Supplements and shakes - I’m clueless

You have to use your muscles to make them more firm. Exercise.

You probably don't need any supplements at this stage.

caiteh86 wrote: »

My goal is to lose weight while building strength. The main "supplement" I take is whey protein isolate.... protein is important and I don't get enough most days from my regular meals, as I don't eat a ton of meat. I blend the protein powder with unsweetened cashew milk and a frozen banana and drink up right after I get home from the gym. My favourite protein powder is Beyond Yourself whey isolate ...lots of great flavours but the one I'm using now is cookie dough ice cream! I also mix in BCAAs to my water and drink throughout my workouts... I find that it helps prevent muscle soreness and gives me a bit more energy while lifting weights but a lot of people don't seem to think they're necessary.

Science doesn't think they're necessary. Good, simple read about the science regarding BCAAs here: http://physiqonomics.com/bcaas/

As to the OP, supplements don't really offer much help toward your stated goals. Fat loss and strength training will be the two most important things you can do. Protein shakes are helpful if you're not getting enough protein in the rest of your diet, but there's nothing magical about them - they're basically just another food source in powdered form. Most other supplements are just a rip-off and won't do much but make your wallet lighter.

The timing of protein (or any other nutrient) intake is all but irrelevant for 99.9% of us (and if you have to ask, you're probably not in the other 0.1%, lol). What matters is getting adequate protein intake on a consistent day-to-day basis. Eric Helms did a good job of showing the importance of various aspects of nutrition in his Nutrition Pyramid (notice where he ranks supplements in importance):