Having Trouble Gaining Weight? How to Gain Weight

Although it’s quite common for people to struggle to lose weight, there are many people out there that have particularly fast metabolisms and struggle to gain weight.

From my experience, this is more common with males. I am often approached by a male (of typical ectomorph phenotype, or that with a fast metabolism and underweight) seeking advise on how to gain weight (whether that be predominantly fat, muscle or a combination of both). More often than not, it’s muscle mass.

Gaining weight can be quite a difficult task if you do have a very fast metabolism. If you have been skinny all your life, chances are you are going to find it difficult to build muscle mass. Having said that, it is certainly not an impossible task – more a challenge if you like.

Weight gain, in essence, requires a calorie overload. You must consume more calories than what you expend. The obvious source of caloric intake is from food, while the obvious source of caloric intake is from exercise. Though your metabolic rate is a vital component to your caloric expenditure. For, if your body is burning fuel at a significantly heightened rate, your metabolism will greatly impact your caloric expenditure. And in actual fact, your metabolic rate burns significantly more calories than a typical person would accomplish through exercise.

So the goal is therefore to create a calorie overload. If you struggle to gain weight, in all likelihood you would require several thousand calories per day to gain muscle weight in a healthy manner. Importantly, you should consume good quality foods, predominantly from wholefood sources to ensure that your body has access to high quality nutrients for muscle growth. Junk food in excess, while calorie dense, will do little good for muscle development (and lead to excess fat gain in an unhealthy manner).

Many people do find consuming this amount of food difficult to accomplish. So you may consider a weight gainer supplement. Weight gainers are formulated to contain high quality proteins, carbs and fats in a convenient manner. An example of a good quality weight gainer is the Optimum Serious Mass which contains very high quality whey and egg protein peptides, in addition to complex carbohydrates, essential for muscle growth.

Weight gainers are a convenient source of nutrition, though it is important not to rely on these supplements in isolation. Ensure that your diet is whole-food based with an array natural foods such as grains, nuts, vegetables, fruits and meats. Weight gainers, just like all bodybuilding supplements, are there to support a healthy diet and help you to reach your goals.

Finally, in addition to utilising a weight gainer, be sure to supplement around your workout effectively. Pre and post-workout supplementation is vital to maximise muscle growth after exercise. We have plenty of information dealing with this topic available through the website!

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Which Protein Powder is Best for Bulking Up and Gaining Muscle?

So you’ve decided to go ahead and purchase a protein powder to enhance your results in the gym. Great! But what exactly is the best protein powder to gain muscle and bulk up?

The more involved you become in the bodybuilding industry, the more you realise that there is never one simple answer. The question of the best bulking protein can be answered in so many ways simply because there is no “best” protein powder for everyone. Having said that, there are great quality protein powders and there are poor quality protein powders. But it’s not just a question on the quality of the powder – it also comes down to how you’re actually going to use the protein supplement in the first place.

As you’re probably aware, there are a vast array of protein powders with a multitude of different ingredients contained within them. For example, there are protein powders that contain:

• Pure whey protein isolate
• A mixture of whey protein isolate and whey protein concentrate
• Soy based proteins
• Egg based proteins
• Other animal and plant based proteins
• Blends (comprised of a mixture of various protein sources)
• Added carbohydrates
• Added fats
• Added enzymes to aid digestion
• Unique “proprietary blends”
• …and the list goes on

Personally I will always advise my clients to stick with the basics for a number of reasons, including three very important ones:

1. The basics are what have been trialled in unbiased, peer reviewed and respected scientific studies
2. The basics are often the best value for money
3. The basics have solid evidence to back their effectiveness

Coming back to the “best” protein powder for bulking up, we need to consider when this protein powder is actually going to be used.

Before and After Your Workout

Probably the most important time to consume a protein powder is before and after a weight training session. During this time, you require a high quality, fast absorbing protein powder. This ensures that high quality proteins are readily absorbed and available in your body to begin the recovery process immediately upon the completion of your training session.

If you’re after the best, then go no further than a hydrolysed whey protein isolate. The hydrolisation process ensures that the proteins are absorbed quickly. Whey protein is also the best quality protein powder available on the market having a very high biological value.

The Optimum Hydrowhey is a perfect example of a high quality hydrolysed whey protein isolate (WPI) powder. Be sure to supplement with a high GI carbohydrate (such as dextrose) to enhance protein uptake! Also have this in water as milk will slow down it’s absorption!

First Thing in the Morning

When you first awake in the morning, you have effectively gone a very long time without obtaining any good quality protein (or other macronutrients for that matter). Personally I feel it unnecessary to supplement with a hydrolysed WPI as you don’t require “super-fast” absorption having been in a rested state for a prolonged period of time. However, you do require a high quality powder, so a whey protein based powder would be ideal. Opt for a WPI/WPC mix such as the very popular Optimum Whey Gold Standard. This is a more cost effective protein than the Hydrowhey, but still of super-high quality. Consuming this in milk is fine.

Last Thing at Night

If you want to enhance muscle synthesis and minimise catabolism during the night time when you are not eating, you’re best off taking a slow absorbing protein. Casein protein takes around 7 hours to absorb, so you’re effectively consuming a protein that will gradually be digested into your body. This is important to avoid excess muscle breakdown as a consequence of being in a starved state at night time. A very good quality casein protein is the Optimum Casein. Have this in milk.

During the Day

Building muscle requires a heightened number of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. It can be difficult to source sufficient protein from food alone, so sometimes you do require the assistance of protein shakes throughout the day to obtain adequate levels. Dymatize Nutrition have just released a brand new protein that does exactly this. It is a blend of high quality proteins that provides a nice mix of faster and more sustained release proteins. The product is called Dymatize Elite Fusion 7.

I hope this post has helped shed some light on the confusing area of protein powders! Be sure to read some of the other posts that go into greater detail on whey proteins and supplementation in general!

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Do You Need Bodybuilding Supplements to Build Muscle?

Perform a search on the internet and you’ll find almost every supplement store and supplement manufacturer expressing the necessity for supplement consumption to gain muscle mass.

Albeit yes, we do have a supplement store ourselves, however our blog is not designed to sell products, but rather to provide an informed decision based on articles written by professionals.

So, do you need bodybuilding supplements to build muscle?

The simple answer is no. However, if you have been reading through the articles contained within this blog, you’ll know that there is more to this discussion than that.

Supplementation is a growing market, simply because there are many high quality supplements available to assist in accomplishing muscle gaining goals. There is plenty of science to back up the effectiveness of many supplements readily available and many people find great value in utilising supplements to their advantage.

This is not to say that supplements are necessary. In order to gain muscle, you require several critical elements, two of particular importance include:

1. An appropriate overload on the muscle (eg. exercise can provide the necessary stimulus to induce muscle growth).
2. Effective nutrition in order to supply the appropriate nutrients to your body so it has the “raw ingredients” available to synthesise new muscle tissue.

Supplementation falls under the latter point, nutrition.

With good nutrition from food alone, you can obtain high quality nutrients, such as proteins (from eggs, meat, dairy, poultry, seafood), carbohydrates (from many varieties of plant foods) and fats (from oils, nuts, fish, seeds) that are necessary to gain muscle tissue.

Using wholefood alone, you will be able to gain notable amounts of muscle. However, supplementation has the ability to enhance your muscle building progress significantly.

In effect, supplementation is not a necessity to gain muscle – it is an advantage.

…and a significant one at that.

The advantage lies in the ability to get more “bang for your buck” from each workout. With wholefood alone, your body may only be able to synthesise a fraction of the muscle tissue it would otherwise be able to build with an effective supplementation approach.

Supplementing with bodybuilding supplements can have several advantages relative to consuming wholefoods. Let’s get more specific:

1. Speed of absorption.Supplements are much more highly refined than natural foods. As a consequence, our body’s are able to digest many much faster than a whole food. For example, while the proteins found in milk may take many hours to absorb, whey proteins from bodybuilding supplements (derived from milk) may take less than an hour. Similarly, while the sugars from a fruit may take 2-3 hous for absorption, the sugars from dextrose may take less than one hour.

This is particularly important immediately before and after your workout when your body is effectively a “nutrient sponge”. For optimal results, you need a fast-acting nutrient source to deliver the necessary amino acids and carbohyrates needed for muscle growth.

2. Quality of macronutrients. With respect to proteins, they are evaluated by quality with the use of a scale known as their “Biological Value”, or “BV”. Egg has a BV of 100, while milk is slightly lower and fish/poultry/meat is lower still. Vegetable proteins fall even lower on the scale. The scale measures how effectively our body’s are able to utilise the proteins contained in the food source.

Many good quality protein powders actually have a BV in excess of 100, indicating a much greater protein utilisation within the body. This is important when aiming to build muscle, as good quality protein is a vital ingredient for quality muscle growth.

In money terms, supplementation allows you to obtain a greater return on the investment you make with your training sessions. If you’re strapped for cash or just aiming to develop a routine, then you may choose to put off the supplementation as you would still gain advantages from exercise and good quality food alone. However, if you’re serious about muscle building goals, bodybuilding supplements can assist you greatly in your endeavours.

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Healthy Eating on Holidays, When Losing Weight or Dieting

Here’s the scenario: You’re trying to lose weight and you’re doing a pretty good job at it. But then a holiday, work trip, or even just a long weekend comes along and interferes with your weight loss efforts. How do you stay on track with your weight loss, without adhering to a strict dietary regime while away?

As a trainer, I see this situation occur time and time again. Holidays (or any real interruption to your day-to-day routine) are often the enemy of weight loss. After all, when you’re away from your typical environment, it’s difficult to stick to a regimen. Convenience foods (most of which aren’t the healthiest choices) are often chosen preferentially, because it’s just easier.

Though obvious, it’s important to understand and first-handedly appreciate that your body does not take a break from weight fluctuations just because you’re away. Possibly the most common form of rationalisation is something along the lines of “I’ll get back on my healthy diet when I get home”. But there is one major flaw in this approach:

Once you get back home and realise all the weight you have gained, you’re likely going to feel extremely discouraged and demotivated!

Plus, you’re going to be completely out of the routine that you worked so hard to get into. I have seen this happen time and time (and time) again – it is probably the worst thing you could do, that will negatively impact your long-term weight loss results.

I completely understand the desire to take a break from weight loss when you’re going away. After all, it’s a holiday and you’ve earned the right to completely relax. Alternatively, it may be a business trip and you’re too busy to worry about yourself due to a busy schedule.

But what about the bigger picture  – the reason driving you to achieve this weight loss? Whatever your motivation (self-esteem, body image, confidence, health, happiness etc.), are you going to allow this temporary interruption jepordise what you’ve always wanted out of life?

Weight loss is all about consistency. You need to consistently apply yourself with good nutrition and exercise for optimal results. Consistency helps to develop a routine. After a suitable period of time, exhibiting consistent behavior that is a necessarily function of a lighter bodyweight will become second nature. This is the goal with healthy lifestyle habits – to become second nature – just like brushing your teeth in the morning, or buckling up your seat belt when you get in the car. After all, you don’t take a break from these habits when you’re away, do you?

It cannot be stressed enough – taking a break from eating in a healthy manner is not a good idea because it interrupts this very important pattern. A trip may be a tempting short-term reason to deviate from your weight loss efforts – but is it worth the long-term expense?

But is dieting when you’re on holidays to lose weight realistic?

Having read through this article, you may be thinking how unrealistic this approach is. Am I completely out of my mind? Who in the world would want to stick to a strict diet if you are away on a holiday? You’re on holidays – so you’ve earned the right to sip on a few cocktails, put your feet up and indulge in a meal or two.

You know what – you are exactly right. If you’re planning on a trip and your current diet would ruin your entire experience, I whole-heartedly agree. However if this is the case, then you have one major problem – the diet itself.

I highly recommend that you read through the other articles pertaining to nutrition and mindset within this website. If you’re dieting and drawing upon excessive amounts of willpower to get you through the day, then you’re setting yourself up for failure. No wonder you need a holiday!

This approach to weight loss is clearly unsustainable – willpower can only stretch so far. Although rapid weight loss in the short-term may be tempting, it is not a long-term solution. So you will need to consider a more realistic approach to your nutritional requirements. If your nutrition is going to become second nature like brushing your teeth, or buckling up your seat belt, then it has to be as realistic as either of those two tasks. Losing weight does not have to be a chore – so long as you maintain a healthy balance in your diet, you can lose weight (while still having the occasional indulgence!).

The key take-home message is that nothing should interrupt your weight loss endeavours. Although a holiday may be a tempting excuse for a break, remind yourself that losing weight is a lifestyle and something that must be committed to in the long-term.

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Refeeding Days for Weight Loss Diets – Do They Work?

One of my personal training clients seeking to lose weight recently queried me about a theory regarding a “refeed day”. I was not particularly familiar with the concept, so I embarked upon some research to find out about this refeeding concept.

Let’s begin with a run-down of how a typical weight loss programme with a refeed day is structured. As is well supported by scientific evidence, weight loss occurs when your body is placed within a caloric deficit (consuming less calories than what you expend). The concept of the refeed programme is to place your body in a calorie deficit for approximately three days straight, then into a calorie overload (eating more than what you expend) for one day, then repeat.

The rationale behind this approach is straight forward on the surface. In essence, the “refeed day” acts as a tool to buffer against your body becoming “used to” the caloric deficit. So in a similar manner to your exercise programme needing to be updated regularly to avoid a plateau, so should your diet. Further, the refeed day is full of carbohydrate and fat. The carbs will assist in replenishing lost glycogen stores (from the “diet” days), while the additional fats will also promote a healthy hormonal balance to enhance muscle development and fat oxidation.

I obtained this information from a number of sources. One was a PDF that was written by a fitness professional (forwarded to me by my client who was querying this approach). The other sources were all located in a Google search.

Having a background in science, I am quite sceptical of a new approach by nature. That’s just how scientists are trained, for the scientific method requires deep analysis and scrutinising of experiments and results. So I decided to delve deeper and research the only reliable sources of information that could shed some light on this topic – respected scientific literature. So onto Google Scholar I ventured and then through some scientific databases to unveil the research behind this refeeding approach to dieting.

Something interesting occurred within this research. After some comprehensive searching, I found that there was absolutely no research on the topic that I came across. There was not one study which compared the effectiveness of a “refeed dietary programme” versus a consistent calorie deficit, with respect to fat loss and/or muscle gain.

There is always the possibility that I did miss something, so I contacted a very highly respected leader in the industry – Dr Len Kravitz, a leading researcher at the University of New Mexico, of whom I have seen present a number of times in Sydney. After querying him on the topic to see if he could point me in the right direction, he confirmed that there is no research on this area of weight loss.

So based on the lack of any research, it is safe to assume that all of these refeeding days for weight loss diets are completely unsubstantiated. While they may sound great in theory, they have never been tested and compared in an objective and controlled manner to the well accepted “calorie deficit” approach.

There may be some compelling arguments for the refeed day, though these seem to be purely based on assumptions by linking together bits and pieces of otherwise completely unrelated scientific facts. In a sense, this is just like saying that while beef, ice cream, salmon and pea’s may all taste good in isolation, the combination of the individual products do not necessarily produce the expected result. (Oh and no, I haven’t tried these ingredients together!)

Now that’s not to say that a refeeding approach will not work. The point I am making here is that a refeeding diet is not backed by any scientific research. Therefore we cannot draw any accurate conclusions as to the effectiveness (or ineffectiveness) of such an approach to weight loss. If you come across a website purporting that a refeeding diet is necessarily the most effective way to lose weight, please request the source of this information, for there are likely to be two possibilities:

1. Some research has been overlooked within this article (in which case I would love to review this)
2. The directions on the website have been written blindly based on inaccurate and unsubstantiated claims

Always be careful when you conduct your research.

Even if a refeed approach was shown to be effective, from my professional experience, I do feel that typically a refeeding approach to weight loss would be quite ineffective in the long-term. Most people struggle with consistency with nutrition, so by varying up the nutrition every few days, this would make it much more difficult to develop a healthier eating routine. This of course is a very general statement and individuals would vary greatly.

On a final note, while I am certainly not convinced of any physiological benefits of a refeeding day, this is not to say that there are no psychological benefits associated with such an approach. Dr Kravitz identified this as an important point within his reply which I do strongly believe is a valuable take-home point. If you are at the point where you have been “stuck” with your weight loss endeavours, why not try something new? The mind is a powerful tool, and just the very nature of changing something up could act as a catalyst for change. Weight loss is all about consistency and staying motivated toward your goals. Something as simple as this may just do the job in turning you optimistic once again with your weight loss endeavours.

My thanks to Dr Kravitz for his assistance on this topic.

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The Benefits of Protein, Carbohydrate and Fat for Weight Loss

If you’re seeking to lose weight, chances are that you’ve considered a low-“something” or high-“something” diet. Three of the most common diets include low-fat, low-carbohydrate and high-protein diets. While all can be effective at losing weight, they may not always be the most sustainable approaches to weight loss.

Within this article, we are going to take a brief overview of all three macronutrients, protein, carbohydrate and fat. We will discuss how each of these nutrients can assist you in losing weight and how a healthy balance between these macronutrients can assist you long-term sustainable weight loss.

Macronutrients – Fats, Carbohydrates and Protein

All three macronutrients are essential for good health. The three macronutrients we are discussing here are proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

By definition, all three of these molecules are required in large mounts in your diet for the proper functioning of your body, as:

Macro refers to large (as in large amounts of consumption relative to other nutrients like vitamins and minerals)

Nutrients are a necessity in our diet, as it relates to the term nourish – for without nourishment one would be malnourished.

It is short-sighted to eliminate any one of these from your diet, as this could lead to some serious health complications and impact your weight loss results.

Protein and Weight Loss

Over the past decade in particular, protein has been associated as the “ideal” macronutrient to assist in weight loss. Protein certainly is important to assist in losing weight, as protein rich foods contain vital amino acids (the constituents of protein molecules) that are responsible for correct hormone production, energy levels, recovery, boosting the metabolism and muscle development – just to name a few functions.

Why is protein so spectacular at assisting with weight loss? Well, natural protein rich foods are generally quite filling (such as meats, fish, poultry and legumes), while being relatively low in calories (as protein only contains 4 calories per gram). The body also requires a lot of energy to convert protein molecules into fat, so the net calorie effect from consuming protein rich foods is relatively low.

Muscles are also very rich in amino acids, so in order to develop muscle tissue you do require a good quality source of protein intake. If you’re seeking to lose fat tissue, it is quite beneficial to develop muscle tissue. This is because muscles are highly energy dependant, so a greater amount of muscle tissue will assist in burning additional calories throughout the day.

Keep in mind though, too much protein can lead to a calorie overload, so it is important to keep your protein intake in perspective.

Carbohydrate and Weight Loss

Carbohydrates (or colloquially “carbs”) have been assigned a negative connotation ever since the Atkins diet (a low-carb diet) was released. Carbs have been associated with fat gain and it is a common belief that consuming carbohydrates will automatically serve to cause fat gain. This is simply not true.

Carbohydrates are just as dense in calories as protein – 4 calories per gram. So just as with proteins, too many of them can create a calorie overload and cause weight gain.

However it is not wise to eliminate carbohydrates from your diet, as, just like proteins, they serve to perform several vital functions within the human body. Carbohydrates are required to enhance energy levels, facilitate correct brain function, encourage recovery after exercise and speed up your metabolism. A deficiency in carbohydrate can cause anything from lowered energy levels, to causing medical condition called “ketosis”, to death. Carbohydrates are necessary to survive and must be included in your diet.

The quality of carbohydrates is often measured via two mediums; their molecular complexity or their glycaemic index:

The molecular complexity considers how large the carbohydrate molecule is – complex carbs are much larger molecules than sugars, which are simple carbohydrates. It is generally recommended to consume complex carbohydrates.

The glycaemic index is a more reliable measure of the quality of a carbohydrate, measuring it’s rate of absorption into the human body. The higher the GI, the faster the carbohydrate is absorbed. So aim for low GI foods, which will absorb slowly into your body. The exception is following an intense bout of exercise, when you should aim to consume high GI foods for enhanced recovery.

A side note on the relationship between molecular complexity and the glycaemic index. They are not related. Complex carbs can have a range of GI’s, as can sugars. A complex carbohydrate is not necessarily more likely to be lower in GI than a sugar.

Fat and Weight Loss

In the 1990’s, fat was crowned the macronutrient to avoid at all costs. There was (and still is) low-fat everything on supermarket shelves.

Fat is a critical nutrient, just as carbohydrates and proteins are. Fat is responsible for a number of mechanisms within the human body relating to energy levels, hormonal balance, cholesterol levels, metabolism, brain function, disease prevention and nutrient transport within the human body. A deficiency in fat can have some serious side effects, so it is important to include some good quality sources of fat into your diet.

Examples of good sources of fat are from foods such as fish, nuts, avocado, seeds and olive oil. Generally, you should be aiming to consume moderate amounts of mono- and poly-unsaturated fats. As a general rule of thumb, aim to avoid trans and saturated fats.

So if fats are so important for your health, why are they so commonly restricted from diets? Simple – fat is quite dense in calories – 9 calories per gram. This is more than double that found in carbohydrates and proteins! So fat is required in much smaller amounts that protein and carbohydrate due to the energy density of a fat molecule. However, by no means should fat be eliminated from your diet altogether. This is because fat can not only assist in weight loss, it is also a necessity for your health and wellbeing.

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Determining the Optimal Calorie Intake for Weight Loss

If you’re trying to lose weight, you’re probably aware that your diet will greatly affect the amount of weight that you are going to lose.

Weight loss is a consequence of a simple equation:

Calories IN < Calories OUT

“Calories in” is determined through the foods that you consume, while the “calories out” is affected by a number of mechanisms, including exercise, daily activity, meal frequency, your metabolism, hormones, sleep etc.

So the focus of this article is how to determine the optimal calorie intake for weight loss, which is the left side of this equation. Obviously, the smaller your calorie intake, the greater the potential calorie deficit, which will likely lead to greater weight loss. You do however have to be careful that your calorie deficit isn’t too great, or else you risk unnecessary muscle loss, excessive fatigue and evenserious health complications.

There are a number of calculators available on the internet to determine the optimal number of calories to lose weight. However, these calculators have been developed based on the “average” person with “common” goals. Because you are an individual, with unique goals, lifestyle habits, eating preferences etc, you will have to determine a unique approach to your diet. These calculators can be used as an initial guide – but determining your optimal calorie intake for you requires much more consideration.

So where to start? Your personal trainer, dietician or nutritionist would be able to provide with a starting point based on a thorough assessment. If however you are planning to do this on your own, a calculator based on a well respected research paper may be a good starting point for your total calorie intake. Be careful – there are many calculators out there and not all of them have any credible scientific backing to justify their results. We strongly suggest that you undertake the guidance of a trained professional to advise you as to the types and quantities of food groups that constitute that total calorie intake.

You then need to put this dietary plan into practice. This is best accomplished under the guidance of a fitness professional. If however you are doing this on your own, you need to assess your body on a regular basis (weekly is a good frequency), to ascertain whether or not you are losing weight following this particular dietary approach.

If you are losing an appropriate amount of weight, then the caloric intake from that dietary plan is helping to create a calorie deficit within your lifestyle. If you are not losing weight, then chances are that you are not placing your body in a great enough deficit – so some revision may be required.

This approach is known as an empirical approach within the scientific community, where you assess the effectiveness based on results. Because your body varies so greatly due to your own individual characteristics, there is no single calculator or text book that can guarantee you an effective, healthy and safe caloric intake resulting in weight loss. You need to begin with an appropriate starting point, assess and adjust based on your weight loss results.

Though it has been mentioned a number of times throughout this article, it is worth stressing once again; if you are unfamiliar with nutrition and are unsure with the functions and importance of fats, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients within your body, you should consult with a professional to obtain guidance. While weight loss can be accomplished through a calorie deficit alone, you also have your health to consider – and it certainly is possible to lose weight through an unhealthy dietary approach.

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Women’s Protein Powder Supplements – Are they Safe and Which is Best?

There are two distinct categories of protein powders, “standard” protein powders and “women’s” protein powder. If you’ve come to this article via search engine, chances are that you’re performing your due diligence on protein powders for women. The primary aim of this article is to explain what a protein powder is, the differences between standard protein powders and women’s protein powders, and what the best choice for protein powder is for you.

Is Protein Powder Safe for Women?

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of “which” particular protein powders are most suitable for females to consume, let’s define exactly what a protein powder is. There is a lot of confusion on the topic as it is a very common misconception that protein powder will necessarily bulk you up. Hence, many women shy away from protein powder for this very reason.

Protein powder does not bulk you up by any means. It is a dietary supplement comprised primarily of proteins. These proteins are derived from food sources. Essentially what happens is that a food is put through a series of processes whereby the proteins are extracted and manufactured into a powder form. Then some flavours (and possibly other ingredients such as vitamins, colours, minerals etc.) are added to the mix. In this sense, the protein consumed within a protein shake is no different to that found in wholefood (just more processed). So just as with food, over-consumption of protein powder will lead to weight gain.

Protein powder should never replace a whole-food based diet, rather it should supplement a whole-food diet. Protein powder can be a useful supplement for:

• Convenience (as it’s much easier to use a protein shake rather than carry around a cooked chicken!)
• Encouraging recovery after exercise (so your body has nutrients available to repair damaged cells and boost the immune system)
• Weight Loss (as a serve of protein powder can be very low in calories)
• Toning (toning is the combination of fat reduction and some muscle gain for shape; protein powder can assist in both areas)
• Muscle Gain (consumed in conjunction with a high calorie diet and an appropriate exercise routine, a protein powder can assist in muscle development)

How protein powder assists in these goals is outside of the scope of this article, however you are encouraged to browse around this website as there are hundreds of other articles that delve deeper into protein and it’s functions within the human body.

Because your typical protein powder is food derived, it is safe to consume. There are protein powders available with and without artificial sweeteners. Particularly if you are following an exercise regime, a protein powder can be a very useful tool within your arsenal.

Women’s Protein Powder Supplements – What Makes them Different?

If you considering the typical marketing of the two main categories of protein powders:

• The typical protein powder is marketed to a male audience with a desire to gain muscle and “bulk up”.
• Women’s protein powder is marketed toward a female audience for weight loss and toning.

Here’s the secret that many of the female protein powder manufacturers do not want you to know – there is no protein more suited to women. Though the marketing may imply otherwise, ultimately the colour of the protein powder bears no resemblance to the effectiveness of the protein product itself.

The main difference between male to female protein requirements the quantity of serving, not the type of protein. Consider within nature – there is no particular food source of protein that only women should consume. Since protein powders are food derived, how can they possibly be an exception to the rule? Women’s protein powders commonly include “soy” proteins, or other inferior vegetable based proteins (relative to milk/whey/casein and egg based proteins). The quality of these proteins is extremely poor and very cheap to manufacture too.

Almost all brands carry a “Standard” protein powder which is commonly marketed to the male bodybuilder. Thus, there is a lot of competition on the market and prices are kept relatively low. In contrast to this, womens protein powder is perceived as a niche market. Consequently these brands are more expensive per serve, made with inferior ingredients and often come in smaller sized tubs. It is common for female protein powders to be sold in 0.5kg and 1kg tubs. Meanwhile your typical protein powder will often come in 1kg, 2.3kg or 4.5kg tubs.

So if you are seeking value for money and product quality, you are generally better off going for a standard protein powder rather than a women’s specific protein powder supplement under ordinary circumstances. You will almost always obtain a superior quality product at a much more reasonable price. If you are interested in seeing the high value products that we stock within our store, please visit the protein powders area.

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Natural Whey Protein Powder Comparison – Dymatize vs Optimum

If you are looking for a whey protein powder without the artificial sweeteners, then you’ve probably come across Australia’s two major natural products:

• Dymatize All Natural Elite Whey Protein Powder
• Optimum Natural Whey Protein Powder

Both of these products are big sellers within our supplement store and I have had the pleasure of trying them both. As a result, I felt it appropriate to compose a comparison article on the two very similar products.

Both Optimum and Dymatize are big (BIG) international companies renowned for high quality products. Although both products may seem similar at first glance being free from artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose and acesulfame potassium, the two products cater to two very different markets within the health and fitness industry.

Let’s take a closer look at how each product performs in various categories!

Natural Protein Powder Price

Why not begin with product price? Optimum is a more expensive brand internationally. They have a very good reputation for high quality products and their natural whey protein powder is no exception. On the other hand, whilst Dymatize also has products of an exceptionally high standard, they cater for customers at a lower price point. Consequently, the Dymatize Natural Elite Whey is about $13 cheaper than the Optimum Natural Whey in our supplement store at the time of writing.

If you have consumed a variety of protein powders, you’ll be well aware that price isn’t everything. Price is not always a reliable indicator of how well the product suits you and your goals.

The Size of the Natural Whey Tubs

Although these tubs are typically marketed as 5lbs tubs, supplement companies will often adjust the tub volume slightly to attract more business. This is the case here as the Optimum Natural Whey is 5.11lbs (2,324g), being 2.5% larger than the Dymatize Natural Whey at 5lbs (2,268g). Admittedly, not a significant difference as the cost per gram equals 0.0387 and 0.0338 cents/gram respectively. Optimum is still more expensive gram for gram.

Moving onto serving sizes, the Optimum Natural Protein contains 74 serves (31.4g each) and the Dymatize Natural Protein contains 68 serves (33.35g each). This equates to $1.22 and $1.13 per serve respectively. Again, Dymatize being cheaper in this regard.

The Nutritional Composition of Each Natural Protein Powder

Let’s look at each individually, starting with the Optimum Natural Whey:

• Serving size: 31.4g
• Energy: 130 cal
• Fat: 1.5g
• Carbohydrate: 5g
• Protein: 24g

And the Dymatize Natural Whey:

• Serving size: 33.35g
• Energy: 125 cal
• Fat: 2g
• Carbohydrate: 4g
• Protein: 24g

Let’s manipulate the Optimum Natural Whey Serving size to 33.35 so we can compare these figures head to head:

• Serving size: 33.35g
• Energy: 138 cal
• Fat: 1.6g
• Carbohydrate: 5.3g
• Protein: 25.5g

Based on this data we can conclude that:

1. The Optimum has significantly more calories based on weight
2. The Dymatize is slightly higher in fat
3. The Optimum is higher in carbohydrate
4. The Optimum is higher in protein

If we consider current pricing, the Optimum equates to 5.1c/gram of protein, while the Dymatize Natural Whey comes to 4.7c/gram of protein.

The reason why the Optimum Natural Whey contains more carbohydrate is because it contains both fructose (fruit sugar) and stevia (a natural sweetener). Meanwhile the Dymatize Whey contains no sugar and stevia as the sweetener.

Both protein powders contain digestive enzymes including Lactase.

The proteins contained within each product are similar in nature:

• Optimum Natural Whey contains (in order) whey protein isolate (both cross flow ultra filtration and ion-exchange), cross flow ultra filtration whey protein concentrate, whey peptides
• Dymatize Natural Elite Whey contains (in order) ion-exchange whey protein isolates, cross flow ultra filtration whey protein concentrate, whey peptides

Ion-exchange proteins can have a lower bio-availability as compared to other whey proteins. Consequently they are generally regarded as less desirable proteins.

How the Natural Protein Powders Taste & Mix

When I first tried natural protein powders, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Actually, I was expecting a bitter and somewhat unpleasant taste. Well, I was very surprised upon trying both of these products.

The Dymatize Natural Elite Whey was the first natural protein powder that I had ever tasted. Initially, it tasted quite different due to the presence of stevia (of which I had never knowingly tasted before). While it is sweet, it isn’t quite like sugar and has a distinct taste to it. Initially it was nice and then the taste grew on me. My favourite of the three flavours (chocolate, vanilla, berry) would have to be the chocolate.

Meanwhile the Optimum Natural Whey did not take any time to become accustomed to. The first taste of this product and I was hooked! It tastes fantastic. The reason why is because they have utilised fructose as a sweetening agent which replaces the more distinct stevia taste that you obtain with the Dymatize product. I was particularly impressed with the vanilla in the Optimum Natural Whey range, it is a particularly good flavour.

Both brands mixed into milk and water exceptionally well using a spoon and shaker bottle. The Dymatize tends to mix better than the Optimum.

Conclusion of the Natural Proteins

There is no doubt in my mind that both of these products are excellent. As mentioned within the introduction, both products do have their place in the market. Here are my conclusions as to the benefits of both products:

Optimum 100% Natural Whey Protein Powder Benefits:

• More better quality whey protein isolates (as not all WPI’s are ion-exchange derived)
• Better taste

Dymatize Elite Natural Whey Protein Powder Benefits:

• More cost effective
• No fructose sugar added
• Mixes more easily

If you are considering purchasing either of these exceptional products, please be sure to visit our supplement store where we offer them for the best value within Australia! The links to each product are below:

• Dymatize All Natural Elite Whey Protein Powder
• Optimum Natural Whey Protein Powder

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The Effects of Not Eating Breakfast in the Morning

You’ll find on the main Amino Z website some articles and Q&A’s on the importance of eating breakfast. Two for quick reference include a study on skipping meals and a Q&A on exercising on an empty stomach in the morning.

Personally, I eat breakfast immediately upon waking up. Before I do ANYTHING (with the exception of visiting the bathroom), I head to the kitchen and eat immediately. This is not only to coincide with my personal health and fitness goals, but just to get my energy levels up for a highly successful day.

This morning was a different story. I requested to have a general health check-up whereby I needed to have a blood test taken in a fasted state. I was fortunate to sleep in until 6am this morning, skipped breakfast, had a shower, began work immediately and then headed to the pathology unit at 7.30am. There was a half hour wait and I finally managed to get back to the office at 8.30am when I ate my first meal.

Going from 6am to 8.30am was a real drag. Around 6.30am, I really felt my energy levels slump. Although I almost never consume caffeine, I really felt like having a morning coffee because my focus was so poor. I felt particularly lethargic and very hungry. Sitting in the pathology unit, I was reading a magazine that I brought with me. My concentration levels were poor and I was very easily distracted. Often I had to re-read a paragraph due to particularly bad comprehension skills.

At 8.30am, I consumed the first meal and it wasn’t until about 9am that my energy levels began to pick up. I actually overcompensated with the size of my breakfast meal due to a very uncomfortable degree of hunger and lightheadedness. Due to the very small amount of blood taken, I am confident that the lightheadedness was not due to blood loss

Many years ago, I used to skip breakfast on a regular basis. I do not remember feeling nearly as bad as what I did this morning. But you know what, I probably did – it was just that I did not realise how much better I would feel had I integrated a regular breakfast meal into my regime. Today was a very rude awakening of just how important breakfast is to your energy levels (both physical and mental).

If you have the bad habit of skipping breakfast, it would be highly advantageous to force yourself to consume a nutrient rich meal upon awakening in the morning. You are breaking an all night long fast, so your body is running on emergency energy supplies. This means breaking down muscle mass and reducing physical/mental energy levels to conserve as much energy as possible.

I am aware that many people struggle to eat breakfast as this can cause nausea first thing in the morning. Recently we answered a Q&A where someone asked us for some practical advice on what to do if you cannot eat breakfast in the morning.

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