Protein powder - advice needed pretty please

abrasiveavocado
abrasiveavocado Posts: 7 Member
edited November 21 in Food and Nutrition
So I'm D, and I'm really hoping to get nutritional advice from you all :)

I'm 168cm/5"6', currently 54.5kg and looking to drop down to 53kg, or to fit in my clothes again, even if the scale has a higher number :# . Ideally, I also want to feel healthier/tighter/stronger, I'm not naturally toned and I want to improve that. I have a sedentary job, but I either run or practice martial arts 2-3 times a week. Calorie goal is currently set to 1320.

After I started logging in MFP it dawned on me how low on protein my diet is (average 15-20%) so I've started considering protein shakes. Also I saw a different thread with protein ice cream/fluff and it looks delicious :p
My macros are currently set as carbs 45%, fat 30% and protein 25%, which is more where I want to be rather than where I'm at.

From your experience, is complementing my diet with protein shakes a good idea? or for my weight/ goal should I be doing this differently?

Thank you all in advance!

Replies

  • Old_Cat_Lady
    Old_Cat_Lady Posts: 1,193 Member
    Up to you. Before buying an entire container try a protein bar from that brand first to make sure you can "handle" that protein taste. ex: walmart has pure protein powder and bars.
    I make mine with milk for even more protein, calcium and potassium. I drink it early mid-morning after coffee time and it keeps me from eating other higher calorie snacks until lunch time.
  • kwtilbury
    kwtilbury Posts: 1,234 Member
    Protein powder is a convenient way to meet your daily protein requirement, especially if you're already hitting your other macro targets.

    As the poster above has said, try some samples before going all in on a particular brand/flavor. Also, don't buy in to the marketing hype - there's nothing magical about protein powder. Use sites like labdoor.com to vet quality and find the best combination of taste/cost for you.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    Protein fluff is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Looks awesome, seems like a grand idea (oo, icecream that's not icecream that doesn't blow the calorie budget), when in reality it's voluminous, airy foam that fills you up (in a bad way) and potentially makes you vomit from being overstuffed.

    But, protein powder is an easy way to bump up your protein.. I don't like drinking it, but I will add it to yoghurt or pancakes to bump up the protein content.

    Have you consider recomp? You are at the low end of a healthy bmi, but recomp would enable you to maintain weight whilst changing your body composition.
  • abrasiveavocado
    abrasiveavocado Posts: 7 Member
    @livingleanlivingclean What is recomp?
    I was *hoping* to shed some lumps of fat I gained during Christmas (yay christmas cake!) and after that just try and get fitter and substitute some of the flabs with muscle. I've found if I'm consistently exercising I also tend to eat better so it's all part of a master plan to slowly slip into full adulthood in a sustainable manner B)
  • emailmehere1122
    emailmehere1122 Posts: 140 Member
    I can save you a lot of research and money...use egg whites instead
  • abrasiveavocado
    abrasiveavocado Posts: 7 Member
    Arguably, depending on where you live and the supermarkets you have access to egg whites aren't necessarily cheaper.
    As an example: Tesco's cheapest eggs are £1.25/15 eggs and you can get BULK POWDERS Pure Whey Protein from Amazon.co.uk at £17.50/kg for the banana flavour.
    100 gr of this whey protein provides 76gr of protein at £1.75. You'd need an average of 21 egg whites to get 76gr of protein and it would also cost £1.75.

    Anyone buying anything other than the cheapest eggs would be paying more for eggs (and wasting a ton of egg yolks?) than for protein powder. Anyone buying a protein bag bigger than 1kg would be paying less for whey protein than they would for eggs.

    This aside, my consideration of protein powder isn't monetarily oriented. It just seems to be a very convenient way to up protein intake :)
  • emailmehere1122
    emailmehere1122 Posts: 140 Member
    Here you can get egg whites in a carton but your price is much better....how does it taste?
  • mermaid1890
    mermaid1890 Posts: 4 Member
    I'm new to premium and have a lot of health issues that make my fitness and diet goals distinct, but one of the best tips I have for people who struggle with protein is to add gelatin. I know it sounds ridiculous (note, NOT Jello), but the reason Jello is given in hospitals is because it's protein that even picky sick people will usually eat. You can buy large containers of pure gelatin online, and because of animal rights issues I go with Great Lakes All Beef. You can get the normal kind if you're going to make yourself a healthier version of jello, which makes a good add-on if you use a small amount of whole fruit juice or actual fruit chunks. I really like making it with herbal teas and a little honey. I also like the normal kind for thickening sauces and my unsweetened cocoa in cooler months. They also have a hydrolyzed version that is great for adding to cold drinks because it totally dissolves. My stepdad didn't think he could taste it in his coffee when I added it, and now I sometimes do it without asking him to see if he notices, and he never has.

    Many people find protein powders work very well for them in shakes, and the key is finding something that works for you. I hope this helps and good luck!

    You also seem to be consuming a very low amount of calories for your height. It might be worthwhile to add pure protein amounts onto your calories and see if that helps you build muscle, but you'll never be able to build muscle if you aren't consuming enough calories to sustain your basic body functions.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    abrasiveavocado wrote: »
    @livingleanlivingclean What is recomp?
    I was *hoping* to shed some lumps of fat I gained during Christmas (yay christmas cake!) and after that just try and get fitter and substitute some of the flabs with muscle. I've found if I'm consistently exercising I also tend to eat better so it's all part of a master plan to slowly slip into full adulthood in a sustainable manner B)

    Recomp is eating at maintenance whilst doing a progressive lifting program, to slowly lose fat as you slowly gain muscle, in effect maintaining weight but changing your body composition.
  • abrasiveavocado
    abrasiveavocado Posts: 7 Member
    emailmehere1122 wrote: »
    Here you can get egg whites in a carton but your price is much better....how does it taste?
    Do you mean the banana protein powder? Haven't had it yet. I've ordered a small bag to figure out what it tastes like. How very exciting! :p

    mermaid1890 wrote: »
    You also seem to be consuming a very low amount of calories for your height. It might be worthwhile to add pure protein amounts onto your calories and see if that helps you build muscle, but you'll never be able to build muscle if you aren't consuming enough calories to sustain your basic body functions.
    I'm currently trying to lose the last kg, hence the low calorie budget. MFP originally put me on 1200 but that was far too little. Even still, due to the nature of my job and my size, my TDEE is something like 1650-1700 so quite low anyway. All work and no food makes D a dull girl :|

    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    Recomp is eating at maintenance whilst doing a progressive lifting program, to slowly lose fat as you slowly gain muscle, in effect maintaining weight but changing your body composition.
    I'll check this out, it seems to be pretty much what I want and it'll probably be lower impact than running on asphalt - maybe :/ Thanks a lot for the guidance!

  • VeronicaA76
    VeronicaA76 Posts: 1,116 Member
    Before investing in a whole tub of powder, get some sample packs. The more variety the better. Some people have reactions (bloating, constipation or diarrhea) to some types of protien powders. Also, some flavors taste better to different people than others. I would suggest find one of each type (whey, egg white, plant based, casien) in a variety of flavors and find which one suits you best.
  • tobehappy2017
    tobehappy2017 Posts: 41 Member
    Agree with the poster above.Raw stevia in protein powder make my stomach rumble all day.Though I can us chocolate flavor from bob red mill,vanilla troubles me with stomach issues.
    Definitely try sample packs for 2-3 days,increase consumption slowly to make your body used to it(I started with one scoop instead of the two for a few days).
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