WHY do people on mfp use protein shakes??

slim422

I drink a protein shake because:
it's versatile,
it's quick,
It can be as tasty as I want to make it
I don't feel like eating chicken breast for breakfast
It helps me get an extra serving or two of fruit in the morning
It keeps me full.

It makes a good breakfast for me as I'm quite lazy and like to lie in bed until the last minute, especially after kickboxing classes the evening before.

That's just me, though, no one's forcing anyone else's hand.

ETA:
Mine aren't particularly low calorie as I start with a shake and add berries, some honey, greek yogurt, a scoop of wheat germ, a banana, in some combination depending on what I remember to toss in. Mine average between 200-350 calories.

I edited MFP's protein goals to get about 25/25/50 with protein, fat and carbs. I try to keep the protein as a minimum goal and the carbs as a max goal.

That about covers it and well said. My main reason is for the protein as I don't like too much meat and I too don't necessarily want to eat chicken for breakfast but absolutely have a protein goal for each day. Also, I am new to eating breakfast regularly and this helps when I'm trying to meet that goal too. Finally, they are portable so in less than 5 min I can make it, put it in a travel mug and be out the door with a meal or a snack.

Hope this helps explain why even tho food has protein shakes are very useful for some.

iKristine

The average sedentary person needs around 50g protein to meet their needs for cells replacement, hair growth, heart functions etc etc.

The average athlete, needs double that. Someone eating a fast food western diet can get the 50g fairly easily.

So depending on what constitutes watching what you eat, one might or might not need supplements to achieve this.

I for example, work out regularly and and building muscle. So I need the later. If I eat a whole foods diet, I can meet this need with effort. And by effort I mean carefully planning meals like fish and chicken daily. Sometimes that's hard to do, in which case a protein shake really helps to supplement the times in between.

But no one ever should, under any circumstance use a shake as a meal replacement. That's just pseudo junk science.

TourThePast

I aim for a minimum of 100-110g of protein a day. I feel best getting that much. Protein shakes and bars are easy ways to up that amount so I don't have to eat a couple pounds of chicken a day.

Even if you ate absolutely nothing else all day, less than one pound of chicken would provide you with that much protein.

So yes, some people find shakes useful, but less of the drama queening please! :bigsmile:

LorinaLynn

I aim for a minimum of 100-110g of protein a day. I feel best getting that much. Protein shakes and bars are easy ways to up that amount so I don't have to eat a couple pounds of chicken a day.

Even if you ate absolutely nothing else all day, less than one pound of chicken would provide you with that much protein.

So yes, some people find shakes useful, but less of the drama queening please! :bigsmile:

I NEVER exaggerate! NEVER EVER EVER! :laugh:

emberin

As a vegetarian I sometimes struggle with protein, so that's why I try to drink them pretty often. They're really tasty, pretty low-calorie, and they keep me full for a while (though I don't use them as a complete meal replacement).

And I too always drink them after workouts for muscle recovery.

This. I'm not a vegetarian anymore, but I still struggle to get enough protein in my regular diet.

TamsinEllis

I use protein shakes a) to hit my protein goal if I haven't eaten enough protein during the day (I've set it manually to a number I think is more suitable then what MFP originally set it at) b) as people have said it helps with muscle recovery so for that reason too and c) because I find protein shakes filling (and very tasty in some cases, as people have said adding berries, peanut butter, cocoa powder etc) when I get the munchies and just want to pig out on everything I can find in the cupboards I find having one will make me feel too full to eat anything else.

I won't have a protein shake every day, I'll just have one if I want/need one

Edit: Just thought I'd add I use Whey protein (Sci-MX since it's the only one the local shops sell - UK based - and it's reasonably priced) and I try to eat around 90g of protein a day since I don't do much weight lifting (yet, wait till I get my hands on a gym membership) but I'm always happy to eat more I'd rather my protein was in the red on my food diary then any other of the categories

MikeSEA

Protein shakes are a convenience for me. I don't necessarily take them after workouts, unless I'm particularly hungry, because I'm not an athlete. When it comes to cooking I'm pretty darn lazy, and protein powder is a fairly cheap, low sodium way for me to hit my protein macro req that I put on myself because I'd prefer to maintain as much muscle as I can while losing weight.

If I had to prepare and eat that much chicken breast or tuna, I'd go nuts.

wftiger

Because I'm lazy and don't like to cook. Also to meet my protein requirements set by my physician it is hard to do on the few calories I have without getting something higher in protein with less calories. But mostly because I am too lazy to cook.

charpera

I take protein on a consistent basis. It doesn't have a lot of calories or fat which is why I like it. I lift weights for about an hour a day. Two main things I have always taken are amino acids and protein shakes. They help keep my calories and fats down by keeping me full and also helping me rebuild my muscles. The best place to buy whey protein for shakes is at costco. My wife and I both love the taste.

duharvalgt

Have you seen the price of chicken?

marie_2454

From what I've read, most people think that the protein amount on here is really low and more of a minimum. Personally I changed my goals and try to get in at least 85 grams of protein. I supplement with protein powder because I don't eat meat and protein powder is fast and easy. Sometimes I just have it mixed with milk, but usually I add it to smoothies or Greek yogurt. You can really do all sorts of stuff with it besides just mixing it as a shake.
It can be low in calories or it can be really high, it just depends on the brand and your goals. The amount of protein in it varies too. Places like Walmart, Target, and Dillons/Kroger have a few brands of protein powder, but I usually either buy mine from a local supplement store or online at bodybuilding.com. It's not necessary or anything, it's just a supplement. Hope that helps