If your holidays were anything like mine, you had a great time. You went to a lot of parties with friends. You had good dinners with family. You traveled a little and splurged a lot. By the end of it, you felt like you ate and drank your way through the past month and a half - which you kind of did.
The average American gains 3 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year's. But being the overachiever that I am, I shot past this benchmark and gained 4 pounds instead. I know this is not the end of the world. But since I'm training for a major tournament, I'm more than ready to get back into fighting shape.
My main weakness is that I work out late and thus tend to be a late night snacker. So for the next few months, I'm going to give up this snacking in favor of a low calorie, high protein drink.
I tweaked a recipe that I found online and developed this caloric poor man's version of a frappuccino. For under 100 calories, you get a high protein, low carb beverage that is 67% as delicious as an actual frappuccino.
Added bonus: recent studies have found that taking a protein shake before sleep increases overnight muscle protein synthesis by 22 percent.
So out with the old (delicious, carb-laden, late night treats) and in with the new (if you close your eyes and pretend you have a cold, it's almost like you're really drinking something from Starbucks).
Here's my recipe for a mocha-protein smoothie
Combine the following in a blender:
1/2 scoop protein powder
1 tbsp splenda
1 tbsp sugar-free chocolate pudding mix
1 tbsp sugar- free vanilla creamer (or sugar-free creamer of your choice)
1 vial of instant coffee (I use decaf, since it's in the evening)
8 oz water
3-4 ice cubes
Voila! You kinda, sorta have a frappuccino. In all honesty, it tastes pretty good but the texture is chalkier than what you would expect from an actual junk food. Overall, it's not bad. Tastier than health foods, but wouldn't pass for a real Starbucks treat.
Try it, if you'd like. Happy New Year, everyone!
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