My Upbeat #ProteinChallenge

You may have seen my competition here to win some delicious Upbeat drinks as well as Upbeat Goodies. I mentioned that I have been trying Upbeat and also eating a protein diet during the last week. I was sent some yummy food and a recipe book to help me create some protein filled dishes. The booklet also had lots of information about protein which was great to read as I didn't really have a clue on how much protein  I should be having each day. Your protein intake should be 1g for every kg of body weight but this will depend on how active you are.  It was interesting to read how much protein was in certain foods for example half a tin of tuna had 16g and Upbeat has 20g per 250ml bottle. When my delivery arrived I was really excited to get going on the challenge and planned out my meals for the next seven days.

I received lots of goodies including chicken fillets, fresh salmon, salmon steaks, turkey mince, eggs, feta cheese, bananas, cherry tomatoes, porridge oats and blueberries.

My porridge with mashed banana.
I have never been a fan of porridge really but I thought I would give it a go for the 7 days as I like to make sure I have breakfast. It was actually really tasty and I topped it with blueberries or mashed up banana.

Iceberg lettuce, cherry tomatoes with feta cheese
Before I started this challenge I had been eating lots of chicken and salad for my lunch so I tried to stick to a salad during the week but alternated between chicken, feta cheese and egg. I used fresh iceberg lettuce, cherry tomatoes, sweetcorn, grated carrot, peppers and a light dressing.

Strawberry Upbeat
My mid afternoon snack was an Upbeat drink. I love the mango and passionfruit and also Strawberry and so does big J so I had to buy more during the week. Upbeat drinks are high in protein and just 149kcals. They have half the sugar content of most fruit smoothies and low in fat. I actually found these quite filling and like I have mentioned before I am not a fan of smoothies or yoghurt drinks but these are actually quite tasty. Dinner time was easy as everything that was sent I was able to make in to a delicious main meal. I am not the best cook but I did the job and everything was yummy.  My favourite of the week was tasty chicken noodles and was very easy to make. Ingredients 2 tsp cornflour 2 tbsp fish or soy sauce 1 tbsp sugar 2 blocks of medium egg noodles 1 tbsp sunflower oil 1 large red pepper, chopped 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 4 spring onions, sliced 200g chicken 1 tsp ground coriander 1/2 tsp chilli powder 100g frozen peas 1/2 20g pack of basil or coriander, leaves roughly shredded Mix the cornflour with the sauce and sugar, then gradually add 8tbsp of water until smooth. Cook the noodles in a pan of boiling water for 4 mins. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok, then stir fry the pepper, garlic and spring onions for about 3 mins. tip in the chicken, spices and peas, stir fry for a couple of seconds more then pour in the sauce and flour mix. Stir until thickened, toss in the drained noodles and top with basil or coriander. Serves 2 and is approx 604kcal per serving. So after doing this for a week how do I feel? 
Well I have been less tired than usual. I am normally falling asleep during celebrity big brother but I managed to stay awake until the end of the evening show.  I do feel less bloated. I have been drinking plenty of water during the week and I think this has really helped shift that bloated feeling. I honestly did not feel like snacking at all. I was quite happy to enjoy my Upbeat drink mid afternoon. I didn't reach for the biscuit tin in the evening because my dinner really filled me up. Plus drinking the water really helps with my cravings.  I got weighed on Friday exactly 1 week after my last weigh in and my weight was exactly the same. I am a little disappointed as I felt that I had ate healthier and combined with little bits of exercise I thought I might of shed a pound or two but I didn't.  I have really enjoyed the #proteinchallenge and it has definitely made me consider my protein intake since I finished the 7 day challenge. The felt great, had more energy and i'm glad I did it.

*to help me take part in the #proteinchallenge I was sent a selection of groceries and Upbeat drinks. All thoughts, opinions and photos above are my own*