I’ve never been a big fan of protein shakes made with the combination of protein powder and fat free milk or water. I came across a lot of great low carb and high protein baked goods but I never seem to have ALL of the ingredients. Thus, I decided to just make a recipe up using stuff I might just have lying around and lo’ and behold – it was actually pretty good. Just thinking about the chocolate  soufflé is making me drool. Anyway, check out the easy recipe below:

What you need:

1 leveled scoop (70 cc, 70 mL, or roughly 27g) Chocolate casein

I used Gold Standard 100% Casein.

3 eggs (separated to get 3 egg yolk & 3 egg whites)

I used Judy’s Organic eggs from Whole Foods

1 tsp vanilla extract

I used Kirkland’s Pure Vanilla Extract

1 tbp unsweetened cocoa

I used Ghiradelli Unsweetened Cocoa

1/8 cup of brown sugar

I used Trader Joe’s Organic Brown Sugar

¾ cup fat free milk

I used Whole Food’s Organic Fat Free Milk

3-4 ramekins bowl

I had it from buying it for $3.99 at Ross.

Stovetop

1. Fill sauce pan with ¼ of water with heat at low-medium so the water is simmering and not boiling like mad
2. Using a medium metal mixing bowl or even a medium pyrex glass bowl, place the protein powder into the bowl and place the bowl in the water filled saucepan.
3. Slowly add the fat free milk (1/4 cup) at a time while whisking the milk and protein powder together. Once the powder is mixed turn off the heat and let the bowl cool.

Egg Whites/soufflé puffiness part

1. Separate the yolk from the egg whites, placing the egg whites in a medium bowl. Use an electric mixer and whisk the egg whites till it gets foamy (like 30 seconds), then add in 1/8 cup of brown sugar. Whisk again until it thickens and when you pick up the whisk (2mins), you get a stiff peak.

Cooled Powder & Milk Mixture (aka chocolate mixture)

1. This is a good time to preheat the oven at 400F.
2. Whisk 1 tsp vanilla extract into the mixture and tbp of unsweetened cocoa to the mixture
3. Using the same whisk, break the three egg yolks and whisk evenly. Add in two spoonful of the cooled (its okay if the mixture is still a little warm) to the beatened egg yolks. Then in three parts, mix in the rest of the powder+milk (So, pour 1/3 of the chocolate mixture to the yolk, mix till its even, then repeat two more times).

Combining chocolate mixture, yolk, and egg whites

1. Add the mixture from previous step into the egg whites, again in three parts making sure that its evenly mixed every time.

Baking

1. Pour the mixture into the ranskin bowl till the line of the bowl.
2. Using another baking tray, fill water to half of the tray and place the ranskin bowl into the water bath (see picture on right)
3. Now bake for 14-16 minutes. Your protein-rich soufflé should have risen.

Disclaimer: I used a mini electric oven to bake the souffle because the gas oven was out. Should be the same temperature in the gas oven though, you might not have to use the water bath in the gas oven if you place the bowls on a cooking tray.

Looks, Texture, and Taste

It’s funny how the top of the souffle looks slightly burnt, I think I

overcooked it a bit since I had to rush it over to the mini oven from the gas oven after my apartment started smelling like gas.

Below the deceiving top layer of the souffle lays the moist and fluffy delicioso mousse-like souffle. It looks like the picture on the right, half eaten.

I can barely smell/taste the protein powder. The souffle is not too sweet and very sponge-like, just how I’d like to have my souffle. Couple this baby with your own protein ice cream and/or favorite fruit, and you’ll be in for quite a treat.

1. Garmin Forerunner 910XT

Why: It’s really, really cool. With all the features of its predecessors, the 910 XT is sleeker, smaller, and has a number of additional functions the previous versions don’t. Most of the previous GPS watches were incredibly bulky, making the watch awkward and annoying — especially if you plan to wear it when not working out. Plus, may people complained that sweat around the wrist caused the watch to malfunction (something I know firsthand from paddling). Apparently the 910XT no longer has that problem, and its barometric altimeter can help improve the mapping data during ascents/descents. Plus, the swim mapping features can be transferred to the kayak stroke — which is perfect for me. At a retail price of $449, however, this is not a cheap toy.

2. A Juicer

Why: Anyone who’s read my posts knows I’m not really into fad diets, but I’ve seen variations of the juice-diet work firsthand. My sister, my sister’s boyfriend, and my mom have all lost over 20 lbs. on juice diets, and have never looked or felt better. I’ve had the juice blends, and they’re quite tasty. If you’re looking for a quick and convenient way to pack an amazing amount of nutrients into a small, low-calorie meal, I highly recommend “juicing.” Juicers range from about $75-$200.

3. Vibram Five Fingers Bikilla LS Shoes

Why: I’ve begun to see these shoes more and more in gyms and on local trails and running routes. Designed to mimc the barefoot marathon runners of Kenya and Ethiopia, I’ve known many people who swear by these and will never return to regular running shoes. Evidently barefoot running, when executed properly, is better for the foot’s natural arch and curvature and many people say these shoes are substantially more comfortable than more traditional versions. Vibram’s latest version was recently named one of the top fitness products of 2011 by Health.com. You can generally find these for under $100.

4. A Lifetime Supply of MET-Rx Bars

Why: I tend to favor “real” food, such as roasted seeds, nuts, and fruit slices to boost my energy during long workouts, but I’ve also used MET-Rx bars for years. As I’ve posted in prior articles, you don’t need nearly as much protein to balance the protein cell degeneration cycle following a workout as nutrition suppliers would have you believe, and carbohydrates are probably more important both during and following a workout. Therefore, high-protein bars aren’t of much value, in my opinion. But I’ve always thought the classic MET-Rx bars have the best flavor and consistency of any workout bar on the market — much more easily dissolvable than the rubbery Power Bar. I recommend these if you don’t have time to prepare a real snack for your workout or training. The classic MET-Rx bar was also named Askmen.com’s top-rated fitness bar in 2011. The chocolate chip cookie dough flavor is my favorite, and a box is about $20.

5. A GoProHD Camera

Why: Ok, this isn’t really a fitness product, but it’s still a really fun toy. The world’s leading sports action camera, the GoPro is ideal for the extreme sports athlete who wants to recapture and relive their physical heroics. So why am I interested in it? Well, I am a kayaker and I’ve found that stopping to pull out a camera from my waterproof compartment is a bit of a hassle. Plus, most waterproof cameras take pretty poor pictures. While the GoProHD cannot match that of a really good non-waterproof camera, it’s close. Plus, with a camera mounted on either my boat or my person, I always feel inspired to work out harder and venture into areas I wouldn’t normally go. This may work for you, too. Like the Garmin, it’s pricey at just under $300.

There’s my list. I’d love to hear about your favorite fitness products as well. And if you’d like to know where you can send me gifts, please send me a message.

I’ve written about some of these diets in other posts, but I want to reiterate that weight-loss is not a secret. Any diet program that claims that losing weight involves the consumption of some “magic bullet” nutrient or avoiding other key macronutrients is likely a gimmick. Not only are they gimmicky, but they are costly. Personally, I find it funny that losing weight — which should actually lower your grocery bill because you are consuming less — ends up costing people thousands of extra dollars each year.

Luckily, you don’t need these costly programs to lose weight. These programs offer nothing you cannot replicate yourself. I will admit that most people I know who go on some of these diet programs do end up losing weight. In fact, some of them shed amazing amounts of weight very quickly. But when I look closely at their diet programs, I quickly realize one of two things. Either the program is physically dangerous, or it is no different than the tried-and-true weight loss strategies that dietitians have know for years. Here’s a closer look at what expensive commercial weight loss programs offer, and how you can replicate similar, or better, diet strategies at home for free.

Motivation

Perhaps the biggest advantage commercial diet programs offer is the psychological benefit. They require you to set goals, monitor your food intake and exercise performance, and many even have counselors and support groups in which you can motivate each other and share stories. They require you to cut calories, exercise more, and stick to your program.

This will be the most difficult part of losing weight yourself, but you can do it. You have to start by setting a goal, and I recommend that your goal have nothing to do with the amount of weight you lose. There are no guarantees that you will lose a certain amount of weight with any program, and this should not be the key determinant of your program’s success. Instead, set  a goal of achieving 30 minutes of aerobic exercise each day. Set another goal of cutting 250 to 500 calories from your diet each day. If you do these things, weight loss will take care of itself.

Monitoring

Most online weight loss programs allow you to record what you eat, enter it into a diary, and some even provide elaborate graphs and charts of your food intake. This simple goal measuring strategy is one of the key reasons commercial diet programs are so effective. They provide a visual representation of your progress, they allow you to see how well you are actually following your program, and they allow you to set new goals.

You can easily keep track of your own food intake. I suggest WebMd or the Mayo Clinic websites, which each have similar tracking systems. You can also simply graph your food intake and exercise patterns in an excel sheet or home diary.

Specific Diet Strategies

Here’s where commercial diet programs begin to veer in many different directions. Low-carb diets are popular because of the misconception that carbohydrates cause weight-gain. Protein-based diets help because protein requires more energy to digest, thus burning more calories. However, the small effect these programs have on your metabolism pales in comparison to the effects of simply cutting calories and increasing activity level.

According to the Mayo Clinic, most commercial diet programs are effective because they emphasize restricting caloric intake and monitoring your food intake. As mentioned above, you can easily do this yourself. Start by following the 3,500-calorie rule — you need to burn 3,500 calories beyond what your take in through food to lose 1 lb. of body fat. This rule may vary slightly from one person to the next, but it’s a great start. If you cut 500 calories from your diet each day, you’ll lose about 1 lb. each week. Burn more calories through exercise, and you’ll lose more.

Quick Weight Loss

Any diet program that advocates losing weight quickly is ill-advised, and places you at risk of nutrient deficiencies and dehydration. For example, much of the weight lost in protein-based diets is from dehydration, not fat. Low-carb diets should actually focus on avoiding simple sugars and foods high in the glycemic index, but not carbohydrates in general. Consuming less than a certain number of carbohydrates each day can limit your intake of certain vitamins and minerals.

Quick weight loss programs are dangerous and you don’t want them. Not only are they dangerous, but they typically do not provide lasting results. Once the weight is gone, many people resort back to their old eating habits. Losing weight slowly allows your body to shed fat rather than water weight or protein stores, and also forces you to engage in healthy physical activities which you can enjoy for the rest of your life. Avoid attempting to lose more than about 1 to 2 lbs. each week if you really care about your body.

Below you will find my recommendations for men and women for snack portions of protein bars for both weight loss and weight maintenance.  Remember that calorie needs may vary person-to-person depending on metabolism and activity level and these calorie levels should be used as a basic approximation for a moderately active individual.

Women weight loss Snack (Approx. 1200-1500 calories/daily diet):

• 120-150 calories
• <15g carbohydrates
• 9g protein
• >3g fiber
• <6g sugar

Women weight maintenance snack (Approx. 1800 calories/day diet)

• 180-200 calories
• <20g carbohydrate
• 13g protein
• >3g fiber
• <8g sugar

Men weight loss snack (Approximately 1600 calories/day diet)

• 150-200 calories
• <20g carbohydrate
• 15g protein
• >3g fiber
• <8g sugar

Men weight maintenance snack (Approximately 2200 calories/day diet)

• 200-300 calories
• <30g carbohydrates
• 20-25g protein
• >3g fiber
• <10g sugar

So what makes chocolate milk such a great post-workout recovery beverage? It seems unlikely that people would spend so much money on expensive supplements and powders when they can get similar results from this simple drink you can buy in any supermarket. However, it’s true. In many ways, chocolate milk is just as good as expensive commercial carbohydrate-protein beverages. Here are five reasons why:

1. Protein

It’s no secret that your body needs protein following workouts, especially resistance training. The protein turnover cycle, or the rate at which protein is depleted versus synthesized, occurs at a higher rate after exercise. You need to consume protein to help balance this turnover rate, and allow sufficient nutrition to restore and grow new muscle tissue. Chocolate milk is packed with natural, high-quality protein. In fact, the protein you find in commercial protein powders is often derived from milk powder.

2. Carbohydrates

Your body uses glycogen, or the metabolized version of glucose, as its main source of energy for exercise. Glycogen is stored primarily in the muscles, and when the body runs out of glycogen it becomes fatigued. Following exercise, you need to consume carbohydrates to restore depleted glycogen. Simple carbohydrates (sugars) are effective immediately following exercise because they are digested quickly and have a rapid effect on restoring glycogen. Milk contains the natural sugar lactose, a simple carbohydrate that can help restore glycogen, while chocolate milk contains additional sugars.

3. Carbohydrate-Protein Ratio

Also important to your post-workout beverage is the ratio of carbohydrates to protein. About 30 to 60 minutes following exercise, your body is at its greatest need for protein and carbohydrates. Research has shown that the ideal ratio of carbohydrates to protein is between 3:1 and 4:1. Greater amounts of protein can prevent hydration and glycogen restoration. Chocolate milk contains about 25 g of carbohydrates and 8 g of protein, or a ratio just greater than 3:1.

4. Price

Chocolate milk is cheap and you can find it anywhere. Commercial post-workout supplements are expensive and you can often only find them at special nutritional supplement stores. With supplements, you may also be consuming additional ingredients that you don’t want, or that your body doesn’t need. For example, many commercial powders contain vitamins, which can be toxic when consumed in excess.

5. Taste

While some are fine, commercial powders sometimes have a bitter, chemically taste. Unless you’re one of those rare people who doesn’t like chocolate, you’ll probably agree that chocolate milk tastes great.

Weight loss does not have to be complicated.

While women and men tend to differ in body size and composition, as well as hormonal characteristics, they do not differ in measures of relative strength, nor do they differ in their responses to exercise. The same weight loss principles, therefore, apply to both sexes.

Is There a “Best Weight Loss Program?”

Much debate exists regarding the best weight loss programs. Advocates of Atkins, Paleo, Ideal Protein, and other low-carb diets attest that carbohydrates are the main dietary culprits in weight-gain, and you need to keep these nutrients to a minimum if you want to reduce body fat and total weight. More traditional dietary programs advocate reducing fat, particularly saturated and trans fat, to cut total body fat and weight.

Whatever the current dietary trend, in almost all cases you can find research that both supports its principles as well as research that contradicts them. For example, you’ve probably heard, and may even know, people who have lost weight as a result of engaging in one of these diets. However, the Mayo Clinic asserts that these diet fads are generally successful simply because they cause people to pay more attention to what they eat, they become more physically active, and they naturally reduce the amount of food they consume.

Any dietary program that places an unusual emphasis on any one particular nutrient, whether it be carbs, protein, fat or a vitamin or mineral, has the potential to harm your body. In reality, regardless of your current weight and health status, your body needs a balance of macronutrients and micronutrients to operate efficiently and to meet its variety of metabolic needs.

So what constitutes an effective diet? The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) explains that there are two tried-and-true principles for losing weight in the majority of individuals, and you’ve heard them before.

1. Be More Active

If you want to lose weight, stop focusing on what you eat so much and go get physical. My diet almost never changes. I eat a lot, all the time. Yet my weight consistently fluctuates throughout the year according to how much exercise I get. During the summer, when I’m kayaking a lot and leading several practice sessions throughout the day, I tend to lose a lot of weight. During the winter, when the season is over and I’m focused on writing and designing training programs, I naturally gain weight. I’m sure most people have similar reasons for gaining or losing weight at certain times.

Much of the reason adults put on weight as they grow older is not because of the natural process of aging, but because their metabolism slows down due to less and less physical activity over time. Adults lose muscle as they age, not because of time, but because they simply are not out running around all day jumping over things, playing sports, and swinging on monkey bars like they did when they were kids.

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends achieving a minimum of 30 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity each day to maintain cardiovascular fitness and a healthy weight. Recent research actually suggests that people need closer to an hour of aerobic exercise each day. How many of us really achieve this much? Moderate exercise for 30 minutes can burn 250 to 500 calories, about as much as an entire meal.

2. Restrict Calories

While becoming more active will help you lose weight over time, you’ll lose weight more quickly if you cut calories. The caloric-deficit rule of cutting 3,500 calories to lose 1 lb. of body fat, while perhaps overly-simplistic, is correct. Each 1 lb. of body fat contains 3,500 calories, and you need to ultimately need to achieve this negative energy balance to lose weight.

Cut about 500 calories from your diet each day, and you’ll lose 1 lb. each week through diet alone. But, you do not need to place particular emphasis on restricting any one nutrient. While a variety of factors influence your weight and metabolism, no rule is as important as obtaining this caloric deficit (NSCA, 2008). You need to obtain about 50 percent of your calories from carbohydrates, 30 percent from fat, and 20 percent from protein. You can calculate these percentages regardless of what your total caloric consumption is.

For example, if your body requires 2,000 calories to maintain its current weight, and you want to lose 1 lb. each week, you need to achieve a daily caloric deficit of 500 calories. You can do this by limiting your caloric intake to 1,500 calories a day, exercising more, or both. Pretend you get 30 minutes of exercise each day, which burns 250 calories. You need to cut 250 more calories from your diet each day to lose 1 lb. a week. If your diet now calls for 1,750 calories, you need to consume 875 from carbs, 525 from fat, and 350 from protein.

Final Words (of Wisdom)

The best weight loss program for men and women is a program that you can adapt permanently into your lifestyle. Don’t listen to all the marketing hype of a new revolutionary finding that will let you use 10 lbs of fat in a week. If it does work, it can’t be healthy. You didn’t gain all that weight in week so don’t expect to lose all that weight in a week either.

savit keawtavee / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We’ve all likely heard of the concept of periodization with respect to planning our exercise programs. For those who haven’t, periodization is the systematic variation in volume and intensity of exercise in order to reach a high level of performance at the right time of the year. Originally developed by Dr. Tudor Bompa to allow rowers to “peak” during the most important competition of the year, the common exerciser can utilize the tenets of periodization to reach better gains in muscle size, endurance and weight-loss.

Periodization can apply not just to physical training, but nutrition as well, according to Bob Seebohar, a registered dietitian and certified strength and conditioning specialist with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. As training should vary throughout the year, so should your eating habits, asserts Seebohar. Here’s how it works:

Pre-Season

Pre-season training is generally characterized by high volume and low intensity. Athletes tend to use the pre-season to develop foundational skills, such as maximal strength, muscular and cardiovascular endurance and technique. The common exerciser can view the pre-season as the first few weeks or months of beginning a new exercise program.

Carbohydrate intake should be high during this phase to meet the high energy demands of exercise. Common exercisers should consume about 3 g of carbohydrates per 1 kg of body weight, while athletes should aim to consume closer to 7 g per 1 kg of body weight.

Protein is also crucial to restore damaged muscular tissue and build new tissue. Athletes should aim to consume about 2.5 g of protein per 1 kg of body weight, while common exercisers should opt for about 1.2 g per 1 kg. A higher intake of protein can assist with weight-loss because of its ability to promote a feeling of fullness, as well as its higher thermic effect on the body, there boosting metabolism.

piyato / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Fat is an important component of the diet, but should always be fairly low. Athletes should aim for 1.3 g of fat per 1 kg of body weight, while the common exerciser should consume about 0.8 g per 1 kg. Always consume the majority of your fat from unsaturated sources, such as fish, nuts and legumes, rather than the saturated fats found in red meat and dairy products.

In-Season

During the season, intensity is high while volume takes a back seat. Training is designed to replicate competition, with plenty of rest in between sessions. For common exercisers, you can view in-season training as any period in which you are significantly attempting to increase the amount you lift, distance you run or any other attempt to raise the intensity of your program.

Carbohydrate intake should increase even beyond that of the pre-season. Athletes should consume about 10 to 12 g of carbohydrates per 1 kg of body weight, while common exercisers should consume about 5 to 7 g per 1 kg.

Because of the higher carbohydrate intake, a balanced diet necessitates a lower need for protein. However, protein stabilizes blood sugar levels, promotes satiety, and still plays an essential role in building and restoring tissue. Athletes should consume about 2 g of protein per 1 kg of body weight, while common exercisers should aim for about 1.4 g per 1 kg.

Fat intake should remain fairly constant during this phase, amounting to about the same as that of the pre-season.

Off-Season

During the off-season, the nutrition plan should more closely resemble a traditional balanced diet. The emphasis of the off-season is rest and recovery. For common exercisers, view the off-season as any period in which you plan at least two weeks or more off from your exercise program.

Carbohydrate intake doesn’t need to be as high during this phase because of the significantly lower volume of training. Athletes should consume about 4 g of carbohydrates per 1 kg of body weight, while common exercisers should aim for 3 g per 1 kg.

Protein intake should be higher to promote recovery, amounting to 2.3 g per 1 kg of body weight for athletes and 1.5 g per 1 kg for common exercisers.

Fat intake may decrease slightly to account for the increased need for protein. Athletes should aim for 1.2 g of fat per 1 kg of body weight, while common exercisers can shoot for about 1 g per 1 kg.

Paul Martin Eldridge / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

People are often confused when I tell them that I am a Registered Dietitian and a bartender. While I first got into the bar industry to help support myself through college and my dietetic internship, I found that my creativity and passion for nutrition, actually helped me to create healthier and creative drinks for my customers. At my nutrition job at Devon Fitness Club, located in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, there is not a traditional bar; however, we do have a fully stocked “juice bar” where the staff and members can order protein shakes or grab a snack before or after their workout. When I began working at the club, I took an interest in creating new and interesting concoctions for my clients from my experience mixing drinks at the bar. Since so many of my creations became instant hits at the health club, I would like to take the opportunity to share with all of you how you can make these simple, healthy and delicious drinks at your home.

I am constantly recommending easy protein shake recipes to my clients and friends and I have one for either breakfast, lunch or dinner most days of the week. Replacing a meal with a portion-controlled, high protein, low sugar shake can help with weight loss, muscle building, and can help you eat healthy on-the-fly with little clean-up (especially important when you have two jobs!)
The most important tool you’ll need to make the recipes below is a blender. Any basic one will do, but I’ve found that finding one that is dishwasher safe is key! I use whey protein powder for my personal shakes, but any type of protein powder, for example soy, can be substituted. For my calorie counts, I used a protein powder with 25g of protein and 130 calories per scoop. With each recipe yielding approximately 32 ounces, these whey protein shake recipes are filling, fast and flavorsome!

Mint Chocolate:

• 1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder
• 10oz skim or soy milk
• 1/2 frozen banana
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
• 4 ice cubes

-This shake is perfect alternative for you if you love mint-chocolate chip ice cream or York peppermint patties. Freeze your banana before-hand by peeling, cutting in half, and in an air-tight zip lock bag. Using frozen banana will help thicken the consistency of the shake.  Approximately 300 calories and 35g protein

Slim Shake:

• 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
• 11oz plain coconut water
• 3 frozen strawberries
• 1/2 C frozen blueberries
• 4 ice cubes

-This protein shake is one of the most popular at the club I work at because of its low calorie and high protein content. It is 230 calories with 25g protein! This makes a great “mini meal” or snack to help hydrate after an intense workout!

Thick N’ Creamy Peanut Butter:

• 1 scoop vanilla or chocolate whey protein powder
• 10 ounces skim or soy milk
• 1 Tbsp natural peanut butter
• 1 frozen banana
• 4 ice cubes

-One of my personal favorites! Experiment with other nut butters to find out your favorite blend. 430 calories and 40g protein.

Peach Cobbler:

• 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
• 10 ounces skim or soy milk
• 2/3 cup canned peaches (canned in its own natural juices or water)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 4 ice cubes

-I like to sprinkle cinnamon on top of this shake as well as blending it in. Approximately 300 calories and 35g protein.

Try them out for yourself and let me know what you think!

Photo: Frankie Roberto from London, UK source Wikimedia license CC (?)

There is so much weight loss advice out there, what’s a dieter to do? As a Registered Dietitian, I am constantly bombarded with questions about what to eat to lose weight, and more specifically, how to get rid of that hard-to-lose belly fat.
There is no substitute for physical activity and a healthy diet when it comes to slimming down, but recent research published in the September issue of the Journal of Nutrition reveals that certain food choices can help you build lean muscle mass while losing inches off your mid-section.

The Research

Three groups of women were placed on the same exercise regimen (5 days cardio, 2 days strength-training/week) over the course of eighteen weeks. The varying factors within the three groups were the amount of protein and calcium from dairy products in their diets. After eighteen weeks, results showed that all three groups of women lost weight, however the group with the highest percentage of protein (30% of total calories) and dairy-protein (15% of total calories) in their diet, not only lost the most amount of visceral adipose tissue, aka belly fat, but also gained an average of 1.5lbs of lean muscle mass. The group with adequate percentage of protein (15% of total calories) and low amounts of dairy protein (2% of total calories) in their diet, still lost weight, but also lost lean muscle mass and less belly fat. The study concluded that along with diet and exercise, high protein and increased dairy product intake promotes more favorable body composition changes through greater total weight loss, along with greater loss in belly fat and lean mass gain.

How to Apply It

So, now that you know that protein and dairy can help you lose belly fat, read on to find out how to get started! First, it is important to choose a calorie appropriate diet for weight loose. To figure out your daily calorie needs, use the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation below:

• Men: 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (years) + 5
• Women: 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (y) – 161.

Next, choose your activity factor according to your exercise level and multiply this number by your above results:

• 1.200 = sedentary (little or no exercise)
• 1.375 = lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week)
• 1.550 = moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week)
• 1.725 = very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week)

Last, subtract 500 from your results to get your total daily calories required for approximately 1lb of weight loss per week. For example, a thirty year old, 5’6” tall woman who weighs 140lbs and is lightly active would require approximately 1400 calories/day for a 1lb/week weight loss.

Protein

So you have already read that a diet compromised of about 30% protein with 15% coming from dairy will aid in gaining lean muscle mass and loosing belly fat, but what does that mean? Well, for most people it probably means increasing the amount of protein in your diet. Refer below to find the grams of protein you should aim to eat each day to reach 30% of your total calories.

• 1200 calories:90g PRO
• 1400 calories:105g PRO

• 1600 calories:120g PRO

• 1800 calories: 135g PRO

• 2,000 calories:150g PRO

• 2,200 calories:165g PRO

• 2,400 calories:180g PRO

Here are a few ways healthy ways to get protein in your diet:

• Chicken breast(skinless): 30g/4ounces
• Salmon: 17g/3ounces
• Tofu: 20g/cup
• Lentils: 18g/cup (cooked)
• Whey protein powder: 25g/30g scoop
• Turkey (skinless, light meat): 34g/4ounces
• Quinoa: 8g/cup (cooked)
• Halibut: 18g/3ounces
• Tuna, canned: 22g/3ounces
• Egg: 6g/medium egg

Now that you know your daily protein needs, remember that you should try to get about half of your protein from dairy. Here are a few tasty, protein-packed dairy foods that fit into a well-balanced diet for weight loss:

• Low-fat Greek yogurt: 24g/cup
• Skim or Low-fat milk or soy milk: 8g/cup
• Low-fat cottage cheese: 30g/cup
• Low-fat cheddar cheese: 7g/ounce or slice

Don’t forget to pair your diet with a mix of aerobic and weight-bearing exercise and you’ll be on the path to a slimmer you in no time!

Reference:
1. A. R. Josse, S. A. Atkinson, M. A. Tarnopolsky, S. M. Phillips. Increased Consumption of Dairy Foods and Protein during Diet- and Exercise-Induced Weight Loss Promotes Fat Mass Loss and Lean Mass Gain in Overweight and Obese Premenopausal Women. Journal of Nutrition, 2011; 141 (9):1626 DOI: 10.3945/jn.111.141028

Not for Weight Loss

The single reason why meal replacement shakes suck at helping you with weight loss:

• Liquid based calories does not improve satiety, suppress hunger/appetite as well as solid calories of equal energy content. [1]

Some of these shakes may also include appetite suppressing ingredients such as hoodia gordonii, green tea extract, cocoa, but you can only fool your digestive system for so long until your ghrelin (hunger hormone) levels start to increase again.

I don’t know about you, but feeling hungry leads to a lot of dietary problems for me.

Don’t believe me? Check out the Rothacker & Watemberg study on solid vs. liquid calories claiming:

• “In conclusion, although the meal replacement diet bars contained only 30 additional calories than liquids, they provided an additional 2 h of hunger suppression from baseline that may have an impact on overall weightloss success. These results support superior short-term hunger control with solid meal replacements.” [2]

So how can all these companies claim that their shake can help you lose weight?

A lot of companies out there cite their own independent study which requires that participants eat well-balanced diets, and regular exercise in addition to taking meal replacement shakes.

I highly suspect that most people who follow the same regimen intaking the same number of calories, doing the same amount of exercise, without taking meal replacement shakes can achieve similar results.

What to Use Meal Replacement Shakes For?

Post-workout recovery

If you take a look at the Shakeology nutrition label, a popular premium meal replacement shake out now, you’ll notice that their  will notice that the the protein / carbs / fat ratio is about 1:1:0 In addition, Shakeology contains some vitamins and a bunch of fruit powder, probiotic, and enzyme blends. It macronutrient composition seems like a great candidate to replenish your glycogen store after an intense workout.

Personally, I’d throw in a scoop of whey protein per scoop of Shakeology only contains 17g of protein. YMMV depending on how much you weight and how intense your workout was.

Weight gain

I’ve chatted with a lot of skinny people who are trying to bulk up but can’t. The number one reason why they said gaining weight is hard is because they hate eating. They feel like eating is such a chore/hassle (I’m sorry but I can’t relate to this).

Since meal replacement shakes doesn’t help suppress hunger, they are ideal for people who want to gain weight and hate to eat. If you want to gain weight, try supplementing these shakes in between your meals, eat normally, and lift heavy @$$ weights and you’ll bulk up in no time.

References

1. Tieken SM, et all. Effects of Solid versus Liquid Meal-replacement Products of Similar Energy Content on Hunger, Satiety, and Appetite-regulating Hormones in Older Adults. Horm Metab Res. 2007;39(5):389–94. [PubMed]
2. Rothacker DQ, Watemberg S. Short-term hunger intensity changes following ingestion of a meal replacement bar for weight control. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2004 May;55(3):223-6. [PubMed]