Transformation Trainer » Q&A

Worth the Money?

Laura — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 07:00:48 +0000

A friend of mine asked me about the difference in protein powder brands, noting that some of them are quite expensive whereas other seem more reasonable. The bottom line was that he wanted to know if the more expensive brands were worth the extra money or a hoax with a high price tag. I gave him my immediate opinion and then promised a more informed answer after I had a chance to look into it a little more. I laughed and told him that either my research would back up my opinion or blow it out of the water. Well, I’ve done the research and am now reporting back to him, and all of you, on what I found. Let’s get started!

Protein Structure

First, I want to quickly recap the molecular structure of protein. As I’ve said before, amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and are essential in almost every single metabolic process in your body. Protein has four elements on the ingredients list, unlike carbs and fats which only have three. Hydrogen, oxygen and carbon are in all three macro nutrients, but with protein, nitrogen gets added to the list as well.

When looking at the picture below, notice that there are a variety of circles in different sizes and colors, each with a letter on it.

To understand the concept of amino acids, think about them like the letters of the alphabet. You can combine the letters in millions of varying sequences and achieve a different end result, or word, each time. Amino acids are the same way, they can be put together in different and varying sequences to form a huge variety of proteins, each different from the others. Pretty cool, huh?

Types of Protein Powders

It can be very overwhelming indeed to walk into a store wanting simply to find a protein powder, pay for it and then be on your way. The panic sets in when you get smacked in the face with two and a half aisles of nothing but colorful labels adorning tubs and bags of all shapes and sizes boasting several different types of protein. Whey, casein, albumin (egg) and soy are the four most prevalent, but there are many more which include rice, pea, hemp and fish powder. I’ve not personally tried anything but whey, soy and casein so as to the taste the other products have I’m not much help. I can tell you that the three I’ve tried are not bad and that, as with most supplements, some brands definitely do taste better than others. So what’s the difference between them all?

A super basic breakdown: Casein and whey proteins are both found in milk (but are each digested differently by the body), soy protein is derived from soybeans, albumin protein is taken directly from egg whites and has the highest biological value (BV), meaning it is absorbed best by the body. Each different type of protein, because of it’s molecular structure and the process it goes through to be packaged is absorbed at different efficiency rates and speeds by the body.

Expensive Brands vs. House Brands

When walking through the two and a half aisles of options, you may have noticed that, as my friend pointed out, some of the brands are extremely pricey, others are semi-pricey and the remaining few are a little more reasonably priced. What makes the expensive brands so darn expensive? Is it because they are a higher quality protein? No, that’s not it at all. The higher price is usually just to help cover the costs of branding, packaging and marketing that particular product.

Although there are a few of them that have additives, such as additional vitamins, minerals, digestive enzymes and/or branch chain amino acids (BCAA’s), the amount that the company has added to the protein powder really doesn’t explain how much the price was inflated to do so. All in all, not a good value.

I’ve found too, that buying protein powder in a store vs. online, usually ends up more expensive. In my opinion, it is worth the extra day or two you have to allow for shipping to save money in the long run. Another thing to think about it is this: If you’re looking for a protein powder, chances are high that you’re working out and are either in the process of beginning or maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Protein powder is not a phase you’re going to “grow out of” or “get over” in a couple of weeks, so buy it in bulk. Buying it “in bulk” (I buy mine in 5lb. bags from a supplement website I like) makes it quite a bit cheaper in the long run too!

In conclusion, while it is not true that all protein powders are created equal, it is true that you don’t have to pay a mint to get a good protein supplement and the benefits that come from using one. I wouldn’t recommend using the cheapest protein you can find, but it is definitely not necessary to use the expensive versions either. Keep in mind it is more important what the ingredients list and the nutrition label say than the price tag.

A Closer Look at the hCG Diet

Laura — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 03:00:54 +0000

Today we are talking about a topic I have had an unusually large amount of questions on recently, the hCG diet. If you haven’t heard of it, good. If you have I’m guessing that, like most people, you have questions about it. Lucky you! You are in the right place! I’m going to explain what hCG is, what it does, the “science” behind how the hCG diet “works” along with some of the risks associated with it AND, of course, my humble opinion. Well, it is my blog after-all! Okedokee, let’s get started!

What is hCG and what is its role in the body? hCG stands for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin. (Say that ten times fast!) It is a hormone that is produced by the placenta during pregnancy. While a woman is pregnant, hCG almost completely controls her metabolic functions. hCG’s role is to encourage cells to grow and reproduce, which makes a lot of sense if you are pregnant, that’s exactly what you want to happen. What about when you’re not pregnant? hCG still encourages cells to grow, but there is no baby, so now what? Let’s say, hypothetically, that a person has a very small amount of cancer cells floating around. No worries, there aren’t enough of them to cause a problem, the persons immune system is strong enough that it can totally handle them and keep them at bay. Along comes hCG and guess what? You guessed it, those few cancer cells become more cancer cells, which become even more cancer cells, which become many cancer cells, which leads to a ton of cancer cells and pretty soon, the body can’t overpower them anymore. Get the picture? Kinda ugly, huh?

We’ve all had advertisements for different hCG diet centers, similar to the one above, pop up on our computer screens. A thin woman in tight jeans and a halter top, measuring tape wrapped around her middle, bold words strategically placed with the sole intent to catch your attention and promise you a better life as a thinner person, and of course, the “read more” button. Lose a pound a day, how can they make such claims? Here’s the “science” behind it: The hCG is injected into the muscle (or ingested). It goes in and tricks the hypothalamus (that’s the part of your brain that controls your body temperature, hunger, thirst, fatigue and your circadian cycles) into burning approximately 4000 calories a day. There are 500 calories a day allotted for you to eat while on the hCG diet plan, and only specific foods that are allowed, mainly veggies. After you do the math, the difference between the two is a 3500 calorie deficit. Understanding that, 3500 calories is the amount of calories equal to a pound, and because it is a deficit amount, your body loses a pound a day.

No exercise? Are you confused? I was when I first heard about the hCG diet and all the restrictions that come with it. Exercise is taboo while on the hCG plan because of the extremely low calorie intake. On 500 calories a day, your body does not get the energy or nutrients it needs to support exercise! No exercise, for me, is a deal breaker – but in addition to that, there are some possible negative side effects that include:

Arterial Thromboembolism – which is a potentially life-threatening condition
Ovarian Hyper-stimulation Syndrome (OHSS) – another potentially life-threatening condition (not to mention, who wants hyper ovaries? NOT me!!)
Over stimulation of the ovaries, which causes production of extra eggs which can lead to…
Risk of multiple pregnancies (twins, triplets, quadruplets, etc. -I have to say that this particular side effect alone would scare me off! Five children is plenty thank you!)
Blood clots
Abnormal enlargement of breasts in men
Acne
Tiredness
Changes in mood (which can range from mild to severe)
Irritation in the area you inject the hCG
Excessive fluid retention in body tissues, resulting in swelling (edema)
Hair loss
Prostate hypertrophy (enlarging)

Obviously, my opinion on the hCG diet is, ” RUN AWAY!!” I have done research of my own, I have talked with several medical doctors as well as professors of human anatomy and physiology about the hCG hormone, it’s role in the body and possible side effects -both short and long term- that could manifest as a result of this diet. I have clients who have done the hCG diet before coming to me. They all have the same things to say. They were hungry, depressed, fatigued and ornery. One of them said to me, “Laura, I can’t do that again. I’ll do anything you tell me to but I can’t do that again. I was miserable all the time. Yeah, I lost some weight, but I gained it all back plus extra. It was hell.” Everyone I have spoken with, and I happen to agree, feels that the hCG diet is scary, scary, scary. Losing weight is tough, physically, mentally and emotionally. People are so desperate to find a magic pill, a silver bullet or some other form of cure all, that they will try every new craze and fad that comes along, hoping it is going to be “the one”. The one to what? Shrink belly fat in just three weeks? Double muscle mass overnight? I’m here to tell ya folks, there is no such thing. Remember fen-phen? Everybody and their cousin took those pills. And true, there were lots of people who lost weight….and ended up with heart problems. Is that a fair trade? To me it sounds more like signing your soul over to the devil. Sure, you get something you wanted, but how do you enjoy it knowing what it cost you?

Fox News Segment Visitors!

Laura — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 01:00:38 +0000

Hello to everyone visiting my site from my Fox News Segment! Glad to have you here. I wanted to show you around my website and point out all of the features and information it contains.

You can read my complete story about my journey through losing 167 lbs and becoming a personal trainer by clicking on the About Me tab at the top of the page.

If you are interested in the services I offer, along with the prices, just simply click on my Services tab.

To meet with me for a Free Consultation, just click on the Contact Page tab for my contact information.

You can also visit my Testimonials tab to hear from my clients or click on the Why You Need a Personal Trainer tab to go over the key reasons why a personal trainer can help you change your life.

My website is updated three times a week with new healthy recipes, exercise tips and overall healthy lifestyle posts. Hope to see you back here again!

Don’t forget you can schedule a Free Consultation with me for my Personal Training Services by calling me on my cell at 801 860 2506.

Q & A on Mineral Supplements

Laura — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 14:25:22 +0000

A website follower recently asked a question that I get asked quite a bit, so I thought I would share my response for all of you to see!

Question:

I wonder what you think about mineral supplementation. Do you think it’s necessary? Is it worth the money? Have you heard of Organa mineral drink (google it). I keep hearing about it and I just wonder what your thoughts are on it.

Answer:

Supplements are a hot topic these days. There are so many of them and they are readily available. My opinion is that it is best to get your vitamins and minerals from the foods you eat. I believe that is the way we were intended to get them. Think back to the days of cavemen. They didn’t have mineral supplements or thirty varieties of multi-vitamins sitting on the shelf at the local grocery store to choose from. They got all of their vitamins, minerals and nutrients from the food they ate (and working outside in the sun – see vitamin D in vitamins part 1). In most cases, if you are eating a diet consisting of fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, whole grains, healthy fats and lean protein you will be getting what you need. On the other hand, I am not a doctor. If your health care provider has suggested you take a vitamin or mineral supplement, or has written you a prescription of some kind, you need to discuss that with them. I do not know your situation like they do.

Do YOU have any other questions you would love to see answered on my website? Ask away!