This week we catch up with Farah who is one of our star Nuzest advocates.

Farah is a competitive bodybuilder and manages this sport while also working full time as a nurse, being a model and a single mum!

This is an awesome catch-up this inspirational lady.

Scott Larsen: We are here today with Farah, who is one of our Nuzest influencers.  So, thank you for coming on today, Farah.

Farah: Thank you, Scott.

Scott Larsen: To kick things off, I'd really like to understand; how did you get to know Nuzest and why did it fit in with your lifestyle?

Farah: Okay. So, the first time I tried Nuzest was when my sister asked me, “would you like to try Nuzest protein?” She is a trainer herself, and she said that, because you have started to work out, you need protein.  It is the main building unit of muscle and also for recovery.  I'm like, okay, I have no clue what I should take to support my recovery and to improve my performance? So okay, can I want to try this new thing. She asked for my details, and she submitted through the link, and then I get a sample of Nuzest sachet in the mail. I tried that and thought 'not bad'. I thought this is a vegan protein, pea protein, I don't know pea protein tasted this nice! On top of that, there's a discount code where I can use for my first order.

Of course, I did my research, to find out what is Nuzest and what is good about Nuzest, because I have been introduced with different brands of protein and I wanted to know, what are the differences?   After the research I thought this is really good and it was very interesting! When I saw that the sugars are actually zero, or maybe 0.1g (something like that), it's very, very low I felt that is ideal for someone who doesn't want to add on into their calories. Right now, I'm monitoring my macros - which is whatever I take on a daily basis.  It is very important when I look at a nutritional information and compare all the brands, I think this is what I want. Yes, I made the right choice!

Scott Larsen: You bought up a few really interesting points here. I'm assuming you are monitoring your macros, because you're building up for a competition?

But before we go into that, maybe we can explain it a little further (as we may have a lot of new listeners here), what are macronutrients and why would you even need to monitor those?

Farah:  As a bodybuilder, we need to know, what is the daily calorie intake that we put in into our body.

That's going to help us whether we want to grow. There are different phases of bodybuilding such as the:

• season
• offseason
• prepping
• and then when you are cutting

So, your calories really matter!

I'm not talking about normal people who just want to lose weight or do some maintenance to look good, this is different. This is a sport. It is very crucial for us to know what our calories are and normally what consists in the calories. Is it fat, carbs, sugar or protein?

Yeah, so that is what I want to know what I'm taking in in terms of food energies. All of this will total up to my daily calories.

Scott Larsen: For someone like you looking for gains, how many calories total are you trying to consume and why does Nuzest work nicely into that mix?

Farah: I want gains but I don't want excess sugars. So, I don't want harmful fillers, preservatives or artificial flavours. I'm not saying that the rest of the brands are all no good, it’s just when you try on something and then you will see if it is good for you.  Most importantly is that you don't have any effects to your gastrointestinal system. Then, that's perfect for you. Of course, I will have to monitor whether is it good for me? Does it improve my performance? And does it affect my appetite or mood?

So, on a whole, I think Nuzest is perfect because I've been trying this for almost two years. Once I like that, brand, I'm going to stick to the brand. It's easier for me to monitor my progress in terms of calorie intake as well.

Scott Larsen: You mentioned about the assimilation into your body.  So, you don't get any side effects by taking a lot of protein and you don't get any side effects with Nuzest?

Farah: No side effects with Nuzest.

Before I tried Nuzest, I tried other non-vegan protein, mainly whey isolate.  It is so delicious, because it says chocolate, it tastes like Milo, it is perfect. But what's bad about that, it will make you gain more weight, because the sugar content is really, really obvious. You can see per serving; how many grams of sugar is there! When it tastes that nice, that means something is wrong. So, what makes it taste nice? That is something for you to find out more about that particular brand, even though the brand says like it is from this particular country, or the brand looks so big, or wow, everyone is raving about the best tasting protein or whatever. These are indicators there is something very fishy there. I tried to switch to other brands, while I'm on Nuzest, however, it doesn't work for me. I felt nausea, needing to go to the toilet a few times. So, no. I'm not going to go to, other brands.  Even though some are vegan, but I'm not going to risk everything like all the gains. Protein affects my appetite and my gut health, which I need to monitor for my performance.  Whatever I put in, is very important.

Scott Larsen: I know there's going to be a number of ladies out there who don't want big gains. Should ladies be fearful about taking extra protein? Is the protein going to make them grow muscle, or is it actually quite difficult?

Farah: Well, it's how do I say.  Yeah, people are asking "why don't you even have a rest day!  I see you training every day". To me, there is no such thing as off days. I have to move, around so that way I continue to burn.

Scott Larsen: We used to say "sometimes a change, is as good as a rest".  I know you do a little bit of boxing at the Ring, and you do other things and I'm sure that variance is mainly for your mind, but also flushing out some of the bad stuff that you're building up through the course of the week.

Farah:Yes, that's true. It's really nice to really sweat it out and do something instead of just lying around and watching TV. Something that I have to be disciplined at is stretching.  When I train and lift heavy, I find that my muscles are tight and tense. So stretching is also good. Good on your rest days, you can do it.

Scott Larsen: You're actually lifting really heavy. I thought I'd be sneaky the other day and asked how heavy you are lifting. What is your max deadlift at the moment?

Farah: The maximum deadlift I have done before is 100 to 110 kg.  I think that I'm not going to go heavier, because that is just to test my maximum abilities like how heavy can I lift? So other than that, I think I will just have to work on how I execute it better and then just be safe so that I don't get injured.

Scott Larsen: For those sitting at home, that's actually a lot of weight, because two times bodyweight is a substantial amount of weight to be lifting! So well done on that personal record.

When do you actually take protein every day? Do you take it before you work out, or after you work out and how is the timing? 

Farah: The number of servings I take a day depends on my weekly weight check in. I have an online coach who is guiding me with my workout program as well as my nutritional plan. When he sees my weight, you know, my check-in photos, he will be telling me what should I eat and how many servings of protein I should take. If let's say I'm supposed to take two servings of protein a day, that's going to be with my breakfast in the morning, and then the second one will be post workout.

Scott Larsen: Normally when you take the Nuzest, do you have a specific flavour you like? And how do you take it? Do you just mix it with water or mix it with milk?

Farah: Of course, I think most of us like chocolate. So, the first flavor I tried is chocolate.  I think I've tried most of the flavours. If you like us as protein, you're going to love all the flavours. So yeah, I like the chocolate one strawberry and vanilla. If let's say I really want it to be very clean and lean is what the name says right? Clean and Lean. So, I will just add cold water. That's all you need. It's perfect.

The pea protein gives off this hazelnut flavour, and it's like nutty and leaves you full.  It's very, very filling. 

Scott Larsen: Do you take any of the Good Green Vitality with your Clean Lean Protein? Or are you just taking the protein at the moment?

Farah: I take it separately. So that Good Green Vitality is another drink that I will take in the morning together if my oats and eggs, because that's going to give me another way to take additional fluids. So I don't combine everything.  I have a glass of Good Green Vitality, and I have another serving of the protein shake. More fluids for me. That's going to encourage me to meet that hydration levels that I need.

Scott Larsen: Is that to try to keep you full for longer through the day so you are consuming actually less calories, but you feel full for the same amount of calories. Is that the premise?

Farah: Yes, that's right. It's really right. Yep.

Scott Larsen: That's great. It's a really good tip and trick. I know there's a lot of people out there experimenting with intermittent fasting or changing around their macros on a keto diet or something like that. But the truth is, a lot of us just could drink more and achieve a great result just by increasing that fluid intake because that moves through your body really well.

I know there's another person in your house that really loves taking Nuzest that's your son.  So what does your son take and why does he take it?

Farah: Okay. He takes the Kids Good Stuff. It's something like what I'm taking, Clean Lean Protein with the Good Green Vitality, but this is the kids’ version so he has everything he needs. Multivitamins, probiotics and everything.

It is a good thing that he is okay eating vegetables when he sees it on the plate.  But this is something extra to boost his immune system and his gut health, I just want him to take a supplement which I trust, a brand that I trust and I am taking myself. I introduced him with two flavours, the chocolate one and a strawberry one.  When he sees me doing weekend morning pancakes he said “I want pancakes as well”.  I put in a serving of Kid’s Good Stuff, and then mixed with eggs and almond milk to make it more interesting. When he sees what I'm eating and what I'm doing, he always follows. So that is one good thing I want to inculcate in him. I want to do good habits so he will also follow. Yep.

Scott Larsen: It's a great trick that you're using, because I think a lot of parents when they first take Kids Good Stuff are expecting a comparable sugar-based smoothie.  We have a lot of kids that really love it and then some kids just find the amount of vegetables inside it, creates an unusual taste.  What you're doing putting it in the pancake, that's a great idea!  It takes a little bit more time, but you're probably going to do pancakes anyway, right?

Farah: Yeah, I have to enjoy different ways of consuming a protein.

Scott Larsen: Overall, there's other children's supplements in the market. What are your thoughts on things like gummies or other supplements for kids? Do you give your son anything else on top of Nuzest?

Farah: To be honest, I tried giving him some gummy supplements. It says like vitamin C, and a lot of all those good things but when I give to my son, he's like, "there's so much sugar!" Then I feel, oh, my god and yes, there's literally sugars inside the container. Like you can really see physical sugar, which covers the gummies. He knows it is not good!

I think whatever we give to our kids, we also have to read the label and make sure there's no artificial flavorings, which makes the gummy tastier and ideally something natural. From young, when they know that it is harmful they can make a good choice.  If not, they are just going to continue it, because he has been part and parcel of their habits already. You just have to be watchful when we buy supplements over the counter. It's tasty means, you know, not always or not necessarily, healthy or good.

Scott Larsen: A lot of brands put in extra nutrients.  Even bread is advertised with additional fortification and big brands such as Milo saying how wonderful it is for energy. But the truth of the matter is when you do look at that sugar content, you're absolutely correct, it is far too high!

Nuzest is really proud that we're completely sugar free across the whole line. Parents can feel happy about that.

I know that you've got a big competition coming up, sooner or later. Singapore is in a lockdown right now, so it might be delayed. Do you want to tell everyone about what you're building up for and why are you doing it, because it's a lot of effort that you're putting in.

I approached my online coach, Danny, and I said that I want to look toned because I have a few photoshoots coming up, so I need to have some abs. I have never had abs before in my life and I don't even know if I can do it. So he wrote up a program for me and said this is what you should do, this is your workout program and here's what you should eat.  I follow this plan religiously.  Very religiously. I feel like I'm prepping for a competition, thinking, how come it is so tough?  At his point given how much effort I have been putting in I feel like I should compete. I mean, I’m already going through a cutting phase, you know, of bodybuilding and I feel like this is like a preparatory phase for me mentally and physically. So, I'm asking myself, why do I train four times a week back then was four times a week last year?

Now I am like, WOW, I think I can do better than this because I am now aiming towards working for abs and maybe more mass, but in a leaner type of model. The photoshoots are done and the photos are amazing and there are so many compliments about it. 

After all of that I told my coach, prepare me for the next competition, I want to try.  I just feel like I want to do it. But it's not confirmed yet. We are not sure if it's going to happen this year. So I’ll just continue training. That is when he gave me a new workout program, and also a new nutritional plan, a diet plan and I'm now following as closely as possible. 

Scott Larsen: This is all pretty amazing because a lot of people that are listening don't follow you at the moment, but you actually have a full time job on top of all of this right! You're a nurse?

Farah: Yes.

Scott Larsen: So how do you juggle everything?

Farah: Oh, gosh, all right. Yeah, I have an eight to five job on weekdays. What I do is I bring my gym gear along to work and after work, straightaway, go to the gym. I don't go home because I know when I go back, I'm not sure if I'm going to leave home and then train again, so there's going to waste some time. Every day, I'm going to bring like about three meals with me as; breakfast, lunch, and pre-workout. I'll have my post workout at home.

I guess it's all about time management, and how committed you are, how bad you want it. You know? It's like a challenge for myself, so I'm like competing against myself. It's just how focused I am, you know, I will really challenge myself to the max!  I'm willing to do more and really push myself to my goals.

Scott Larsen: It's really inspirational.

I know that you've got a lot of ladies following you on Instagram. What is your Instagram handle, so then people can find you? And tell us what one very common question that you get, other than "can you train me?"

Scott Larsen: It certainly is really amazing. I think everyone's watching and following and inspired by your journey.

Another thing that a lot of people don't know is that you're a singer as well. Do you do you have any singing gigs coming up that people can come and check out?

Farah: Not at the moment, but if there is I will usually post on my story. It's all by word of mouth on through friends. I like to do my own covers when I just want to distress.When I'm at home, and studying, I just sing. 

Scott Larsen: Usually when I start singing, I get kicked out of a karaoke bar! So, you're very exceptionally talented over there. Is there anything else you want to share with everyone, about Nuzest or about yourself? 

Farah: I suggest, if you want to know why I love Nuzest a lot, you should actually go to my link on my bio and follow the link which says free Nuzest sample.  Just submit your particulars, and then Nuzest will send you a free sample.  Yeah, everyone needs to try it for themselves and then they will know, if they like it.

Scott Larsen: We're very grateful for having you on. We will include the link for Farah’s free sample in the description box below, as well as a link over to her Instagram so you can go follow her and check her progress out!

Thank you for coming on tonight. We wish you all the best over the back half of the year.

Farah: Thank you for having me, Scott.

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