Which protein powder do you use?

ON Gold Standard is clearly a favorite. I've tried the vanilla and extreme milk chocolate and hated both. The macros are on point, but I'm not a fan of the taste at all. I also tried using the chocolate one in protein pancakes and it was chalky and nasty, even with a recipe I'd used a million times with other powders.

I used a local brand of protein powder pretty much the whole time I was losing weight, but now I'm looking for something more reputable since there was some controversy over whether the macros listed on the nutritional label were accurate. Considering how much tastier it is that ANY of the protein powders I've tried since then, my guess is that it's really just carb/sugar powder, which sucks, but it's time to switch.

I'm cycling between Jym, Cellucor, and ISO-100 right now (all vanilla), and they're all alright. I'll never buy Jym, but it's not horrible when mixed with chocolate almond milk. Cellucor and ISO-100 are pretty close in taste, but I'm disappointed that Cellucor doesn't mix as well in a blender bottle. I've found that none of them do well in a blender, so I've taken protein smoothies out completely. It could be my blender, though.

I've also tried MRM (all natural), which was pretty good and mixed perfectly. I tried Phase 8 and Pronom, neither of which I was impressed with, but they weren't awful. Syntha 6 is really yummy, but the macros aren't that great if you're cutting.

Over the next few months, I've got plenty of samples waiting for me. More Cellucor flavors (Corfetti, Cookies & Cream, and Red Velvet), ON Gold Standard Cinnamon Graham Cracker, MusclePharm Cookies & Cream, Whey HD and Syntha 6 strawberry flavors, a bunch of Trutein flavors, and I think one or two others. Pretty excited to be trying out something other than vanilla.

Sun Warrior Raw Vegan Vanilla...in my morning smoothie. I have also used Douglas Labs pea protein chocolate almond. Because I don't eat meat, I have to keep my eye on my protein and iron levels and I wasn't getting enough protein in my breakfast; the naturopath recommended these two. Once my current bucket of the SW powder is gone, i'm going to try the plain pea protein since it will mix better with breakfast veggie smoothies. Neither soy or whey proteins are an option for me and i have been pleasantly surprised at the palatability of these two although i haven't tried them with just water.

Optimum Nutrition. I don't find any protein powders to taste good, but this one is at least palatable. I think it has 24 grams of protein in a 120 calorie serving (which ends up being 4-8 oz depending on how potent you like it), so I can guzzle it pretty quick and be done.

ETA: I get the Double Rich Chocolate flavor.

Now Sports Dutch Chocolate Pea Protein! Really yummy!

For all the Canadians out there:

Canadian Protein 100% Premium Whey Isolate - 29g of protein per 122 calories.

I usually pick the Strawberry flavour but also like the Chocolate Peanut Butter!

Oh and th sun warrior does have a strong stevia sweetener taste. I didn't know of any lead issues with this product. That's kind of freaky lol. I just started taking it so I hope they worked it out.

I can't do dairy, so I can't do most protein powders out there. I tried that horrible vegan crap from Beach Body and was literally sent to the hospital due to severe stomach pains. I LOVE Arbonne's pea protein powders. They taste really good - even with plain ole water. I would suggest using at least a little blender to break it up.

Death_Penalty wrote: »

Ideally, women need .5 - 1 gram of protein per lb of body weight. So for a 140 lb woman that is 70 grams of protein for someone who is just trying to lose weight and 140 grams for someone who is moderately active. If it's a little of both, shoot for somewhere in the middle, say 130 grams. If you feel that there is no way that you can hit that 130-140 gram mark daily from taking in only food sources, then whey protein can get you to your goal.

Where does that figure come from? It sounds like the sort of numbers quoted by the marketers of protein powders!!!

The current scientific guidelines recommend at maximum 1.7g/kg (0.77g/lb) for heavy resistance sportsmen! For the average Joe the numbers are between 0.8 and 1.2g/kg (0.36-0.55g/lb) depending on activity level and 15% lower for women (i.e. 0.31-0.46g/lb.)

source: http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/nutrition/factsheets/basics/protein_-_how_much

Remember too that these are based on average levels of body fat too. If you have more fat (and therefore proportionately less lean mass) you can get away with less. Even a vegan can meet these needs through diet without going to extremes. Protein powders are a waste of money. If you're not lactose intolerant use skim milk powder at about 1/20th the cost if you insist that you "need" a protein supplement.