protein shakes/protein bars etc

[AndyDT]

Does anybody taken these? Are they meant to be supplements or replacements for meals? I've thought about them to make more progress weight training.

[Nic35]

They are useful. Personally, I take whey protein as a post-workout shake, because whey protein is rapidely assimilated than say, a casein protein or a weight gainer which take more time to be absorbed by your body.

Keep in mind that a good meal > protein shakes. Take a protein shake up to 1h after your workout because your muscles need ''easy to absorb protein'' immediately, but don't think that a protein shake at 5PM will replace your dinner.

[Chino]

I have protein shakes daily. I'll go to the gym, do an hour of cardio, then drink the shake as I am doing my weightlifting.

[ReaperKK]

I agree with Nic, they are useful. If you've been weight training for a while then added a protein shake right after a weight lifting session can be very beneficial.

I usually stick ON whey protein and I've had good results.

Don't use it as a meal replacement, if you get hungry at night then it can be a good snack but you shouldn't substitute a meal with a protein shake.

Also, it's not a miracle powder, it's just a supplement, if you're not putting 100% in your workout then protein isn't going to help you.

[Nic35]

I agree with Nic, they are useful. If you've been weight training for a while then added a protein shake right after a weight lifting session can be very beneficial.

I usually stick ON whey protein and I've had good results.

Don't use it as a meal replacement, if you get hungry at night then it can be a good snack but you shouldn't substitute a meal with a protein shake.

Also, it's not a miracle powder, it's just a supplement, if you're not putting 100% in your workout then protein isn't going to help you.

ON 100% gold standard whey protein ?

[zerogravityfat]

I use two shakes.

One is accelerade, which is like gatorade but with a small amount of protein added for cycling. I usually carry one bottle of water, and one bottle of the stuff when I cycle to supplement protein without having to eat solids since I ride long distance.

The other, met-rx chocolate whey protein with milk, peanutbutter, and bananas for after jiu jitsu when I don't want to consume solids again.

The shakes are meant to be supplements for right after workout (usually within the hour of workout) to help your body get to muscle fibre recovery mode to repair the torn muscle fibres. You have meals as regular and don't replace them with this.

Also, I wouldn't recommend using it daily, it does some small damage to the kidney over a long period of use.

[FretMuppet]

I heard that stuff is only like 9% effective, I stopped taking that over a year ago and just stuck to meals full of protein and it gave better results.

I think its better to go natural and have the same effects (if not better) than going out of your way to get the shakes and bars

[j]

I heard that stuff is only like 9% effective, I stopped taking that over a year ago and just stuck to meals full of protein and it gave better results.

I think its better to go natural and have the same effects (if not better) than going out of your way to get the shakes and bars

Without getting into what you mean by "9% effective", the problem arises when people use supplements as an excuse not to eat a balanced diet.  Otherwise they are great at certain times to get some extra macronutrients.

I get Scivation whey, based on my own research and experience, their products are top-notch.

-J

[YtseBitsySpider]

I have used Dymatize Expand with excellent results.
Im 5'11, 165..I will always be a "little guy"..but it has increased my strength and ripped me up quite nicely.

It has had some unfortunate side effects though.
people often, on the internet, claim it causes gastro issues..and cold sores. I can attest that it does both.

I also began having some prostate issues.
I've had prostate issues in the past..but being on this long term seemed to flare it up.

All that to say, the ends were worth it. A nice big pump, lightening quick recovery after a muscle shredding work out.

[rumborak]

The bars are the absolute worst I find. The texture!

rumborak

[FretMuppet]

I heard that stuff is only like 9% effective, I stopped taking that over a year ago and just stuck to meals full of protein and it gave better results.

I think its better to go natural and have the same effects (if not better) than going out of your way to get the shakes and bars

Without getting into what you mean by "9% effective", the problem arises when people use supplements as an excuse not to eat a balanced diet.  Otherwise they are great at certain times to get some extra macronutrients.

I get Scivation whey, based on my own research and experience, their products are top-notch.

-J

By 9% effective I mean the protein has a small chance of actually getting used by the muscles, since its synthetic and not natural protein. I heard the body is less likely to reject protein if its natural

[j]

I heard that stuff is only like 9% effective, I stopped taking that over a year ago and just stuck to meals full of protein and it gave better results.

I think its better to go natural and have the same effects (if not better) than going out of your way to get the shakes and bars

Without getting into what you mean by "9% effective", the problem arises when people use supplements as an excuse not to eat a balanced diet.  Otherwise they are great at certain times to get some extra macronutrients.

I get Scivation whey, based on my own research and experience, their products are top-notch.

-J

By 9% effective I mean the protein has a small chance of actually getting used by the muscles, since its synthetic and not natural protein. I heard the body is less likely to reject protein if its natural

That isn't true at all.  There is no fundamental difference between synthetic and "natural" protein.  If anything, synthetic protein, which is often synthesized especially for the purpose of efficient use, may have a more optimal combination of amino acids (the body uses certain amino acids preferentially for muscle repair).

The body doesn't "reject" protein.  It can go to waste under certain conditions, or be utilized for purposes other than intended, but the body recognizes proteins as macronutrients that it needs, not as foreign molecules.

-J

[ReaperKK]

I agree with Nic, they are useful. If you've been weight training for a while then added a protein shake right after a weight lifting session can be very beneficial.

I usually stick ON whey protein and I've had good results.

Don't use it as a meal replacement, if you get hungry at night then it can be a good snack but you shouldn't substitute a meal with a protein shake.

Also, it's not a miracle powder, it's just a supplement, if you're not putting 100% in your workout then protein isn't going to help you.

ON 100% gold standard whey protein ?

yup

[Gorille85]

It's pretty much useless. You already have enough protein in what you eat daily.

[Nic35]

Well, for some people it is useless, but if you use them correctly it is quite helpful.

When you finish your workout, you muscles need protein and that's when a protein shake is very useful.

[Gorille85]

The thing is you always have a certain level of protein in your body, in reserve, and that's largely enough even when you're working out. Overdosing protein can even be bad for your system. But most of the time, it's only useless and a bit hard on your kidney to get rid of it.

[j]

The thing is you always have a certain level of protein in your body, in reserve, and that's largely enough even when you're working out. Overdosing protein can even be bad for your system. But most of the time, it's only useless and a bit hard on your kidney to get rid of it.

If you're an active person, you may not get an ideal amount of protein in your diet.  If a person gets a lot of exercise, and has a strange aversion to dietary supplements which is probably based on misinformation (like some in this thread seem to), then he could get some extra protein by eating an extra chicken breast at dinner instead of eating a protein bar as a snack. *shrug*  Regulating what you put in your body is a good thing, and sometimes essential, when it comes to various habits, illnesses, etc.

You can of course take in an excess of protein, but I've *never* heard of it being a health issue (although by a derivative mechanism you may have higher risk of kidney stone formation).  You'd have to throw back a ridiculous amount of protein to overload your liver's capacity to break it down.  And no, it's not "hard on your kidney" (which doesn't even participate in protein metabolism anyway), you'll probably just have a little bit more nitrogen content in your urine.

-J

[Ħ]

Has anyone tried Aftershock?  I've heard great things about it (although most of it is broscience).

[JustJen]

A person should consume a gram per protein per pound of bodyweight per day. If one is bodybuilding, perhaps double that.

Shakes can be a good way to help with this.

Also if you get hungry, make a shake instead of snacking. But of course still eat your sensible meals. I suggest whole wheat pasta with red meat for breakfast as a start, and have your eggwhites before bed.

Not having enough protein leads to catabolism. Having "too much" doesn't exist.

You are what you eat. Protein *is* muscle. Fat *is* fat.

[ReaperKK]

A person should consume a gram per protein per pound of bodyweight per day. If one is bodybuilding, perhaps double that.

Shakes can be a good way to help with this.

Also if you get hungry, make a shake instead of snacking. But of course still eat your sensible meals. I suggest whole wheat pasta with red meat for breakfast as a start, and have your eggwhites before bed.

Not having enough protein leads to catabolism. Having "too much" doesn't exist.

You are what you eat. Protein *is* muscle. Fat *is* fat.

Slight correction, one should consume 1 gram of protein per lean body mass, so you weight excluding your fat. So say you weigh 200 lbs at 10% body fat, you should consume 160 grams of protein.

[JustJen]

A person should consume a gram per protein per pound of bodyweight per day. If one is bodybuilding, perhaps double that.

Shakes can be a good way to help with this.

Also if you get hungry, make a shake instead of snacking. But of course still eat your sensible meals. I suggest whole wheat pasta with red meat for breakfast as a start, and have your eggwhites before bed.

Not having enough protein leads to catabolism. Having "too much" doesn't exist.

You are what you eat. Protein *is* muscle. Fat *is* fat.

Slight correction, one should consume 1 gram of protein per lean body mass, so you weight excluding your fat. So say you weigh 200 lbs at 10% body fat, you should consume 160 grams of protein.

I stand corrected.

That is for the average person, of course.

One who is actively breaking down and rebuilding muscle should consume more, as pointed out.

Here's a quick shot of what my husband has here for daily consumption (aside from the Hemo Rage and Cell-Tech, those are for workouts):

[ReaperKK]

What flavor protein is that?

I <3 ON

[JustJen]

What flavor? funny question, he goes through so much. Right now he has... um... chocolate, vanilla cream, banana cream, and rocky road. DAMMIT I TOLD HIM ROCKY ROAD IS HARD TO CLEAN FROM THE RIM OF THE SHAKER.

[JustJen]

PS lemme throw this random tidbit out into this thread -- my son also bodybuilds and he cannot drink whey protein, it makes him get all bloated and gassy and sick and he had no idea why at first.... finally he switched to just casein protein and it dawned on me later that my boys both had issues with lactose as babies (lactose is, of course, in dairy products).

AND Whey protein is, after all, milk protein!

So if anyone gets those symptoms, switch off the whey based protein. :

[JustJen]

Has anyone tried Aftershock?  I've heard great things about it

 (although most of it is broscience).

[ReaperKK]

Has anyone tried Aftershock?  I've heard great things about it

 (although most of it is broscience).

Yea, there is tons and tons of broscience when it comes to lifting, I hear an ear full every time I go to the gym.

Also, I also get bloated sometimes from standard whey protein but it happens very rarely now.

[Ħ]

Has anyone tried Aftershock?  I've heard great things about it

 (although most of it is broscience).

Wait are you laughing at me or at the term?

[ReaperKK]

Has anyone tried Aftershock?  I've heard great things about it

 (although most of it is broscience).

Wait are you laughing at me or at the term?

I think she is laughing at the term.

It is a great term lol.

[JustJen]

The term. Never heard/read it before and it totally makes sense, and was a needed term.

[j]

PS lemme throw this random tidbit out into this thread -- my son also bodybuilds and he cannot drink whey protein, it makes him get all bloated and gassy and sick and he had no idea why at first.... finally he switched to just casein protein and it dawned on me later that my boys both had issues with lactose as babies (lactose is, of course, in dairy products).

AND Whey protein is, after all, milk protein!

So if anyone gets those symptoms, switch off the whey based protein. :

Casein is actually derived from milk too, but yeah it doesn't contain lactose.  The thing is, casein is absorbed much slower than whey protein for physiological reasons, so it's not ideal as a source of immediate post-workout protein intake.  But I personally have never taken it, it may not be that big of a deal in practice.

I take a whey supplement after workouts, but all of my other protein comes from my regular meals and healthy snacks (lots of chicken, fish, eggs, etc).  There's a lot of gimmicky shit out there thanks to the prevalence of "broscience" as Brother so eloquently put it, but when it comes down to it, the things you have to do to get results are pretty basic.

-J

[KevShmev]

I take a whey supplement after workouts, but all of my other protein comes from my regular meals and healthy snacks (lots of chicken, fish, eggs, etc).  There's a lot of gimmicky shit out there thanks to the prevalence of "broscience" as Brother so eloquently put it, but when it comes down to it, the things you have to do to get results are pretty basic.

Very true.  Real food, water, discipline, etc. is always better and healthier than taking a dozen supplements a week.  I drink protein shakes on occasion, but not after workouts (I need a bigger meal then, as I am always hungry as hell after doing both cardio and lifting, so my biggest meal of the day is almost always my post-workout meal).  I often crave something bad later in the evening (like, right about now, it being midnight CT), so a protein shake will often take care of that. 

[SystematicThought]

Being the teenager that I am, I always drink Muscle Milk. Especially after wisdom teeth removal.

Back when I lifted weights, I always drank this stuff called Odwalla which is just basically a soy protein shake-- about 25g per bottle

[Scrub206]

The ISOPURE Smoothies taste phenomenal. if i had the money id drink them instead of mixing whey into anything. to bad theyre like 4.60 a bottle. 

[AndyDT]

I heard that more diseases are caused by too much protein than by too little though e.g. https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=50900

I had a look at protein bars, they're very expensive for just one bar (>1.50).
Protein powder is around £30 per tub.

The thing about ordinary food being better - presumably to body build rather than tone or slowly build you'd need to eat a lot more of it.

What ordinary food is good for eating after a workout in the evening, training that would build muscle? Bear in mind that if it's late then you don't want to make or eat a meal. I usually eat nuts, fruit. What else is there?

[AndyDT]

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