Homemade Garlic Dough Balls

Here it is, my best creation to date:

Ingredients:

Yeast

Flour

Butter

Garlic

Parsley

Oil

Salt

Water

German Christmas Gluhwein - With A Twist

Here is my quick and easy recipe for a spiced up version of Gluhwein, generally found in German markets around christmas. In this version, warm up some red wine, or in this case, I managed to find some german mulled wine already. To make the mulled wine, add some spices, such as cinammon or orange peel.

Do not boil the wine as this will ruin the alcohol (the best bit)

Serve up the warm wine into a suitable mug or glas. Then grab yourself some amaretto / disaronno, and pour in a generous sized shot (50ml is about enough)

Now sit back and enjoy as it warms you up from inside.

A big thanks to the wonderful city of Amsterdam and the Wintermarkt where I discovered this!

Merry Christmas!

Bodybuilders Creatine Breakfast

Check out the video above for a list of ingredients and basic how to.

There are many ways to take creatine, in water, juice, tea for example. This puts my own take on it, which has served me well so far.

Calories: 600

Carbs:97
Protein: 22
Fat:12

All in all its a standard oat based breakfast, but the flaxseeds add a different flavour, and for those who hate gritty creatine its a perfect solution.

Have your own alternatives? Let me know in the comments section.

Stay safe

Whey Protein: Common Myths & Advice

Whey protein is big business, but why?

Please check out the video above. I  made this primarily for a friend who has never used protein supplements before. He is a keen cyclist, and wants to encourage his legs to grow for more power, but as lean as possible to offset the weight disadvantage.

I explain that simple Whey Protein is his best bet, in my opinion. Most protein supplements have around 25g of protein per serving which would be an ideal way of getting in the nutrients without forcing down the common standard foods such as chicken, turkey, beef etc etc.

I also cover the general cost, that he should not expect any sudden gains or boost in performance, and also show that frequency and timing of protein in the diet doesn't matter in the long run.

Basically, when it comes to Whey, KEEP IT SIMPLE.

Enjoy.

Legal Steroids

Here is a short video about something I picked up in a supplement store:

The product is called Methdrol - and you may have guessed, it is a prohormone.

Im not going to get into the arguments for and against prohormones here, do what you will. All I ask is that you take care and read as much as you can first.

Please note in the UK where I am, these prohormones are LEGAL. They may not be in your area of residence.

Now, even though you can legally buy and use these as supplements, be wary of their contents. Methdrol contains a chemical compound which will be broken down by your body and introduce excess testosterone into you system. The particular compound found in this prohormone I understand to be BANNED by WADA, meaning in for example, a tested athletic event or bodybuilding show, you will be in the same class as the juicers.

I am not discussing whether they work, how they work or whether you should source these products yourself on here. What I am saying is:

UNDERSTAND FULLY WHAT IS IN YOUR SUPPLEMENTS BEFORE YOU TAKE THEM, AND WHAT EFFECTS THEY WILL HAVE ON YOUR BODY AND IN YOUR ENVIRONMENT.

Stay safe.

I Cant Lose Any Weight!

Please check out this video first guys:

Basically I am weight training to maintain my muscle mass, and doing a lot of cycling for my cardio, in the region of 50-80 miles per week.

See Strava Here

Although I am eating at a calorie deficit, my weight loss has slowed down a lot, and I feel if i eat more, i will gain weight (which I refuse to do, as it makes cycling harder and I am entering cycling events). However, in addition to cycling, I practice Jujitsu once a week and lift weights 1 or two times a week, so more cardio will be hard to fit in around my working week. I eat relatively clean, no cheat meals but a kind of IIFYM style and dont take any supplements.

Any suggestions or insights as to what is going on?

Stem Cell Burger - Worlds Leanest Protein?

So after a long time in a lab in Europe, boffins decided to cook a burger patty which had been grown from the stem cells of a living cow. It all sounds a bit odd, but raises interesting points:

Advantages: 

Far less harmful to the environment in production
Less animal slaughter
Less focus on growing crops for animal feed
Possible alternative meat for vegetarians?

Disadvantages:

Costs £215,000 per burger
Hasn't been properly tested
Apparently tastes a bit different, lacks flavour

Check out my thoughts here:

An interesting point i picked up on, was that as it is grown from the muscle fibres of a cow, it doesnt contain the naturally occuring fats which would be present in a living animal.

Imagine bodybulders getting hold of a chicken breast with no fat or a prime steak with near pure animal protein - I can see the supplement industry going wild for this.

Make Your Own Starbucks Iced Mocha...

....with extra protein (obviously!)

Recipe video now online here:

Simple, effective, refreshing, good for you and tastes awesome!

Calories and macro's obviously depend on serving size and quanities of the ingredients, which I am not listing, as everyone is different when it comes to caffeine and protein tolerance.

Enjoy!

Whey Protein Review

Kinetica Whey Protein

Amazon Link: Kinetica Whey Protein 2.27KG - Vanilla

Mixing

I always mix my protein in a standard Shaker Cup.  Kinetica whey, along with Syntha 6 have been the most outstanding proteins I have used in my 8 years or so of using supplements. Generally I used one scoop per 250ml of Semi Skimmed milk, and about 20 seconds of violent wrist action later, it was good to go. No lumps, no nasty surprises. After some time I used a heaped scoop, so basically 1.5 regular scoops, and had no complaints.

Taste

This is where this protein really shines. I have tried chocolate, vanilla and even banoffee (the shop had no others available so i took a chance) and each one has been great. The banoffee was even a little addictive.

Sometimes, chugging down 3 shakes a day can get very monotonous, and you may begin to grow resentment to downing it. Not with this stuff! I took on a lot of protein using this, and never once got bored of it.



Cooking

As the price was fairly high in comparison to other proteins online, I didnt feel comfortable using it all up on cooking experiments. A few times I did make chocolate whey pancakes, and even mixed it into a batter with an egg for a chocolate based cake texture dessert thing. It cooked as expected and held the taste very well. No complaints, but I could have experimented further if I could afford it!


Value for Money

Probably the only point here I wasnt too happy with. Compared to ON Whey or other big brands, at £45 per 2.2kilo tub it was around the usual price range. I have found some on Amazon for about £40 now which looks like a good bargain. Before the recent raise in taxes on sports nutrition products its all got a bit more expensive anyway!

Nutrition

Nutritional Information	Typical per 30g serving	Typical per 100g
Energy	118kcal/494kJ	394kcal/1648kJ
Protein	22.6g	75.3g
Carbohydrate	1.4g	4.8g
of which sugars	0.9g	3.1g
Fat	2.5g	8.2g
of which saturates	1.8g	6.0g
Dietary Fibre	0.08g	0.26g
Sodium	0.05g	0.17g
Other Added Active Ingredients	Typical per 30g serving	Typical per 100g
Aminogen® (Digestive Enzyme)	100.0mg	333.3mg
Amino Acid Profile	Typical per 30g serving	Typical per 100g
Leucine	2.73g	9.10g
Isoleucine	1.47g	4.90g
Valine	1.48g	4.95g
Total Branched Chain Amino Acids
	5.68g	18.95g
Aspartic Acid	2.78g	9.28g
Glutamic Acid	4.45g	14.83g
Serine	1.38g	4.60g
Glycine	0.48g	1.62g
Histidine	0.47g	1.56g
Arginine	0.70g	2.32g
Threonine	1.88g	6.28g
Alanine	1.25g	4.16g
Proline	1.47g	4.92g
Tyrosine	0.79g	2.63g
Methionine	0.47g	1.58g
Cystine	0.62g	2.08g
Phenylalanine	0.83g	2.78g
Lysine	2.37g	7.90g
Tryptophan	0.37g	1.22g

INGREDIENTS:
Biotein™ Protein Blend (Ultra Filtered Whey Protein Concentrate, Cross-Flow-Micro-Filtered Whey Protein Isolate, Hydrolysed Whey Protein Concentrate), Natural Flavouring, Emulsifier (Soya Lecithin), Digestive Enzyme (Aminogen® A Registered Trademark of Triarco Industries Protected By US Patent No. 5,387,422), Natural Colour (Carotene), Stabiliser (Carboxymethylcellulose), Sweetener (Sucralose).


Overall


9/10 - Only losing points for the price! Hint, dont buy from Kinetica's own website, there are cheaper deals elsewhere. Click the link to Amazon in this little box below, or this text link here:
Kinetica Whey Protein 2.27KG - Vanilla


The product is affiliated through Amazon. You will pay no extra, but my blog will be credited with the referral and that will help my site continue to grow. Thank you!
 
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Lose Weight For Summer

Losing weight is simple. There are millions of websites, blogs, weight loss groups, gyms, personal trainers, and corporations (read: Weight Watchers) that over complicate things.

There are two main factors which will aid in weight loss:

Move More

Eat Less

.....and thats essentially it. Generally, if you eat 2000 kCal a day, and you move around enough so that you expend 2,500 kCal every day, you will be at what is known as a calorie deficit. Through the space of a week, you will have burned off 3,500 kCal, and that is nearly the same amount of calories as one pound of bodyfat.

There are many ways of keeping a tab on how many calories you are burning. Apps such as Myfitnesspal, my favourite, can help a lot. Try tracking everything you eat for a few days (and i mean everything). You will be surprised how wrong you may be with your estimations beforehand.

Track Your Calories













Track Your Weight Regularly

Dont worry about supplements for now. Thermogenic Fat Burners for example may have their place, but can vary in their effectiveness and some people can be very sensitive to stimulants.

You Are What You Eat!

You might be able to get all of your daily calories from chocolate, but you will be badly malnourished and feel terrible. If you eat nothing but chocolate, which for instance may be 30% fat, 60% Carbs (refined sugar) and 10% Protein, then how do you expect your body to drop to under 10% fat so you can see your abs? In this case, a calorie is not equal to any other calorie.

If you want to lose weight as a bodybuilder, you are going to lose some muscle size. Deal with it. In order to minimise this loss, keep your protein level high. The reason for this is when your body starts to break down for fuel, you will still have enough protein passing through your system to replace whatever mass gets used up (a very basic overview).

Cutting out a Macronutrient

It works, but its probably not worth it. Once you come off the diet and eat carbs again for example, your body will adjust and you might find yourself back to square one. Good for competitors & models who have to hit a deadline, not so good for longeivity and good health.

Be Smart, Eat Sensible, Train Hard.

 

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Why Should I Be A Vegetarian?

 Is Vegetarianism a wise choice?

I am fairly new to the whole vegetarian lifestyle. It has been a few years since I initially became fully aware of the crap food I was eating and the effect on my body and decided to make a change. More recently I began to implement a vegetarian mindset into my diet. In the last 2 months, I admit I have eaten meat, but only for 3 meals (when it was inconsiderate and easier in the situation as to not be a pain in the ass). I would consider my diet at the moment to be 99% vegetarian. I have no craving for any meat, even though being an omnivore all my life I know how good it can taste.

There are different types of Vegetarian diets, and I chose the Ovo-Lacto type. This basically means I will eat eggs and dairy. This is purely a choice based on nutrition. I have always consumed a lot of these and to block them out would not only restrict my efforts for a healthy lifestyle and also drive me nuts.

There is also the Vegan camp who choose no animal products whatsoever. I disagree with Veganism, and this is because all the vegans I have met seem pale and malnutritioned. Obviously those who know the diet type well and do enough research can lead a full and healthy life as a vegan but the majority do not, and this isnt safe. Fair play to you if you do.

When I first started reading up on Veganism I came across this video, and yes, it is shocking and yes it did change my mind. If you're not easily shocked, its well worth the time to watch it all. Bear in mind it is taking place in a vegan restaurant and is slightly biased but a good vid anyways.

But the main reason for taking on a 99% vegetarian diet is a combination of my first hand experiences in the food trade and my attitude towards sports performance.

Where Does Meat Come From?

I have seen many abbatoirs and farms, and many are clean and well looked after. However I have seen a lot, and many more are filthy. They often smell unpleasant and I have seen plenty of common practices involving the carcasses of animals to be prepared for food which have knocked me sick, because I never stopped to think about it beforehand. Most people choose not to, and thats fine. But for those who are interested, they will definately find vegetarianism the more appealing choice.

Another disturbing video - discretion is advised, but it is very well known amongst the veggie community.

Sports & Veggies

There is nothing anywhere to say that an athlete needs to eat meat. Yes its easy for protein and you get a big hit of vitamins but there is also the bad side such as cholesterol and contamination through the food chain (take mercury in tuna for example).

My aim was to lose weight for a cycling tour. I weighed nearly 14 stone and that was gonna kick my ass on the big climbs up mountains, and vegetarianism has helped me shift 1-2lb's of bodyweight a week for the past 3 months, and long may it continue!

For cycling, the main nutrient needed for performance in my experience is sugar, in the form of glucose and dextrose. These are fast acting and can supply your muscles with the fuel you need for a full days riding, or as a quick shot before and intense period.

For bodybuilding however, sugar is generally not very welcome. It is know sugars can spike insulin and unless you know about insulin spiking, its best left alone. Bear in mind there is 4 calories per gram of sugar also, and when that could be substituted for the equivalent in protein, sugar doesnt really have a place.

Protein can be sourced quite easily when you think about it. Whey protein is more popular than ever, its quick, convenient, and it works. Eggs, if you still want to eat them are a staple bodybuilders go to food. Other foods such as tofu, beans, quinoa, lentils, cheese, milk and many many more also pack more than a good share of protein so as long as you are careful and count the amounts you eat, you are good to go. Bear in mind beans and the like tend to not be complete protein, so you have to mix and match to get all of the types of amino acids which make it up.

 Basically it is up to you and your opinions.

Dont be pressurised into eating meat, many people wont understand your choices.

Know your reasons, so if people ask, give them a good answer.

Know your goals. Why are you going veggie?

 

 

 Here's just a few of the thoughts I went through before changing my diet.

The Pros and Cons of a Veggie Diet

 Pro's:

• Eating less or no meat and replacing these parts with extra veg or fruit allows higher quantities of plant based vitamins and minerals to enter your system.
• Meat takes longer than fruit or veg to digest.
• Eating gram for gram meat or veggies, veggies will fill you up more. 100g of Broccoli is a bigger volume of food than 100g of Steak.
• Free your mind from the suffering that would have happened to an animal when it was slaughtered should you be now chewing on its muscle fibre....
• Increased digestive health
• Find food sources out in the open should you be stuck. Cant just grab a leg of lamb on the road. The lamb will most probably object unless you're the Bear Grylls type and ready to slaughter and prepare your own food.
• Your food wont have come from an abbatoir with suspect standards.
• Most of your food will be low fat.

Con's:

• Those who eat meat have easy access to high levels of protein
• There is also quite a substantial amount of naturally occuring creatine in products such as beef.
• Fruit and Veg isnt perfect, and can contain pesticides, herbicides and genetically modified products.
• Organic foods are generally more expensive.
• You may have to supplement with multivitamins
• Its easy to get stuck in a cycle of the same food
• Friends and family might not accept the change initially

Protein Dessert Wrap

Ingredients:

1 Mission Deli Wrap (i used regular, wholemeal would be better)

1 Scoop Chocolate Whey Protein

1 Egg (Whole)

10g Chocolate Philadelphia Cheese Spread

Crack the egg into a microwavable bowl, and add in the 1 scoop of whey protein. This doesnt have to be chocolate, I have made it with vanilla before, but i prefer this version! Using a fork, mix it all together until you have a smooth batter.

Put this batter into the microwave on full power for about 50 seconds.

In the meantime, take the wrap and down the middle, spread in the chocolate cheese. I used Philadelphia for this, as it was what I had available at the time. However, Nutella or something similar would do the job. Its not ideal, with the high processed crap content, so if you can find a sugar free or low fat version that would be perfect.

Take out the egg and protein batter, which will now look like a small cake. cut this in half, and place along the chocolate spread so that you can roll the wrap closed as you usually would.

Wrap it all up, and place on a microwavable plate, then blast in the microwave for about 20 seconds more, just so you can melt the chocolate without making the wrap too soggy.

Take it out, cut it in half and enjoy!!


(Video to come soon!)

Approx 440 Calories
37 Carbs
31 Protein
16 Fat

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Choc & Raisin Cookie Cake!

 

Ingredients:

2 Scoops Chocolate Whey Protein

1.5 Scoops Oats

1 Egg

Small dash of Semi Skimmed Milk

Handful of Raisins

First add a scoop of whey and a scoop of oats into a mixing bowl. Crack open the egg and add that to the mix.

Give this a gentle stir to get it going, then add a small amount of milk. You want it like a batter, quite thick in texture.

Add in the 2nd scoop of protein and another half scoop of oats, this will thicken the mixture further so you will need to judge for yourself how much milk to add in.

Add the raisins, just a small handfull will do, and mix that in fully.

Scoop the mixture out onto a backing tray, and try and shape it into a square or rectangle, this makes it easier to cut into chunks later.

Stick it in the oven for around 5-7 minutes, the edges will turn a little bit golden and it should be firm throughout.

Take it out and slice into bitesize pieces.

Macros:
Approx 500 cals depending on how much raisins/ extra protein you put in
40 carbs
59 Protein
14 Fat




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Chocolate Fudge Granola Recipe

Here is my recipe for an incedibly tasty Chocolate Fudge Granola, using just three ingredients. Mix together some natural yoghurt, tropical flavour granola and some whey protein and enjoy the chocolatey goodness.

Macros:
415 Calories
43 Carbs
34 Protein
11 Fat




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