Hello, my name is Nathanael Mulder and I’m here to lose weight.  It really shouldn’t take the new year to give me a reason to decide to lead a healthier lifestyle, but I guess any motivation is better than none at all.  But that’s not my only motivation.  Really it all stems down to just wanting to get back to the shape I used to be in, all those years ago in high school.  Back then I was 5′9″ and around 150lbs, running cross country and 1 & 2 mile races for my high school.  Over the years I’ve managed to gain over 110 pounds, weighing in on New Year’s Day at 262 pounds.  What’s worse is that I’ve tried and succeeded in losing weight in the past, and it felt great.  But my huge appetite took over in the end and all that weight came back, with some friends it turns out.  But now it’s a new decade and a new start on the weight loss, and I’m determined to lose it and keep it off.  With my roommate, who’s a personal trainer and Designer Whey user himself, pushing me and helping me with my workouts, diets, and determination I am truly confident that I’m going to succeed.

So here’s my plan, and here are my goals:
1) I want to reduce my weight down to 175 pounds.  That’s a reduction of 87 pounds.  I know it’s possible, I just have to keep at it, no matter what happens.  This is really all I’m going for.  With the weight reduction will come more energy and a better lifestyle, being able to breathe easier, and fitting into the clothes I own and into newer styles of clothes (with the new trends towards skinny this and skinny that, it’s getting harder and harder to find decent clothes these days).
2) Get into well-enough shape to run a marathon.  I don’t want to run a marathon because I want to run a marathon, I just want to be in shape enough to BE ABLE to run a marathon.  That’s almost 3 hours (or much, much longer if I don’t run very fast) of constant running, and that would hurt.  But to be able to do it, that’s what I want.

–And this is what I’m looking at to help me:
1) Working out several times a week.  At least 3-4 times a week.  A mixture of running and other cardio workouts, weight-lifting, and basic core workouts like sit-ups and push-ups.  Nothing too fancy or over-the-top.  Just basic and focused.  It’s worked for me before, and it’s going to work again.
2) Watching what (and more importantly how much) I eat.  For the last several years I’ve been eating almost exclusively fast food.  And although it’s not too terrible to have a burger once in a while, it’s probably not a great idea to have 3 Ultimate Breakfast Sandwiches for breakfast, 2 Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburgers (with large fries and large soda) for lunch, and likewise for dinner everyday.  If I eat healthier, and smaller portions, and use Designer Whey proteins after a workout and in between meals to curb my appetite, then I’m destined to lose weight and then definitely keep it off.  On top of that, I do love to drink water, so by drinking a lot more water and Designer Whey Protein Water, I think that will help also.

So, this is where I’m sitting in my life.  I’m overweight and out of shape, and its difficult to tie my shoes.  Here’s to a new decade and a new me.  Hope to see you along the Whey.

Posted in Nathanael Mulder | 2 Comments

If your training with a trainer…

LET THEM KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT AND NEED!
A few months ago I bloged about me getting a personal trainer to help me with my figure competitions. I was so excited about letting someone else figure out my training schedule and what I needed to be doing. I thought it would be fun for me and a really neat experience. Here is my story.

When I compete for these things my main goal is to learn something new about myself and of course do well. But my training failed me badly and I should have said something but didn’t. Lesson learned. I want everyone to know some signs of a bad trainer. Yes, this is what I experienced and it was very stressful for me. And my contest did not go well.

1. When your trainer can’t remember if it’s an arm or leg day.
2. When your trainer can’t remember your last name or how to spell it.
3. When your trainer is at least 7-10 minutes late EVERY SESSION.
4. When you pay for private training lesson and your trainer brings another girl without asking you and you end up paying for her to workout with you when you wanted a one on one.
5. When after working with your trainer for a month they can’t remember what weight you need for a 12 rep bicep curl.
6. When you want to workout with your trainer one week before contest and he/she doesn’t want to come in at 8am because it’s too early. Then you miss 4 workouts that you really needed the support on.
7. When your trainer tells you not to do cardio. (Weird one)
8. When your trainer makes fun of everybody in the gym and doesn’t pay attention to you.

I should of stopped training with this guy as soon as he said that he thought Designer Whey protein drinks would make me bloated… RED FLAG RIGHT THERE!!!!! I think the only thing that kept me sane during this time was my Designer Whey drinks and protein powders!!! Yes… that’s pretty sad but my drinks got me through.
I think I was just trying to be nice but ended up losing in the long run.
So as a trainer I learned a lot with this horrible experience by making sure I’m smart with my clients!

So be aware of these trainer downfalls and if you experience any of these… RUN!!!!!!!!!!

Trainer Becs

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Hey Friends,

I know you are as happy as I am that the kiddies are back in school! Oh the last few weeks I was ready for them to go back to school. The kids were sick of each other and I was on my last nerve. I love my kids with my whole heart but sometimes us moms just need a break.

Hey, next week is all of our favorite inspirational show! Yep, that is right September 15th is coming up soon. I am excited to watch and see my favorite Designer Whey drinks help people just like me, people who could afford to lose a few or 2 or 3 pounds…lol. Hope you watch The Biggest Loser along with me!

Guess what the weight loss fairy delivered to my house??? My protein water! I will rate according to my tastes. In 4th place is the Orange Mango… I thought too intense orange taste. Maybe like the taste of baby aspirin or very strong tang.  Which I am not so fond of. But for you, you may love it. Probably those of us over 40 can not handle such intense flavor. To me, it was OK but not my favorite flavor of the protein water. In 3rd place is the Cranapple…the only reason it’s not my favorite is I am not an apple juice person. I do enjoy cranberry so for me it was tolerable. In 2nd place is the Pomegranate flavored Protein Water…I very much enjoyed the light fruitful flavor. Camille’s #1 pick is the Blue Raspberry… to me it is perfect! Light, yet flavorful, not too sweet and is very refreshing. My only problem is my 16 year old daughter DRANK all of my Blue Raspberry and Pomegranate Protein Water! UGH! I went to take a bottle with me to work and ALL GONE! Luckily, I found some at our local grocery store.

I have to apologize to all my friends reading this blog. Anyone who reads this blog is my friend! I promise to blog more often, summer is hectic with kids home and watching my friends’ children as well, plus my cleaning jobs. By the time I sat down I was spent. But now that school is back in session and The Biggest Loser Show will be on, I can get back into routine. When you are trying to lose weight routine is essential. I share that with you so I can share things I am doing to get back in the flow of losing weight.

One thing I do now is to always keep a 2-quart pitcher filled with my favorite Biggest Loser Protein Powder both the Red Raspberry and the Blue Blueberry. They only have 40 calories, great flavor and fiber to take the edge off when you are looking for something sweet to have. I put 6 scoops in a 2-quart pitcher and keep in the fridge, ready when I need it. Sometimes, I mix the two flavors for a different twist. Enjoy a cup before dinner and you will eat less, try it! I also

The Biggest Loser Protein Powder Vanilla Bean

LOVE the Biggest Loser Vanilla Bean Flavored Powder. I like to make a creamy shake when the ice cream man is trying to stop by! The chocolate is a great treat, as well, and makes a great meal supplement.  I enjoy adding the vanilla bean to cold coffee; add ice and you have a great low calorie, delicious, ice coffee! Some of those ice coffees can have 400 calories or more! Compared to 50 calories with the Biggest Loser Powders there is no comparison and they are YUMMY! Don’t forget to put a case of bottled water in your car (please recycle or refill) along with a bunch of 2GO packets, they really take the edge off when you are temped to stop by a drive thru, when you know you should not eat fast food.

You can enjoy any of Designer Whey’s Protein Powders. Whether you are trying to lose weight, maintain a healthy weight or building muscle, it’s all good! It works too! I lost 30 pounds in a year. Not a huge change like the Biggest Loser Show but progress; and we need to accept any progress as good! Make your kids a healthy shake after school instead of cookies and milk! I know my kids act a lot better after a Designer Whey Protein shake instead of climbing the walls after cookies. Calmer kids equal calmer parents; and that my friend is a happier home. How about starting their day with a shake at breakfast! They will think you flipped making them a shake for breakfast! But studies show good protein in the morning gets their brain ready for thinking. Kids who have a good breakfast do better in school!

Alright Friends,

I think about you and hope you are healthier today then you were the day before. Drink you whey every day!

Your friend,

Camille

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Trainer Becs reporting in on my training for the Tournament of Champions Figure Competition  coming up on Sept. 12th! I finally got up the nerve to send a photo of me what I looked like a few weeks ago. I’m really self concious and just haven’t sent a photo of myself but I thought it would be good to show what Designer Whey has done for me and how it has helped me to transform my body. I took it by myself so it’s kind of a funny pic…oh well. This photo is of me 5 weeks before contest time. I’ll be sending a 3 week photo and then a final one as well. Nothing has helped me more to train for this and I can’t believe it’s almost time for me to compete. I have used every Designer Whey product to help me through these past 12 weeks I have been training.

I use the powder in the jug, orange mango , with water.
Before my workout I will drink a whole Protein Water   or half of the Protein Blitz  . Then drink either or after my workouts and sometimes during. I love all the flavors and use them all.
  

When I’m craving something sweet I use the Desginer Whey Biggest Loser Protein To Go Packs  ( raspberry  and blueberry ) and mix it with one cup of soy milk. The milk helps me to fill up so I’m not hungry.

When I want to go out with friends to dinner or any kind of function I take my To Go Packs of the Orange Mango  and Pomegranate . I recently went to Hawaii and took a whole bunch of these with me and it helped me the entire week not to cheat!!! 
 
This amazing company has helped me these past 9 weeks with muscle building, hunger control and energy! Thank you Designer Whey ! I will have photos coming next week to show me at 3 weeks out!
 
Trainer Becs

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   I just finished the America’s Finest City Half Marathon  this past weekend. What a great race but will not reveal my time because I just did it for fun and not for time…sorry all you runners that would have liked to know.

   I want to comment that I did train for this race drinking my Designer Whey Protein Waters every single weekend for the past two months and not once did my protein let me down during my training nor my race!! I drank my protein about every 3 miles and WoW did it make me feel great since race day you have all that anxiousness/worry/stress and so on! This protein gave me my energy back especially since I had to get up at about 3am to eat a little something and head down to San Diego. I was so tired but my drink helped me through. I love this stuff and I can’t say it enough!
   After the race Designer Whey was there handing out drinks…yessssss….free drinks….I took a couple and drank it while I was searching for my car. This took longer than expected and I’m embarrassed to say that it took me about 45 minutes to find. Wow was that the longest 45 minutes ever and I needed to eat because I was drained and thank goodness I got those proteins because I instantly felt recovered and eyesight back to working. So my Designer Whey helped me to my car and recovered my body so I could drive home. I couldn’t have done it without it!

Trainer Becs

Posted in Real People, Trainer Becs | 1 Comment

 Make Over Your Drinks

I don’t eat much in the way of sweets — store-bought cookies are not at all tempting, and whenever we make a homemade dessert like cake or brownies, my husband and I tend to eat one serving and let the rest go stale. But drinks are my downfall. I just love Pepsi, extra-sweet iced tea, lemonade, hot cocoa, and sweet milky chai — not to mention sugar in my tea and coffee. Even healthy-seeming orange juice packs in a lot of calories.

And guess what else? I don’t like water. So replacing all the baddies with H2O isn’t going to cut it for me.

So what’s good (besides plain water?). Well, seltzer water, unsweetened teas and coffees (preferably black or with low-fat or non-fat milk), water or seltzer with a splash of juice or a slice of lemon or lime, and low-fat protein drinks all make the cut. (Protein drinks have calories, but they’re functional drinks: You need the calories to get you through a workout and the protein to boost your results. They also serve as meal- and snack-replacements, while most people drink Coke and other sweet beverages in addition to a full day’s worth of food calories.)

To make over my drink profile, I started by cutting the sugar out of my tea and coffee. It’s a small change that has big impact, since I tended to pile three teaspoons of sugar into each cup of coffee or tea. It took a few days, but now the sweet stuff tastes strange to me and the healthier options taste better!

I then replaced Pepsi at restaurants with unsweetened iced tea. I don’t love iced tea without sugar, but it still beats water. I save the soda for a rare treat, just as if it were dessert (and it kind of is dessert when you think about how much sugar is in there!).

Then there are the lemonade, chai, hot cocoa, and Thai iced tea (which has sugar and half-and-half). I don’t want to deprive myself of everything I love, so I try to keep it to one sweetened beverage per day. The rest of the time, I drink unsweetened tea, iced tea, and coffee.

Can these small changes really work? Here’s how it plays out. Say you used to have one can of Coke and three cups of coffee or tea with two teaspoons sugar each every day. There are 155 calories in a 12-ounce can of Coke. One teaspoon of sugar has 16 calories. One can of Coke and six teaspoons of sugar add up to 203 calories per day through beverages. That’s 74,095 calories in a year. It takes 3,500 calories to make a pound, so if you cut out those beverages and do nothing else, you’ll lose 21 pounds in a year. That’s no small potatoes (or should I say small Coke)!

Do you drink your calories? Have you done anything to move towards less caloriffic choices such as water or unsweetened beverages? I’d love to know. Please post in the Comments below!

Posted in Linda Formichelli | COMMENT ON THIS BLOG

   Being afraid comes natural and sometimes unexpected and unwanted. As a fitness professional I have come to the conclusion that we all get afraid no matter what your fitness level is. I’m in training right now for the Tournament of Champions Figure Competition  coming up September 12th and the Border State Classics Figure Competition  coming in Oct. I’ll go on stage and be judged and critized on my body and presentation…but that’s not what is bothering me at this point. It’s swallowing my pride and getting some help on my workouts. I know what I’m doing but I just need a little spotting and extra support.

    I’m wondering if everyone feels like this… afraid or even embarassed I must say. But I know even Lance Armstrong has a coach so why can’t I or why can’t anybody?

   I went through my very first personal training session and it was so hard for me not to control what I was going to be doing. I had to give it all to my trainer and just focus on building my muscles and connecting my mind and body into the workout. Much harder than I thought but nice to not have to think about it.  I must say though I worked really hard and have been hungry all day and I mean ALL DAY! I searched all day for that comfort food because I’ve had nerves going all day about this sessions and start drinking on my Designer Whey drinks. Talk about a new comfort food… who would have thought a protein drink to comfort me AND to fuel my body for tomorrows TWO A DAY workout? I know I can’t do it without my drinks and I just want to say that having all these emotions going through me today my protein has relieved some of my tension and anxiety. It’s strange how this protein has helped me in so many ways. It’s multifunctional!!!!!!!

Trainer Becs

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I always try to get six days in every week because it allows a full week’s workout cycle and one full day of full body muscle recovery. I typically like to schedule this workout cycle from Monday to Sat with Sun off or Sunday to Fri with Sat off. In theory both of these workout cycles sound great and both of these schedules on paper look solid but in reality they are both flawed because they rely on me making into the gym on Sat or Sun. On Friday when I’m leaving the gym I’m thinking to myself, “alright man tomorrow when you wake up, just throw back some protein water, hit the gym first thing and enjoy the rest of the day.” But when I wake up on Saturday I think to myself, “I’m already sweating tequila and I haven’t even started working out” or I think “man I just worked a 55 hour week; I can do my sixth day tomorrow on Sun and then start the six day cycle going form Sun to Fri.” And if I think the later I will wake up on Sunday and think to myself “Ah man I have a full week of work starting tomorrow I should either have a crazy wild extended weekend and suffer through Monday or I should sit on my butt and do nothing for a change and truly enjoy the day.” Both of these scenarios are killers of my 6 day cycles, which ultimately makes me disappointed and angry with myself. But they only become killers if I let them.

Now, I am fully aware that not everyone spends there weekends boozing and being counter productive like I find myself doing every so often, but I am also aware that both Saturday and Sunday are the weekend days, and no matter how you look at them, you don’t want to be doing work. You deserve that time off, truly you do, but you also know how mad you are going to be with yourself if you break your routine cycles for reasons that are trite and mundane. Lately I haven’t missed a cycle, but it’s not because I stopped getting Mexican food at 3 am on a Fri/Sat Night/Morning or that I started writing my congressmen on ways they could improve the country in my spare time. I am still that same unproductive wreck from 6 pm on Friday to 7 am on Monday morning, the only difference is that I actually stepped foot into the gym. I know this sounds like the dumbest thing ever but it is truly the only way for me to get into the gym on the weekends. I can sit there and come up with a million and two excuses as to why I shouldn’t work out on my days off, but if I set foot in the actual gym its like any other day. For example I was, for a lack of better words, hung over about five Saturdays ago, when I woke up. My head was pounding and my stomach was more than edgy and I told myself just go up to the gym and try to at least get half a work out in. The first two sets were like kicking bricks, they just plain hurt. But after that I felt a whole lot better. My body began to detoxify and my morale jumped up several levels. Not only did I complete my cycle and my workout but I had a great rest of the day because I didn’t feel like such a pile. The same thing happened to me last week, but I wasn’t hung over. Last Saturday morning I woke up, dead sober from not drinking the night before, and I just went to the gym before I could convince myself otherwise. Ever since that Saturday morning five weeks back I have yet to miss a cycle, because the first thing I do when I wake up is go straight to the gym and if once I am in the gym I don’t feel like I can do a whole work out, I don’t. And I am perfectly ok with that, because I physically didn’t have the strength not because I was just being a lazy oaf. So if you struggle with these weekend work outs, just don’t let time kill you, get up get into the gym and get on with your day…you will feel a lot better unless you really did drink too much the night before and in that case…well I’m sorry and you should seek counseling…j/k but seriously).

Posted in Lucas Hart | COMMENT ON THIS BLOG

Hello Friends,

 I hope you had a great week. I am kind of bummed. I weighed in and haven’t lost one stinkin’ pound in a month! I have been cleaning houses on the side to help make ends meet. I have been cleaning 3-6 hours a day! My weight did not budge. I feel I let my friends, Designer Whey, and myself down. I know it has to be because my eating plan gets all messed up. I can’t seem to get on track or stick to my schedule when I am working. In between houses I have been eating a handful of nuts and that may contribute to not losing weight…too many nuts! I need to pre mix my Designer Whey powders and carry a cooler with some fruit, maybe a sandwich and eat that instead of a handful of nuts all day long.

 I am reading a book called ‘Chris Johnson’s On Target Living Nutrition: The Power of Feeling Your Best’. It puts nutrition in very simple terms. Chris Johnson is a Michigan native and lives in the Lansing area. I just started reading. And as I do, I will share with my friends what I learn. One thing I get from flipping through the book is we don’t have to be perfect. To live an 80/20 mix of our healthy plan; that means 80% of the time stay on target the other 20% give our self some slack. I have never seen a book so simple. It lays it all out for you. They give you a list of “target foods” which consist of a variety of proteins, carbs and healthy fats. The list is starts out as the best foods, better foods, good foods, fair foods, and poor food choices;  basically take small steps to changing your health. The book suggests if you are starting a ground zero to do these 3 simple things. Drink 2-3 bottles of water a day, best if its spring water or mineral water (you can refill), walk for 10 minutes a day and to eat 1-2 proteins, 1-2 carbs and 1-2 healthy fats from the ‘best list’ from the list they give you in the book. Slow and steady wins the race! For me, simple is good. This book has me excited and recharged again.

 Did you watch the Biggest Loser this pass week? Were you shocked at the end result? I thought the black team would for sure lose with their binge episode. Jillian was right…they still do not get it…I don’t either. I have to admit I would have done the same thing if I was let loose on 24 hours of pampering. I know I would have because I’ve been to a buffet with my daughter on a field trip. I did well but the dessert table called me. I really had to restrain myself to one dessert and thankfully I was able; because if it had not been time to get back on the bus I would have had more helpings. I wish I had a mindful spirit to resist eating too much but I struggle and have to “talk” to myself and hold my self back. I do not have a natural desire to just say no.

 I will write again soon. Take care , Friends.

 Camille

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Happy March, Friends…it’s suppose to warm up this weekend here in Michigan…Bring it on! I hope this finds you healthier then the day before. I have been thinking about patterns and realized that everything is based on a pattern. I, like a lot of Americans have lived an unhealthy pattern. If you pay attention to Bob, one of the “Biggest Loser” trainers he said to be healthy the pattern is “Fuel -> Move -> Rest. For me it was always Move -> Rest -> Fuel -> Rest some more. So I had it wrong.

Our church is having a diet and nutrition course for the next few weeks. I am learning a lot and thought I would share with you all what I have learned in just one session.

To stop cravings – eat every 3 hours small meals that include protein.

Exercise: How much and how long – You only need 30 minutes a day of cardio. Cardio is simply raising your heart rate higher then your sitting heart rate. Here is something interesting… you do not need to do 30 minutes in a row. I never seem to fit in 30 minutes a day then felt bad but if you do 3 – 10 minute work outs or even if you start out doing 5 minutes – 6 times a day that works! You can jog in place, jump rope, dance, rebound or anything that will get your heart rate above your sitting rate even… sex… LOL. OK, now run home and tell your husband its exercise time!

You need 1 hour each week strength training – it does not take very many pounds for strength. 2 – 5 pound weights is great! Carry a weight in your car and do bicep curls driving…ummm… one arm at a time! You can use soup cans or water bottles. I say use water bottles that you refill then after you are done doing reps, drink the water!

You need flexibility every day – stretching, bend touch your toes when you get out of bed, stand up from your computer. Practice flexibility anytime. Just get some stretching in wherever you can. That’s it to stay fit.

It’s best to exercise …ANYTIME! Morning does revs up your metabolism and helps keep it going all day.

The figure below is how to figure out how many calories you need to lose 1 pound a week just by your food intake. **Add exercise and you lose more!

1. Add 655 to this calculation 4.35 X Weight in Pounds
2. Add your answer to this calculation 4.7 X Height in inches
3. Subtract your answer to this calculation 4.7 X age
4. Subtract 500 calories

This equals the number of calories you need to take in each day to lose 1 pound a week. Not doing anything but this formula you could lose 52 pounds a year!

My weight is 278, Height 69 inches and I am 41
655 + 1209.3 (4.35 X 278) + 324.3 (4.7 X 69) – 192.7 (4.7 X 41) – 500 = 1495.9 calories a day. (1500 is close enough!)

To figure out how much water you need to drink a day it’s your weight divided by 2. My weigh is 278, I should be drinking 139 oz of water a day… whoa sure will be pee’n a lot! That’s over a gallon a day! That is hard to see doing but I think I will make it a goal to drink a gallon of water a day… Or lose weight so I don’t have to drink that much!

I hope this helps you with your weight loss journey. Start with figuring out your resting heart rate add a little more movement every day and before you know it you will have worked yourself up to 30 minutes of cardio a day. I will close for now…

Until next time… Camille from Michigan

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