I'm happy with body fat percentage 6 weeks out from show. I started cutting about 5 weeks ago and lost 5kg by dropping my calories, adjusting my macro-nutrient levels as well as performing some cardio. I'll be looking for the the same rate of fat loss by tweaking these numbers to get my body fat percentage much lower and get extremely peeled for the competition.


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Someone was asking recently if anyone has gained any benefits from taking protein powder as they never seemed to achieve any extra results from it. Here's my response.....

 "If you train a muscle group, it'll take up to 72 hours to recover. To aid this recovery your body needs a regular dose of protein (20/30g) to stimulate protein synthesis, otherwise those muscles won't recover as well. The source of protein doesn't matter as long as it contains all the essential amino acids. Meat, oily fish, eggs and protein shakes are all just simply sources of protein. Protein shakes aren't magic but the real benefits is that it's an easy available source of complete protein, easily absorbed (whey), it takes no preparation and may contain other added ingredients that you may benefit from e.g. BCAA, creatine, additional carbs to bulk up etc etc."

For the last few years I haven't supplemented my diet with any protein powders and made great gains but as I've got bigger recently and needed to up my protein intake, the powder has become a useful addition to my diet. 

Do you agree/disagree? Have you found an quick/easy alternative to protein powder?

Here's a link a previous blog as to why protein aids weight loss: http://www.samwattfitness.com/1/post/2013/09/why-a-high-protein-diet-is-beneficial-for-fat-loss.html

Do you want to lose weight more easily, feel less tired and bloated and have more energy? Try reducing the level of toxins in your body. 

Toxins are stored in your fats cells, so when you lose weight the toxins seep into your system from these cells. This is why you can feel tired and lethargic especially on low fat diets. To compensate - your body tries to hold onto these fat cells to store these toxins...and the cycle continues. To break this cycle and help you lose weight more efficiently, try to limit consumption from the list below:

• Sugar
• Processed foods (including diet varieties) 
  
• Fizzy drinks (including diet varieties) 
• Artificial sweeteners
• Alcohol
  
• Excess caffeine 
  

I'm not saying to avoid this list completely, just to limit the amount you consume to ensure you feel better and aid your weight loss goals. Sam

Most people forget how good a meat turkey is - it's high in protein and low in all the bad stuff. My lunch today contains a total of 400 calories, 32 grams of high quality protein and  plenty good fats from the avocado and seeds. The breakdown is as follows:-

• Basmati brown rice with sunflower seeds 
  
• Roasted turkey breast (not reformed)
• 1/2 avocado 
• Cranberry sauce (well - no ones perfect!)
• ...and a green juice blend to top if off