Protein Powders; Should I Use Them?

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NasilKiloVerdim
NasilKiloVerdim Posts: 3
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone! I lost my last 6 kg recently with diet + weight & cardio training: 4 kg from fat mass but unfortunately 2 kg from my muscle mass. My trainer insists that I should eat foods with protein within 1 hour after I finish my training to avoid further muscle loss. The first problem is that I'm usually at the gym drying my hair or out waiting for the bus within 1 hour after my training. And the second problem is that I'm too picky so I don't eat tuna or salmon sandwiches or something like that which are good to carry around in your gym bag.

Do you have any food suggestions for me, maybe some home made recipes that don't involve protein powders?

I'm really new to protein powders, I thought that only those guys with big muscles use them to fluff their muscles even more... But in my case, they seem pretty functional to use. Should I trust them? I red that you need to use vitamin B if you use them and they are hard on kidneys. It's a whole new area for me. Any suggestions? Thank you all in advance :)

Replies

  • marquiche
    marquiche Posts: 2
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    Do you like nuts such as almonds? What about peanut butter or almond butter?
  • ItsMeLori
    ItsMeLori Posts: 346
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    I use Whey protein powder because I have a hard time getting protein in. Eat nuts too!
  • RTricia
    RTricia Posts: 720
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    I'm not a big meat eater - I wish I was but my body can't seem to digest it very well. I use rice proteins since I cannot to whey, soy or pea proteins.

    Lots of nuts though, too. But those have carbs in them. Good luck.
  • ShaunHensley
    ShaunHensley Posts: 6
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    powerbars protein plus. totally portable
  • LivLovLrn
    LivLovLrn Posts: 580 Member
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    I agree with nuts, if you like them, I also use a rice protein powder after my evening classes. That way I can get my protein without eating right before bed.
  • boopiejones
    boopiejones Posts: 73
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    cottage cheese and eggs. not super portable, but TONS of really good protein.
  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
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    pretty much any meat, preferably lean meat. cottage cheese. greek yogurt perhaps.
  • joanbeck
    joanbeck Posts: 1
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    What about something easy like a protein bar. Easy to eat and carry with you. Also they are a great pick-me- up in the middle of the day if you are feeling tired. Luna is a good one and all natural.
  • martinh78
    martinh78 Posts: 601
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    I'm convinced that PHD Diet Whey is doing me the world of good. I take it right after my workout (well withing 15mins). Warm down, glass of water, shower, protein shake. It really does aid recovery, I wouldn't waste my money otheriwse. On top of that it keeps the hunger away and is much easier to consume than food if you've really pushed your workout.

    Put 2 scoops in your water bottle then add the water at the gym, doesn't get much better than that!

    Buy a 1kg tub, give it a go for a couple of weeks and see what you think. If you don't feel any difference don't waste anymore money. I thought it was expensive but at £1 a shake that's less than most places charge for water or a protein bar etc.



    PS - listen to your trainer, that's what you are paying them for!
  • anubis609
    anubis609 Posts: 3,966 Member
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    A Sweet and Salty Colossal protein bar ought to do the trick for any of your immediate protein needs. It's full of quality nutty goodness.
  • NasilKiloVerdim
    NasilKiloVerdim Posts: 3
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    Wow thank you all so much for your answers! I began with nuts yesterday but my trainer told me that they aren't strong enough after weight training and I should go for animal protein like meat or few eggs. So I began to think about taking protein powders but I'm concerned about damages. Do you take vitamin B when you drink protein powder shakes?
  • boopiejones
    boopiejones Posts: 73
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    i'd stay away from protein powders and bars unless you absolutely need them. considering that you can get 30g of protein from a cup of cottage cheese, about 25g from a small steak, 25 from a cup of granola cereal with nonfat milk - even a slice of costco pizza has more than 30 grams, there is no need to supplement with powders or bars. i eat over 200 grams of protein a day and it is all from real food.
  • martinh78
    martinh78 Posts: 601
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    Protein shakes are real food, just stripped bare. So no saturated fats or unwanted carbs etc. I know people think they are chemicals produced in a lab, but they're not really!

    If I could get all of my protein conveniantly and without going over on my fats and such then I wouldn't use them, but it's not practical for me (although I do LOVE pizza...). Plus I find them easy to consume immediately after a workout and think that they taste great.

    As an example of my "performance" with protein shakes I have just checked in today and in 9 days I have lost 2.86lbs

    but this is the part I am looking at:

    05/08/11 Fat 25.2% Muscle 40.8%
    08/08/11 Fat 25.0% Muscle 40.9%
    13/08/11 Fat 24.8% Muscle 41.1%

    Now I know it's a short trend at the moment but it is a trend I'm happy to continue and by the way my muscles feel and recover (and look) I know that protein shakes play an important part for me.
  • martinh78
    martinh78 Posts: 601
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    So I began to think about taking protein powders but I'm concerned about damages. Do you take vitamin B when you drink protein powder shakes?


    What damages are you concerned about?

    Some whey protein will have vitamin B added I think, worth checking the label.
  • NasilKiloVerdim
    NasilKiloVerdim Posts: 3
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    Thank you very much again for the answers. I'm concerned about damaging my kidneys or other things while I'm trying to do the right thing and trying to be healthier for once :)))

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