Whey Protein

I have used the Muscle Milk (from Costco) and the EAS vanilla brand, Muscle Milk has more in it. I was using a scoopful to make a smoothie for after excercise (with berries, a little yogurt, etc.) but found that it made me nauseated. (I gave it a good try, at least a couple of months if not longer). It is not going to make you big and bulky but you may not need that much extra protein unless your diet is deficient or you are doing extreme exercise (with muscke breakdown). I am also looking forward to what the other posters have to say on this topic (I'm a swimmer and I do a strength program twice a week, not huge lifting). Thank You!

Pictures

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1161407-15-lbs-of-babyweight-gone-pics

Whey protein is a great way to meet your macros. I try to get about 150g of protein everyday, and sometimes by the end of the day I'm scavenging to get my last 20-30 g of protein for the day. And that's where my protein shake comes in! I've used numerous brands from BSN Syntha-6 (which is absolutely delicious by the way...just too much fat for my liking in a protein), Cellucor Molten Milk Chocolate (also very delicious) and Muscletech Phase 8 (my least favorite, very gritty tasting).

So, is the ON Gold Standard the best whey protein supplement? Let me know, maybe I'll try it again if the Muscle MIlk (the other one I tried was Body Fortress, not sure if it's the same as EAS, but if they're junk I don't want to use them). Thank you for your advice. From what I'm reading, I could probably use a little of this after my workouts.

I have 1 scoop of Coastal Pro or Dymatize Elite with 8-12oz water and 1 serving of PB 2, the brownie fudge with the pb 2 is DELICIOUS and it seems to keep me satisified after a really hard workout, thats when Im usually starving.

In general, protein powder helps me stay fuller longer and definitely helps with recovery after a tough, muscle taxing workout. Also makes for a good "guilt-free" post dinner snack/dessert.

Full list of brands I've tried include:
--Body Fortress (Chocolate PB - delish, especially if making a shake with a frozen banana and/or PB2 added, Strawberry - tastes great!, Cookies N' Cream - doesn't really taste like Oreos or anything, oddly, tastes more like coconut to me, but still good!, and Vanilla. They also make a Vanilla isolate which tastes great and has more protein and even fewer carbs).
--Bodylogix (from Meijer, Vanilla - awesome flavor. Probably my favorite powder of those I've tried thus far. A bit pricier, at around $20-$22 for 2lbs., but worth it! High protein to carb/fat ratio)
-- Designer Whey (Vanilla - okay, but not really my favorite, even if it only contains 100 calories/scoop)
--Generic Meijer store brand (Chocolate and Vanilla - these are okay if you're on a tight budget, but definitely not my top pick)
-- Muscle Milk (Graham Cracker - INSANELY good flavor. Does contain more fat and carbs than most traditional whey proteins)
-- Syntha 6 (Cake Batter - wouldn't recommend this one. Flavor seemed off to me and has composition similar to Muscle Milk. If the flavor was better, I'd take it, but since it's not, I'd prefer a powder with a higher protein ratio to carbs/fat.

I've heard lots of great things about Optimum Nutrition and plan to purchase that brand next. From what I've read, this is probably your best value powder in terms of grams of protein per dollar.

After puchasing as many powders as I have, I now order pretty much all my protein from Vitacost. Definitely the most bang for your buck and super fast shipping. Also, if you purchase through the following link, you'll receive $10 off your order of $30 or more (full disclosure - I also receive a credit for the referral, but, hey, we both win!) Hope this helps! https://www.vitacostrewards.com/jpI3EaR

The reason many (myself included) dislike Muscle Milk, EAS and the like are because of the fat/carb content and because of the type of protein they contain. Most of the time it's whey protein concentrate, which isn't as good for post-workout absorption (isolate is easier for your body to get to your muscles), concentrate also contains lactose, which can irritate some people's digestive systems.

I use Optimum Nutrition Whey Isolates. My favorite flavors are Double Chocolate, Extreme Chocolate, and Rocky Road.

I use it to help me meet my protein macros.


ETA: You aren't going to get pictures of those successful with their progress due to a protein powder because it isn't the powder that does anything but help meet protein and calorie goals.

Also no, protein powders has nothing to do with "bulkiness". Unless you are adding steroids to your routine, you aren't going to get bulky from protein powders or strength training.