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Macro trackers

For those of you that are out of the loop, MFP recently changed their app/website so that you cannot plug in your own macros without paying a monthly fee.

Here are a few alternative apps that will help you track:

mymacros+ (iphone only) lose it fat secret mynetdiary calorie counter by spark people

I’ll be testing out mymacros+ soon and will give a review in the future

Low Carb Crêpe Napoleon

This dessert might have a fancy name but you can be assured that it won’t wreck your rest day macros!

Macros for whole recipe: Protein 64g/ Fat 23g/ Carbs 15g/ Fiber 1g/ Calories 520

The crepes (adapted from http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/2012/01/cream-cheese-pancakes.html)

Ingredients

2 oz (56 grams) cream cheese (you can use 1/3 fat or fat free but since this is a rest day meal, I went with full fat!)

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons (10 mL) Splenda (or your sweetener of choice)

1 teaspoon (5 mL) vanilla extract

1. Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Let rest for 2 minutes so the bubbles can settle. Pour ¼ of the batter into a hot pan greased with butter or non stick cooking spray. Cook for 2 minutes until golden, flip and cook 1 minute on the other side. Repeat with the rest of the batter. Set aside and make the filling.

For the filling:

1 cup (226 grams) 2% lowfat cottage cheese

2 tablespoons (25 grams) Splenda, or your sweetener of choice

1 scoop (33g) Optimum Nutrition Vanilla Casein powder or Whey Protein

1 teaspoon (5 mL) vanilla extract

1. For the filling:

In a blender or food processor, blend cottage cheese, protein powder, vanilla extract, and Splenda till smooth.

Assembly:

Alternate crepes with cheese filling, ending with a layer of cheese on top!

Macros for whole recipe: Protein 64g/ Fat 23g/ Carbs 15g/ Fiber 1g/ Calories 520

More Macro Hacks

1. Have certain foods on hand at all times if you’re left with an excessive amount of one particular macro - egg whites and chicken for protein, non fat frozen yogurt, cereal and fruit for carbs, nuts/butter and olive/coconut oil for fats.

2. If you need to hit protein and have trouble with fats, fat free milk in your protein shakes and even with a meal will help you reach (as long as you aren't going over on carbs)

3. If you buy chicken in bulk, weigh out portions into freezer bags and write the macros with a felt marker on the bag. This works for freezing other foods too.

4. You don't weigh most liquids as it's not accurate and would vary dependent on the density of the liquid. Measuring in ml or cups, teaspoon etc is the the correct thing to do. Any scale that has ml or fl oz would be calibrated for water. Volume and weight are not interchangeable.

5. If you know you are planning to eat something later in the day, log it first thing, then you can play Macro Tetris around that

6. Foods like rice that you would normally want to make in large batches, weigh and cook one serving and keep notes, that way you know what one cooked serving should weigh for these foods.

17 Ways To Eat Protein For Dessert

SQUUUUEEEEE! In which I (#16) appear in an article on Buzzfeed http://www.buzzfeed.com/shannonrose…/dessert-protein-recipes

Jacked Up Jello Shots (Preworkout Jello)

It’s hard to believe that it has been almost 3 years since I posted my recipe for Lemon Protein Jello (or my fancy name for it, Creme de limon gelée). Instead of protein powder, I revamped Jello with supplements that lifters typically use. You can use the same combination of BCAA’s and pre-workout powder that I used or just stick with a single supplement for the Jello.

Ingredients

1 envelope (1 tablespoon) unflavored gelatin

1 cup boiling water

1 cup cold water

1 tablespoon Splenda

3 scoops flavored preworkout powder (I used SciVation Psycho in Ragin’ Punch)

2 scoops flavored BCAA powder (I used SciVation Xtend in Watermelon Madness)

Directions

1. Bring 1 cup water to a boil.

2. In a large bowl, stir Splenda (or your choice sweetener), preworkout powder and BCAA powder in 1 cup of COLD water (take a small sip to taste the flavoring, then you’ll know if you’ll need to add more powder or sweetener). Make sure it’s all dissolved.

3. Sprinkle gelatin into the cold water mixture and stir until it’s thoroughly dissolved.

5. Add boiling water to the cold mixture and stir.

6. Pour evenly among shot glasses or keep it in the bowl that you mixed everything with.

7. Chill until firm.

Raw vs Cooked Foods

A question I often get is whether or not to weigh raw or cooked foods. The weight of food varies after cooking due to the amount of water lost in the process. 100g of raw steak is not the same as 100g of cooked steak (same as veggies). A simple solution is to Weigh the item in whatever condition it came in if you're using the macros from the package. If a serving of pasta goes by the raw value, then weigh it raw, log it as raw. If the nutritional label says a serving goes by the cooked value then weight it cooked or find a macro for cooked.

If you are weighing cooked and logging raw, you're taking in more macros. So let's say you want to eat 200g and you take a raw piece of chicken that weighs 200g and would meet your macros and cook it so it has less weight, you would add more chicken to get back up to 200g, thus in taking more macros.

DIY Beef Jerky

It is not difficult to make your own beef jerky! All you need is a lean cut of beef, an oven, and some time because it takes about 30 hours from start to finish.

Adapted from Michael Symon’s Carnivore

Makes about 30 jerky pieces

Macros for the whole recipe: 534g Protein/Fat 128g/Carbs 17/Calories 3516

Per jerky: 18g Protein/ Fat 4g/Carbs 1g/Calories 117

Ingredients:

4 lbs beef eye of round, fat trimmed off

3 tablespoons kosher salt

4 teaspoons sugar

4 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoon onion powder

2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoon chipotle powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

*optional* a few dashes of liquid smoke

24 hours before cooking the jerky

Trim off all the fat from the beef

2. Slice the beef along the grain into strips. It needs to be about 1 inch thick by 3 inches long. You’ll want the strips to resemble fat stubby fingers. It will cut into 30 pieces- Don’t worry about the strips being too large…there will be some shrinkage during the cooking process!

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the spices and salt (and liquid smoke if you are using it).

4. Season the beef with this spice mixture and make sure it coats all of the strips. Cover the beef with plastic wrap (or put in a freezer bag) and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Cooking the jerky

1. Preheat oven to 250 F (130 C)

2. Place the strips on a baking rack on a baking sheet. To ensure an even drying, make sure the strips are not touching or overlapping the other strips of beef. Bake for about 3.5-4 hours until the beef is fairly dry.

3. Once your jerky is done, let it cool completely before storing in a container or it’ll form condensation, which will destroy your drying attempts. Keep the jerky at room temperature in an airtight container (or freezer bag). The jerky will last for several months.

Makes about 30 jerky pieces

Macros for the whole recipe: Protein 534g/Fat 128g/Carbs 17g/Calories 3516

Per jerky: Protein 18g/ Fat 4g/Carbs 1g/Calories 117

Chocolate Chip Stuffed French Toast

This recipe is a sweet, chocolaty variation of my stuffed French toast. As you can see, it’s pretty easy to customize it with whatever strikes your fancy!

Ingredients

4 slices multigrain bread (I used Brownberry’s Multigrain bread)

1 cup 2% lowfat cottage cheese

2 tablespoons Splenda, or your sweetener of choice

1 scoop (37g) Optimum Nutrition Vanilla Whey Powder (can substitute with Casein)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 egg whites

2 tablespoons skim milk

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 tablespoons Hershey’s semisweet chocolate chips

InstructionsFor the filling:

In a blender or food processor, blend cottage cheese, whey or casein powder, vanilla extract, and Splenda till smooth. Set aside

For the Batter:

Whisk egg whites, skim milk, cinnamon until all incorporated

Spray a large skillet with non stick cooking spray and heat over medium high heat.

Dip one side of the bread in the egg batter to coat and repeat on the other side. Repeat with other slices of bread

Place in the skillet, and cook on both sides until golden brown.

Spread the cheese and chocolate chips evenly over the slices of bread and make a stacked sandwich (you might have leftover filling, you can top the French toast with it once it has been grilled).

MacrosFor the whole recipe:

Protein 86g

Fat 24g

Carbs 122g

Fiber 18g

Calories 1004

Vol 3: Things that every Dick Talens Trainee Can Relate To

When you talk about macros and people don’t understand it

When you submit your updates and it still doesn’t go through

Waiting on your updates

Weighing yourself after having a stressful week and finding you still lost weight

New Macros (bye bye carbs)

When a friend suggests doing cardio with him/her

Checking yourself out in the mirror and seeing changes

When someone questions your lack of breakfast

When you still have room in your macros for that glass of wine

BCAAs: Is it just jacked up Koolaid?

A commonly discussed topic in this group is BCAAs and whether or not it is necessary. If you normally take a whey protein shake before or after a workout, then you already have BCAA’s in it. According to Alan Aragon, “Plenty of people have bought into the marketing of BCAA. Not many people realize that if you're consuming enough total dietary protein, it already contains an abundance of BCAA. High-quality protein sources in your diet are comprised of 18-26% BCAA. Adding supplemental BCAA to that is quite literally a waste. And just note that ALL of the research on BCAA supplementation & soreness did not compare BCAA with a protein equivalent. It compared it with a non-protein placebo, typically under conditions of sub-optimal total daily intake. Anyone consuming adequate total protein that claims BCAA curbed soreness is merely playing out their expectation bias via the marketing & placebo effect (which is powerful, and can make you *think* an inert compound is actually working). As for the claim that supplemental BCAA is necessary to prevent muscle loss from fasted training, that's not supported by the scientific literature. In fact, my colleagues and I recently published a study examining the question of fed vs fasted cardio in female subjects, and found no difference on body composition: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25429252

One more general point I want to make: the less superfluous compounds you force your body to regularly process, the better your health will be in the long-term. But for those who insist on getting your wallet shredded, be my guest - the good thing is that it stimulates the economy."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22451437

In summary, a low dose of whey protein supplemented with leucine or all other essential amino acids was as effective as a complete protein (WHEY) in stimulating post prandial MPS; however only WHEY was able to sustain increased rates of MPS post-exercise and may therefore be most suited to increase exercise-induced muscle protein accretion. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22451437

A Spoonful of Sugar

A frequent question is if one needs to watch their sugar intake while IIFYMing.

Like carbohydrates, sugar has a bad reputation. For body weight and body composition, as long as you stay within your calorie and carb goals, sugar doesn't matter. Generally, try not to go around eating pounds of sugar at a time. If a person has a health condition which warrants they need to watch their sugar intake, such as diabetes, that is one thing. However, for a person without health problems, sugars are not bad.

The bitter truth about fructose alarmism: http://www.alanaragonblog.com/2010/01/29/the-bitter-truth-about-fructose-alarmism/ A retrospective of the fructose alarmism debate: http://www.alanaragonblog.com/2010/02/19/a-retrospective-of-the-fructose-alarmism-debate/

Treat Yo Self!

Protein Products

Here some items that will help you reach your protein goal!

A fruit-flavored protein powder that apparently tastes like Kool Aid or juice Syntrax Nectar http://www.si03.com/shop1/index.php?id_product=38&controller=product&id_lang=1#/nectar-dragon_fruit_fusion

Protein gummies http://rapproteingummies.com/products/#!mixed-berry

Super low-carb fruity protein water! http://www.drinkprotein2o.com/

Another fruity protein water! http://www.pronrgusa.com/

Protein coconut water! http://www.gnc.com/Natures-Best-COCOTEIN-Coconut-Water-Protein/product.jsp?productId=21364606

Higher-protein drink mix (fruity) http://www.dietdirect.com/proamino-protidiet-drink-concentrates-pd312-peachmango.html?CAWELAID=120170500000013109&CAGPSPN=pla&catargetid=120170500000013392&cadevice=c&gclid=Cj0KEQiA8rilBRDZu_G8hszXraoBEiQABlB9Y1_NTW5Duqnn_7tMezl086XW2B5M_djbPEIQHUwpI0oaAhTS8P8HAQ

Protein Jello http://www.epicureanbb.com/post/10164835292/creme-de-limon-gelee-lemon-protein-jello

Protein Chips http://www.questnutrition.com/chips

Protein peanutbutter cups http://www.questnutrition.com/quest-cravings/

Quest bars

Protein pudding http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/mhp/power-pak-pudding.html, http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/dya/dessert.html

Protein pancake mix http://shop.kodiakcakes.com/mixes-syrups/

Brown Rice vs White Rice

You've probably read from different sites that brown rice is better than white rice but in reality, white rice actually has been shown to have an equal or better nutritional yield. White rice also has a better nitrogen-retentive effect than brown rice because the fiber and phytate content of brown rice act as anti nutrients, reducing the bioavailability of the micronutrients it contains.

"Results show that despite higher nutrients contents of brown rice compared to white rice, experimental data does not provide evidence that the brown rice diet is better than the diet based on white rice. Possible anti nutritional factors present in brown rice have adverse effects on bioavailability of this cereal nutrients."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9302338

"The brown rice diet had 3 times as much dietary fiber as the polished rice diet. On the brown rice diet, fecal weight increased, and apparent digestibility of energy, protein, and fat decreased, as did the absorption rates of Na, K, andP. The nitrogen balance was negative on both diets, but more negative on the brown rice diet. [...] Comparing these results with data on standard protein intake, we concluded that brown rice reduced protein digestibility and nitrogen balance."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2822877

So which one tastes better? Well, that should be based on your own personal needs and preferences. The rest doesn’t matter. Eat the rice you like best and/or have less issues with eating.

"Healthy"

I get a lot of questions about natural food, "toxins," and whether something is healthy. With people like Food Babe being prominent in the industry, it's hard not to hear about these things and other scare tactics.

I came across an article on the Internet that really resonated with me and answers exactly this: "Because, as this review clued me in, the film is a bait-and-switch: it draws in the viewer with a lengthy lament on how unhealthy the western diet is, then turns into an infomercial for juicing. One of the experts is introduced as a filmmaker, but oh by the way he sells juice extractors.

Another is the Dr. Oz-endorsed author of books about juice-based “cleansing.” (He believes that the problem with “toxins” is that they cause our bodies to produce a spiritual mucus that makes us sluggish.) Not everyone is juice-centric: some are selling other things, like weight-loss meditation CDs.

The movie even gives a specific warning in its first half: beware anybody selling you food that’s supposed to be healthy, because they don’t make money from your health. They make money by making the product attractive enough that you buy it."

Beware of these types of tactics. Remember, unlike with coaching where we care about your before/afters, these people only make money when you buy "healthy food." You can check the full post here:

http://blogs.plos.org/publichealth/2014/04/29/easy-believe-food-toxic/

Protein fluff is an amazing way to get protein in. It satisfies your sweet tooth and can keep you full (it's verrrrrry voluminous!). Give it a try!

Superbowl Munchies

These high protein recipes elevate everyday football fare. Plus they are sure to fit anyone's macros.

Skinny Appetizers from Skinny Taste

Guacamole

Protein 6.9 g/Fat 50.7 g/Carbs 29.5

Creamy Chicken and Greens with Roasted Poblano

Protein 148g/ Fat 6g/Carbs 24g

Slow Cooked Chicken Fajitas

Protein 203g/Fat 4g/ Carbs 18g

Cilantro Lime Rice

Protein 9g/Fat 0g/Carbs 64g (1 cup cooked rice)

Turkey Kebab with Yogurt Garlic Sauce

Kebabs: Protein 85g/Fat 32g/Carbs 7g

Sauce: Protein 12g/ Fat 0g/ Carbs 7g

Shrimp and Chicken Jambalaya

Protein 104g/ Fat 7g/ Carbs 162 g

Spicy Buffalo Meatballs

Protein 67g/Fat 31g/Carbs 6/Calories 596

Cheesy Ham and Kale Waffles

Macros for whole recipe: Protein 63g/Fat 7g/Carbs 106g/ Calories 768

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lodxn1YiRw1qzj3km.jpghttp://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lodxn1YiRw1qzj3km.jpghttp://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lodxn1YiHam, Black bean and sweet potato taco salad

Macros: Protein 68g/Fat 13g/Carbs 146g/ Fiber 40g/Calories 892

Asian Style Black Bean Burgers

Macros for whole recipe: P 43g/ Fat 8g/Carbs 136g/ Fiber 27g/Calories 715Per Burger: P 7g/ Fat 1g/ 23g C/Fiber 5g/ Calories 119

Grilled Monte Cristo Sandwich

Macros for whole recipe: Protein 49g/Fat 18g/Carbs 52g/ Fiber 10g/ Calories 565

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

Total Macros: Protein 139g/Fat 14g/Carbs 185g/Fiber 8g/ Cal 1390

Per Roll: P 17g/F 2g/C 23g/ Fiber 1g/ Cal 174

+ Desserts!

Treat yo self!

*These have been tried and tested by yours truly!

1. Kitchen Scale

I highly recommend the Primo Digital Kitchen Scale. It'll help you with macros and it lasts a long time (I've owned the same one for about 3 years!)

2. Walden Pancake Syrup for days when you want to have protein waffles and pancakes!

3. A scale is more accurate but if you do need to measure liquids, you'll need something like this Pyrex liquid measuring cup to be accurate.

4. Measuring tape because we can't always rely on the scale for progress!

5. Non stick cooking spray (can be found in any grocery)

6. These Food Staples

7. * I don't own this food scale buuuuut it's portable!

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