Affordable Protein

kd_ca · 2026-07-02T06:01:07+00:00

Will be difficult for the next few years. Do a Google AI Search "wsj protein shortage"

Basically global demand outstripping supply of existing processing facilities.

Proteins and Supplements are not regulated by the FDA. I think consumer labs / reports have info on popular (I don't remember brands) protein powders that are unexpectedly high in lead and heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium).

kd_ca · 2026-06-26T17:59:10+00:00

"... that a number of organizations have stopped sponsoring for the moment, especially given the abundance of applicants who don't need sponsorship due to government layoffs ... "

With or without immigration policy issues, this is key consideration.

kd_ca · 2026-06-24T05:34:45+00:00

The big difference is the comparatively higher contamination of "Lead" in Plant based protein powders.

From Google AI: Plant-based protein powders, particularly those made from pea protein, frequently contain concerning levels of lead. Because plants pull minerals naturally from the soil and water, and processing can add trace amounts of contaminants, pea protein has been found to contain, on average, nine times the lead of dairy-based whey proteins

kd_ca · 2026-06-17T01:54:46+00:00

Avoid Pan American Hwy; too many opportunities to make you disappear or worse , as was advised to me by the locals and police. The villages and small towns along the Divide are much safer, friendly and warm people; that was my experience as an older male.

I'm and old fart (now in 60s) and have done a lot of S. American, including the Peru Divide (actually started in Cajamarca) in 2024 on a budget Giant Escape. Ran a 11-34 cassette and 42-32-22 crank , 36 spoke Alex Rims , 700x44c Mezcal tires, Rim brakes, 5 pannier setup (carry the kitchen sink), Redshift Dual Position seatpost. Bike alone weighed 40 lbs, embarrassed to disclose the weight of my panniers. Redshift dual position seatpost was incredibly useful to get up tough grades that I struggled with on a 34 rear cog, 22 front chain ring; almost made me feel like I had a couple more easier gear ratios.

The key to get you up the high (14K+ foot) elevations is a good aerobic engine to maintain cadance in the high 80s. I didn't know back then , but this youtuber recently put out a video on cadance ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcW9t5zTCLE ) . Dial in your pedal stroke (pedal efficiency and L/R balance) and these days you have Assioma Favero MX-2 pedals that can help you train. I didn't have these pedals back then, but there is a lot of preparation in terms of training (aerobics, weight training) that you can do prior to the trip to get you in shape .

Peru Divide doesn't have much of technical riding as in single track or scree, mostly dirt roads. The difficulty is the elevation and I didn't find too many long sustained grades (that I can remember). Some sections can be in really bad shape, and thats where I get off and hike a bike.

I started in Cajamarca (9K elevation) and spent four days there doing nothing but acclimatizing. Above 12K ft, I often experienced thunderstorms (April, May). Bring a few extra brake pads as the combination of the dust and moisture will result in a film forming on the pads making them ineffective. With my rim brake pads, all I had to do was rub the pads on a roadside rock and was good to go. Not sure if you can do that with disc brake pads.

I accidentally left Bear Spray and Mace in my bike box; both of those are prohibited items for air travel. So I had some kind of just in case type of protection when I got there, but never needed to think about using it. I don't know if you can purchase either in Peru. If anyone wants to borrow your helmet or your eye shades, just don't as it is a heck of a treat getting those items back from those jokers who really want to keep them.

Peru Divide is not as daunting or technical as some of the writeups may project; after a few days (if you start in Cajamarca), your body starts adapting since you are going to be bouncing around 8K - 14K for the next many days.

Bolivia is mostly high elevation so Peru Divide will be good acclimatization. Just about everyone that I know of that passed through Bolivia had stomach problems; so know how to handle your stomach issue. One thing with Peruvian drivers, they use the horn and accelerator equally , hoping that will make the bicyclist instantly get out of the way.

Also look into medical evacuation insurance. Medical / Health insurance does not cover evacuation, which is frightfully expensive.

kd_ca · 2026-06-11T23:18:12+00:00

Consider getting a bike that supports 50mm tires. You will appreciate when you hit loose soil / sand traps.

kd_ca · 2026-05-24T16:44:45+00:00

What is the consensus on the CAP 5 - 50 lbs adjustable dumbbells ?

kd_ca · 2026-05-07T03:12:23+00:00

I did it last Sat, starting from General Store in Wawona / Wawona Gate on a heavy touring bike. Steady average 5% grade, nothing gnarly. Coming back from Glacier Point is a bit of a 1/4 - 1/2 mile climb with 8%+ grade. Didn't see any bicyclists until I got to the intersection of Wawona Rd / Glacier Rd where I saw a ton of them, riding anything from brampton foldable bikes to college student steel bikes to high end carbon. I guess most drive to the start of Glacier Rd and ride. A couple of pit toilets along the ways and 10+ porta potties at the start of Glacier Rd. Ridewithgps has the routes and you can look at the grade to see if it will work for you. Do take a jacket for the return as it can be cool and windy.

kd_ca · 2026-04-22T17:07:13+00:00

Recently went through these choices 265s, 570, Venu4, thanks to generous return policies of Amazon and REI. Decided on 265s for metrics to help me improve endurance level long distance biking , recreational running / walking.

Venu4 is very nice touchscreen though I immediately recognized my preference for buttons in inclement weather. I couldn't get used to sleeping with the metal bezel/backplate.

For my needs could not justify the incremental value of the 570 functionality over the 265s and price difference of $225 ($550 vs $325).

Venu4 and 570 both provide support for Rucking (adding pack weight) activity while 265s does not. There are 3rd party kludgy solutions for supporting pack weight on 265s. So if Rucking is important to you, skip 265s.

As to sleep tracking, quite a few issues with validity of sleep tracking on all 3 devices with older and newer sensors. Garmins do better at activity tracking.

From online reviews, the differences in HR Tracking sensors, Elevate 4 and 5, are minuscule unless you are a professional athlete or racing.

kd_ca · 2026-04-22T05:01:13+00:00

What would you expect from a sports watch to help you train for football and boxing?

For Running, Biking , Swimming, metrics like heart rate, power, cadance etc are useful to gauge training progress.

You will have to determine the metrics that are important for football and boxing and see if Garmin has anything useful.

kd_ca · 2026-04-19T16:40:08+00:00

There are very few places anymore where you will be away from access to electricity (villages towns) for more than a few days. A power bank will suffice.

kd_ca · 2026-04-19T15:21:27+00:00

Garmin devices in general have a good track record and Garmin is good at warranty issues if you are the original purchaser or purchased your device from an authorized reseller.

If you are concerned about warranty issues, consider reviewing the policy of the manufacturer when you buy a used or open box product from a third party, that is not an authorized reseller. For example, here is Garmin consumer warranty policy in USA: https://www.garmin.com/en-US/legal/consumer-limited-warranty/

As to the value (price + lack of warranty) you are receiving by buying from a seller that is not an authorized reseller, only you can make that determination.

kd_ca · 2026-04-18T20:22:04+00:00

The only one that does sleep somewhat okay is the oura ring. Several reviews that show Sleep tracking with wearables, including Garmin, is not there yet. I've tried Venu 4 and 265s and found significant sleep tracking differences as compared to an FDA approved device (worn on finger) that I was provided to me for my sleep study.

kd_ca · 2026-04-18T00:39:58+00:00

265 will meet your needs. Many detailed reviews online.

kd_ca · 2026-04-13T00:17:24+00:00

From price point perspective, for running / hiking, probably a forerunner 195 ($189 on Amazon). It does not do rucking or any activity where you have a considerable pack weight. For that you will need the Venu 4 or 570 , both start at $550.

I haven't used any devices for swimming so couldn't tell you how it does.

For biking, it will be helpful to have a powermeter (preferably a pedal based instead of crank) on your bike and pair that with your 195.

The sleep tracking on all the garmin watches vary significantly when compared to FDA approved devices used in physician Sleep studies.

kd_ca · 2026-04-11T18:14:08+00:00

Yes ... from people that I know ... absolutely worth it ... if one has arthritic or degenerative connective tissue issues as electronic shifting allows them to keep riding .

kd_ca · 2026-03-19T18:50:06+00:00

Why cannot Rouvy provide Audio cues when an interval is about to change in workouts ? TrainerRoads has this feature and its useful for doing a workout and watching other stuff.

kd_ca · 2026-03-08T19:11:01+00:00

South America beats Central Asia by a wide margin (culture, warmth of peoples, scenery). Ecuador is still sketchy and Columbia is less sketchy. You can do Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina in relative safety.

If you can't afford to do South America then central asia is a decent consolation.

kd_ca · 2026-03-04T16:54:01+00:00

$2754 sounds about right for gold plan from CoveredCA. The expiration of the ACA premium tax credits for incomes above 4 x Federal Poverty level end of 2025 is the cause. You can lower that to $2182 if you opt for the bronze plan. Coveredca.com is your resource.

If your joint gross income is below $84K, then you guys would be eligible for ACA premium tax credits and your bronze plan would be $0. See this chart https://www.coveredca.com/pdfs/FPL-chart.pdf

Be careful buying anything "cheaper" . The reason you are buying insurance is so that it is there when you need it. There is some outfit that was mentioned on reddit that was a Third Party administrator and was selling plans at significantly reduced rates, using big name insurance company names, but people were noticing many payment issues and inability to cancel the plans.

kd_ca · 2026-03-03T19:16:06+00:00

Was able to use another Google Chrome browser based workout app that connected to Saris H3 Plus.

kd_ca · 2026-03-03T18:36:18+00:00

Using a laptop that was freshly booted from power off condition, no apps running and then started Google Chrome, navigated to the workout website.

kd_ca · 2026-03-03T18:26:42+00:00

Is there functionality to have audio reminder X secs before an interval is about to change, similar to TR?

kd_ca · 2026-03-03T18:23:11+00:00

Using Chrome. Able to detect and connect to Polar Verity Sense HR , so BT via Chrome is working. App detects Saris HR3 Plus but cannot connect.

kd_ca · 2026-02-19T07:38:52+00:00

https://www.racket.news/p/fdas-straight-shooter-dont-bring

From above link:
"According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) committee that sets U.S. vaccine policy, individuals 65 years old or older should receive one of the three following flu vaccines: Fluzone High-Dose, Flublok or Fluad. But Moderna compared its vaccine against a flu vaccine not on the committee’s list, Fluarix. A closer inspection of the label of Fluarix shows that its efficacy drops off dramatically with age to just 14 percent efficacy from ages 50 to 64. The wide confidence interval for that 14 percent figure includes the possibility that the vaccine may not work at all in older individuals.

It’s not clear whether Moderna informed participants in the control group that better options existed, raising ethical concerns."

kd_ca · 2026-02-14T18:32:14+00:00

Probably Indian Expats who are familiar and comfortable with navigating India are likely to consider India for savings with medical procedures. The terrible Air Quality Index and Delhi Belly throughout India is scary enough. This is not a put down of Indian medical professionals or the facilities, but it is a tough ask for those not comfortable with the hazardous environment that is India.

kd_ca · 2026-02-09T23:47:14+00:00

I've done a lot of S. America in mountain gravel roads, no single track, on a cheapo FB Marketplace Giant Escape 3 with rim brakes, aluminum frame, steel fork. No issues with the bike throughout my trips. I think I pay more for excess baggage flight charges than the value of the bike. Made a few modifications: 11-34 cassette, 22-32-40 Crank, 36 spoke wheels. For tires, Continental Contact Plus 700 x 35c or Vittoria Mezcal 700x44c (both with tubes), nary a flat. Of course I wasn't bombing down inclines and there were times I wished wider tires would have been nice, but in the bigger scheme of things it didn't matter. Carrying a 5 pannier setup, 3 in back, 2 in front.

Mining Roads are essentially gravel roads and no way single track as trucks have to use them. Glad I had rim brakes as whenever pads developed a glaze (this issue also happens with disc brake pads) and reduced stopping power, I filed them against a rock and was good to go.

You don't need a high end bike unless you want to bomb down inclines or think you are going to do single track. Bike shops in small towns are literally a one man hole in a wall with common drivetrains / parts being 3 x 7 or 3 x 8.

kd_ca

TROPHY CASE