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Motivation is a weird thing. It can make us go crazy hyper for hours or it can make us lazy and self destructive beyond control. 

I’ve noticed in increase in lack of motivation comments on facebook and on here. Not sure why though - is it a back to school/getting too busy/seasonal change thing? Just want you guys to know that everyone goes through an “I give up-I hate my body-I don’t see results why even try” phase. It happens every once in a while. I had this type of week last week! I was telling myself it was ok to have an egg roll here and a tortilla chip there, but you know what? My body was retaliating. I bloated up, felt lethargic, and even began developing acne! It was horrendous! Oh and get this…my bad food choices affected my energy so much that when I did my burpees I felt like a zombie from Michael Jackson’s Thriller video. Slow. Immobile. Limbs stuff and dead.

But you just gotta trust that these phases fade. And you will get back on your feet again. If you can’t get back up today, take a shower, and get back up tomorrow. The key thing is to be RESILIENT. That is one of my fave words ever. You fall, you rise up again. Every time it happens, you know yourself better and you get stronger.

So how do I keep myself motivated when it comes to working out? It’s all about having a vision, seeing it clearly, and making the journey there enjoyable.

1. HAVING A VISION: Clearly see your dream body or dream state of fitness & health. Maybe even cut out a picture of a celeb with a similar body type to yours and paste it on the wall. Look at it every day and know that it is possible. You have the resources.

2. WEARING CUTE CLOTHES: Ok sounds vain, but seriously, I workout a billion times harder when I feel like I look good. I make sure to have my colorful Nikes, my bottom-hugging Body Language pants, and a waist cinching cami from UpVibe on. I also love love love wearing my lifting gloves - they’re super cute and make me look “serious”.

3. PRETEND YOU’RE PERFORMING: Hmm, this might only work for on-stage people…but I love thinking that everyone’s watching me and that in this performance, the audience wants to see me working out MY HARDEST with PERFECT FORM. Ha, sounds stressful. How about this analogy…pretend your crush just walked by. Yup, I bet you just straightened your back and stuck your chest out a little. You may even stop thinking about how hard the workout is because you’re too concentrated on impressing someone.

4. SEEING RESULTS: The number one thing that keeps me going is seeing results. It makes me want to go harder and harder every time. Here’s a little secret…I am an obsessive mirror checker!!! Some people say, don’t check your progress til the end of the week. NO WAY!!! I love seeing even the teeniest bit of difference on my body. I even have self-created “pinch tests” for areas where I can “feel” my fat percentage increase and decrease. (That would be my hips and my face FYI.) You can also see results with a measuring tape or by weighing yourself. Just remember that with the latter, try to weigh yourself at the same time everyday so that you don’t think you gained 5 lbs outta nowhere. Also, if you’re lucky, get your fat percentage checked at the gym for even more accurate physical results!

Those are the 4 things that keep me going. So when you feel like you just wanna eat cookies and cakes and fried everything on a bad day, just stop for a sec and ask yourself not to. Do not be self destructive. Do not hate your body. Be good to it and it will be good to you. Eat clean. Exercise often. And envision the end goal! You want it bad and you will prevail!

<3 Cassey

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Yesterday, I got a question from one of my followers on twitter asking me the following regarding weight loss and calorie deficits:

1. “If you reduce the calories you eat [to lose weight], how are you supposed to have energy for workouts?”

I answered that you should increase your caloric intake to fuel a good workout but then got asked this:

2. “How do you create a shortage from increased calorie intake [to lose weight]?”

Simple questions but the answers are complicated. I actually researched for a couple hours to see if someone could explain this thoroughly. I couldn’t really find anything sufficient so I will do my best to explain this as best as I can without making your heads blow off.

So let’s attack question #1…”If you reduce the calories you eat [to lose weight], how are you supposed to have energy for workouts?”

We need to be talking about reducing calories from WHAT. If you’re reducing calories from your daily energy requirement (amt of cals it takes to function as a human at your daily activity level - ie. sleep, eat, walk around, go to work, go to school, etc.) then NO you will not have energy to workout. It takes a certain number of calories to function at a certain activity level. If you’re going to add more activity then you need to add more calories.

Analogy:

Think about calories as money and your activity level as paying bills. Right now say you make $3000/mo and you spend $3000/mo to pay rent, the phone bill, buy groceries, and go out once in a while. You are not in debt but you are not saving up either. What comes in also comes out. You are simply SURVIVING.

Now say you want to buy a new bag for a wedding you’re going to, it’s $500. How are you going to afford it? You can’t just buy the bag out of nowhere. You have to make $500 more to spend $500 on the bag.

Reality: 

To basically function in your day to day activities, say you require 1400 calories. You aren’t losing weight or gaining weight so 1400 is perfect for maintenance.

Now you want to workout to tone up for your friend’s wedding. It will take extra energy to add this into your daily lifestyle. The workout will burn 500 calories. You can’t just eat 1400 cals and just suddenly tack on a madwoman workout. You don’t have available energy - where does the energy come to fuel a workout that will burn 500 calories?

The FINAL answer to question #1:

To fuel energy for workouts, do not decrease calories - in fact, eat more. No this does not mean you are at maintenance again but just at a higher level. Strength training will help build lean muscle mass so that each time you workout, you will burn more calories at rest. Lean muscle mass does that. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn in general. The 500 calories that you torched in that 1 hr at the gym actually equals a surplus of calories burned throughout the day on top of your basal metabolic rate. Let me say this again, YOU WILL BURN EVEN MORE CALORIES THROUGHOUT THE DAY THANKS TO YOUR WORKOUT. That’s why it is ok to eat more.

Now then comes question #2…“How do you create a shortage from increased calorie intake [to lose weight]?”

Remember, you have increased calorie intake but with the PURPOSE of fueling a workout. If you simply increased to increase, you will gain weight from the excess if you do not figure out a way to utilize your extra energy. Because this increased calorie intake is now appropriate for your new activity level - this is your base - and you can create a deficit from this new number. Do not look at your old daily energy requirement. Yes it is higher but you are a different person now, you do different things. You are no longer just living a sedentary life, you have a new activity level and a new daily energy requirement to function as a human being who works out. 

Analogy: 

You got promoted and now are making $5000/mo instead of $3000/mo. How do you create a shortage from an increased paycheck? You can now afford to buy a new phone, a new computer, that bag and a pair of Louboutins. Oops, you’re in debt now.

Reality: 

So now you feed your body 1800 calories of nutritious foods - an increase from your 1400 previously. Because of your increase of 400 calories, you can finish a crazy workout and torch 500 calories in 1 session AND burn extra calories throughout the day (on top of your basal metabolic rate) because of your increased metabolism and increase in lean muscle mass. You are in a caloric debt now and on your way to fat loss.

The FINAL answer to question #2:

Yes you can create a deficit from increased caloric intake because this new number is just your new daily energy requirement. You don’t need to compare it to what you consumed in the past unless you are comparing similar activity levels. A more intense activity level requires a higher caloric intake for proper human function and optimal performance.

Umm, I hope that all made sense? OMG if not…here are the take-away points:

-When looking at calories in and calories out, a 500 calorie meal does not fuel a 500 calorie burning workout. Sometimes you wake up and all you need is a 110 calorie yogurt or 200 calorie bowl of oatmeal to get you through that morning spin class.

-A calorie is not a calorie is not a calorie. Not all calories are created equally.

-If you are looking to lose weight, choose to fill yourself up with nutritious and filling calories full of fiber and protein. You’ll notice that a 350 calorie sweet potato, chicken breast, and broccoli meal will fill you up longer than an 800 calorie hamburger and fries combo.

-In the end willpower will get you through the workouts and closer to your goal.

Ok that was my attempt at answering the questions. I just read this over again and am thinking that I may have potentially lost some of you along the way. Can you tell me if this makes sense or not? HONESTLY. Any feedback or rebuttals would be appreciated. Or if you can find an article that explains this better, please share with me! I couldn’t find anything that would go beyond the usual 3500 calorie deficit per week = 1 lb loss thing. No one talked about the science of the calorie deficit and how it affects your will power.

Anyway, time for bed. 2:45am. Kinda late. Maybe when I wake up tomorrow to reread this post, it will not make any sense. Romena, hope that helped ;P

<3 Cassey

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• lose weight
• burn fat
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• how to lose weight

“Do you believe in love at first squat?”  photo credit

Here are some pretty funny gym pet peeves I collected from Facebook - read for a good laugh :)

1. “When someone stands RIGHT in front of me in a group exercise class after I CLEARLY stood in line early to claim my spot. DO NOT STEAL MY MIRROR REAL ESTATE!” - Me

2. “When people look over your shoulder to stare at your machine to see your resistance/speed” - Samia B.

3. “Dudes staring at you. Go away creepers.” - Lindsay M.

4. “When I used to go to the gym it was the guys in the free weights area who would look at me weird for being there. Girls need to do squats too guys geez!” - Jenn D.K.

5. “People coming up to talk when clearly I’m running my daily marathon!” - Abby B.

6. “Theres always that old guy who walks around naked in the locker room refusing to cover himself, always one in every gym…EVERYWHERE.” - Justin M.

7. “I use the pool at my gym. And people are constantly cutting in front of me WHILE I’m doing sets to get to a different lane. There are multiple entrances people!” - Tiphanie G.

8. “Guys who want to “share” equipment with you then they try really hard to get you to have Starbucks with them, even after you keep saying no.” - Natalie O.

9. “When I am happily running on the treadmill and someone parks it on the machine next to me and starts farting away. It’s happened multiple times! So smelly to the point where I have to switch treadmills. Hello, manners.” - Janetha G.

10. “Men doing inappropriate stretching on the treadmill IN SHORT SHORTS NO LESS!” - Kelly O.

What’s your biggest gym pet peeve?

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Have you guys ever looked in different mirrors in the same day and felt that you looked thin in one and a little larger in the other?

I’ve always contemplated this theory of mine that group exercise rooms and dressing rooms have special “skinny” mirrors installed to help make people feel better about themselves/stay motivated. I have no idea where they get these skinny mirrors but it seems like a great selling point for a store if they can make you look so good in something that you have to buy it. Let’s not even talking about vanity sizing.

Anyway, why am I writing about this? Well when I was in Boston, I had this one beautiful full length mirror that I looked at everyday to watch changes and see progress. It was great for outfit modeling before going out too! It was also the only one I trusted. When I moved, I sold it, and have not been able to trust a mirror since. Seems OCD of me, but I honestly check myself in the bathroom mirror, the bedroom mirror, and the decorative mirror downstairs and then average out how I think I look in my head. Haha, OMG reading that made me laugh. You guys must think I am nuts.

The only reason why I care so much is because when you’re working out so hard and eating clean, you want to reward yourself with visible changes. It’s hard to track progress when every reflection is telling you something different! That’s why having a scale is great too, kind of evens out all of the contrasting perspectives you may be getting.

Did any of you ever watch Clueless? Remember when Cher said this?

“I don’t rely on mirrors so I always take polaroids.”

Ha, well good thing I make YouTube videos then.

You guys who have been reading my blog KNOW that after doing my 8 week bikini diet/workout plan back in Spring, I dropped my body fat% from 24% down to 17.5% and went from 126 to 118 lbs. Then I traveled to China and Hawaii for business and vacation AND THEN moved back to CA all within a short 2 months. Obviously my rhythm was messed up and well, let’s just say there was a little bit too much cheesecake celebration. (Cheesecake is my ultimate downfall.) I was still working out hard but my diet was all over the place. I went back up to 124-125ish last month.

Well in the last couple weeks, I finally caught hold of myself. I said, “Cassey seriously. Get back on track! Do not let the hard work get erased.” I started everyday fresh and looked forward to waking up and working hard daily. Today I weighed in and am 117 lbs.

You know what I did? Watched my caloric intake. Stopped snacking on everything in sight. And I ran more. That’s it! Guys, if you’re looking to lose weight, it is all about being MINDFUL. You need to be conscious of what you’re eating. The diet is SOOOO like 80% of the whole process! Also, within the last month, I have been fully committed to my vegetarian lifestyle. I love it. Eating plant-based has really helped me taste and enjoy my food more. I think that was a big part of it too. I am writing up my meal plan right now and will email it out in the newsletter once I finish up the calculations and substitutions for meat eaters.

OMG wow, that was a super big tangent. Back to the topic of mirrors now!

So I was at the gym today with a friend and was lifting weights in the more male-dominated part of the facility. I asked him, “Hey do you think this is a fat mirror or a skinny mirror?” He said he thought his arms looked big and was quite pleased. I looked at myself and thought hmm, why does my face look rounder? Then I came to the conclusion that this must be a buff mirror. So that guys can come to the gym and feel motivated that they are getting bigger.

We then headed over to do abs in the stretching room and I noticed that I looked thinner in that mirror! Ahh!! Well it was near the cardio machines and the ab machines which are usually female dominated. Sigh. Was the gym REALLY investing that much time/money in strategic retention or was it all in my head?

So I went home a little confused and decided to google this. Couldn’t find anything to prove my theory BUT I did find this on the accuracy of mirrors.

Dr. Ken Mellendorf of Illinois, physics professor, says “A completely flat mirror will show an image behind it of exactly the same shape and size as the actual object. Slight curvature along only one axis can make a person look fat or skinny. To make you look thin, your image needs to be compressed horizontally or extended vertically. Most mirrors bend over time top to bottom. If seen from the side, there is a slight curvature in the edge. The top and bottom edges are usually straight. Your home mirror can do this due to its own weight. If the center bulges out a little bit, your height will appear slightly smaller but your width will not be changed. This can make a person look a little fat.”

Conclusion?

Cassey get over it!!! Stick to one mirror you trust for progress changes but don’t go OCD and get happy or sad based on deceiving optical illusions. If you’re really confused, invest in a strong mirror that will not bend. Body fat % checks and a step on the scale will also bring you to reality. Or do like Cher and take a pic ;)

Note: For the new Blogilates readers out there, just want you to know that I am not saying that your body image is ruled by what you see in the mirror. You cannot let a physical reflection conquer your happiness and your well-being, ok? Let’s be in tune with ourselves. This was simply a pondering type of post that’s honest and takes you through my silly, girly, but ultimately very real thought process. Read lightly and take what you can out of this.

<3 Cassey

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It’s been exactly 1 week since I stepped on a plane and left Boston, a place I thought I’d call home 2 years ago when I first graduated.

For those of you that don’t know, I majored in Biology due to parent’s wishes but had my heart set on fashion design my whole life. Here’s a little black dress I designed that made it into San Francisco Fashion Week back when I was in college. It’s a mandarin collar deep V neck dress with illusion net sleeves and sequined booty shorts underneath. Ha. I guess I’ve always been about the booty shorts.

So I dabbled in and out of the fashion world as I finished up my Biology degree. I decided against med school towards the end of my college career much to my parent’s dismay but landed a job on the East Coast in fashion buying. I thought my dream had come true. What girl wouldn’t be happy spending the rest of her life shopping for a living!?

Turns out it wasn’t everything I wanted it to be. It lacked freedom and every day I came to dread work more and more. I don’t think I was cut out for the corporate world. There wasn’t anything really wrong with the company…it was me just wanting to be weird ole me designing yoga bags, making youtube videos, and bringing healthy lunches to work everyday. I just didn’t fit in to be honest. In fact, the girls didn’t like that I wore booty shorts to workout. Sigh, it was downhill from there. So 1.5 years later, I quit and left my heels and pencil skirt for my tennis shoes and yoga pants. It was also about the same time my yoga bags made it into SHAPE so even though I left without ANY PLAN in mind, I knew I’d be ok somehow.

I upped my Pilates from just 2 nights a week to 12 times a week. My mornings, lunches, and evenings were booked with classes and it was EUPHORIC! I spent the next several months being a super gym junkie and loving it. It was during this time that I began to really connect with myself and with Pilates. I am not sure what really happened but there was this inner “something” that blossomed inside me after I quit. Things just started to flow. I’ve always been about following your dreams and following your heart…and you know what, as scary as not having a plan is, not doing what you were meant to do is even scarier.

I began to make workout videos for diet.com, I got hired at Equinox - the ultimate place to work for if you’re anybody in fitness, POP Pilates was mentioned in COSMO, I got YouTube partner, was invited to be a FitFluential Ambassador, and tomorrow I will be announcing a special surprise that involves BEBE. (What was that Cassey? The people who make my booty shorts? Yes.)

Boston was a great experience for me and my thanks goes to the people I met along the way on this journey. People. People shape you. People can love and be loved. I love people.

I made so many new friends and created relationships that I will never ever ever forget. The biggest part of my time in Boston were my students. To my students who are reading this, I hope you understand how much I miss seeing your faces every week. You shaped me. You truly did. I love that we got to work out together, sweat together, and laugh about whatever together. You were my friends and you made me smile. No matter how crappy my day was, you made it better. That mind body studio was like a transformation portal for me…I always came out feeling so good. And I hope you did too.

The rest of this post is dedicated to my students in Boston.

I love you guys and I want you to know that I became a better instructor because of you. You taught me how to connect and how to be in tune. Don’t think I was always that way. My time in Boston will be remembered as my Pilates transformation. Something different happened here. Everything clicked and I owe it to you for being there for me every week.

Here are some photos from my last classes in Boston. If you’re a student and want to see the full album, go here.

Looking at these pics makes me tear up. I wonder how Pilates class went this week with your new replacements!?? Tell me!!! I wanna know!!!

Strawberry Daiquiri. A toast the night before my departure.

Moved and cleaned all by myself. One of the most accomplished feelings ever. Good memories here. Also home to a bunch of good videos like Judas and Uh-Oh Obliques. Big tea cup and my plants. Gone :(

I literally sold everything that could be sold. It was such a cleansing experience. Really learned how to let go.

And the plane ride home. I had some bad plane snacks accompanied by crying babies THE WHOLE 6 HOURS back to the West Coast.

I am now settled in the Bay Area in NorCal. And for the record, real Californians don’t say “Cali”! Haha it’s ok, I still love you my Bostonites. East Coasters are super cool. I will be staying here for the summer and hope to move down to LA beginning of fall. Again, no plans, but I know that’s where I wanna be. I want to wake up, go for a nice run outside, walk to my Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and/or farmer’s market, and teach maybe 4 times a week at a nearby gym. This would make me very happy. Oh that and a parking spot.

Sorry for the long post but it was also long delayed. BIG SHOUT OUT to my Boston students. Miss you A MILLION and LOVE YOU A LOT!!!

From a couch in San Fran,

Cassey

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I’ve been doing Pilates for over 8 years now and teaching for over 5. Teaching fitness classes is one of my favorite things to do in the world. What’s better than making people sweat AND smile at the same time? Probably an Auntie Anne’s almond crunch pretzel with no carbs. (OMG salivating)

Yesterday, I took 3 group fitness classes in a row. I seriously have not taken group fitness classes in the longest time, for working out purposes that is. Sometimes I take classes to educate myself and sometimes I screen people, but yesterday I took some classes in hopes that it would make me sweat. I use to be a group exercise junkie, lining up early for my kickboxing, BODYPUMP, or cardio dance just so I could make sure I had my spot in the front left or right hand corner. You can’t beat getting mirrors from 2 angles and a close view of the instructor! You know how it is ;)

Anyway, today marks the 6th day that I have left Boston for the West Coast. The 6th day without a gym. OMG! I have worked out every day except for 1 nonetheless. I’ve really gotten use to “killing it” on my own since I did that 8 week bikini shred so park workouts and runs outside held me over. I know what level of intensity I need to push myself to in order to get results.

Yesterday I went to CRUNCH with my sister and took 3 classes: TRX suspension training, Washboard Abs, and Kickboxing. Here’s a clip of TRX if you don’t know what it is:

It was so weird being a student again! I noticed a million things while standing in class…the music volume, the mic volume, cues, how prepared the instructor was, whether the instructor was paying attention to newbies or not, students who were loving it, students who didn’t get it etc etc. What I ended up realizing is that teaching a really good group ex class is very similar to a performer successfully working the crowd. You have to have a connection with your people, you have to monitor their body language and cater each class differently than you would the next because you’re going to get different people each time.

As an instructor, sometimes I got into this “zone” where I would feel like a conductor of an orchestra - moving my arms up and down fluidly as people did double leg lifts to the music. My voice would also go up and down like a cart on a roller coster, sometimes I’d even tippy toe and bend low to make a point. It takes time though to get confident enough to do this. I still remember teaching my first big class ever at 24 Hour Fitness - I was a college student at the time. It was one of the SCARIEST things I had ever done in my life. Afterwards I was trembling in my car. Today, teaching is like second nature to me. It took time though…and I think I developed myself most the 1.5 years I was in Boston. I owe it to my students for making each class exciting for me. I also kinda owe it to quitting my “real job”. Haha.

So did yesterday’s classes make me sweat? Yes! Trying something new is always so great for your body. The new ranges of motion challenged me and I loved it. Being a student is great, less pressure to perform, but nothing beats being “on stage”. ‘Cept for that Auntie Anne’s pretzel maybe. Can’t wait to teach again!

<3 Cassey

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• group exercise
• group fitness
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Have you ever been amazed at how much you can eat? I constantly stun myself.

I am not a very big person, I’m an 5’5” and 118 lbs, but my appetite rivals that of Adam Richman on Man vs. Food or those guys on Epic Meal Time on YouTube. (Love those shows! I have a fatty residing within.) I know. You guys don’t believe me. No one does. But I’ve even had people say to me, “Wow for such a tiny person you sure can eat a lot.” It is embarrassing how much I can stuff into my body, but my appetite is just overwhelmingly ginormous sometimes. Have you ever been told that?

I don’t know whether I should blame it on my crazy workouts, my inner fatty, or my sheer attraction to all things food, but I definitely think my appetite needs a second look! So I took some time to do a little research on why my eyes may be bigger than my stomach.

Here are the top SCIENTIFIC reasons why you may be eating more, from TIME Magazine:

Read more

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• nutrition
• the science of appetite
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I originally was going to post this last Wednesday but opted not to because after reading, I felt like such a whiny loser! But as I was going through some of my comments on facebook, I saw that a few of my fans were feeling alone and discouraged in their weight loss journey. Well guys, believe me when I say YOU ARE NOT alone. Even a fitness “guru” can fall. And choose to not get back up.

Now, for those of you that are regular readers of Blogilates, this is not a normal post. It is not inspirational or motivational. But it’s real. And it’s feelings. And I want to share with you what was going through my head last week when I CHOSE NOT TO WORKOUT because I hated how I felt and how I looked. 

You’re probably thinking, what? Cassey had a negative thought and let it get to her head? Yes. I let it get to my head. My willpower was completely gone.

THE BACKSTORY:

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Ever hear people talk about complete and incomplete proteins? What does it all mean - isn’t a protein a protein?

If you know a little about science you’d know that there are all types of proteins because proteins are made up of different combinations of amino acids (the building blocks of protein).

What fitness and nutrition people call “complete” proteins are the ones made up of the nine essential amino acids in sufficient proportions. These are deemed essential because these are the ones needed for you to function properly as a human being! If you care, they are:

• Phenylalanine
• Valine
• Threonine
• Tryptophan
• Isoleucine
• Methionine
• Leucine
• Lysine
• Histadine

So now you know enough to say that an incomplete protein is simply one that lacks one of more of those nine essential amino acids listed above!

So where can you get your complete proteins? Meat eaters in general do not have to worry about this because common animal-based foods are considered the primary sources of complete protein. Most plant-based foods are usually incomplete, but below I have compiled a list of complete protein examples for meat eaters and vegetarians.

Examples of Complete Proteins for Meat Eaters:

• Fish
• Seafood/Shellfish
• Poultry
• Milk
• Eggs
• Cheese
• Meat
• Whey protein powder

Examples of Complete Proteins for Vegetarians and Vegans:

• Quinoa
• Buckwheat
• Hempseed
• Soybeans (so yes edamame and tofu counts!)
• Soy protein powder

When you eat any of the foods listed above, you get all nine essential amino acids in a single food source. There’s no need to take extra amino acid supplements! For the average person who eats a variety of meat and veggies, you’re probably already getting your complete protein and do not need to worry about consumption of complete proteins.

How much protein do I need?

According to the Harvard School of Public Health,

“There is no one-size-fits-all answer to that question, and research on the topic is still emerging. The Institute of Medicine recommends that adults get a minimum of 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight per day—that’s about 64 grams for a 160 pound adult. In the U.S., adults get an average of 15 percent of their calories from protein; for a person who requires a 2,000-calorie-per-day-diet, that’s about 75 grams of protein. In healthy people, increasing protein intake to 20 to 25 percent of calories can reduce the risk of heart disease, if the extra protein replaces refined carbohydrates, such as white bread, white rice, or sugary drinks. Higher protein diets can also be beneficial for weight loss, in conjunction with a reduced calorie diet, although long-term evidence of their effectiveness is wanting.”

Your protein needs depend on our age, size, and activity level.

For the average person…

The standard method used by nutritionists to estimate our minimum daily protein requirement is to multiply the body weight in kilograms by .8, or weight in pounds by .37. This is the number of grams of protein that should be the daily MINIMUM.

For the exerciser or people looking to lose weight…

There is evidence that people engaging in endurance exercise (such as long distance running) or heavy resistive exercise (such as body building) can benefit from additional protein in their diets. 1.2 to 1.4 grams per kilogram of body weight per day for endurance exercisers and 1.7 to 1.8 grams per kg per day for heavy strength training.

Just remember if you’re looking to lose weight, don’t just add protein, REPLACE refined carb calories with protein calories! It will help you stay full longer and build lean muscle mass. Find out how many calories you need to consume to lose of maintain a healthy weight in my older post here.

Example calculations:

1kg = 2.2 lbs

My body weight in kg: 118lbs/2.2 = 53.6kg

My minimum protein intake: 53.6kg*0.8 or 118lbs*0.37 = 44g

My protein intake as a runner: 53.6kg*1.4g = 75g

My protein intake as a weight lifter: 53.6kg*1.8g = 96.4g

If you don’t want to whip out your calculator, and you want to build muscle and stay slim, I would just recommend eating 1g of protein for every pound of DESIRED body weight. That’s what I do. That’s it!

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• 9 essential amino acids
• calculate protein intake women
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Can’t decide how you want to get your protein for building lean muscle mass while keeping yourself full? Let my protein cost analysis lead the way!

1. Body Fortress Super Advanced Whey Protein Powder in Vanilla

1 tub = $14.98 for 27 1 scoop (33g) servings

140 cals, 2g fat, 3g carbs, 26g protein

Calculation:

$14.98/27 servings = $0.55/serving and 26g protein

$14.98/27 servings/26g protein = $0.02/g of protein for PROTEIN POWDER

2. Trader Joe’s Nonfat Greek Yogurt

1 large container = $4.99 for 4 1 cup (227g) servings

120 cals, 0g fat, 7g carbs, 22g protein

Calculation:

$4.99/4 servings = $1.25/serving and 22g protein

$4.99/4 servings/22g protein = $0.06/g of protein FOR GREEK YOGURT

3. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

On sale, I can get this for $1.99/lb. Also a serving is about 4 oz or 112 g. That’s 1/2 a chicken breast.

120 cals, 1.5g fat, 0g carbs, 26g protein

Calculation:

$1.99/lb*1lb/16oz*4oz = $0.50/serving and 26g protein

$0.50/serving/26g protein = $0.02/g of protein FOR CHICKEN BREAST

4. Egg Whites International Liquid Egg Whites

60 cals, 0g fat, 1g carb, 13g protein

Those facts are for the suggested serving size of 1/2 cup (122g). Let’s just pretend we bought the 2 gallon pack for $56 on their website. That’s 30 servings a gallon.

Calculation:

$56.00/2 gallons/30 servings = $0.93/serving and only get 13g protein

$0.93/serving/13g protein = $0.07/g of protein for LIQUID EGG WHITES

*My Thoughts:

Interesting! So clearly the winner in terms of cost per gram of protein are the whey protein powder and the chicken breast. However, there are so many things to keep in mind.

The price per gram of protein analysis I did depends on what brands you’re buying, how much they actually cost you to buy, and whether or not you’re going to be mixing in your source of protein with something else in your serving.

*So what’s “BETTER”?

Because the price per gram varies just by a few cents here and there, perhaps what’s “BETTER” is which you ENJOY EATING MOST! What tastes better to you, what makes you salivate at the thought of cooking it up - this is what enhances the quality of your life. At the end of the day, your happiness and your health are what matter most! For me, it seems like chicken breast is the winner! I can do so much with real meat in terms of actual cooking, which I love, and I also enjoy actually chewing on something. Protein powder is great for my pancakes but I don’t like drinking down my calories.

I credit this way of thinking to my friend Monica Reinagel, the Nutrition Diva over at Quick and Dirty Tips. I listen to her podcasts all the time. Smart, eloquent, and wise, she’s all about enjoying life fully and looking at the bigger picture in terms of dieting and healthy living. Monica has helped me become a whole lot more knowledgeable about nutrition through a great conversation we had a month ago and through her book, Secrets for a Healthy Diet.

Everyone has their own thoughts on dieting these days and what’s good for you…what’s bad for you…what’s making you fat…it’s gets very confusing. Trust me, I research a ton (and I am still not really sure why bodybuilders don’t eat fruits). Monica’s book tells you the facts and she tells you BOTH SIDES so that you can make an independent decision for yourself.

I’ll be vlogging on tips from her book very soon and will also be giving away 3 copies to 3 very lucky fans! Details on this contest later…

For now, which source of protein do YOU like best? What special recipes do you have for making your protein taste yummy?

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