a huge reduction in nightly food cravings and wake up feeling less crazy to have breakfast like usual.
So, while I am not a low-carber, I do seem to be a lower-carber (I have pasta, I have bread, I have potatoes, and I like fruit), meaning just cutting back on the quantity of my starch/fruit eating and increasing the protein (and fat) to compensate. This really does seem to be calming me...so far.
Hope your weekend is lovely. Mine has been restful and full of Japanese manga and a comedy flick and smooching hubby so far. Tomorrow is a family event, so I'll have to deal with the "how to face temptation" issue at the birthday party for my brother. I can see myself having to tote some lower-carb options or just saying NO to the rice and YES to the "ropa vieja" and salad. (Though it's really tough for a Cuban-born gal to have "ropa vieja" sans rice, I tell ya.)
Later, y'all....
Showing posts with label protein-rich. Show all posts
Showing posts with label protein-rich. Show all posts
Hanging in there. Had a few dinners out with hubby which presented temptations and challenges, but I've gotten better at doing that balancing act: if one meal is higher in calories, compensate with the other meals that day.
So, when I had the big Italian dinner out (very sumptuous wild mushroom and truffle oil fettucine with parmesan, bruschetta with tomatoes/olive tapenade/sauteed mushrooms, a meatball sample, wine, and hubby and split a gelato with chocolate sauce), I simply had two high-protein, low cal meals for the rest of that day (one protein hot chocolate, one protein oatmeal and egg), and registered no gain. Another dinner out, same thing....just was very cautious the rest of the day. No gain.
I haven't been eating low enough since Friday to really make for significant loss, but I did make it to 258.0 today, so it's 41 pounds gone.
I'll take it.
I haven't gone shopping, so I have NO fruit and NO salad fixings in the house (though I do have leftover salad from yesterday's Middle Eastern supper we had--for me, Chicken Shawarma with basmati and fatoush without the pita as per my request, carrot soup). So, I'm hoping it won't be a big rainy day so I can get some healthful produce.
I do find that the WonderSlim Hot Cakes and Hot Chocolate (especially the raspberry one) have been great hunger stopgappers for me. They give me a sense of luxurythat has been satisfying and useful. The hotcakes with sugar free syrup or some frozen strawberry heated and dumped on top accompanied by scrambled eggs has been my fave breakfast for the last two weeks. Easy, fast and lots of protein. I just need to get the spinach, mushroom, zucchini, etc that I like to add to my eggs. The hot chocolate with some low-carb biscotti just feels like a nice dessert or late night snack to curtail binge inclinations. It can satisfy the raging of a sweet tooth.
Anyway, as long as the direction is downward, even if snail-slow, I'm happy. :)
So, here's to another week of fatfighting...
So, when I had the big Italian dinner out (very sumptuous wild mushroom and truffle oil fettucine with parmesan, bruschetta with tomatoes/olive tapenade/sauteed mushrooms, a meatball sample, wine, and hubby and split a gelato with chocolate sauce), I simply had two high-protein, low cal meals for the rest of that day (one protein hot chocolate, one protein oatmeal and egg), and registered no gain. Another dinner out, same thing....just was very cautious the rest of the day. No gain.
I haven't been eating low enough since Friday to really make for significant loss, but I did make it to 258.0 today, so it's 41 pounds gone.
I'll take it.
I haven't gone shopping, so I have NO fruit and NO salad fixings in the house (though I do have leftover salad from yesterday's Middle Eastern supper we had--for me, Chicken Shawarma with basmati and fatoush without the pita as per my request, carrot soup). So, I'm hoping it won't be a big rainy day so I can get some healthful produce.
I do find that the WonderSlim Hot Cakes and Hot Chocolate (especially the raspberry one) have been great hunger stopgappers for me. They give me a sense of luxurythat has been satisfying and useful. The hotcakes with sugar free syrup or some frozen strawberry heated and dumped on top accompanied by scrambled eggs has been my fave breakfast for the last two weeks. Easy, fast and lots of protein. I just need to get the spinach, mushroom, zucchini, etc that I like to add to my eggs. The hot chocolate with some low-carb biscotti just feels like a nice dessert or late night snack to curtail binge inclinations. It can satisfy the raging of a sweet tooth.
Anyway, as long as the direction is downward, even if snail-slow, I'm happy. :)
So, here's to another week of fatfighting...
Labels:
eating out,
low-carb,
meal planning,
protein-rich,
take-out/dining out,
weigh-in,
WonderSlim
Okay, I thought yesterday was Sunday. hahahahha. I got ahead of myself with the SUMMER SLIMMIN' CHALLENGE check-in.
But that's fine. At least I did check in.
Today, I hit a milestone I've been so looking forward to. I've lost 40 pounds. Yay.
I weighed in at 258.6.
So, 40.4 pounds to be exact.
The extra protein is totally helping.
Today, hubby wanted a burrito, so we did a LIME takeout. I was afraid I'd do my bingey thing like I usually do with Italian or Mexican (my two major bingey fave cuisines). Nope. I ate a good amount of the lower carb South Beach beef burrito I ordered. But I didn't finish it. This is a RARE occurrence, having leftover burrito. Me loves burrito!!!
I left about 1/4th, which I wrapped for a leftover snack. I didn't finish the guacamole (I usually do) or the salsa (I usually do) and I didn't have a single tortilla chip. I had a few mouthfuls of refried beans, and have plenty for high fiber snacking.
Really happy I didn't go nuts.
Hoping my last two SS Challenge weigh-ins are satisfying ones.
This is a new week. Let's be very good to our bodies....
But that's fine. At least I did check in.
Today, I hit a milestone I've been so looking forward to. I've lost 40 pounds. Yay.
I weighed in at 258.6.
So, 40.4 pounds to be exact.
The extra protein is totally helping.
Today, hubby wanted a burrito, so we did a LIME takeout. I was afraid I'd do my bingey thing like I usually do with Italian or Mexican (my two major bingey fave cuisines). Nope. I ate a good amount of the lower carb South Beach beef burrito I ordered. But I didn't finish it. This is a RARE occurrence, having leftover burrito. Me loves burrito!!!
I left about 1/4th, which I wrapped for a leftover snack. I didn't finish the guacamole (I usually do) or the salsa (I usually do) and I didn't have a single tortilla chip. I had a few mouthfuls of refried beans, and have plenty for high fiber snacking.
Really happy I didn't go nuts.
Hoping my last two SS Challenge weigh-ins are satisfying ones.
This is a new week. Let's be very good to our bodies....
Wow. I've been absent again. I missed the SUMMER SLIMMIN' check-in. I've been carbing it up at family gatherings (one day chicken and rice with sugar-topped plantains, the other a lo mein and steamed dumplings feast, and a pizza backslide last night).
I have been feeling off. My face feels a bit "masky", and since we changed my regimen a month ago, I think my previous thyroid med status has now sequed to the new one (lower dosage) and it's NOT helping. I have felt like sleeping more, and I've craved carbs (and been indulging, though until yesterday, not bingeing), and my attention is hard to focus. The scale is up. Yeah, something's off. I have an appot to see doc in August, so I gotta do something until then to not lose all traction.
I will say that despite feeling groggier and carb-happy, I only big-time overate twice in the last week plus. And even though I wanted to binge last night, it was a minor binge (and weighted in less than day before). I did NOT eat enough to gain 4 pounds, and the scale showed me up to 263.8. I know the carbs and sodium mix is mostly to blame.
Yesterday, it was pizza. Damn the Dominos 2x Tuesday. I had not been shopping (due to feeling lethargic) and so there was NOTHING in the house to give hubby. So, I fell into the order-crap hole and got the 2 pizzas for one price. I ate 3.5 slices and a salad and stopped. I wanted more. I wanted the whole fricken pizza. But I took the slices, bagged them, froze them. I wasn't gonna throw them out, as hubby can take them for lunch (as he did today, two slices).
I haven't had an all-out, stuff until I hurt binge in a while. In fact, even when I wanted to eat MORE at the family functions, I didn't. I avoided cakes and sugary snacks for the most part. I didn't have more than one mojito (and that has sugar), and ended up having half of it. I took my own beveraged. I ate something before showing up.
Even the late night eating (the other night I overate), I ordered HALF of what I would when I binged.
I like to think the sense of calmness on most days is progress. Even with the regain.
So, I'm not stressing overly.
I am taking a different tack until I can see the doc (it's too coincidental that I feel off when we're trying a new combo, which I researched after and found was LESS strong than the original one, though should be better absorbed.)
I have watched with good cheer and interest, Lyn of Escape From Obesity's progress on MediFast. (She has a coupon code for those wanting to use the plan. See her blog post on the MediFast winners.)
I can't do that--first, saw too many reviews of the horrible taste of the stuff and, second, too much soy. I am not euthyroid, and I don't want to take in THAT much soy every day and then have to worry about rejiggering my medication all the time. Nothing worse than unstable thyroid levels when you're hypothyroid. Sucks bigtime. And makes losing weight virtually impossible for me when I"m out of my limited "happy range."
And I wondered about all the folks who have seen our Lyn do so well and want to try something like Medifast, but without soy or with LESS soy. Who worry about soy or are just sensitive or allergic to it. What are their/my options?
So, I did googling. hahah.
Then, I ordered stuff from Diet Direct. Stuff related to WONDERSLIM (though I'm not doing the plan.) I heard about Wonderslim from two sources within one week: 3FatChicks.com's forum and Impatient Dieter. And I saw that soy sensitive folks have used it as an alternative to MediFast (though MediFast seems to work better, it tastes worse and is more expenseive). Trade-offs for people to research.
I am not doing "the program". I simply feel too draggy and demotivated by that dragginess to want to shop/cook/plan, etc. I want simple stuff here that is high-protein, low-to-medium carb, easy to fix, so I don't have to think about food some days (or several days in a row). So, that's my rationale--just holding on and maybe make some progress until we fix me up medication-wise.
BUT..you can use the Diet Direct WONDERSLIM stuff for your "cheaper and tastier alternative to Medifast" regimen if you choose. Others have done it (check 3FatChicks forum to see). You can read up on both plans and see how to work it. In truth, if you have the patience and bucks, you can order stuff from both and see which flavors you can handle before you choose a plan.
For those following Impatient Dieter--who used a regimen of 7 Wonderslim shakes of 100 calories each and two lean/green meals a day of 250 calories each with full fat dressing to lose an astounding amount of weight FAST--and who were curious to try that regimen, I'll happily post reviews of the drinks and meal equivalents for you.
WonderSlim has some soy items, so you do need to read ingredients and decide how much you think you can handle. The shakes and drinks are not soy-based. They are whey-based. You can read nutritional info on their products here: WONDERSLIM
From what I understand, MediFast has more fiber and probably a higher nutritional profile than WonderSlim. It has fewer carbs in its entress. (WonderSlim offers some pasta dish options). WonderSlim's oatmeal is supposed to taste LIKE OATMEAL, unlike the MF weird one. The shakes are supposed to be tastier and without aftertaste like MF. BUT..the WS stuff uses in many cases aspartame. So, some folks don't do that.
So, I do recommend you compare ingredients and carbs, etc, and also if you do WS, to get a fiber supplement. Not a biggie, really. Everyone should review ingredients in what they eat, anyway.
QUICKIE REVIEW: I had the protein WS Hot Cakes for breakfast with two eggs with cheddar and some Almond Breeze. (All stuff I still had at home and easy to prepare). (I'll revise this post with a pic when I upload and rescale. I'm feeling draggy, remember?)
Lots of protein!
The hot cakes would not be confused with regular pancakes, but I found them pleasant--nicely vanilla-ey and with some sugar-free syrup and cinnamon sprinkled on top, satisfying. (One packet makes 3 very small hot cakes. Cute, too.) Don't overcook. Easy to prepare. Add 1/4 cup water to one packet, stir, let stand for 1 minute (it thickens and becomes frothy), scoop onto pan that's been preheated low-medium heat. I spritzed Pam for the "greasing". I added a tiny dollop of Smart Balance over each pancake (like a pea sized drop) for some healthy fat.
SparkPeople's Nutrition Tracker lists my breakfast as 491 cals, 27g carbs, 35g protein.
It's now 4 hours since I ate--yeah, yeah, I'm not eating every 2 hours, that's up to you if you do the whole plan, which I'm NOT doing--and I"m not remotely hungry, but plan to eat anyway to keep me from GETTING to the point of hunger.
This is not CLEAN EATING. You see that, right? :) It's not "wholesome" eating.
MediFast and WonderSlim are what I call Frankenfood Diets (although others define it differently)--foods that are not what nature makes or near-natural. Processed, reconfigured, "isolated" this, added vitamins, removed THAT, preservatives, all sorts of stuff in there that's hard to pronounce. If you prefer to stay close to nature--as I generally do, but man, I'm zapped right now and justt balk at the idea of toting bags full of produce and proteins home and chopping and cooking... aaaaaarrrgggghhh-- this is not for you.
If you can get tired of flavors easily, this is not for you. Shakes and drinks have limited flavors , there's lots of chocolate , sure. Most of the entrees seem to be similar in spice structure. But your lean meal can be whatever you want that fits the parameters, so make that one happy for your mouth. Lyn has great recipes. See her site for that. Make the most of your REAL FOOD. (I have some frozen asparagus, some fresh Spinach and zucchini, but no meat or poultry at home right now. Dang.)
I plan to add stuff I have in my pantry to use them up, like my nice FiberGourmet high-fiber, lower-carb version of pasta. I like the fiber in that and the texture. I have many soups that I can easily heat up (most are veggie-based). I have frozen Diet-To-Go suppers that can fill in a pinch (though not low-carb, they're vegetarian and lowfat).
I didn't want to ditch the challenge, though exercising is really hard--and I have been tempted to cancel Pilates, but dammit, I refuse to give in THAT much!
If anyone has tried a MediFast alternative (for folks who can't afford/don't like taste of/can't do all soy), please post a link to any post you've done so others can see the resources you have. I don't mean SPAM or PR. I mean YOU use it and it works well for you.
If you've used WonderSlim, do you blog about it? Please comment and link.
If you've done Medifast and found a way to construct your own using more accessible ingredients from your supermarket/health food store--post and link.
So, right now, I was up 4 lbs from last weigh-in, then today down a bit, but still up 3 lbs. Let's see what next weigh-in brings.
On the plus side my natural hair journey has yielded nice results. Here is hair on Saturday on way to one of those carby family gatherings:
Happy week to you all.
WONDERSLIM / DIET DIRECT NOTE: If you spend more than $79, shipping is free. Spend 99 bucks, get 10% automatically off. I got my stuff IN FIVE DAYS via FedEx, and would have gotten it sooner, but I ordered on a Saturday night.
Legal Note: I did not get any free products (other than usual few samples added to orders). I bought these products on my own dime and my review is my own. I am NOT at this time an affiliate. I am considering becoming one, and it depends on if I enjoy the products.
ETA: Okay, as of Thursday afternoon, I am an affiliate. Just updating.
GHHCDSV15446258
ETA: Okay, so I just changed my mind and emailed them to remove me as an affiliate. I feel dumb. hah.
I have been feeling off. My face feels a bit "masky", and since we changed my regimen a month ago, I think my previous thyroid med status has now sequed to the new one (lower dosage) and it's NOT helping. I have felt like sleeping more, and I've craved carbs (and been indulging, though until yesterday, not bingeing), and my attention is hard to focus. The scale is up. Yeah, something's off. I have an appot to see doc in August, so I gotta do something until then to not lose all traction.
I will say that despite feeling groggier and carb-happy, I only big-time overate twice in the last week plus. And even though I wanted to binge last night, it was a minor binge (and weighted in less than day before). I did NOT eat enough to gain 4 pounds, and the scale showed me up to 263.8. I know the carbs and sodium mix is mostly to blame.
Yesterday, it was pizza. Damn the Dominos 2x Tuesday. I had not been shopping (due to feeling lethargic) and so there was NOTHING in the house to give hubby. So, I fell into the order-crap hole and got the 2 pizzas for one price. I ate 3.5 slices and a salad and stopped. I wanted more. I wanted the whole fricken pizza. But I took the slices, bagged them, froze them. I wasn't gonna throw them out, as hubby can take them for lunch (as he did today, two slices).
I haven't had an all-out, stuff until I hurt binge in a while. In fact, even when I wanted to eat MORE at the family functions, I didn't. I avoided cakes and sugary snacks for the most part. I didn't have more than one mojito (and that has sugar), and ended up having half of it. I took my own beveraged. I ate something before showing up.
Even the late night eating (the other night I overate), I ordered HALF of what I would when I binged.
I like to think the sense of calmness on most days is progress. Even with the regain.
So, I'm not stressing overly.
I am taking a different tack until I can see the doc (it's too coincidental that I feel off when we're trying a new combo, which I researched after and found was LESS strong than the original one, though should be better absorbed.)
I have watched with good cheer and interest, Lyn of Escape From Obesity's progress on MediFast. (She has a coupon code for those wanting to use the plan. See her blog post on the MediFast winners.)
I can't do that--first, saw too many reviews of the horrible taste of the stuff and, second, too much soy. I am not euthyroid, and I don't want to take in THAT much soy every day and then have to worry about rejiggering my medication all the time. Nothing worse than unstable thyroid levels when you're hypothyroid. Sucks bigtime. And makes losing weight virtually impossible for me when I"m out of my limited "happy range."
And I wondered about all the folks who have seen our Lyn do so well and want to try something like Medifast, but without soy or with LESS soy. Who worry about soy or are just sensitive or allergic to it. What are their/my options?
So, I did googling. hahah.
Then, I ordered stuff from Diet Direct. Stuff related to WONDERSLIM (though I'm not doing the plan.) I heard about Wonderslim from two sources within one week: 3FatChicks.com's forum and Impatient Dieter. And I saw that soy sensitive folks have used it as an alternative to MediFast (though MediFast seems to work better, it tastes worse and is more expenseive). Trade-offs for people to research.
I am not doing "the program". I simply feel too draggy and demotivated by that dragginess to want to shop/cook/plan, etc. I want simple stuff here that is high-protein, low-to-medium carb, easy to fix, so I don't have to think about food some days (or several days in a row). So, that's my rationale--just holding on and maybe make some progress until we fix me up medication-wise.
BUT..you can use the Diet Direct WONDERSLIM stuff for your "cheaper and tastier alternative to Medifast" regimen if you choose. Others have done it (check 3FatChicks forum to see). You can read up on both plans and see how to work it. In truth, if you have the patience and bucks, you can order stuff from both and see which flavors you can handle before you choose a plan.
For those following Impatient Dieter--who used a regimen of 7 Wonderslim shakes of 100 calories each and two lean/green meals a day of 250 calories each with full fat dressing to lose an astounding amount of weight FAST--and who were curious to try that regimen, I'll happily post reviews of the drinks and meal equivalents for you.
WonderSlim has some soy items, so you do need to read ingredients and decide how much you think you can handle. The shakes and drinks are not soy-based. They are whey-based. You can read nutritional info on their products here: WONDERSLIM
From what I understand, MediFast has more fiber and probably a higher nutritional profile than WonderSlim. It has fewer carbs in its entress. (WonderSlim offers some pasta dish options). WonderSlim's oatmeal is supposed to taste LIKE OATMEAL, unlike the MF weird one. The shakes are supposed to be tastier and without aftertaste like MF. BUT..the WS stuff uses in many cases aspartame. So, some folks don't do that.
So, I do recommend you compare ingredients and carbs, etc, and also if you do WS, to get a fiber supplement. Not a biggie, really. Everyone should review ingredients in what they eat, anyway.
QUICKIE REVIEW: I had the protein WS Hot Cakes for breakfast with two eggs with cheddar and some Almond Breeze. (All stuff I still had at home and easy to prepare). (I'll revise this post with a pic when I upload and rescale. I'm feeling draggy, remember?)
Lots of protein!
The hot cakes would not be confused with regular pancakes, but I found them pleasant--nicely vanilla-ey and with some sugar-free syrup and cinnamon sprinkled on top, satisfying. (One packet makes 3 very small hot cakes. Cute, too.) Don't overcook. Easy to prepare. Add 1/4 cup water to one packet, stir, let stand for 1 minute (it thickens and becomes frothy), scoop onto pan that's been preheated low-medium heat. I spritzed Pam for the "greasing". I added a tiny dollop of Smart Balance over each pancake (like a pea sized drop) for some healthy fat.
SparkPeople's Nutrition Tracker lists my breakfast as 491 cals, 27g carbs, 35g protein.
It's now 4 hours since I ate--yeah, yeah, I'm not eating every 2 hours, that's up to you if you do the whole plan, which I'm NOT doing--and I"m not remotely hungry, but plan to eat anyway to keep me from GETTING to the point of hunger.
This is not CLEAN EATING. You see that, right? :) It's not "wholesome" eating.
MediFast and WonderSlim are what I call Frankenfood Diets (although others define it differently)--foods that are not what nature makes or near-natural. Processed, reconfigured, "isolated" this, added vitamins, removed THAT, preservatives, all sorts of stuff in there that's hard to pronounce. If you prefer to stay close to nature--as I generally do, but man, I'm zapped right now and justt balk at the idea of toting bags full of produce and proteins home and chopping and cooking... aaaaaarrrgggghhh-- this is not for you.
If you can get tired of flavors easily, this is not for you. Shakes and drinks have limited flavors , there's lots of chocolate , sure. Most of the entrees seem to be similar in spice structure. But your lean meal can be whatever you want that fits the parameters, so make that one happy for your mouth. Lyn has great recipes. See her site for that. Make the most of your REAL FOOD. (I have some frozen asparagus, some fresh Spinach and zucchini, but no meat or poultry at home right now. Dang.)
I plan to add stuff I have in my pantry to use them up, like my nice FiberGourmet high-fiber, lower-carb version of pasta. I like the fiber in that and the texture. I have many soups that I can easily heat up (most are veggie-based). I have frozen Diet-To-Go suppers that can fill in a pinch (though not low-carb, they're vegetarian and lowfat).
I didn't want to ditch the challenge, though exercising is really hard--and I have been tempted to cancel Pilates, but dammit, I refuse to give in THAT much!
If anyone has tried a MediFast alternative (for folks who can't afford/don't like taste of/can't do all soy), please post a link to any post you've done so others can see the resources you have. I don't mean SPAM or PR. I mean YOU use it and it works well for you.
If you've used WonderSlim, do you blog about it? Please comment and link.
If you've done Medifast and found a way to construct your own using more accessible ingredients from your supermarket/health food store--post and link.
So, right now, I was up 4 lbs from last weigh-in, then today down a bit, but still up 3 lbs. Let's see what next weigh-in brings.
On the plus side my natural hair journey has yielded nice results. Here is hair on Saturday on way to one of those carby family gatherings:
Happy week to you all.
WONDERSLIM / DIET DIRECT NOTE: If you spend more than $79, shipping is free. Spend 99 bucks, get 10% automatically off. I got my stuff IN FIVE DAYS via FedEx, and would have gotten it sooner, but I ordered on a Saturday night.
Legal Note: I did not get any free products (other than usual few samples added to orders). I bought these products on my own dime and my review is my own. I am NOT at this time an affiliate. I am considering becoming one, and it depends on if I enjoy the products.
ETA: Okay, as of Thursday afternoon, I am an affiliate. Just updating.
GHHCDSV15446258
ETA: Okay, so I just changed my mind and emailed them to remove me as an affiliate. I feel dumb. hah.
So, I dropped by to read Melting Mama (who is a very cool, funny, ragingly honest blogger that I like to read regularly), and see a very helpful post for June 1 on the Consumer Reports test of protein drinks. I'm glad she posted this, cause I had tried to find an online source for the test results (didn't want to subscribe again to CR, as I had been a subscriber for years and, really, hardly ever went to the site to get my money's worth.) She has the chart up. Go see it.
I admit it. Yes, I confess. I have several big cannisters of protein mix in my kitchen. (Or, more specifically, under the kitchen table, as I have a storage issue here.)
No, I didn't have gastric bypass. No, I'm not a low-carber. No, I'm not an elite muscle-building athlete.
So, why?
Cause I can't eat before my exercise training session. If I have breakfast (ie, solids), I get crazy reflux when I lie down, invert, etc. So, for almost two years, since I began regular Pilates training, I've had my cocktail I mix up in a shaker prior to exercising. I noticed on days I didn't use it and caved and had an egg with toast or toast and cheese or something else with a solid, I'd get the mini-acid-reflux pukies. When I had nothing but tea, I pooped out, no energy to finish an hour-long exercise session.
Enter BSN Syntha 6 and Dessert Lean. I liked the flavors (I have banana pudding, cinnamon roll, mochaccino, & chocolate). I liked the ease of mixing with water.I use it in combination with Amazing Grass and Acai Splash (and sometimes Green Magma) to get antioxidants, protein, etc before my workout. It gives me the energy to get through it, and at fifty years old and morbidly obese, anything that gets me through an hour of exercise, I'll take it. :) (Well, as long as it's not illegal or loony or makes me look like a strung-out crack or meth 'ho.)
I never have more than one scoop a day (unlike the Consumer Reports study that uses 3 servings a day as their comparison standard amount). I sometimes have half a scoop.
I also recently got some Any Whey (wish that was in their study) to punch up the protein content in my husband's occasional breakfast waffles and pancakes (as he does tend to NOT get enough protein, usually none to almost none with breakfast, and has had some muscle loss consequently).
So, for myself, what to do?
Well, I'm not gonna toss it in the trash. The quantities in the BSN as listed (yeah, I use THAT chocolate one) divided by 3 or more (as I use 1 to less than one scoop and only on VIGOROUS exercise days, which is usually 2x, and sometimes 3x a week).
I will not repurchase, however, and will figure out a better way to prep for exercise WITHOUT protein shakes. If that means experimenting with smoothies (ie, peanut butter and milk with banana or somesuch), then so be it.
I don't eat protein bars anymore (never really loved any of them other than Supreme Protein, and that had an amazing amount of calories!). The peanut contamination sort of got me to toss what I had.
However, if you take protein shakes daily--and I assume bars with protein isolates mixed in may have this very same issue, and Consumer Reports should look into that-- or, worse, multiple times a day, it's time to sit down and have yourself a good think and self-talk over it. Definitely don't have it more than once a day (if you're supplementing meals). Start cutting back a bit today if you are using it multiple times a day and have stocked up on the brands with worst contamination (Muscle Milk, whoa, glad I never bought that). If you are determined to continue to consume protein-rich mixes/shakes, then at least buy the ones that did well on the Consumer Reports tests: Solgar Whey to Go, Optimum Nutrition Platinum Hydro-Whey (dang, long name), Six Star Muscle Professional Strength Whey (dang, another long one).
I used to drink EAS myoplex in dark chocolate (the low carb one) back when I did a low-carb phase. I won't be buying them again.
I wonder if they've tested the protein additives--or toxins-- in marketed food programs with protein shakes and protein bars and protein-enhanced this and that? If they're using those whey isolates, etc, just like protein powders, this could be an issue.
Are you drinking protein shakes/mixes/bars? Does this Consumer Report study concern you? Are you going to alter your habits re ingestion of these protein products?
I admit it. Yes, I confess. I have several big cannisters of protein mix in my kitchen. (Or, more specifically, under the kitchen table, as I have a storage issue here.)
No, I didn't have gastric bypass. No, I'm not a low-carber. No, I'm not an elite muscle-building athlete.
So, why?
Cause I can't eat before my exercise training session. If I have breakfast (ie, solids), I get crazy reflux when I lie down, invert, etc. So, for almost two years, since I began regular Pilates training, I've had my cocktail I mix up in a shaker prior to exercising. I noticed on days I didn't use it and caved and had an egg with toast or toast and cheese or something else with a solid, I'd get the mini-acid-reflux pukies. When I had nothing but tea, I pooped out, no energy to finish an hour-long exercise session.
Enter BSN Syntha 6 and Dessert Lean. I liked the flavors (I have banana pudding, cinnamon roll, mochaccino, & chocolate). I liked the ease of mixing with water.I use it in combination with Amazing Grass and Acai Splash (and sometimes Green Magma) to get antioxidants, protein, etc before my workout. It gives me the energy to get through it, and at fifty years old and morbidly obese, anything that gets me through an hour of exercise, I'll take it. :) (Well, as long as it's not illegal or loony or makes me look like a strung-out crack or meth 'ho.)
I never have more than one scoop a day (unlike the Consumer Reports study that uses 3 servings a day as their comparison standard amount). I sometimes have half a scoop.
I also recently got some Any Whey (wish that was in their study) to punch up the protein content in my husband's occasional breakfast waffles and pancakes (as he does tend to NOT get enough protein, usually none to almost none with breakfast, and has had some muscle loss consequently).
So, for myself, what to do?
Well, I'm not gonna toss it in the trash. The quantities in the BSN as listed (yeah, I use THAT chocolate one) divided by 3 or more (as I use 1 to less than one scoop and only on VIGOROUS exercise days, which is usually 2x, and sometimes 3x a week).
I will not repurchase, however, and will figure out a better way to prep for exercise WITHOUT protein shakes. If that means experimenting with smoothies (ie, peanut butter and milk with banana or somesuch), then so be it.
I don't eat protein bars anymore (never really loved any of them other than Supreme Protein, and that had an amazing amount of calories!). The peanut contamination sort of got me to toss what I had.
However, if you take protein shakes daily--and I assume bars with protein isolates mixed in may have this very same issue, and Consumer Reports should look into that-- or, worse, multiple times a day, it's time to sit down and have yourself a good think and self-talk over it. Definitely don't have it more than once a day (if you're supplementing meals). Start cutting back a bit today if you are using it multiple times a day and have stocked up on the brands with worst contamination (Muscle Milk, whoa, glad I never bought that). If you are determined to continue to consume protein-rich mixes/shakes, then at least buy the ones that did well on the Consumer Reports tests: Solgar Whey to Go, Optimum Nutrition Platinum Hydro-Whey (dang, long name), Six Star Muscle Professional Strength Whey (dang, another long one).
I used to drink EAS myoplex in dark chocolate (the low carb one) back when I did a low-carb phase. I won't be buying them again.
I wonder if they've tested the protein additives--or toxins-- in marketed food programs with protein shakes and protein bars and protein-enhanced this and that? If they're using those whey isolates, etc, just like protein powders, this could be an issue.
Are you drinking protein shakes/mixes/bars? Does this Consumer Report study concern you? Are you going to alter your habits re ingestion of these protein products?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)