Whey Protein before or after working out?

I'm not an expert, but I do have a personal trainer. After almost a year of seeing very little progress weight loss wise, he started really getting on me about protein and overall diet. In February I added a protein powder to my diet. It's made all the difference in the world for me. I have lost 13lbs. I have always worked out, but changing my Carbs, Fats, and Protein ratio is what made the difference in my weight loss. Now, I'm trying to make up 40% of my daily calories in protein. Protein from powder, that I mix in a banana, peanutbutter, coffee grounds, ice and water mix, straight powder in water, and chicken breasts. Reducing my carbs and fats as much as I can has helped too. I really don't care if anyone says this is wrong, because the proof is in my results. I think it's something I can stick with long term and I' m hoping to drop another 13lbs. Good luck!! I really encourage you to add protein powder to your diet. Another benefit, it curbs your hunger very, very well.

The reason whey protein is recommended for post work out is because it is the fastest type of protein to be digested. After you lift or do any exercise in general that uses any muscles, you have a 30-45 minute window to consume some kind of protein to replenish your muscles with amino acids (the building blocks of protein) that are needed to help recover and repair broken muscle fibers. Whey protein is best to be taken post workout, but it won't hurt you to use it as a protein source throughout the day. This advice is coming to you from myself (I am a trained nutritional consultant) and my trainer who is certified in nutrition as well. You can eat or drink a different kind of protein but as someone else commented above you would need to account for the time it would take to digest it, thus why whey protein is preferred, because it is so convenient!

After.

i always take it after. sometimes before. from what i've seen in my internet based research/what my husband has told me, it is most important to have after, specifically within about 30 minutes. your muscles are torn after lifting and getting that protein in to you ASAP helps start the repair process, so that you can take full advantage of all that tearing you did while you were working out.

So I guess it's different depending on what I want it for. If I want it to just increase my protein, it doesn't matter really when I ingest it. However, if I want it for recuperation after lifting/working out, I should obviously ingest it then. Does that work with, like, high resistance cycling and elliptical or only with straight up lifting? I've been working up to heavy lifting, but as I have back problems because of pole vaulting, I have to get it cleared with my chiropractor first :')

that's kind of my line of thought, i guess. if you want to take it after that cardio, it's definitely not going to hurt you. i used to drink one after EVERY workout, regardless of whether it was weights or cardio. however, i think that it would be *most* beneficial in terms of muscle building to do it specifically after a strength (weightlifting) workout. again, i'm not an expert. this is just my experience.

The importance of meal timing is vastly overshadowed by total caloric/macro-nutrient intake BUT that does not mean it is utterly useless/irrelevant to optimal performance.