Why are there so many protein powder options!?!

tameko2

Good god there are like a million different things and some are for BEFORE working out and some are for right after and some are for DURING workouts. WHY? is it all just marketing? I've been eating higher protein because it really helps my overall physical recovery but I am siiiiick of eating high protein meals all day long - sometimes I just want a veggie sandwich. I'm not exactly bodybuilding here. Does it matter what protein supplement I use?

alexg94

Protein is protein.

MissMaryMac33

Yes it matters... are you trying to gain weight or bulk up? Are you watching carbs/sugar?
Are you lactose intolerant?

If you're serious about getting GOOD protein for a specific reason --- then yes, it matters.

If you're just looking for a quick drink and don't care that it has more sugar than protein, then it doesn't matter what you get.
There is a lot of crap out there....but if you're not getting enough protein, its better than nothing!

chicago_dad

check out Optimal Nutrition Pro Complex (natural). It's the best IMHO after doing a lot of research on this and consulting w/ nutrition experts on the subject.

AdAstra47

YES, it matters. Several things to consider:

Whey vs. soy: Soy for the vegans. And some people's bodies dislike one or the other of these, or will digest one or the other better. Try both & see what your body tells you.

Sugar & carbs: if you're drinking it before a workout, a few extra carbs help give you the instant energy you'll need. If you're drinking it after the workout or at any other time of day, you want something with few or no carbs 'cause it will fill you up for longer & give you more steady-burning energy if it's just the protein.

Texture: some brands are smoother, some more gritty, and some mix up more easily than others. Some are better in milkshakes or smoothies, others can be mixed very well with just water. Depends what kind of texture you're going for. Again, you just have to try different kinds in different ways & see what you like.

Personally, my fave is Syntrax Nectar brand 'cause it has no carbs or sugar, mixes very well with just water & a spoon, and they have lots of flavors (cappuccino flavor in coffee with a handful of ice = wonderful treat!).

Like all the other aspects of weight loss, it's lots of trial & error & experimenting to see what works for you. Good luck!

SergeantSunshine_reused

check out Optimal Nutrition Pro Complex (natural). It's the best IMHO after doing a lot of research on this and consulting w/ nutrition experts on the subject.

YES! Same here. And its absolutely delicious

tameko2

check out Optimal Nutrition Pro Complex (natural). It's the best IMHO after doing a lot of research on this and consulting w/ nutrition experts on the subject.

Yeah that looks really good, thanks. *wince* lots of calories but I can have one scoop instead of 2.

Also, good lord, I wish i could get a smaller one to try.

SergeantSunshine_reused

I only ever have one scoop :] 24-26g of protein is plenty in one sitting i think

AlSalzman

Yes, it matters. Different proteins come from different sources, and will be processed by your body depending on several factors. And yes, a lot of it is also just marketing and BS.

You can sort through alot of the misinformation by reading reviews on bodybuilding forums or training forums for fighters... I've gained some great insight from T-Nation and Sherdog.com (mixed martial arts). Warning - some of the kids in those forums don't play nice... strong language, etc... but it's free.

Regardless, don't worry about the advice turning you into the incredible hulk appearance-wise... I like the info available at these sites because many of these guys have extensive experience with a wide range of supplements over a number of years, and have done a great deal of homework on the subject. They are also likely to analyze the contents of an over-the-counter supplement pretty closely as they are all trying to get the most bang for their buck. They're used to keeping their body at an extreme physical peak, so they weed through the crap pretty quickly. A guy that competes with his body and trains 3-6 hrs per day hopefully has developed a better grasp of what the supplement does than the local part-timer that just started at GNC. There are some BS artists and some outright dummies posting, but there are also some guys that have a grasp of the body chemistry and can translate it to plain english for rubes like me.

Better solution - If you don't mind spending a couple bucks, find a sports nutritionist. If there is a university near you with a human performance or athletic training program, you may be able to locate one there that will work cheaper than someone with a degree.

MissMaryMac33

There are tons of brands with no carb/no sugar if that's what you're looking for.

I like to create my own so I order from trueprotein.com
1 scoop = 110 calories, 0carb, 0 sugar, 27g protein....
pure whey protein isolate, all natural -- I order it without any sweetener but you can choose.
They also have about 50 differet flavors and you can ask them to double the flavor --- and you can add vitamins, electrolytes etc.

This is the one I usually get:
http://www.trueprotein.com/Product_Details.aspx?cid=22&pid=633

If you're looking for something local GNC has AMP brand which is pretty good.
If you buy from GNC or Vitamin Shoppe you can return/exchange if you don't like it.
Isopure is really good too but not cheap.
Costco has Isolate Advantage which has great stats and is all natural too.

MissMaryMac33

PS you can get samples from many places too.... and you should try that first because you're definitely going to read something that someone loves and then find it disgusting. I personally hated the optimum and gold standard and syntrax nectar --- but you will find just as many people who love them all. They aren't cheap either. For some people, its the smell that you won't like either... if you have issues with that, please get a blender bottle - they rock!

tameko2

from reading about the products on body builder.com and a product my coworker talked about today, I'd been wondering why there wasn't a mixed protein because the different kinds have a different makeup, but somehow all I saw was the pure ones. The blend is definitely what I was looking for - I'm not a low carb eater or low sugar eater although I don't generally like to eat stuff with sugar in it (like I don't like meats covered in sweet sauce) so its not an issue for my regular diet.

I used subscribe and save to get the pro complex - if people don't know about that some products on Amazon have "subscribe and save" where you can get 15% off for setting up a subscription - you can specify if you want it every 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, or 6 months and you can cancel it at any time - so you can order it, get 15% off and then cancel. Made it like 48 instead of 60.