Protein Powder...Confusion...
Chris_bee05
Posts: 111 Member
I need some help. I've been tring to compare SlimFast shake mix with protein powder mixes, but I think I may be comparing apples to oranges here. About the same calories normally, but protein powder seems to have less fat and much less sugar than SlimFast. I like the idea of less sugar, but what does all the protein do to/for my body? I do workout (I do the 30 Day Shred mostly and I also go to a kickboxing class twice a week). I DO NOT want to gain muscle mass. I wouldn't mind toning, but I definitely don't want to gain a bunch of muscle, if that makes sense.
Is too much protein going to make me gain weight? Gain muscle? Will it only make me gain muscle if I drink right before or after I work out? Essentially, what are the "ins and outs" of protein powder? Should I just stick with SlimFast?
HELP! TIA
Is too much protein going to make me gain weight? Gain muscle? Will it only make me gain muscle if I drink right before or after I work out? Essentially, what are the "ins and outs" of protein powder? Should I just stick with SlimFast?
HELP! TIA
2
Replies
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Bump..i want to know too0
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I DO NOT want to gain muscle mass. I wouldn't mind toning, but I definitely don't want to gain a bunch of muscle, if that makes sense.
Toning is simply the muscle size vs bodyfat in a given location. If you want to tone you either lose fat or gain muscle in a particular area and it will look more "tone". Secondarily, gaining muscle is substantially difficult and requires a number of conditions to be met. You aren't going to drink a shake and wake up with big muscles.
Lastly, gaining muscle is a very, very good thing for women. It will only cause visual improvements.
Is too much protein going to make me gain weight?
Too many calories cause weight gain. It is not caused by overconsumption of a particular macronutrient provided that you don't exceed your caloric maintenance.
Gain muscle? Will it only make me gain muscle if I drink right before or after I work out?
No and no. You don't need to drink it immediately after a workout, but doing so will also not cause direct muscle or mass gain. I am assuming you are in a deficit and I'm assuming you are not applying progressive resistance while weightlifting. Given those conditions, you won't likely gain muscle, unfortunately.
It is a macronutrient. Whey is very bioavailable, conveneint, and cheap. It's a very good source of protein and I would recommend it over slim fast, however you need to account for the calories in the whey.
Essentially, what are the "ins and outs" of protein powder? Should I just stick with SlimFast?
HELP! TIA0 -
What the hell is toning?0
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well... you are drinking slimfast so it would appear you want to lose weight... protein shakes are better for you than 'slim fast'.... less carbs is key... My trainer says always mix carbs/protein, protein & fat,... never carbs & fat. i mix my protein shake w/a 1/4cup of half/half or cream & the rest water so it tastes better... and i get my fat (helps you feel full).. if you are drinking slimfast you are probably in the beginning stages of your journey so i'd defininely do some more research...
good luck 0 -
What the hell is toning?
^ This would have been a better answer than the one I gave, but I attempted to clarify for OP.
Well played though.0 -
First off, I'd like to assure you that we, as females, don't produce enough testosterone to build bulky muscles. That being said protein powder is a more versatile, cost effect way to get protein in your diet. You can put it in shakes, or baked goods and buy it in a variety of flavors without the extra calories or sugar as the premade shakes. I personally use the powder, and use it after weight workouts to help provide my body with the nutrients it needs to repair/build muscles. And more muscles = more calories burned, definitely a plus! :bigsmile:0
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Slim-fast is NOT a protein shake. It is intended to be a meal replacement (Although not a very good one). The slim fast diet consists of replacing two full meals a day with that shake. It has very little protein, and honestly I see no benefit to drinking it. Protein powder, on the other hand, should have much less sugar and much more protein.0
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I want to know a good one too. But I know Slim Fast has a lot of sugar and not enough protein in it. I wouldn't stick with that one. Let's see what others say. But no, not unless you get the muscle building type protein shakes are you going to build muscle mass from taking the normal Protein Shakes like Whey or Designer Protein and the such.0
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Slim fast is junk food. Protein powder is a supplement.0
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Protein powder, milk, raw oatmeal in a blender with ice. Whey protein is just high quality protein. Eggs are high quality protein too but whey is higher. A basic whey protein powder is not a size gainer or a mass gainer or a weight gainer or steroids or anything like that, its just high quality protein. If you dont wanna drink too much protein powder, then all you gotta do is only put half a scoop in your cup or shake, and just LIMIT how much you take of it. "Optimum Nutrition's 100% Whey" and "Gaspari Nutrition's Myofusion" are fine to start with. Actually, now that I think about it, there's other EVEN MORE BASIC whey protein powders out there. cant think of any right now though. 0
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What the hell is toning?
Ok look. I'm obviously pretty new to "being healthy". I've never been a "healthy" person and clearly I have no idea what I'm talking about which is why I posted this: for help and clarification. Everyone has to start somewhere, and I'm going to give myself props for STARTING and for sticking with it AND for putting myself out there to ask for help, even if I get "called out" by people for not knowing what I'm talking about...0 -
What the hell is toning?
^ This would have been a better answer than the one I gave, but I attempted to clarify for OP.
Well played though.
I was going to involve class participation in the learning process, I admire the patience in your answer. I'm not called FeatherTactful for nothing.0 -
Protein Powder will not make you bulk up or gain muscle not will it make you gain weight. You do have to account for the caloric content as you would with anything else that you eat or drink. The good quality protein powder is usually anywhere between 100-125 calories, little to no sugar and fat and very few carbs. (I.e. try Dymatize Whey Protein Powder)
Protein Powder is a great source of lean protein. Sometimes it's just too hard to cook chicken or fish (or whatever) but I still want to get my protein in so a shake is a great option. Protein should be included with every meal.
Stop thinking of protein as something to be scared of because you're afraid that it will make you gain weight or muscle. Protein actually helps to shed weight. Look at it as something that is going to help you along in your weight loss/fitness journey.0 -
I DO NOT want to gain muscle mass. I wouldn't mind toning, but I definitely don't want to gain a bunch of muscle, if that makes sense.
Toning is simply the muscle size vs bodyfat in a given location. If you want to tone you either lose fat or gain muscle in a particular area and it will look more "tone". Secondarily, gaining muscle is substantially difficult and requires a number of conditions to be met. You aren't going to drink a shake and wake up with big muscles.
Lastly, gaining muscle is a very, very good thing for women. It will only cause visual improvements.
Is too much protein going to make me gain weight?
Too many calories cause weight gain. It is not caused by overconsumption of a particular macronutrient provided that you don't exceed your caloric maintenance.
Gain muscle? Will it only make me gain muscle if I drink right before or after I work out?
No and no. You don't need to drink it immediately after a workout, but doing so will also not cause direct muscle or mass gain. I am assuming you are in a deficit and I'm assuming you are not applying progressive resistance while weightlifting. Given those conditions, you won't likely gain muscle, unfortunately.
It is a macronutrient. Whey is very bioavailable, conveneint, and cheap. It's a very good source of protein and I would recommend it over slim fast, however you need to account for the calories in the whey.
Essentially, what are the "ins and outs" of protein powder? Should I just stick with SlimFast?
HELP! TIA
This. All of this. Sidesteal knows exactly what he is talking about so please consider your question answered.0 -
It is a macronutrient. Whey is very bioavailable, conveneint, and cheap. It's a very good source of protein and I would recommend it over slim fast, however you need to account for the calories in the whey.
That is exactly what I wanted to know. Thank you very much for taking the time to write that and give me valuable input on this subject. I very much appreciate it and any new "knowledge" I can add will certainly help me to acheive my health goals. Thank you again.0 -
I want to know a good one too. But I know Slim Fast has a lot of sugar and not enough protein in it. I wouldn't stick with that one. Let's see what others say. But no, not unless you get the muscle building type protein shakes are you going to build muscle mass from taking the normal Protein Shakes like Whey or Designer Protein and the such.
1) Plenty of good whey out there. Optimum Nutrition is one good and reputable brand.
2) Not sure what you mean by "muscle building" shakes.
When you're looking at whey you should really just compare caloric content, grams of protein, and price. If you for some reason need to track sugar intake due to a medical condition, then you can look there as well, but for most people that's irrelevant.
The only type of shake that could even remotely "cause muscle gain" would be weight gainers, but even those don't cause muscle gain, they cause you to eat a bunch of calories with your protein. You (for all practical purposes) need to be in a calorie surplus to gain mass, and weight gainer shakes/high calorie shakes assist you in doing so.
Only mentioning this for clarity so people don't get the wrong idea as to the function of protein supplements.0 -
Oh yes...and I agree that Slim Fast is somewhat "junk food". You would definitely be better off to go to high quality whey protein. 0
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I take Syntrax Nectar protein shakes. Love them! Look them up.0
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do not, i repeat, do not stick with Slim Fast. way too many crappy ingredients, not enough proper ingredients, and is marketed as a 'meal'. it's not a protein shake!
you will not gain muscle mass or get bulky just by drinking protein powder/shakes (women have a very hard time getting 'bulky' anyway). and even if you did, it is a positive thing (the muscle part)!0 -
Slim-fast is NOT a protein shake. It is intended to be a meal replacement (Although not a very good one). The slim fast diet consists of replacing two full meals a day with that shake. It has very little protein, and honestly I see no benefit to drinking it. Protein powder, on the other hand, should have much less sugar and much more protein.
I'm not* doing the SlimFast diet. A friend of mine sent me a sample of Shakeology and I liked it, but couldn't afford it, so I tried to find a way to "replace" it for cheaper by buying something from the store. I just picked up SlimFast because it was cheapest, but I don't like how much sugar is in it, so I looked into protein powders, which is what I think I'll go with from now on.
*sorry that was supposed to be NOT0 -
I'm doing the SlimFast diet. A friend of mine sent me a sample of Shakeology and I liked it, but couldn't afford it, so I tried to find a way to "replace" it for cheaper by buying something from the store. I just picked up SlimFast because it was cheapest, but I don't like how much sugar is in it, so I looked into protein powders, which is what I think I'll go with from now on.
If you don't mind my asking Chris_bee05, is there a reason you're looking to replace some meals with liquids? This is a genuine question, not a sarcastic one.
Have you tried setting a calorie and macronutrient target and hitting it, and if so, what was the result/issue with that method?
EDIT: I just saw your "NOT" edit above. LOL. Disregard this post and enjoy your whey 0 -
It was supposed to say *not* doing the SlimFast diet, but I made a typo.
To answer your questions though, I'm not necessarily looking to replace a meal with liquids. After my friend sent me the Shakeology sample I really liked it. I liked starting my day off with a healthy shake, and I know that particular one had a lot of "good" stuff in. Obivously I'm not a health genius and I don't have the packet in front of me, but I know it a lot of vitamins and probiotics and stuff like that. I just liked having a shake to start my day because it made me feel like I got started on the right foot which I feel helps me to stay on track the rest of the day.
I have definitely tried setting calorie and nutrient goals which is what I've been doing thus far and it's working great. I've altered a lot of my cooking and eating habits, like cooking with cooking spray vs butter/oil, and adding a ton of veggies in replace of where I normal would have another serving of rice for example. I've cut out junk food and am having healthier snacks throught the day. I'm also drinking a TON of water and I've been working out regularly for over two months straight. Excerise has NEVER been a constant part of my life, but it is now 0 -
EDIT: I just saw your "NOT" edit above. LOL. Disregard this post and enjoy your whey
Ok LOL I think we were typing at the same time... And I forgot to quote you, but you get the point...LOL0 -
Congrats on your progress so far.
One last thing and then I'll leave the unsolicited advice out of this: I would really urge you to lift weights regularly, and I don't mean the small pink ones, I mean the big iron ones. It will work wonders for you and I PROMISE YOU, you will end up with a much better looking physique than those who just lose weight via diet+cardio.
I'm mentioning this because your original post indicated that you don't want muscles and/or that you fear you will get bulky. This isn't the case and I don't want that to deter you from training right.0 -
All Slim fast is is Skim milk with a bunch of stuff added to it... plus sugar. Get a whey protein isolate powder if you want a good protein powder.0
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Congrats on your progress so far.
One last thing and then I'll leave the unsolicited advice out of this: I would really urge you to lift weights regularly, and I don't mean the small pink ones, I mean the big iron ones. It will work wonders for you and I PROMISE YOU, you will end up with a much better looking physique than those who just lose weight via diet+cardio.
LOL I certainly don't mind any advice, unsolicited or otherwise, if it will be beneficial to my health goals.
Have to LOL at "the small pink ones" because that's pretty much what I use right now, but mine are blue...3 lb-ers. LOL I just use them for my workout DVDs at home and I use 5 lb weights during cardio kickboxing class at the gym.
I defintely wouldn't mind looking into more strength training though because I want to be healthy overall, not just "lose weight". Would getting heavier weights to use with my workout videos help or should I literally hit the weight room? LOL
(by workout videos I mean I have the 30 Day Shred and multiple Biggest Loser ones that all require hand weights)0 -
Would getting heavier weights to use with my workout videos help or should I literally hit the weight room? LOL
First, to clarify, it's great what you are doing already. You're getting great exercise, losing weight, and the weights you're using will help a little, but I don't think you're going to get the necessary resistance.
If you are able to (at some point), a weightlifting program will help above and beyond what you are currently doing.
As you are losing weight (31lbs so far!), the absence of weight training AND the absence of adequate protein intake (I haven't checked your log so I'm being presumptuous) may cause some of that weight to come from lean mass.0 -
the absence of weight training AND the absence of adequate protein intake (I haven't checked your log so I'm being presumptuous) may cause some of that weight to come from lean mass.
That's certainly a possibility. I DO get a pretty good amount of protein (I eat peanut butter, beans, and chicken (sometimes beef), but probably not enough. I don't eat hardly any eggs...I just don't like them, plus the yolk has too much cholesterol for me (as I'm borderline "cholesterol" problem). If I do eat eggs I only have whites (I'm not sure how much omiting the yolks takes away from the protein content). I think I will definitely be looking into a protein powder tomorrow and ditching the SlimFast.
And I want to thank you very much for your help and advice. I really appreciate it.0 -
And I want to thank you very much for your help and advice. I really appreciate it.
Anytime. Good luck with your goals and keep working hard!0 -
Anytime. Good luck with your goals and keep working hard!
Thank you 0
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