Confession: I love pumpkin spice ANYTHING! It’s delicious and I don’t care who knows. Last Fall, I needed a different strategy. After a summer of indulgence, including a trip to Italy, I needed to focus on losing a few pounds. I had a high altitude trip to prepare for. To set myself up for success I dropped the Italy weight and a little more on top of that. I had to find healthier ways to get my pumpkin spice fix! To accelerate my results in a healthy way, I started the regime of our Fall PROGRAM a couple weeks early: no booze, no added sugar, 3 days per week strength training, and a 60 minute ruck the other days of the week. These changes are already worked like a charm. The problem is all the delicious fall stuff. This is hardly a unique situation: during summer things get a little out of control, the start of fall is a good time to get back on track, but fall stuff is delicious and often less than helpful for weight loss goals. Most of the new personal training clients I talk to this time of year are in the same boat. Enter, the pumpkin spice protein shake! -1 Scoop of On Target Nutrition Vanilla Protein (order some HERE and use promo code PROTEIN10 for 10% off all month!) -3 good shakes of McCormick pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice) -3 spoonfuls of canned pumpkin (make sure nothing else is added and that its just pumpkin) -Milk or water to preferred consistency It’s delicious, it’s nutritious, it keeps me on track for my goals, and it HITS THE SPOT! What more could you ask for? To help you incorporate some healthy pumpkin spice into your life, we made our whey protein the supplement of the month. Use promo code PROTEIN10 for 10% off your order on our online store. For a quick review about why protein is important for weight loss, you can check out Part IV of the Fundamentals of Fat Loss. Short answer, if you try to lose weight without getting enough protein, you’ll have cravings you can’t fight. Once you have a baseline of decent protein consumption from whole foods, I do recommend a protein supplement because: Convenience. When my personal training clients bring their protein shake to the gym, we have a little fridge for them. That means it is right there as soon as they are done with their session. In theory if they went straight home and cooked a high protein meal, they wouldn’t need a shake. In practice, it’s better to have something ready to go. No phone calls, kid emergencies, or other distractions can disrupt the post workout nutrition. Easily digested. When your protein is in liquid form, and is cold pressed through micro filtration, it makes it very easy for your body to digest and put that protein to work. More protein, fewer calories. A high quality protein supplement is a great way to have a big impact on your protein intake without also having a big impact on your calorie intake. Healthy treat. There is no rule saying your protein shake can’t be delicious. Enjoy it, savor it, and don’t worry about a sugar crash, food hangover, or guilt. You’re good to go! When you are ready to chat with a personal trainer about your goals, fill out the form on the top or bottom of this page and I will take care of the rest : ) Serving Portsmouth, Kittery, and the broader Seacoast community, we help people finally get in shape, feel confident, and have all day energy, even if getting everything done is a constant struggle.
