NEDA

This week is National Eating Disorder Awareness (NEDA) week. Since this is a more personal blog, I don't want to spend the time going over all the facts and figures. If you would like to know more about these, please visit:

NEDA Banner

                                                                      http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/


My relationship with food hasn't been "normal" since I was 14, and even before then, it probably wasn't healthy or "normal" at all. Part of my motivation in starting this blog was to write about fitness, lifting, running, and food, but from my perspective: that of a person overcoming an eating disorder (ED). In general, and mainly from my own experiences, EDs aren't very talked-about topics. They are usually whispered, sized up in stares, and rarely ever owned up to without a lot of denial first.

I've spent a good amount of time trying to figure out why people are so quiet about them and I've come to a few conclusions that are based on personal observations only with my own and other people's issues with eating.

The first reason I think they aren't talked about a lot is because people are ashamed. Ashamed to have one, to admit that it is a struggle, a daily battle, a disease you always feel like you're losing to. But mostly I think the shame lies in the fact that unlike people who battle other diseases like cancer, diabetes, HIV, etc...people with severe eating disorders really don't want it taken away from them. Don't get me wrong, they wouldn't want to be unhealthy, they don't want to be controlled by something, but in the throes of an ED, its hard to realize they are the ones being controlled and hurt. Eating disorders are, for many, a way to cope with stress, with confusion, with pain, with lack of control...with many of the various anxiety-provoking aspects of life. We learn to depend on our EDs. It becomes a tool to use. And as much as we realize it can be bad, we are scared of losing that. It's shameful to admit this to the people we love -- that as much as they want to help us,  a part of us doesn't want them to.

What you see is different from what I see.

         
                                                                                    ~
The second reason is that many people are in denial about it or what it can do. They don't want to realize this is what is causing them so much pain. I recently realized this myself, only after I had begun to 'recover' (if that's the word for it).

After months of starving yourself, your body simply starts to shut down. Mine did. I had headaches all the time, I couldn't stand up without almost passing out from dizziness, I was exhausted, often nauseous,  I cried at just about everything (happy or sad), my heartbeat was sometimes irregular  and I couldn't focus for more than 10 minutes at a time. The last reason is actually why I started seeing a counselor in the first place. I was convinced that I would not be able to get a Ph. D  if I couldn't learn to focus. I had tried caffeine, exercise (not a good idea when combined with an ED!), sleeping more (I slept a good 7-9 hours) and nothing worked. I just couldn't focus. So one day, my amazingly supportive boyfriend told me that he thought getting some outside help would be a good idea. He didn't say it accusingly, just lovingly -- because he knew that he wasn't trained to handle it, and even though he helps (more than he knows) -- he knew it would still be a good idea to have someone else to talk to. So I have. And to say it's helped would be the greatest of understatements.

 I've realized that I have been searching for something else to blame for feeling lousy. I tried to get blood tests to see if I were allergic to certain foods, I had my thyroid checked, I saw someone for depression and anxiety...I looked everywhere I could possibly look instead of blaming the ED. Because, simply, I didn't want that to be the reason. I didn't want to have to face the choice between giving it up and feeling like I could function.

Which would you rather? Have enough energy and focus to make it through another day (especially grad-student type days), a day where you don't break down crying, a day where you don't have to pop Aleve for your constant headache, or lay down because you're just so exhausted...or would you rather give up your perceived control over your own starvation. This is why it's categorized as a psychological disorder. Because, for us, the obvious choice isn't  the latter.


                                                                                         ~
The third reason I believe that these topics are hard to talk about is because we know that we literally see our bodies and minds differently than you do. It has been show in studies that people with eating disorders cannot judge their own size in any context. There are many EDs in which the person believes that they are much bigger than they actually are (anorexia, bulimia, EDNOS to name a few), but there are also some in which the person thinks that they are much much smaller than they actually are (muscle dysmorphia aka "reverse anorexia" which is a form of body dismorphic disorder). Either way, we know we see ourselves and our disordered eating differently than someone else, and above all we know that there are many many other factors that contribute to it -- not just our size. Many times the size or weight is a by-product of trying to gain control or composure using food and exercise. This is hard to explain to someone.

So what is there to do?

If you are close to someone with an ED or with someone who had one in the past, be patient and be understanding. Being understanding and actually understanding are different things. You don't have to understand the mind in order to help the being. Ask questions. Tell them you know its hard to talk about, but it's nothing to be ashamed of.

If you have an ED or have in the past and recovered, and if you feel comfortable, talk about it. Raising awareness of something is helpful to those still struggling and still hiding. It may be uncomfortable at first, but it is definitely liberating.

But above all, reserve judgement. Everyone has issues that they struggle with, diseases and sicknesses that they are trying to overcome, pain in some form one way or another. Understand this. Then set about to try to lessen both other peoples' pain and your own.

Baby steps

After pulling/tearing/straining my lower back muscle 10 days ago, I finally got back to the place that I love. The weight room...

Duke's weight room (Wilson)

Needless to say, today wasn't quite as glorious as I had imagined. Thankfully, it was arm day, so there would be little to no stress on my lower back (hopefully). I had to cut EZ bar curls and pull-ups out of the line-up, but that still left plenty of exercises.

I didn't feel as strong as I had previously, and the simple act of moving around and picking up weights and putting them down didn't flow like it usually did.

Speaking of picking things up and putting them down, I am reminded of one of my other favourite Planet Fitness commercials (besides the Bunny Ears one for which this blog is named).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOSeOieLh7s



That said, I ended up doing ok. My back didn't hurt at the end of the workout which was a plus, but then again, I had spent almost half my workout doing cardio on the elliptical. I'm not particularly in love with cardio of any sort, except running trails with my pup. That I love. I do not love staying in the same spot for 30 minutes while people are next to me doing the same things. I can't wait for it to get nice out!

One thing I did learn today was that I love incline curls. I had to drop some weight because I can't curl what I usually curl standing up on an incline bench. Reason for trying these type of curls was that I didn't want to do too many standing exercises where I might put tension or strain on my lower back. So I tried curls sitting down. On an incline. And boy did that burn.

Even though it's small progress, lifting today felt encouraging and like I am going in the right direction. Leg day tomorrow is gonna be a bit trickier though...

Chicken or egg (white)

Due to my lower back muscle sprain/strain/tear/thing, I have been careful to watch my diet over the past week. I typically burn 400-600 calories per training session and this either requires or allows (depending on how you view it!) me to eat more as well as to eat more protein to support muscle growth. This got me to thinking about training and food and how I used to view the relationship and how I view that same relationship now.

Which comes first?

How I used to view food and exercise:

IF I do more exercise, THEN I get to have more food. I used exercise as a motivation, saying that I got to eat more that day if I exercised. Now this is typically true. If you burn off a couple hundred calories running a few miles, maybe you get to enjoy an extra piece of pizza.

This way of viewing food however -- as a "reward" of sorts, turned dangerous when I started restricting further and further. I started seeing exercise as a means to burn extra calories that would just go into "weight loss" if I didn't eat and use them up.

I remember at one point in college I actually tried to burn off more calories than I ate in a given day. So I would say, eat 600 calories (NOT RECOMMENDED) and then burn off at least that many during an hour to hour and a half at the gym. Not only is this method incredibly dangerous, but after a while it just doesn't work mathematically. I saw myself slowly shutting my metabolism off. My body simply was conserving every calorie possible and I was fighting a losing battle.

My relationship with food turned from a "good" reward for exercise, to a "bad", "indulgent", "guilty" type of reward during the throes of my ED.

Needless to say, this mentality is dangerous for me to have when I'm restricting, but even at the beginning I didn't find it motivating. Sure, it's fun being able to eat more pizza if you go for a run, but if that's the only reason to run, or the only reward you get out of it...it's not very sustainable in my opinion.

How I view food and exercise now:

IF I eat more food, I GET to workout harder. I have slightly modified my stance on food and exercise, and now I see better, more fulfilling workouts as the result of eating more and better foods. I have a lot more energy and have been seeing much better gains in strength now that I've added more calories and more nutritious and balanced foods to my diet.

Honestly, I kinda always hate when I read blogs or articles that use those vague phrases "balanced diet", "nutritious, wholesome foods", so let me elaborate a bit more on what I mean by those to be very clear.  I eat more lean protein (chicken, tuna, turkey). I incorporate macro-timing: whole grain carbs + protein pre-workout (like oatmeal) and a balance of protein and carbs (no focus on whole grains) post-workout with more focus on the protein. I eat more veggies...(still not a big fruit fan). I have protein bars, greek yogurt and cottage cheese as snacks. But I still eat chips (the-natural-only-potatoes-and-sunflower-oil-type) and I am trying hard to bake more protein filled "healthier" sweets as alternatives. I still have frozen dinners sometimes, and did I mention I like chips? And ice cream? Balance isn't always about eating all "healthy" foods you see approved on some Pintrest list. Balance includes balancing which type of ice cream you buy that week as well as how many fruits and veggies you get.

...but I've digressed. Now that I view food as fuel, as something I need in order to perform better, I'm a lot happier working out. I've found I love running and lifting and not just general fitness workouts where I try to follow preset magazine workouts for the elliptical, bike, stairmaster or whatever. I do whatever cardio I feel like on any given day (usually running) and then I hit the weights as hard as my body will allow. And the more I eat (within reason), the better it feels.

I don't run an extra mile for pizza anymore, but I do make sure to get something delicious for breakfast so I can do a pull-up, or so I can attempt a 1.75 BW squat. And honestly, I kinda prefer it this way :-).

Searching for HPCCC* (Part 4)

where HPCCC stands for high-protein chocolate chip cookie and * denotes "the best".

Ok. This is Try # 4 for high protein chocolate chip cookies. The links to the others can be found here:

Try 1
Try 2
Try 3


So I worked off of a recipe for this one, but changed some things, so I'm temped to call it at least partially my own. The recipe was from The Dashing Dish and can be found here:

http://dashingdish.com/recipe/peanut-butter-protein-cookies/

The recipe was for high protein peanut butter cookies. I put all the ingredients listed (with oat flour like they suggest for softer cookies, and no chocolate chips) and found that the macros did not match up to the website's ones. I'm pretty sure with only 1/4 c of protein powder (~20-24 g) spread over 24 servings (0.8-1 g/serving) plus protein from eggs (1 whole egg = 7 g and 1 egg white = 6 g ==> ~ 0.5-0.6/serving) plus 1 c PB ( ~ 56 g ~  2.3 g/serving) + oat flour (12 g total = 0.5 g/serving) that at most it comes to at most 4.5 g/serving. Either way, I feel like a geek for checking the numbers and since my cookies are so different it doesn't really matter.

That said, here's the recipe (based on the one given in the website and modified).

Servings: 22 "good-sized" cookies 

Dry Ingredients:

0.75 - 0.9 c of Arrowhead Mills Organic Oat Flour
1/2 c ON 100% Gold Standard Whey Vanilla Ice Cream Protein Powder
~ 1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 c Truvia Baking Blend
1/2 c PB2 (love this stuff!)
2 Tbsp Organic Cacao Chips
Few turns of Sea Salt grinder

Wet Ingredients:

1 Egg + 3 Tbsp Liquid Egg Whites
1/2 c  Whole Foods Fresh Grind Honey Roasted PB
1/2-ish jar (1 jar = 4 oz) Babyfood Applesauce
1/4 c Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

Delicious peanut buttery batter!

Directions:
1). Preheat over to 350 F.
2). Mix dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls. Like Dashing Dish suggests, melting the PB for 30-45 seconds to soften makes it easier to mix. Then mix wet & dry ingredients together.
3). Put foil on several baking sheets and spray with Pam. They won't entirely stick without the Pam (I tried one without...but it makes them much easier to take off)
4). Cook for 8 minutes (or until done) in *middle* rack.

Macros:
75-80 Cal (depending on adding chocolate chips)
9 g Carbs
3 g Fat
5 g Protein
3 g Sugar
1 g Fiber

Pretty good :-). Comparable to Trio-Plex Cookies (macro wise)!

Delicious cookie...I eat you!

Pros: 

• So Peanut Butter-y!
• Soft
• Made the house smell amazing
• Cooked really well (a.k.a. didn't stick, didn't burn)
• Taste. I wasn't expecting to like these because of their consistency (see below)...but I actually loved them!
• My roommate said they "looked normal" as she is quite amused by my baking experiments with protein powder :-)
• Ryan approved (due to love of PB)

Cons:

• As with all protein cookies I've tried, these are a bit bread-y...I'm starting to think this is just what protein powder (or at least Whey) does to things.

Frustration.

I enjoy laying down in bed at the end of a long day, or curling up for a nice post-workout Sunday afternoon nap, but being in injured and laying down for most of the day is driving me crazy.

Brief Recap:

On Thursday after two hard training weeks and a lot of DOMS, my back finally gave out. I couldn't even DL 135 (as opposed to a recent PR of 175). On top of that I couldn't pick up dumbbells from a bench to try upper back work. Walking back to work from the gym hurt, and if I thought that was bad, waking up the next morning was even worse.

I thought taking Thursday,  Friday and Saturday off from activity would be enough rest that I could do a light arm workout on Sunday without straining my back too much, but it became very clear on Saturday afternoon when I got very very sore 20 minutes into Target shopping (after a whole morning of laying on a heating pad, taking Alieve, and resting) that I was actually quite injured.

The pain in my lower back was very low in my lower back, and oscillated between twinges of pain, pressure pain and that "pushing on a bruise" type of pain. It was basically constant, and would only decrease when I was laying down or standing (briefly) in a very hot shower. Simply walking hurt, and as such, after shopping, I spend the rest of the day laying in bed. Frustrated. Angry. And trying to figure out what I did and how to fix it.

My injured life: part a

Today:

Today I feel a bit better. I could stand/walk around in the morning, but I'm not pushing myself. I realize I will probably need a few more days to feel better, to rest and try not to strain the muscles. I'm pretty sure at this point that I pulled/tore one of the muscles in my lower lower back.

However frustrating, something Ryan mentioned today helped a lot. He said that often times (not always) in order to really grow once you've been lifting for a while, its beneficial to do work close to or at your maximum. But in doing this, the chance of getting injured, no matter how small the injury, is almost inevitable. He told me that when he used to do higher rep, lower percentage of max work, he almost never got injured, but he also never saw the gains he does now that he does more lower rep, high 1RM %. This made sense to me. I asked my body to DL at its max two weeks in a row, along with a hard back workout and max squats the following two Sundays. This was simply too much. I probably should have chosen to try to max say the DL the first week and the squats the second week while lightening the other, as they both do some muscle damage to the lower back.

My injured life: part b

It kinda makes sense that I'm now sitting here on a heating pad watching episodes of The Biggest Loser  in bed and being frustrated. If I were to learn from this experience, which I hope and think I will, it will be to be a bit better at planning. Sometimes my mind gets so excited to try to max and I get so pumped up that I start to not listen to my body as much. Maybe I was getting the warning signs, but not really hearing them.

Note to self: Listen to body more. And if head becomes too loud and chanty, tune it out.

This is, of course, easier said than done...but it's worth trying.

Frustrating V-day

Although spoiled by a perfect boyfriend, my Valentine's day started off on the wrong foot so-to-speak when I tried to do a back workout in the gym. First I'll give a bit of background as to why I was doing the workout I was doing, then go into the frustrating thing that happened, then detail how I plan to fix it and avoid it in the future.

Background:

As we all know, I love the deadlift. I love the motion and the strength I feel just simply picking a weight up off the ground. Even now when I pick up lighter dumbbells from the floor, I try to do it with proper deadlift form.

That said, for the past two weeks I've hit big PRs for me. Two weeks ago I did 170 x 1 twice, and the week after I did 175 x 1 twice. I was super excited as you can imagine. If you remember one of my New Year's Resolutions was to hit 175 and then 200 in both the squat and DL this year. So, I was a bit giddy when in the first two weeks in Feb I hit my first milestone on both. 

On top of this, the first week I hit PRs on the DL I also did some major hyperextensions which are a typical part of my back routine.

Needless to say, later that day I was sore. The day after was even worse as was the day after that. I'm used to some DOMS, but the type I get in my lower back after DLing is pretty bad. But it had decreased by the following Monday and Tuesday, so come that Thursday -- again I decide to try to go for a PR. I make it....but at a little bit of a cost. I get towards the part of the workout when I do hypers and realize I really can't. My back is just too sore. So I skip that part, and promise myself a lot of rest.

Ouch.

That night I was on the heating pad...as well as the next night. I thought to myself. "Ok, maybe trying to hit 1RM two weeks in a row and complete hard workouts after that isn't the best idea." I tell myself that I should take a deload day on back day the following Thursday.

Yesterday:

I arrive at the gym yesterday morning, back pain pretty much gone, but a good lesson learned that I should not push it too hard. I would be "taking it easy" today. I decided after pull-ups my deadlifts would be around 135 or so and maybe 4 sets of 6 for good form and for explosiveness. 

I finish my pull-ups and get the weights on the bar. 135. Easy. I pull this for warm-ups on hard days. I get in a good position, take a couple deep breaths, push my legs in and pull....

...nothing. No movement. But a nice twinge in my back out of protest for trying. So, like the stubborn idiot I am sometimes, I rest for a minute or two, get a drink and try again. This time I manage to get the bar off the ground barely. But it feels like 200 lbs and my back is now being not so subtle. 

I practically drop it, angry. I strip the bar and decide to focus just on upper back work. I get through my inverted rows and move onto one-arm dumbbell rows, just to realize I pretty much can't pick up a 35 lbs weight off the the bench I put it on.

At this point I'm angry and my body and at myself. Ryan tells me he thinks I shouldn't do anything else in the weight room that day and so I banish myself to the elliptical (which due to its motion and the fact that I can keep my whole upper body still, hurts less than walking at this point).

The rest of the day my back is in intense pain. I take Alieve, lay on the heating pad and get a very gentle massage, but despite all of this, I know I won't be training back very soon.

Today:

On my mind now: what is the best way to heal? And why did this happen in the first place? 

The second question is easier for me than the first. The answer is that, even though I try to listen to my body more, I tend to ignore pain. There is a fine line for me as to whether the pain is the productive kind or the harmful kind and I can't easily tell the difference. I've been listening to my body more in terms of food, nutrients and exhaustion, but I still have a big problem when it comes to pain.

What's the best way to heal? Honestly, I don't know. I hear all sorts of things including, rest, stretching, foam rolling, massage, heat, ice, anti-inflammatory meds,etc... 

One thing that hard is that I didn't even really know what I did. I felt fine going in, I started to do an easy workout and it simply failed. This is the most frustrating thing to me.

Deadlift update.

Recently my awesomely strong sister posted a 183 DL. Ladies and gents, she's been doing this for less than a month or two. Definitely my inspiration. Well, inspiration helps because I pulled 175 x 1 twice today! Thanks Sar!

What a sexy bar!

I think I will forever be in love with the warrior's art.

:-)

Macro Breakdown (Me)

In one of our many fitness and food related discussions, Ryan and I thought, pondered, argued, and debated over a few topics involving macronutrient breakdown and nutrient timing. That said I'd like to write a duel post -- one involving my thoughts and one involving his (or maybe he'll write it!). First, one is on macro breakdown.

Please keep in mind, although some of our goals are the same such as building muscle and staying lean, we've come at it from very different places mentally and physically. While I was frequently yo-yo dieting and more than half of the time, overweight, he was always a "skinny kid" trying desperately to put on mass and muscle. I have gone through the dangerous route of anorexia while he has experimented with bulking and cutting in a much more healthy way. This means, of couse, our interpretations will be slightly different and our focus on different things.

This is mine.


Macro Breakdown:

I've read a lot about different types of macronutrient breakdown in terms of diets. Most everyone is familiar with "high-protein low-carb" Atkins type diets as well as the popular "low-fat" type of diets etc. I read a great book once on training for women called "The New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women" by Lou Shculer, Cassandra Forsythe and Alwyn Cosgrove. If you haven't already read it, I highly suggest it. The authors also write a version for men (the original version I believe) called "The New Rules of Lifting". In the book it argued for a 40/30/30 split carbs/prot/fat.

In my experimentation with macro breakdowns, I have found this one works the best for me. I keep myself within a range though, and tend to be on the higher end for protein and the lower end for fat (up to 40/35/25 :: c/p/f). I have nothing against fat, nor am I scared of it, I just find that I don't eat a lot of it naturally.

Bodybuilding.com's Muscle Macro Breakdown.

I watch my macros about as closely as I watch my calories, if not more so. I always shoot for between 110-150 g of protein/day = 1-1.4g/lb of BW. I aim for the higher end on lifting days (especially on back and leg days) and am fine with the lower end on non-lifting days. I get between 125-175 g of carbs/day, although a good 30-ish g of this is from dietary fiber.

In talking to my nutritionist, she told me I should be trying to up the carbs especially pre and post workout, so I have been trying to incorporate this in on workout days. This fits more under the nutrient timing post though, which I (we) will do later.

I have definitely seen a marked increase in how I feel during the day as well as how my lifts are going. The higher protein diets seems to suit my tastes well as well as help me build muscle.

I use an online tool called MyFitnessPal to track my calories and macros. I have been doing this for about 13 months and it's helped tremendously. I measure and weigh most of my food so I know exactly how much I'm getting. This is just my personal preference though, while others like Ryan, tend to log for a week here or there to get a good ballpark on what their typical days look like. I believe that either method works, it's just finding the one best suited for you.\

What macro breakdowns do you use? How strict are you with them?

Birthday Post :-)

Ok, so this post isn't concentrated fully on fitness and food because today is my birthday, so I'm going to do more of a little life update. However, as one might suspect, there are hints of fitness and food sprinkled throughout -- from bday gifts to what I did today -- you'll be sure to find it here.

7:15 am. Woke up. Reason. Because I go to bed circa 10-11 pm and have been training myself to be a morning person. First thing I hear? Ryan singing "Hot Blooded" to me at the top of his still-cold-ridden lungs. Perfect.

9 am: Gym time. A great way to start the birthday....with a good arm workout. And a brand new workout top! (Amazing how well Ryan knows me :-) ).  It's from Bodybuilding.com and is SUPER comfortable, light, breathable and well, just...perfect. I love it!

Cute Top. Cuter Puppies.

10:30 am: Only semi-sad part of my day. Went to (hopefully) adopt a new puppy to add to the family. Got taken right out from under us. We were second in line to see her. Thankfully, I had these babies to come home to. Doesn't get much better than that!

Oh hey little poser.

11:00 am: Call from Mommy and opening her gifts! They included workout shorts (seriously...how well does my fam/friends know me?) and gift cards (which are probably the best bday gift for me...and maybe sometimes for the puppies too!)


12:00 pm: Lunch (Eggplant Parm -- Delicious!) and a call from Jeff my best friend in college. I find it so amazing to talk to him because, unlike a lot of people with whom contact fades away and gets sparse, he's still so amazing and funny and downright entertaining that it feels like I've only been away from him for a summer.

1:30 pm: House-cleaning. Now, I know that this might not sound fun, but trust me....for me, cleaning is like watching TV for some people. It's relaxing and I zone out while doing it. Also, talked to the brother for a while about fitness. He's quite a skilled crossfitter and it was super fun comparing notes on training methods. Yay fitness!!!!

3:30 pm: Grocery shopping at Harris Teeter aka "the Teet". Picked up some more delicious veggie chips and some food to grill out tomorrow.

4:30 pm: Grade A Nap. Seriously, fantastic.

7:00 pm: Dinner and hangout with roomie/bf/roomie's bf/ our 4 dogs.

8:00 pm: Video Chat with Ryan's awesome parents :-)

So basically my birthday was awesome. Most especially the part where my sister called and left a voicemail singing Happy Birthday to me in her best Opera Voice. I kinda hope she did this in the gym where she works in front of everyone. Either way, all the calls, texts, FB posts, gifts, cards and puppy kisses made it the best birthday yet :-) !!!!

Searching for HPCCC* (Part 3)

where HPCCC* stands for high protein chocolate chip cookie and the * denotes "the best".

Try 3:

This week I'm trying a recipe from the following website:

http://www.proteinpow.com/2012/10/cinnamon-and-peanut-butter-protein.html#more

Even though these are for cinnamon and peanut butter, I decided to forgo the cinnamon and put carob chips in instead to make it my "chocolate chip cookie".

I made the following changes/substitutions:

• Used ON vanilla ice cream Whey instead of Gaspari Cinnamon Roll (didn't need the cinnamon flavour, nor do I have Gaspari protein).
• Used 33g of Gluten Free Oat Flour in place of ground almonds. I am not an almond fan and do not have any in the house
• Used slightly more than 15g of PB2, cause lets face it, I LOVE PB2 (maybe used 20-25 g)
• Used almond milk in place of coconut milk. Author says other milks are fine and I am not partial to too much coconut flavour
• That's it! None of the above changes should have changed flavour much. I would get a slightly less flavourful cookie instead of an almond-y one, which was fine with me.

Batter!

Pros:

1. Made absolutely beautiful cookies (see pics).
2. Baked perfectly. Batter wasn't runny and cookies didn't burn or stick!
3. Soft texture
4. Pro for some people: bready and light

Gorgeous cookies :-)

Cons:

1. Pretty bland. If it weren't for the carob chips, it wouldn't have tasted like much. Couldn't taste the PB2 at all :-(
2. Con for me, pro for some people: These were pretty "bready" cookies. More like Christmas cookies without the hardness. The texture seems to get me every time!

PB Carob Chip Protein Cookie

So I am still in search for my ultimate high protein chocolate chip cookie that tastes and has texture similar to a real cookie! Will try attempt #4 shortly!