Protein Powder 101

Protein powder- the most popular and widely known “body builder” supplement on the planet. Hands down. Ever since we launched our protein hot chocolate and how successful it has been (thank y’all), it has opened my eyes to how many confusion there is surrounding protein powder and supplements as a whole.

I do have a “will protein powder make me fat” YouTube video if you would like to watch that, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVvNYCfLpHM

What is protein powder? Protein powder, despite it’s form, is a processed form of protein. This can come in the form of whey, plant, egg, pea, beef, cricket, etc. They are all processed. They are all manufactured. They all share the same function: to aid or “supplement” your diet in getting more protein. 

Whole food will ALWAYS be best. ALWAYS. If you are getting enough protein in your diet through whole food- stick to that. You don’t need protein powder. However, for most of us, consuming that much protein in the form of whole foods is not convenient nor is it cost effective, especially if you are spacing your daily meals into 5-6 meals per day. 

Josh and I consume 5-6 meals a day and we eat 3 and drink 2-3 (in the form of our protein hot chocolate). Protein powder can, and usually is, used as a meal replacement. It’s most “popular” form of us is post workout- which, again, is probably just replacing a meal in which you would otherwise be consuming protein in a whole foods form- but who wants to bring a pack of tuna or 6oz of ground turkey to the gym? Not many people. Which is where the allure of protein powder comes into play. 

Protein powder will NOT make you fat. Protein powder will NOT make you bulky. At the end of the day, if you are consuming less calories than you burn- you won’t gain any fat. Or bulk. Or whatever anyone is afraid of. 

That all being said- not all protein powders are created equal. Protein is really, really expensive to make. A lot of supplement companies cut corners and use low quality protein to increase their profit margins. This is where you get the bloating, gas, etc that is generally associated with protein powder supplements. I can’t speak for any other company other than our own but it took us almost 2 years to formulate protein hot chocolate because we needed such a high quality protein powder to withstand adding it to hot liquids. You can read all of our 250+ 5 star reviews here: 
 https://bowmarnutrition.com/products/protein-hot-chocolate

This is NOT a sales pitch on our own product- even though we would love if you tried it. I just know how much work, effort, and research went into our product and I am not sure other companies can say the same. I have tried dozens and dozens of protein powder. They ALL make me feel bloated and gassy after- except ours. Just please know that all products are not the same and you should be careful what you are putting in your body. 

Also, I mentioned cost efficiency when it comes to protein powder. Our product is $65 for 82 servings- this equates to roughly 76 cents per scoop aka per meal. That’s a really inexpensive meal if you ask me! Especially one that is so high in protein! 

Binge Eating

Before I start this blog post- I want to kindly remind everyone that if you are struggling with an eating disorder of any kind- there is no shame in asking for help from a licensed therapist or treatment facility. We only have one life and you should not feel bad for getting treatment for an ED. I am NOT a licensed therapist nor can I diagnose anyone with an ED. I am not trying to cure EDs with this post- I simply want to shed some lift on the topic of binge eating.

Ok, now that we have the formalities out of the way- let’s start talking binge eating. 

There is a huge difference between over eating and binge eating. And the term "binge" is often used to describe when someone is "over eating" If you take nothing else away from this post- please switch your mindset from calling something a "binge" when its really just you over-eating that day (unless you are experiencing the below). Binge eating is an eating disorder and can be classified by the following characteristics: 

Reoccurring episode of eating an enormous amount of food

Lack of control / loss of control

Eating rapidly

Eating until you are uncomfortably full

Eating alone out of embarrassment

Not being able to stop eating

Feeling guilty

Eating when you aren’t hungry

Being concerned about binge eating habits

Binge eating at least once a week for at least 3 months on a reoccurring basis

Hiding food to binge on out of embarassment

This is not associated with purging or excessive exercise or laxative use- different diagnosis

If you experience any of the above symptoms- I would highly recommend seeking the help of a licensed professional to combat the binge eating disorder. 

So then- what is overeating?

OVEREATING IS NOT BINGING

OVEREATING IS NOT BINGING

OVEREATING IS NOT BINGING

OVEREATING IS NOT BINGING

OVEREATING IS NOT BINGING

I hope I am clear- over eating is NOT an eating disorder. If it’s hunger driven- it’s not binge eating. If you can stop, it's not binge eating. If you do it front of others- it's not binge eating. Too often, people are calling their over-eating habits "binging" and that is simply not the cause. Switch your mindset. And you will find the solution...

Over eating typically stems from not eating enough calories throughout the day. This usually occurs when you have a bad online coach, when you wrote a meal plan for yourself and you don't know what you are doing, or you aren't talking to your coach enough to let them know you are hungry. 

There are a ton of ways to stop overeating:

1: Don't buy the foods that you tend to over-eat. If you can't control yourself around nut butters- don't keep them in the house. You can't eat if you don't buy it

2: If you feel you over-eat because you're bored with your  meal plan, consider getting my cookbooks (macros included):

Healthy Entrees: https://wildgamewildgainz.com/collections/recipe-book/products/wild-game-wild-gains-recipe-e-book

Healthy Desserts:  https://bowmarshop.com/collections/recipe-book/products/dessert-recipe-book

3: A boring meal plan often leads to over-eating at night so make sure your last meal of the day is one you actually enjoy eating and look forward to the most

4: Create a healthy relationship with food

5: Have planned treat meals (this varies for everyone, here's a longer blog post)

6: NEVER restrict something- just monitor the quantity of it. Like snickers? Eat one a day. Just account for the macros and adjust the rest of your day accordingly 

7: Don’t go below your BMR. If your "coach" has you eating below your BMR, fire them. Run away. Faster. Run faster. 

8: Over-eating may also stem from stress. If you are stressed and emotionally eat- try drinking 1/4 gallon of water before you go crazy with your food. Chances are- you won't feel so hungry afterwards. Apple cider vinegar with mother helps as do BCAAs

9: We set up our meal plans to be a weekly average of your calories needed to meet your goals. If you over-eat one day, make sure you start fresh ASAP. Don't wait until the next morning or next week. Have a protein shake for your next meal. Calm down. Eliminate your treat meal for the week. And get back to business. 

If you binge or over-eat, please DO NOT punish yourself with extra cardio or training. Lift a big muscle the next day- shuttle that extra food to be used for something! Do not set yourself up for a vicious cycle of over-eating and then a ton of cardio. 

Clear Skin Tips

I find myself sweating 365. In the gym, in the woods, fishing, hiking, hunting, etc- my face and body is covered in dirt and/or sweat. I haven't always had great skin, but over the past 4 years, I have really cleared my skin up immensely!

I will note- this post is not relevant if you are on performance enhancing drugs as those will cause terrible acne on your face and body- just wanted to put that out there. 

Below, please find the steps that I took to clear my skin

Step 1: DRINK WATER. Your body is almost 70% water. It's not 70% gatorade or diet coke. It's 70% water. Drink at least a gallon a day

Step 2: eliminate or limit dairy- this is a huge one for a lot of people! You may have a slight dairy intolerance and not even realize it. Quit dairy for 2 weeks and test if your skin clears up

Step 3: high quality multi vitamin- your skin is your largest organ and you should treat it as such. It will reflect what you feed it (or don't feed it). Implementing a high quality multi vitamin is VITAL for an overall clear skin complexion. This is what I have used since 2014: MULTI

Step 4: wash your face at the gym- cardio or not, you should never leave the gym without washing your face with at least soap and water. I bring my cleanser and moisturizer to the gym and wash my face after every sweat session

Step 5: clear skin cocktail- this has been a huge one for me in the last few months. I have noticed a drastic change in my skin. Here's the recipe:
20oz room temp water (can add ice once mixed)
2 scoops COLLAGEN
1 scoop GREENS
1 scoop cherry BCAAs

Step 6: CTMM (cleanse, toner, miracle water, moisturizer)- every single evening (if you are super dry, you should moisturize in the morning as well)

CLEANSER

TONER

MIRACLE WATER

MOISTURIZER

Step 7: weekly masks- I do 1-2 mud masks a week for a deeper clean and then moisturize with the above moisturizer at night

Step 8: jade roller- I saw a lot of bloggers using it and I decided to order one and I love it! I will do the roller a few times at night per week before I put my moisturizer on

In the morning:

Every single morning, I roll my face with my ice roller for several minutes

1-2 times per week, I will do a coffee mask after I ice roll

If I'm Trying to Lose Weight- Should I Lift or do Cardio?

The most frequently asked question I get in real life and online is: “If I am trying to lose weight, should I just do cardio until I get to my goal weight and then start lifting weights? I don’t want to start lifting weights and then build muscle over my fat”

1: Do not let your goals be defined by the scale- focus on your body fat % (because that’s what matters). Let’s say you just do cardio and diet to get to your “goal weight” (in this example we will use 130lbs) and then you start lifting weights. And then? YOU WILL GAIN WEIGHT BECAUSE YOU ARE GAINING MUSCLE. In 5 months you might be up to 135. So then what- you have to be stuck in this perpetual lose more weight to get back to some magical number that has no meaning whatsoever? no. 

2: Weight loss comes from being in caloric deficit. That means you eat less, move more, or a combination of both (while still remaining above your BMR). You burn calories alllllllll day long, not just on the treadmill. Weight lifting burns calories. Digesting food burns calories. Sleep burns calories. 

3: Your BMR (basal metabolic rat) makes up roughly 60-70% of your total calories burned per day. That means your ACTIVITY aka your cardio and training only makes up 30-40%. Less than HALF of your total calories burned per day actually comes from training. So- the best way to lose body fat is to increase your BMR, right? Right.

4: Increasing your BMR comes from increasing muscle mass. More muscle = more energy needed to move those muscles = more calories burned = more weight loss! Cardio WILL NOT increase your BMR

5: Cardio is still important, don’t get me wrong. And I think BOTH weight training and cardio should be incorporated along with a healthy diet when trying to lose body fat. But please- don’t think you will “build muscle over your fat”. That’s not how the human body works. It’s not like you are placing something permanent over your fat cells and then your fat cells can’t shrink because you are weight lifting. It’s just not true

6: Measure progress by body fat percentage, take comparison photos every 2 weeks, go off by how your clothes feel, and measurements- NOT THE SCALE

So, in short- do not be afraid to lift weight

If you need a training program, please checkout bowmarfitness.com! 

Do I Eat Back My Calories

This is a question I get more often than I would like to admit: "I burned 500 calories during my workout, I get to eat those since I burned them, right?"

1- how do you even know you're burning that many calories in a workout?

2- keep reading

Let's first discuss TDEE and BMR (referenced here as well, so if you have already read my cardio blog- skip ahead)

Your BMR is your basal metabolic rate AKA what you burn without moving.
Your TDEE is your total daily energy expenditure AKA your BMR + moving (in a day)

You burn calories 24/7/365. You don't just burn calories in the gym.

If you want to lose fat, you need to eat in between your BMR and TDEE. For simplicity, let's say your BMR is 1500 and TDEE is 2000. AKA your body (height, weight, body fat %) burns an extra 500 calories from all the moving you do (in and out of the gym) in a day. In order to lose weight, you  need to be in a deficit.

SIDE NOTE- I am not sure who wrote your meal plan (if anyone) if you are reading this. If you need a custom meal plan to configure all of these numbers for you- checkout
https://bowmarfitness.com/nutrition-plans/

In order to be in a deficit- you need to be eating less calories than you burn (and still be above your BMR to prevent your body from going into starvation mode).

So if you are burning a total of 2000 a day and your meal plan calls for a 1600 calorie diet- you SHOULD NOT be "eating back" the calories you burn in a workout because the 1600 calorie diet already factors in the calories you are burning during your workout. If you eat them back- you will basically be at a maintenance level style of dieting (aka no weight loss and no fat gain).

At the end of the day- you need to be in a deficit to lose, eat what you burn to maintain, and eat more than you burn to bulk.

How to: Curb Cravings

I get it- we ALL love cookies. We ALL love candy. We ALL love pizza. We ALL love tacos. We ALL love peanut butter. I get it. I GET IT. Trust me- I GET IT. There isn't a person (fit or not) on this earth that could honestly say they don't have cravings. We all have cravings. The trick- you have to be stronger than the cravings if you want to really succeed with your health and wellness goals.

Let me also first say this- life is meant to be lived. When we travel- we enjoy ourselves (within reason, we usually practice IF and pack a ton of protein and enjoy 1 meal a day at a new restaurant). This is not a blog post to sit here and preach and tell you to not enjoy food off your diet. Screw that. I don't even follow that. If you need more info, follow these links:

• IF: http://sarahbowmar.blogspot.com/2018/01/what-do-i-think-of-intermittent-fasting.html
• Save calories in Vegas (or anywhere): http://sarahbowmar.blogspot.com/2016/01/how-to-save-money-and-calories-in-vegas.html
• Treat meal tips: http://sarahbowmar.blogspot.com/2014/02/cheat-meals-101.html

Ok, now back to the point of this blog post- I am talking specifically about the cravings you get at the end of the day when you have been 100% on your meal plan and as soon as the sun goes down- you become a junk food werewolf. You could eat 50 bags of chips. You could eat 50 donuts. You could eat 50 slices of pizza. You could eat 50 gallons of ice cream. But why? Usually- it's boredom. Other times- it's because you don't enjoy the food that's on your meal plan. And other times- you hired some idiot off of Instagram who isn't certified to be writing meal plans and they themselves don't even look like they have a clean bill of health and suddenly they're your coach and you're starving and they're starving and then you binge and they make you do hours of cardio the next day to make up for it and suddenly you have the world's worst relationship with food (just like they do). And off my soap box.

Here are my tips on how to curb cravings
1: make sure your diet plan was written by someone who is actually certified to ensure you are getting adequate nutrients throughout the day (hi, hello, it's me)
2: make sure you are getting plenty of water throughout the day- I recommend 1 gallon for females
3: DO NOT buy foods you crave. DO NOT keep foods you crave in the house. If you buy it- you will eat it
4: trick yourself- fitness is honestly all about making unhealthy things, healthy.
my protein dessert cookbook: DESSERT BOOK
my healthy meals cookbook: WILD GAME WILD GAINS
5: keep sugar free packets of water flavoring in the house (not the healthiest option but I would rather see someone enjoy a 5 calorie packet of fruit punch than binge on 1900 calories of nut butter)
6: chew gum- my favorite is bubblemint
7: drink ginger tea
8: drink fiber (our brand is coming out very, very soon)!
9: do some online shopping- checkout the website https://www.liketoknow.it/ and follow me + other bloggers to shop our closets- it's super fun (my username is sarah_bowmar) OR get on expedia and shop travel! It's literally one of my favorite things to do
10: lastly, drink protein (notably, protein hot chocolate)

I truly hope these tips help! My life's mission is to combat all the BS out there online and what's portrayed on social media!

Should You Workout While Sick?

I realize this post is a little late (as it is beginning of February) but it seems like the flu is still going around so I figured- better late than never!

When you train when you're healthy (cardio or weight lift), it's pretty rough on your body. Inadvertently, your immune system becomes compromised. This stress is what, in time, makes us stronger.

So what happens when you're sick?

I personally think you should stay home for anything more than a head cold. Put yourself in other people's shoes- would you want to be working out next time to someone who is sneezing, coughing, blowing their nose, etc right next to you? Any flu symptoms- stay home. No questions. If you are sick, your immune system is already compromised and fighting something off. When you workout- you are further compromising your immune system. If you do too much too soon, you could prolong your illness and symptoms.

If you have a home gym- you might be able to get away with cardio if you simply have a head cold. Me personally- I just want to lay in bed and recover as fast as possible. Your workouts are usually garbage anyways if you aren't feeling well- so why not recover quickly and get back to being 100%? Your progress won't go anywhere in a week. I PROMISE!!!