Confused About Protein Shakes?

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13

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  • atjays
    atjays Posts: 798 Member
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    For me it serves two purposes. It's nearly the perfect post workout "meal" , your body is starving for those nutrients at that point, and it is also a very fast meal with no mess or clean up. I have a shaker cup, pour in milk and 2 scoops and done. Its also nice because its a bit lighter of a meal on the stomach, I already feel like I'm forcing food down to meet my daily goals, so to get that meal as a refreshing drink is nice.

    On the flip side, as others have said, it really yields no benefits to those wanting to lose weight and is totally unnecessary if you are getting good sources of proteins elsewhere.
  • spinqueen72
    spinqueen72 Posts: 406 Member
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    I love my protein shakes. I buy Maxpro from Max Muscle chocolate and vanilla. I mix them with unsweetened vanilla almond milk. I take protein to increase my protein count for the day as my nutritionist has me eating 175 grams of protein a day. I get 60 of that through my shakes. (1 in the morning & 1 right before bed). Don't laugh at the bed time one....it keeps your metabolism working through the night. When I lost weight 2 years ago, that was my secret. If you are exercising, your body needs lots of protein to repair.

    I also do a protein shake before bed! I use Dymatize Elite Gourmet Whey Protein.
  • cheyniemama
    cheyniemama Posts: 63
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    To calculate your protein needs:

    Take body weight in pounds, divide by 2.2

    This is your weight in Kilograms

    Multiply by 0.8

    This is how many grams of protein you need (but if you are overweight, this is actually TOO MUCH, because a higher percentage of your body is fat, and not muscle. Better to calculate by what your healthy weight should be.

    Food experts recommend not going over double your needed amount...it puts stress on your kidneys.

    Most people losing weight, working out (not bodybuilder style) don't need extra protein.

    I am NO expert, this is just what I studied in my nutrition class this week, and that's where my info is coming from :)

    That said, I usually am at about 1.5 times my recommended protein because I happen to like it!
  • katiew00t
    katiew00t Posts: 164
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    i LOVE my protein shakes. I am lactose intolerant, so I use GNC ProPerformance Chocolate Soy Protein Powder. 1 scoop powder, 1 cup water, 1 banana, 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil, 1 tablespoon ground flax seed. DELICIOUS! I drink it 1 hour after my workout. I also eat soy yogurt with fresh fruit at that time, and that's what makes my lunch.
  • Becca_007
    Becca_007 Posts: 596 Member
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    bump
  • JanieJack
    JanieJack Posts: 3,831 Member
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    Two BIG things protein shakes do for me:

    1. My body recovers faster after a long run or weight workout. This is the reason I started drinking them.
    2. For the first time in my LIFE I have nice long nails. Before I started taking protein after my workouts, my nails used to always break off halfway down my nailbed (ouch!). Now they're strong and pretty.

    People say you can get the same effect by eating more meat (which my body can't tolerate) or by making homemade soup with bones, which is time consuming but yummy (boil it long enough so the broth gels upon cooling), or by simply eating real gelatin.
  • IHeartNewMe
    IHeartNewMe Posts: 150 Member
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    I love them to help meet my protein quota. I think that most of them are high in carbs, at least for me. I have found some that are very low in carbs and fat and high in protein. I drink EAS AdvantEdge Carb Control - http://eas.com/
    and when I can find them EAS MyoPlex Carb Control (25 gr. quality protein, 2 net carbs, 3.5 g. fat), both of these are very filling. I have also used Pure Protein shakes - http://www.pureprotein.net/pages/products.aspx?sku=031699
    I find these are very filling and tasty snacks when served ice cold.
  • Elibasia
    Elibasia Posts: 211 Member
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    I take a protein shake 3 times a week when I don't have time for breakfast. I bought al Costco Premier Nutrition high protein shakes it has 160 calories, 30g of protein, 1 gram of sugar, 3 gram of fat and is ready to go.
  • littlepinkhearts
    littlepinkhearts Posts: 1,055 Member
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    I consume whey protein not only for the protein but also for the other nutrients in it. It gives added energy and just makes me feel better over-all. I work shift work and a lot of weekends and i've found that since using it, i've had a quicker and more energized turn around between shifts and just don't feel so crappy all the time. Adding it to a fruit smoothie just makes it all the better tasting :)
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
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    I bought some of the protein shake mix mostly to use in some recipes (cookies, etc.) and its good for that, but I found it makes a really delicious smoothie. Its nice to have something that I really enjoy and tastes indulgent...but it still good for me and easy to fit into a day's food requirements. You don't need protein shakes, but they are a nice option.
  • ChristineDB
    ChristineDB Posts: 14 Member
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    I personally don't like the shakes with powders and want to focus on healthy weight loss and not on building muscle. I have shakes with Greek yogurt! It's very good for you and full of protein!

    This is my recipe:

    1 cup of natural liberty Greek yogurt
    1 cup of frozen fruit (your choice)
    1 medium banana
    1\3 cup of cranberry or orange juice

    Blend and voila!
    325 calories
    21 g of protein
    0 fat
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    Keep in mind that these are processed powders and real food is better. Apparently we do not absorb them as well (I was reading up about this yesterday). But great if you are working out and feel you need more in your diet
  • Fit_Canuck
    Fit_Canuck Posts: 788 Member
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    I love my GNC Pro Performance Whey ISO Burst (Double Chocolate Royale) it really mixes well with water and tastes delicious!
  • katiew00t
    katiew00t Posts: 164
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    I love my GNC Pro Performance Whey ISO Burst (Double Chocolate Royale) it really mixes well with water and tastes delicious!

    yum!
  • chachita7
    chachita7 Posts: 996 Member
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    I strive for at least 100 g of protein a day... usually don't need the shake to meet it - but on the days I lift or the day after I make sure I get plenty of it and put a scoop of chocolate protein in to my coffee (oh so good)

    At least for me it helps with keeping me getting too sore after weight lifting - I don't lift like a girl though, lol
  • killagb
    killagb Posts: 3,280 Member
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    I personally don't like the shakes with powders and want to focus on healthy weight loss and not on building muscle. I have shakes with Greek yogurt! It's very good for you and full of protein!

    This is my recipe:

    1 cup of natural liberty Greek yogurt
    1 cup of frozen fruit (your choice)
    1 medium banana
    1\3 cup of cranberry or orange juice

    Blend and voila!
    325 calories
    21 g of protein
    0 fat
    Drinking a powder form of protein is not going to make you bulk up with muscle. You do have to actually work at such a thing. It's only going to help you from LOSING lean muscle.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the body by Vi shakes really have all that much protein in them? Most whey powders that come in a tub or a bag have 25+ protein per serving, and if you add them to skim milk, that adds another 8 grams or so.

    This is an oversimplification, but eating a high protein diet helps you retain lean muscle while burning fat which will help your end result look lean and strong and tight versus "skinny fat" where there is poor skin tone and elasticity.

    They contain a tri-blend protein that your body actually uses and absorbs, as apposed to these other protein powders, that you end up peeing out quite a bit of the protein.

    Way to make things up
  • vypeters
    vypeters Posts: 475 Member
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    Protein shakes are great, make great smoothies, easy, bio-available. I use them every day.

    BUT, and this is a big but: if they don't satisfy you, you're still hungry and therefore pushing the envelope on calories, maybe go with solid protein foods to get your protein in. Depends on the person. Me, they work great. Others, not so much.
  • gp79
    gp79 Posts: 1,799 Member
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    I'm not quite sure of the thought process behind this but...it's as if a protein powder falls between a diet pill and whole food.

    It is a supplement.

    According to the dictionary, a supplement is something added to complete a thing, supply a deficiency, or reinforce or extend a whole.

    It's used in most modern diets because a typical persons nutrition is deficient in protein. As others have mentioned it helps you retain lean body tissue, which is important during weight loss. It's marketed in shakes alot of times and pushed to you as some magical substance that's going to make the weight fall off of you. Not the case.
  • Night_hawker5000
    Night_hawker5000 Posts: 17
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    I started using body fortress about two months ago post workout and for breakfast supplement. I chose BF whey proten because it was high protein low cal and low carb but here I am heavier and bulkier. Have you experienced any weight gain? I'm 5'3" and I was 115 now I'm teetering 125!! I'm freaking out! I look thick and feel like the incredible hulk!!! I workout 6-7 days/week and I lift *cybex machines. I'm also retaining water and can't shake it!!! Can that be related to the whey protein? Some say if you take in too much whey protein the body stores it as fat and others say you cant take in too much protein because the body will just excrete it. So what the heck is happening to me then??

    I've heard that if you consume over 40 grams of protein in each shake you piss it out because your kidneys (body) can't process that much....if you stay under your calorie intake, excess protein won't be stored as fat, but burned since your in calorie deficit...I'm sure your just fine if you just start under you goal

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