PROTEIN SHAKES AND OTHER MUSINGS

Any views or opinions presented in this blog are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the company. This blog is a unique perspective of one persons journey into fitness. Not all clients and participants at Parsons Training undergo the same training, and each person makes his or her own decisions regarding dietary discretions.
 
By Steve Sharpton, Parsons Training Center, Tucson, Arizona
 
PHASE VII
June 1, 2017
 
Needless to say, it is a bizarre time at work. No, the yelling from customers is not really getting to me anymore, but the job itself. You see, the one thing that kinda keeps me around is the idea of getting bonuses that are performance based. The biggest obstacles for me is dealing with people that are naturally angry and will fail your survey regardless of how good you were (which happened this past week and cost me 100 bucks! Thanks random douchebag from Alabama! Hope the Tide keep losing National Championships!). Either way, a lot of the bonuses I get are due to my punctuality and my attendance, so those are things I am really good at considering I have not missed a day or even been late since starting last September. Well, some of the bonuses I get are now being removed from the structure, which will roughly cost me a 150 bucks a month. I’m going to see how it all plays out, but naturally this had gotten me rather concerned, because losing out on money for no reason at all causes a lot of stress in my life. There is that sinking feeling you develop in the back of your mind that no matter what you do, it will never be good enough because people are inherently evil and impossible to please. Unless you kiss their feet and bring them a bowl of cherries, they will never think your effort is enough. Either way, when these stressful feelings and moments of despair hit me, I try to work harder in the gym to compensate from the anger twisting me up inside. I hate walking around angry all the time, for I might start engaging in equally toxic behaviors like watching Fox News all day or start craving comic book movies and TV shows. So when these moments get into my mind, I start working harder in the gym, and that could lead to some wear and tear on the body and the energy. I’ve been working to find that balance between a low cal diet and a diet that will suit my needs as I battle the push-pull of a low calorie work life and a desire to lose weight with a high calorie physical life. Needless to say, it has led me to a crossroads and I’m starting to get ticked off with the back and forth between my body’s needs and my body’s cravings. 

​So what is a guy to do? Well, with some urging from Jon and some thoughts on the subject, I’m going to actually try the world of protein powders. Yup…I finally folded. For a long time, I have been rejecting the idea of doing such a thing, mainly because the market is chalked full of disgusting whey based powders that are equal parts overpriced and silly. Needless to say, I never really got into the movement because obviously, dairy based products can cause inflammation more than anything, and what is the point of taking something that might aid in your “burn” after a workout? Anyway, Jon and Christa helped me out and chose a good plant based protein powder that might help with some of my eating from here on out. We’ve had this discussion before on the blog…do I really need extra protein? Well, it really comes down to some simple research. There is a genuine formula that has been figured out on the subject, but the numbers are of course difficult to decipher. Now trust me, I am not suffering from protein deficiency…not by a long shot. However, my low protein diet is going to hurt me since I may be forced to go back to the plasma game (which I have been avoiding) considering the change in my bonus structure at work (which I will be actually looking for work again). Couple with the extra weight lifting I am doing each week in Parsons Training’s Olympic Weight Lifting Class on Tuesday nights and that little extra dose might be of big help for me.
 
Now depending on who you listen to, there are a couple of potential factors you might consider. Some websites say you need 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram of your body (and since we are in America, closer to 0.36 grams per pound). http://running.competitor.com/2017/05/nutrition/truth-protein-powders_161433 Like I have stated before, that is a ton of protein! And this designation may also be utter bullshit. Think about how many grams that would be and how much food I would need to eat daily to do that. For me, I weigh 240 pounds, which equates to roughly 108 kilos. This means I would need roughly 86 grams of protein a day! I would have to eat a 10-ounce pack of pistachios and 20 ounces of beans to get that much protein for my daily intake. For me, that is pretty darn brutal and difficult to deal with, especially if I am buying nuts and such to help with my eating (plus nuts are expensive). That’s well over 10 pounds of spinach a day if I went that route. That is nearly four pounds of brown rice a day!! The conspiracy theorist in me starts perking up and start making me wonder if this is truly a real thing. I have seen other websites that state we need 1.37 grams of protein for every kilogram of our body if you profusely work out (12 hours a week is the borderline). Do that math and that would be 148 grams of protein needed a day! Truth be told, this protein thing is kinda crazy and a little out of hand, for even when you seriously look at the symptoms of low protein, the symptoms could really be a host of just about anything. https://draxe.com/protein-deficiency/ Considering some of the things in this particular article, the only symptom I am really suffering from is some sleep problems, but that is more due to me having a crappy bed and the fact I stay up too late too many times of the week. 

WELL, HERE WE GO...

​So here is the question then…if I really don’t have a protein deficiency and am comfortable with the low protein diet I am doing, why should I consider this move? Well, there are some factors I am looking to implement here. For one thing, I still have the original goal in my life to lose weight before the advent of gaining muscle, so that idea has not changed much in the back of my mind. The other thing is, perhaps it is time for me to try some other things, to at least give it a shot. One of the things I have been longing to do with this blog is start doing things that knock me out of my comfort zone or force me to rethink perspectives in my life. Every day I see craziness and differences of opinion online that allow me to put some perspective into my own life. When I contemplate what is being spread around, it is good to have the perspective of the other side to see what is going on. Of course, this also helped with the confirmation of many of my deepest feelings in life, especially when it comes to my opinions about certain sects of vegans in my own peer groups or how political perspectives think in a macro setting. It is unsettling when you see the world for what it truly is, but why close yourself off and make assumptions about things when you can see the reality for yourself. Isn’t that the best confirmation you can really deal with?
 
For me, it started with the whole idea of Olympic weight lifting last year. Yeah, I knew what the snatch was and what the clean and jerk was, and I occasionally dabbled in some basic exercise that led into both disciplines. I never really got into those things due to a couple factors—I was way too comfortable doing what I was doing and I was also just scared. Let me put it this way…Fail Army really got to me. Seeing so many people screw up with these movements was a little unsettling. The snatch was especially a big problem for me, mainly because people kept having the darn bar land on their neck and guaranteeing themselves months of potential chiropractic problems and appointments. Of course, these were mostly Crossfit Fails and thus, they kinda deserved their injuries. Okay, maybe I should not say this. Okay maybe I should, I mean they worship injuries in Crossfit. Anyway, I was always thinking about this until Jon kind of forced me to get into this stuff, for he felt the usual routine of heavy lifting and what not was not really doing me much in regards to my flexibility and functional strength. While I am still a little behind in my abilities, I am getting better so to speak. And of course, let us not forget the biggest leap I ever made, and that was to completely change my life and go vegan, while also getting rid of soda and pretty much crushing my pizza addiction in the process. All o these things were scary to me when I initially made the change. I mean, the roller food at the QT next to my house was screaming at me when I made the ethical choice to adjust my eating discipline. These days, I barely even look at that stuff. They just look rubbery and awful looking, a result of the attendants leaving the stuff on the rollers too long and putting too much to begin with. I just think about the waste associated with this stuff. 

YES. I WAS AFRAID OF LOOKING OUT OF PLACE IN YOGA. BUT THE KING OF THE HILL EPISODE WHERE HANK GOES TO YOGA IS STILL CLASSIC.

There has been a lot of huge things in the past that have shaped the person I have become. I mean, I tackled some demons in my past and some social anxieties by locking myself up in a van with people for multiple days at a time, even taking on a leadership role. I even did yoga, for the main reason why I always avoided it was not because of the supposed “feminization” of the whole thing, but mainly because I see the stereotypical yoga goer and I look nothing like them. I mean, I watched that episode of King of the Hill where the out of shape Hank goes to yoga, and that might as well have been written by me. But, I finally got over that and kind of realized that I am marginally good at it. When I get some more money in my pocket, I might actually go through with finding a decent studio to continue. So when I really think about it, truly think about it, adding some protein powder is not that huge of a deal. I have a relatively huge jar to go through so I will definitely have some time to see how I feel over the next few weeks. Now this wasn’t exactly a cheap idea to go with, but considering the alternatives I am looking at (you saw the amounts of food these people are demanding of me!) I might have some serious weight issues down the line.
 
I always look at it this way, change is good sometimes. Rigidity is not a healthy way of moving forward in your life, for you can at least try something for the heck of it and assess the situation while you can. There are some good things in my life that I have I have gotten used to and I feel pretty grateful for getting some kind of consistency in my life. But like what was mentioned earlier, changing your daily habits is one thing, but messing with my money simply because some faceless corporate exec wants to…well I can’t deal with that nonsense. I have to fix the problems of not only hundreds of people but also fix the problems that are left behind by my own co-workers. I mean, what the heck is up with that? It’s like getting stuck with the garbage detail after a huge party that’s not even at my own house. I got stuck with a disconnect today from out of nowhere. Turns out someone didn’t want the disconnect on their stats so they transferred them to me without me being none the wiser. Needless to say I was pretty ticked off. Integrity is rarely rewarded it seems.
 
Anyway, I will see just what will happen with this whole protein shake thing. Already I have dealt with being new to the issue, using a bottle that really didn’t mixture stuff up too well. Now I have an actual shaker bottle to move ahead with, and it is just a matter of time to see whether i like this change in my life or whether I do not. We shall see.
 
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About Parsons Training
Parsons Training is a Tucson leader in fitness and personal wellness training. Every personal trainer with this company designs and implements effective fitness programs for their clients; these programs serve as the foundation for good health, fitness, and wellness. Additional information about Parsons Training is available at http://www.parsonspersonaltraining.com
 
Any views or opinions presented in this blog are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the company.