I haven't tried Whey protein, though I imagine it would produce a tasty result just the same.

 

As far as my position on the Whey v. Soy debate, I used to be against soy, but I started doing more research on the subject, and through what I've found and my own experiences with soy, I believe it's the most cost-effective protein available. I've consumed at least 16g of soy protein on a daily basis for the last six months or so, and it's only seemed to effect my strength for the better. (In fact I've quite recently broke several personal records, including pull ups and fingertip handstand push-ups.)

 

Anyway, a good article on the subject (slanted to my viewpoint of course) can be found at: http://www.timinvermont.com/fitness/soyvswhy.htm

The whole topic is still up for debate, but I would say soy is not worth going out of your way to avoid.

Well, I missed if there's an edit feature. Sorry :/

 

Anyway, the approximated nutrition facts for each bar are:

173        Calories

1.25mg   Cholesterol

1g           Fat

453 mg   Sodium

15g        Carbohydrates

28g        Protein

1.5g       Fiber

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Aside from sodium content (which the bulk protein powder drives significantly up) the bars are relatively healthy. I made some more today, this time using soy milk (out of cow milk) and vanilla pudding instead of chocolate pudding. The vanilla is definately the better choice of the two.

Anyway, does anyone else have homemade protein bar recipes to share?

Just figured I would share this recipe. I've slightly altered it to my needs (it was originally made with whey protein, but I use bulk unflavored soy protein for cost effectiveness).

2 1/3 cups Soy Protein
3 Cups Generic unflavored Oatmeal
1 Package Sugar Free Fat Free Pudding
2 Cups Skim Milk

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Mix it all in a large bowl, it mixes easiest when you knead it with your hands. Then press the mixture into a 8"x8" pan.

At this point, I froze mine to remove the excess humidity. If you do this, it takes at least a good 10 minutes to eat a single bar. I would consider freezing optional, though you'll probably want to let them set in the fridge for awhile.

 

After the recipe has had time to set, cut the bars into eights and eat at your leisure. If I remember, I may edit this later with estimated nutrition facts per bar.

I would argue that there's nothing wrong with the occasional fast. In fact, there are entire books and websites based on Intermittent Fasting. I would definitely recommend looking into the idea some more if you're interested in weight loss.

It's unconventional and requires a lot of discipline, but also requires less preparation than the typical six-small-meals eating plan most people use when trying to improve their physiques.

Also, since a single pound of fat contains 3500 calories, if you have a BMR (basal metabolic rate) of 2400 calories, a pattern of alternate day fasting (24 hours eating normally, 24 hours fasting) results in a caloric deficit of between 7200 – 9600 calories weekly. This comes to an average loss of 2.4 pounds per week; roughly 1% bodyfat in the average individual. Of course, everyone's BMR is different, and you have to make your own calculations and control your diet on eating days to achieve these sorts of results. But with some diligence and discipline, I believe it's a healthy way to lose weight.

 

As an added bonus, intermittent fasting costs less than frequent feeding, and has been shown to spare lean body mass and raise HGH levels; useful for losing more fat and gaining more muscle.

 

Obviously, you should do plenty of self-research before you jump into any new eating plan, but intermittent fasting is certainly worth considering at least. :)

Another one of the oldschool ways to train grip is to grab the two largest plates you can and hold them by squeezing them together from the top. Then if you desire, you can raise your hand out to shoulder length and strengthen your entire arm. Dumbbells work too, though the weight you can use may be limited by the size of your hands.