Already have a magic bullet copy (and a stick blender) but just want something leak proof that I can dump some milk and whey powder into.

 

The Blender Bottles are great. Excellent seal and the little whisk ball really does help. I will often use an actaul blender to make a shake but then I might take that shake to the office and throw it in the fridge or leave it in the car for ~45 minutes while I work out at the gym. It's handy to mix up the drink after it has settled.

 

Buy a 2lb protein and use that container to store ur protein when u go to the gym. Personally i buy the protein from walmart called body fortress.. cheapest per serving. I've had issues with getting bloated after a protein shake and then i cant eat dinner. The protein from walmart is fairly thin so you can mix it with little water. I mix 2 scoops of protein and only 6 oz of water. Yes its kinda thick but good enough to drink in 1 large gulp without feeling disgusted. My fav is vanilla since anything else has too much of flavor when u mix it with this little water.


body fortress - Walmart.com

 

That's the one I got! Good to hear it works well.

I ordered the grass-fed New Zealand Whey from Swanson's Vitamins. Whey protein doesn't entirely fit with my "real, whole foods" kind of diet so I want to make sure I'm getting as clean a product as possible, even if it's a little more expensive.

Swanson Ultra Grass-Fed, Certified rBGH-Free Vanilla Whey Protein Powder 420 grams (14.8 oz) Pwdr - Swanson Health Products

 

Hmm walmart seems to have raised their prices on body fortress and that is pissing me off. They used to have discounts if u were to buy **** in bulk.

 

Is that the best bang-for-the-buck high quality stuff, or the highest quality stuff regardless of price?

 

I haven't done tons of research, but from what I can tell, if you spend more than this, you can get:

1. The same product under a "brand" name rather than a store-brand.

2. Something that may even be less clean but that is "specially formulated" for various purposes (or in some cases, even custom-formulated for you according to your specifications).

3. And for the really big wallets, you can get custom-formulations from companies that use only the very highest quality ingredients.

I'm not training hard enough nor am I close enough to my peak performance to bother spending more money on custom formulations. I just want something that I can use to make sure that I'm getting enough protein post-workout, since I'm a hard-gainer and don't want to risk losing muscle mass.

That Swanson's powder is whey concentrate, however. Some people claim to have a bad reaction (bloating, water retention, etc.) to concentrate and prefer whey isolate. From what I read, I believe it has more to do with the quality of the product than concentrate vs. isolate, but your mileage may vary.

Also, the chocolate flavor Swanson's has xylitol as a sweetener, but the vanilla only has natural vanilla flavor, no sweeteners. Also they use sunflower lecithin instead of soy lecithin so you won't grow bitch ****.

 

Alright gents, I've been reading through this thread and it is helping my motivation to get back into the gym.

I need help building a routine to put on a little size. What usually happens is that I go to an old routine that I used when I was in much better shape. I try to cut back on weight etc, but I always end up doing too much, burning myself out, and the gym becomes less enjoyable.

I'm looking for a 3 day a week program that focuses on efficiency. Fewer excercises that work major muscle groups. I want to keep it high intensity within 45min to an hour.

My last routine was from about two years ago and used a conversion of p90x excercises at home to the gym with heavier weight. While my stamina grew, and it kept me trim, it wasn't designed to put on muscle. It was basically a 30-40min superset. I've gone back to it a couple of times since then, but it just doesn't seem to be working for me mentally.

Any suggestions?

 

I just ran a hillclimb race after vowing not to drink for 6 days. I ended up finishing 11 positions slower than I did last year, and about 1 minute slower.
I did a 5k 3 weeks ago while hungover, and I finished 1 position and 30 seconds better than last year at the same course.
Explain that.
I guess my engine runs better on alcohol.

 

Its the carbs. There are a lot of runners and cyclist that will drink beer the night before a race. How much, I dont know, but a guy I work with is a professional distance runner and he does it upon occasion.

 

StrongLifts 5x5 + clean diet with lots of protein and more-than-maintenance calories?

The website looks kind of hokey and you will be asking "what's the catch" but you really do get the routine, spreadsheet, etc for free and can unsubscribe from the email list no problem.

It's very methodical, very regimented, and typically uses 3 exercises per routine. It's designed for three days a week and 45 minutes with a warmup sounds about right.

 

Thanks!

 

A friend snapped a pic of me at dinner last week when I wasn't looking. She made a side-by-side from an old photo.

A little motivation for you fine folks. -122lbs

 

I think losing the hair was a huge mistake.

 

hehe motivational photo eh? Heres mine.

Was 120 in high school (no pic)

175 now. (with a 6 pack)

 

Woot. Got my ****.

 

I know. I feel the same way about my mustache.

 

Coupla years ago I did a "glucose challenge test" and found out I had mild "reactionary hypoglycemia" - basically I get very hungry and very crabby if I wait too long before my next meal, due to low blood sugar. The standard medical advice is "eat frequent small meals".

Some time after that I easily lost a bunch of weight by following these rules:
- low carb
- >5 hours between meals
- wait 12 hours after dinner before eating breakfast

I noticed that it cured my hypoglycemia.

I suspect that "eat frequent small meals" is bad advice in general.

This article may explain why
Low-Carb for You: Reactive Hypoglycemia--An Experiment?
Low-Carb for You: Reactive Hypoglycemia

 

I started my stronglifts 5x5 last night. I felt like a bitch starting with just the bar, but I think it is just what I need to keep me motivated while I get back in the habit of going to the gym.

What's a good calorie goal for putting on pounds? I don't want to over eat, but I don't want to be tired all the time either. I'm 176 and a little flabby in the gut right now. At 165 I look pretty cut.

How should I adjustmy calories moving forward?

 

What does your intake look like now? Calories, protein, sodium, carbs, etc?

I would think it would be hard to make a recommendation for where to go if you don't know where you are.