Protein Shakes..

lplautz

Hi Everyone!
I am going to be starting p90x next week and was told it would be a good idea to add a protein shake for after the workout to help repair muscles. I have never tried protein shakes before and am looking for reccomendations? Honestly the only ones I have even seen are the special K protein shakes sold at Target. Thanks for the info!

Jeff92se

How is your protein intake now? If it's adequate, you won't really need them.

I use them because I lift weights 3-4 times a week and it's really difficult to get enough w/o killing my calorie counts

hkmamma

I buy the whey protein powder at Sam's Club or Walmart and mix my own. It comes in Vanilla and Chocolate. I take a scoop of Vanilla and blend with a frozen banana and water...Yummy!

mllowe2

The Special K ones are pretty good and relatively cheap compared to others out there.

melizerd

If you're using MFPs recommended protein you'll need to up it, MFP sets protein pretty low.

In a pinch I have used the Light Muscle Milk ones (chocolate only and cold!)

But mostly I make my own using protein powder from GNC.

graceann72

I have heard that fat free chocolate milk is good for after a workout.

lynheff

I buy Designer Whey and mix it with almond milk ( 2x the calcium),or skim milk ( increased protein) or crystal light ( low calorie and many different flavors). My doc recommended that I add extra protein and this is a really easy way to get it. I found that some brands turned slimy or were hard to dissolve. You do have to read some of the packaged shakes carefully because some are high in calories and/or carbs. Hope that helps.

CandeesLand

I regularly use Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard which I buy on Amazon, I regularly use it after my workouts to get enough protein with out going over on cals, and I also make a shake with some variation of chocolate powder and coffee almost every morning as part of my breakfast since they are so quick to throw together. Chocolate milk is also great after a work out.

nukehiker

I am currently using body fortress, you can buy it at CVS and walmart i think. it's about $20 for a 2 pound container. also look for one that is low in sugar, fats, and carbs. some of the whey protein powders are loaded with fillers so look at the labels. the body fortress i am using in 52g of protein per 2 scoop serving. you need a good amount of protein to repiar your muscles especially in programs like P90X. lots of pull ups and push ups in the program.

lplautz

MFP has my goal at 45 and I typically consume between 60-70. I do the ellipitcal right now for about 40 minutes, but this will be my first attempt incorporating weights and toning. Thanks for all your input

Quiing

I recommend Isopure Zero Carb shakes! You can get it from GNC and Vitamin Shoppe

Jeff92se

MFP has my goal at 45 and I typically consume between 60-70. I do the ellipitcal right now for about 40 minutes, but this will be my first attempt incorporating weights and toning. Thanks for all your input

You want at least 0.5 to 1 gram of protein per lean body mass. So you need a rough estimate of your BF%. P90X isn't what I call strength training in the tradtional sense as the weights are too light and reps are very high.

Riverofbeauty

I've just started drinking protein shakes to up my protein intake to 1g of protein per lb I weigh. Which is a general rule a lot of people go by. Protein powder certainly helps with reaching that goal, as well as other added nutrients they have.

goldfinger88

Protein powders range from cheap to expensive. The quality has a range too. I use EnergyFirst. It comes from healthy, grass fed cows and tastes good. It is also expensive. A cheaper alternative is BioChem.

AEcklar813

I make my own protein shakes. Right now I use smart smoothie from complete nutrition. (I won it at a zumba benefit! but I will be buying the whey protein from walmart this week since I ran out)

1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1/2 cup frozen berries
1/2 milk

that's the one I've been making recently

or I also like this one too:

1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1/2 milk
1-2 tbl of peanut butter
ice

You can find a bunch of recipes online as well if you search! Good luck!

rebeccap13

I recommend Isopure Zero Carb shakes! You can get it from GNC and Vitamin Shoppe

Agreed, I use this and I love it. A little pricey but you don't get a bunch of added crap with it.

Jeff92se

I've just started drinking protein shakes to up my protein intake to 1g of protein per lb I weigh. Which is a general rule a lot of people go by. Protein powder certainly helps with reaching that goal, as well as other added nutrients they have.

IMHO that is too much. As you want to match your lean body mass. No need to take protein for the fat content. I'd probably cut it to 0.5 grams per lean body mass and see what happens.

kimmie185

I've tried many brands and the Isopure Zero Carb Whey Protein is so far the best I've tried! I mix it in with fat free milk.
It really depends on taste preference though, if a store will let you sample something before you purchase the $50 tub then go that route because there is alot of protiens on the market that taste like crap! I've wasted so much money on powders that I bought and later found out I couldn't stomach.

I personally would not recomment the Special K bars and shakes because they have sugar in them, but that's just my personal preference.

vickithorne1

I agree , if you have already enough protein then you may want to look into L-glutemine, It is a must for anyone who workouts and even for people that dont. Check it out online, it will help repair muscles and also is very good for your digestive track, I had chemotherapy last winter and it actually repaired the nerve damage that was done to my toes and fingers. Good Luck

chele76

I go to Max Muscle and use some of their protein products. Plus they give great nutritional advice. I'd recomend some Glutamine to help with your muscle recovery as well. If you are working out hard for 60 minutes or more, you definitely want a quick absorbing protein - like whey (around 20grams) AND some qucik absorbing carbs - sugary / pulpy fruits like banannas (around 30 grams of carbs) within 30 minutes of working out.

I don't recomend any of the mass produced pre made shakes like Special K (mostly sugar carbs anyway) - or Muscle Milk (too much by products that can be hard on your kidneys & liver)

thecapillary

Here's some links I found when I was considering protein powder. It basically depends on whether or not you're trying to use it to build muscle mass or lose weight. The trickier situation being losing weight: while protein powders do offer more protein for better muscle repair you have to factor in the carbs you consume with the powder you choose as you could end up increasing your caloric intake. Sugar free or low carb powders are available but they tend to be more expensive.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/drobson71.htm

http://www.livestrong.com/article/77974-whey-protein-shakes-losing-weight/

http://www.divinecaroline.com/22177/98874-shake-up-skinny-protein-powder

thecapillary

Here's some links I found when I was considering protein powder. It basically depends on whether or not you're trying to use it to build muscle mass or lose weight. The trickier situation being losing weight: while protein powders do offer more protein for better muscle repair you have to factor in the carbs you consume with the powder you choose as you could end up increasing your caloric intake. Sugar free or low carb powders are available but they tend to be more expensive.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/drobson71.htm

http://www.livestrong.com/article/77974-whey-protein-shakes-losing-weight/

http://www.divinecaroline.com/22177/98874-shake-up-skinny-protein-powder

MissMaryMac33

I've just started drinking protein shakes to up my protein intake to 1g of protein per lb I weigh. Which is a general rule a lot of people go by. Protein powder certainly helps with reaching that goal, as well as other added nutrients they have.

IMHO that is too much. As you want to match your lean body mass. No need to take protein for the fat content. I'd probably cut it to 0.5 grams per lean body mass and see what happens.

this is not too much and is a pretty typical goal for many people. I cahnged my MFP settings to 40% protein, 30% carb/fat since I think the default is nearly backfwards. I would be in a carb coma all day if I followed their guidelines. I am only 5'4 and easily get 120-150g protein a day. I have 2-3 protein shakes a day between meals and count them just like I would food or any other drink.

READ LABELS. You can get plenty of zero carb/fat/sugar protein powders. My typical shake is approx 150 cals, 0carb/0fat and 27g protein. AVOID all of the pre-mixed crap and buy yourself a good jug of pure whey protein isolate and mix it yourself. I buy chocolate (all natural, unsweetened) and mix it with almond milk.

Jewel0124

I'm a fan of Pure Protein shakes. I usually get mine from Target and there is usually a coupon inside the box.

Jeff92se

I've just started drinking protein shakes to up my protein intake to 1g of protein per lb I weigh. Which is a general rule a lot of people go by. Protein powder certainly helps with reaching that goal, as well as other added nutrients they have.

IMHO that is too much. As you want to match your lean body mass. No need to take protein for the fat content. I'd probably cut it to 0.5 grams per lean body mass and see what happens.

this is not too much and is a pretty typical goal for many people. I cahnged my MFP settings to 40% protein, 30% carb/fat since I think the default is nearly backfwards. I would be in a carb coma all day if I followed their guidelines. I am only 5'4 and easily get 120-150g protein a day. I have 2-3 protein shakes a day between meals and count them just like I would food or any other drink.

How did you determine it's "not too much"? By experience? Or what an article says? I'm not defending the MFP ratios. I basically ignore them. I'm saying unless you are doing some serious weight lifting, having too much is a waste. I have actually upped my intake to about 0.5-0.75 grams per lean body mass. I think it makes a diff with recovery. I don't know if upping it to 1 gram per total body weight would be of additional benefit.

melizerd

A lot of reading will show that the 40% protein 30/30% carbs/fat is a very reasonable ratio. Which works out much closer to the 1g of body weight not just lean body mass.

It's the ratio I've used for quite awhile as well.

Jeff92se

A lot of reading will show that the 40% protein 30/30% carbs/fat is a very reasonable ratio. Which works out much closer to the 1g of body weight not just lean body mass.

It's the ratio I've used for quite awhile as well.

And? If you getting this ratio from food so be it. But if you add this much from protein powder, I question the need for that much.

rayleansout

EAS makes a low carb protein shake 17 grams of protein - SAMS club sells them in a 24 pack. would be perfect after a workout with half a banana - after a hard workout carbs mixed with protein help muscle repair and dont get stored as fat - note Hard workout.

melizerd

A lot of reading will show that the 40% protein 30/30% carbs/fat is a very reasonable ratio. Which works out much closer to the 1g of body weight not just lean body mass.

It's the ratio I've used for quite awhile as well.

And? If you getting this ratio from food so be it. But if you add this much from protein powder, I question the need for that much.

You're not adding all of it from powder. I do use a protein shake to supplement the amount i eat because I have an issue eating the sheer volume of food that requires of me. So it's a really easy way to get an extra 20-30g of protein a day in a shake after a workout especially.

Jeff92se

A lot of reading will show that the 40% protein 30/30% carbs/fat is a very reasonable ratio. Which works out much closer to the 1g of body weight not just lean body mass.

It's the ratio I've used for quite awhile as well.

And? If you getting this ratio from food so be it. But if you add this much from protein powder, I question the need for that much.

You're not adding all of it from powder. I do use a protein shake to supplement the amount i eat because I have an issue eating the sheer volume of food that requires of me. So it's a really easy way to get an extra 20-30g of protein a day in a shake after a workout especially.

I imply that if you have to supplement with powder to get to that much protein, I question the need (ie.. justify the expense). I didn't imply that you got all of it from protein shakes. You'd have to down 6-7 shakes a day to do that.

I take shakes. Sometimes twice a day. But I don't get that much protein. Probably around 130g. That's below the 1 g per lean body mass for me. I don't think getting 1 g per pount of bodyweight would add anything. ie.. downing over 170g of protein everyday

melizerd

I should really edit my posts but I'll put it here too.

The amount of protein per body weight should be in the healthy range of your TARGET weight, not your current weight.

So my current weight is 165lbs but I'm consuming about 145-155g of protein a day (on a good day, I don't always hit that).

And of course what works for one person doesn't work for everyone. I find if I skip the protein I feel hungrier, my muscles hurt more etc. so it's worth it to me. The expense isn't that bad if you buy the protein powder in bulk from Costco or GNC when there is a sale etc.