I’ve been a bit short on posting lately, as much of my free time has been sucked up by the gym. Four weeks of vacation puts a damper on staying in shape, so I’ve been very dedicated in getting back into it. On that note, a few people have written me about fitness, etc (not that I’m one to follow in that dept., but am willing to help in any way). So here’s a pretty good protein shake recipe for anyone interested:
10 oz skim milk
1 cup instant oatmeal (don’t cook, just throw it in the blender raw)
1/2 low-fat yogurt
1 scoop of protein powder (optional if you’re not building muscle – strawberry flavor works well)
1 cup fresh strawberries (other berries also work)
6-8 ice cubes
Blend all this together. I drink this once or twice a day – does it get old? Once in a while, but generally it’s MUCH better than what I used to drink back in university. I used to just put two scoops of raw protein into a glass of water and down it – nasty stuff. This is much more healthy, as the strawberries are low in calories and provide antioxidants, the oatmeal provides ‘good’ carbs and energy – and no, Atkins is not healthy – the calcium has been proven to aid in both muscle building and maintaining weight. Is this all I eat? Of course not. Here’s a typical day:
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7am: breakfast: two hard-boiled eggs, (or omelette) maybe a piece of wheat toast, some fruit.
10am: snack: protein shake
12:30pm: lunch: grilled chicken breast, boiled vegetables (no salt or butter), an apple.
3:00pm: snack: protein shake
(gym)
7:00pm: dinner: grilled salmon or tuna and maybe a salad or more vegetables.
I try to do this 6 days a week with one day (or one meal) eating whatever the hell I want. I find that the ‘cheat meal’ is important for both satisfying cravings and for instilling a slight amount of guilt to motivate me back into the gym the next day. Also, it’s been shown that a high calorie meal once a week may actually aid in weight loss by shocking your body a bit.
I’d be happy to answer any other questions regarding any of these topics. Just lemme know.