GizmoSherpa

… about posting once before I move to a new blog (and take all of my stuff with me, because it is my stuff, ya know).

I’m actually going to write two postings. One (this one) is the one I promised on a great protein mix that I’m using in conjunction with Smart for Life compliant, while exercising at the same time. The other will be an update on my weight loss after two weeks of exercising while on the Smart for Life (S4L) program. The question I’ll be answering is: Can you actually lose weight and exercise while being on S4F, considering that they all but forbid you to exercise while on it?

All right, here we go on the protein mix.

First off, it is pretty much fat free (1% total fat, 0.5% saturated fat per serving). It is also sugar free. It has no lactose — yay, no bloating! And it has 50g of protein — you read that right, 50 friggin’ grams of protein — per serving. Best of all, it actually tastes good.

It’s from Nature’s Best, and the specific line is called Zero Carb Isopure. (No, I don’ make any $$ of of those links. Just sayin’.)

I am currently plowing through a honkin’ huge 3 lb. container of the stuff. Creamy Vanilla is how I roll. Actually, I put a serving of mix in a shaker cup, fill it up with Crystal Light’s new Sunrise line in the Orange flavor (already made and ready to drink on its own) and ice, and go to town.

When you make it like this, the drink tastes like a Creamsickle. Really. Seriously. We’re not talking “I choke it down while I convince myself it tastes like a Creamsickle” taste. We’re talking “This tastes like a Creamsickle! Damn!” kind of thing.

I’ve also had it with Crystal Light’s Tangerine Strawberry flavor in the Sunrise line, and it’s got a similar kick-butt taste. The Sunrise line also has a Ruby Red Grapefruit flavor, but I’m not so sure how that would work with it. If you try it (or try other flavors with it), let me know.

I’ve even heard of people putting teaspoons of it in their coffee, just to get a little extra protein. Supposed to be good that way, too. If I was a “cream in my coffee” kind of guy, I’d try it like that. Alas, I am not.

Of course, you can mix it with just water, too. And as you’d probably not expect, it tastes really good on its own in plain ol’ H2O.

There’s a variety of flavors available, and I’d be willing to bet they’re all good. I’ll probably try more in the future, and when I do, I’ll let you know what I think of it in future postings (at the future blog, of course).

With S4L, I’m most definitely drinking my power orange drink after exercise. This way, I’m pre-burning the 210-220 calories the protein powder provides, so it’s basically a net zero kind of thing to my body. But I get the benefit of muscle-building and metabolism turbo-charging protein after the exercise.

Last week, my exercise was walking the dogs every day for at least 30 minutes. This week, I’m doing formal exercising 2 days (I’m traveling, which will cut down from the 3 a week I’d normally do) and walking the dogs every day while I’m in town. Plus, I’ll be doing a lot of walking, etc., while I’m at the conference I’m going to, so I’m not worrying about exercising then.  

The cool thing about doing this is that I believe the extra protein is supercharging my metabolism, so I’m losing weight when I’m not exercising. That’s kind of the “in” thinking nowadays among those in the know of these things. And I’m convinced that S4L doesn’t provide enough protein for people who want to be active, like myself. This, of course, may be by design by them — after all, they don’t want you exercising, because of the low caloric intake you have while you’re on the program.

As I’ve said before, I’m doing this on my own. I’m definitely running afoul of S4L on this, and I’m not recommending it for others. But I’ve spoken with a medical professional familiar with S4L about this, and that person thinks I should be fine doing it like this. Of course, the true test will be on the scale and in my clothes. As I said, I’ll definitely update my progress on this new way of doing things  … probably next week.

If someone were to ask me if I recommend doing this, I’d only tell them that they should talk with their own S4L doctor about it, and maybe point the doc to this blog. I would suggest, though, to get some weight off before exercising. That’s what I did. But now, I’m ready to start exercising. I’m just trying to fit it in with S4L as much as possible, because I still believe in the program.

Thanks for sticking with me as the blog goes through transition. I appreciate it.