Let’s Talk Protein Powders

Disclaimer: I am going to say right now that I am not an expert by any means with this.  I have however done some research, so I’m not completely clueless.  Up front I will also say that at this time I have decided not to use the products distributed by Herbalife and Shakeology.  In the end I didn’t like the ingredients in the products or the sales techniques that are often used to persuade people into buying them. Now that my opinion on that is out of the way here we go.

What exactly is protein used for and why do we need it? Protein is used to repair and build tissue.  It is the building block of everything from hair and nails to bones and muscle. Protein is a macro nutrient which means that the body needs a lot of it and unlike carbohydrates and fats the body does not store it. This is why we need to have a steady supply of protein intake on a daily basis.

How much protein do you need?  This does depend on age, gender, weight and activity level.  For me I try to make a least 30% of my intake of food to be from protein, which ends up being (120-140 grams)  The app I use to track all of this is called My Fitness pal.  You can use the website or an app for your smart phone. I can’t say enough how much I love this thing!

What foods are high in protein? Foods high in protein include meat, fish, beans, eggs, nuts and greek yogurt.  I try to eat protein with every meal, however because I don’t “love” meat, fish or beans I usually fall short on my on my intake. So for me protein shakes are a perfect option.

Protein Shakes: The type of protein I use is just simple good ol’ Whey protein.  There are two times of day when I typically have my protein shakes.  The first is if I do a morning workout I will generally make one when I get back from the gym for breakfast.  The second time is to have it as my afternoon snack before I go to the gym.  Another great thing about the protein powder is it keeps you full in between meals, or can even be used to supplement a meal. What Protein

Powder do I use? The protein powder that I use varies and I’m still in search of one that I love.  Nick however has found one that he loves, so we will start with that. Cellucor is the first brand of whey protein we tried and is available Here.  If you are interested in trying these powders use the code “TATMANARMY” to get 30% off your order.  So far we have tried the Peanut Butter Marshmallow, Cor-Fetti, Cinnamon Swirl and Mint Chip.  These powders are very flavorful and if you like sweet drinks you will love them. To me they do irritate my stomach a bit as they are a tad too sweet for my liking.  However Nick has no problem with them, so you really have to experiment and find what works for you. My favorite so far has been the Cor-Fetti, it really does taste like Fun-fetti batter!  Nick’s favorite is the Peanut Butter Marshmallow.  Our least favorite was the Cinnamon Swirl, to me it tasted more like maple than cinnamon and vanilla. Below are the nutritional facts for the Peanut Butter Marshmallow, so you can see what those look like. The second brand of protein powder we’ve tried is Isopure’s Vanilla.  This one is low in carbs and the nutritional info is pretty great. To me this one is a bit lighter than the cellucor and not so sweet.  One thing I have noticed though is that it’s a bit salty.  When mixed with other things it’s not so bad, but you can really taste the saltiness when its mixed with just Almond Milk. Isopure does have a huge selection of flavor’s though, so I am interested in trying some of them out.  They are available on Amazon. The last Brand I have tried is Java Pro by Nature’s Best.  This is a coffee flavored protein powder!  Yes that’s right I said COFFEE flavored!  In fact it’s not even just coffee flavored, it actually has real coffee in it.   So this one is great for the morning or an afternoon pick me up.   This one is my favorite so far.  I usually just add some almond milk a bit of water and that’s it.  Once in a while I do throw a half of banana and some cinnamon in it.  This one is easy on the tummy and isn’t too sweet. There are different flavors such as French Vanilla, Hazelnut, Mocha, and Carmel.  The one I have tried so far though is the Espresso one which is awesome!  I highly recommend this one and it can easily be bought on Amazon. Those are all of the brands that I have tried so far.  If you have any suggestions for me feel free to leave a comment. I didn’t intend for this post to be this long, but I’m finding out I’m quite long winded.  I as going to include a couple smoothing and protein shake recipes, but I’ll leave that for my next post. Till next time…

My Epiphany and the Start of My Journey; the Obstacles and Getting Back on Track

Everyone seems to have an aha moment before they start their journey, and mine was at the doctors office this past August. I had managed to avoid making an appointment for the last four years.  In addition I had avoided the scale as well. (I was too heavy for the one we owned).  When I stepped on the scale in the Doctor’s office I saw a number I never imagined I could weigh.  It was there though, staring me in the face.I knew in that moment that something needed to change. I wasn’t the person I wanted to be anymore. I was angry, depressed, and didn’t want to do much of anything. It had gotten to the point where literally every meal that I ate was take out or delivery. The thing of it is nothing even tasted good anymore. I kept saying I’ll eat good tomorrow or I’ll exercise tomorrow, but then tomorrow had never came.

That very same week of my appointment  I started taking walks with my husband and our dog Johnny. I’ll never forget the first time I tried to walk a mile.  I cried…. I literally couldn’t do it.  I think I got about ¾ of a mile.  I was determined to be able to walk at least a mile and eventually got better at it. By October had lost 30 lbs.  My diet was still a problem though, while I was eating better it still wasn’t great.  One thing I have learned is you can’t out exercise a bad diet.  That fall with the encouragement of a friend at work I joined a gym.  The gym I joined was Snap Fitness. From the moment I walked in I was shown nothing but kindness. The people at my gym were friendly and encouraging and I never felt judged.

In November of 2014 my mom became very sick, so it derailed my fitness efforts. I managed to maintain my 30 lb loss, but didn’t lose further. For about a month I was driving 45 minutes to the hospital she was at 3-4 times a week.  Eventually she got well enough to go into a rehab facility so I tried to get back on track.  On January 13, 2015 my Dad passed away.  This is something you can’t prepare for and everyone goes through it differently. I am glad that he isn’t in pain anymore, but I miss him every day.  Once again I was off track.  Here is April and I’m trying to get back on track again. I feel like every time I start doing good I get derailed.

Now that you’re all caught up.  April 1st is when I really got back at it.  This is also the time I joined in on a challenge started by @stasia2point0 on Instagram.  The challenge is to do 30 minutes of activity everyday for 30 days.  If you skip a day you have to start over again on day 1.  After the 30 days you should reward yourself with something special.  I am currently on day 21 and doing awesome.  I haven’t restarted yet which is pretty unbelievable to me.  I also would like to note that I can now walk a mile with no problem, in fact I can do 3 with no issues.  I can likely even do more!  But I have yet to test that one.  Since April 1st I am also down 10 more pounds. Despite the obstacles I am not giving up.  I can and will do this!

Over the past month I have gained a lot followers on Instagram and a lot of interest on my Facebook.  Instagram is where I post daily updates, so feel free to follow me there. I thought this blog would be a great way to share my progress and what I’m doing to be healthy.  I’m looking forward to sharing my journey with all of you.  If you ever have any questions feel free to get in contact with me.

Till next time…