Protein and building muscle

Any time you are going through a weight loss process, you have the potential to lose not only fat, but lean muscle mass as well.  This is especially true if you don’t include weight training as part of our exercise routine, but limit yourself to only constant cardio.

In most cases, eating carbohydrates before and after your workout is probably the best way to ensure your body can maintain and build its muscle mass. However, that’s not possible if you’re on a low-carb diet like I am right now. instead, Adam Campbell recommends a protein shake 30 minutes before and then again immediately after your workout. This helps flood your body with the protein it needs to begin the repair process immediately, and directs all available calories toward building that muscle instead of storing it as fat.

When I first started the plan, I tried a couple of different protein powders, and neither was very good - either the taste was off, it didn’t dissolve well in water, or it had too many residual carbs for the plan I was on. At the recommendation of some of the user forums on the Men’s Health website, I decided to try Nitrean from www.atlargenutrition.com, and now I’m hooked!  The flavors are great (strawberry, vanilla, or chocolate), they dissolve easily in water.

I’ve been able to work with the owners at this website to give my readers a 5% discount of the gross total of any order (that includes the shipping cost). In order to take advantage of the offer, just make sure to put wupt in the discount coupon code section during checkout. This discount code will be available for the next couple of months, but check it out soon if you’re looking for a great protein supplement.

And if you’re on a low-carb diet, here’s a recipe for a whipped cream dessert using Nitrean that’s really tasty (in moderation, of course):

Whipped Cream Dessert

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup Splenda (not the 1/2 Splenda, 1/2 sugar kind)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 scoops Nitrean protein powder (any flavor)

In a mixing bowl, combine the whipping cream, Splenda, and vanilla extract, and whip at high speed until stiff peaks form. Add the protein powder and whip again until powder is incorporated and mixture is smooth.

Line a small cookie sheet with waxed paper, then use a teaspoon to dollop teaspoon-sized dollops of the whipped cream onto the cookie sheet. Place in the freezer until frozen solid. Once solid, remove from cookie sheet and store in an airtight container in the freezer. One or two at a time is a great dessert - very filling, and is a good substitute for ice cream.