i start every single morning with this !
microwave spring water until about the temperature of a hot drink
mix it in about 50/50 ratio with cold milk from the fridge ( they should average out to about room temperature or maybe slightly warmer )
( i use Organic Valley Grass Milk Whole, sold at ShopRite )
add Truvia ( from Costco ) and Instant Coffee as desired
add vanilla whey protein ( i use Dymatize from Amazon )
then i use a Kitchenaid hand mixer with a Whisk attachment ( because my Vitamix Blender is broken )
honestly i think the Whisk attachment works better for whey protein shakes than a blender anyway …
but you need some kind of square container to make the shake in otherwise in a round container the shake will start to rotate and spill out …
i currently have it with toasted bread ( one slice ) but when i lived in California i used to buy Special K cereal and pour the protein shake on it as you would milk.
i prefer the cereal but bread is more versatile. sometimes i will toast bread and just have it with coffee for example.
on other hand cereal has a longer shelf life than bread ( bread can get moldy because it has moisture in it ). also Special K in particular is fairly high in protein. some variants have up to 20 grams protein per serving, which is a LOT !
contrary to popular opinion plant protein is almost as good as animal protein. of course animal foods are always superior but a protein shake by itself isn’t going to fill you. you need something to chew on.
yes meat will fill you but it takes hours to digest and first thing in the morning i want fast acting protein.
the reason i used Special K in California is at the time i experimented with Raw Vegan diet so i was eating relatively little meat and a lot of whey protein so it was worth it for me then to go to Walmart and load up on Special K and it was basically my staple meal ( Special K with Whey Protein Shake ).
this period in my life is when i had my most dramatic weight loss - but of course it was also when i was doing the most cardio - multiple hours per day - just riding my bike in California weather ( i also used to jog, swim and lift as well ). but at least Special K with Whey Protein didn’t ruin my results ! I mean i don’t know what effect it had on my health overall but it seemed to work for weight loss.
but now that i primarily eat meat i am too lazy to buy Special K and just toast the bread i already have …
the point is that either with Special K or with a Toast the whey protein shake FEELS like a real meal, like you had a real breakfast.
without Special K or Toast it feels like you just had a drink and still should eat something … the problem is i already had about 50-60 grams of protein in the shake - what am i supposed to eat now ? so it makes more sense to just have the shake with something to bite on and call it a meal.
i realize it is ironic i pay through the nose to buy milk from 100% grass fed cows that had no grains in their diet … only to have that milk with GRAIN ( bread or cereal )
but i am after the TEXTURE of bread / cereal that makes it filling
whereas milk from grain fed cows is no more filling than that from grass fed cows - just less nutritious
by the way you don’t need grass fed whey protein. most of the difference from grass fed vs grain fed is in the FAT not protein. i buy WHOLE milk so in that case i think it is WORTH IT to spend extra for 100% grass fed.
the fat from the milk and the carbs and fiber from the bread is what rounds out the whey protein and makes this feel like a real meal. a delicious meal at that.
straight whey protein would just feel like water.
i always have slow digesting protein like beef before bed.
and i always have fast digesting protein ( whey ) first thing in the morning.
when working out i have whey during the actual workout, then some more after the workout, and then some solid protein ( meat / eggs etc. ) after that.
basically always start with whey and finish with meat / eggs.
technically i could probably drink an RTD when i wake up to take a piss in the middle of the night
if i was still going after PRs i would probably be doing that …
but the idea is to maintain protein in your system at all times to the extent that is practical …
the body is always turning over protein. it has to come from somewhere. muscle and organs are the store of protein in the body and that’s where the protein will be pulled from if you didn’t make sure it is already in the blood.
while it is true that you can’t continuously stimulate muscle protein synthesis ( you can only do it like once in 6 hours or so ) muscle is about protein in vs protein out. MPS is only protein in, but there is also protein out from protein turn over.
i guess the second part is too depressing for muscleheads to think about so they don’t. but they should.
i think having protein every 2 - 3 hours like a pro is unnecessary maybe if you eat solid food like beef that takes multiple hours to digest, but optimizing what happens at the start and end of day is a no brainer IMO.
for bonus points grab a Whey RTD when you get up to take a piss at night, but i don’t do that myself.
by the way i completely understand that grain is poison. i just feel the urge to have something crunchy with my shake. if you can some up with a solution like some kind of oatmeal cookie i dunno - let me know.
also i haven’t read the ingredients list on that Special K in years - the protein probably comes from soy.
again, i am not claiming any of this is ideal. for example Stevia is supposed to be “mutagenic” … i am just reporting what i use and what i have used in the past.
if you can suggest an improvement i would be curious to hear it.
but honestly i am not as obsessed with perfection as i used to be. even if you do everything perfectly you’re still going to die after all. and if you want to look your best you will have to take steroids anyway.
so really i am now after what is GOOD ENOUGH nutrition wise, tastes great, is easy to make and is not too expensive.
