Why protein powder?

It's easy and instant. I'd much rather have a piece of chicken or fish, but a protein shake is just so much more convenient.

Personally, as a vegetarian, the chicken and beef are not viable options for protein. And while I mostly eat beans and grains, sometimes after a workout a protein shake is the quickest and easiest way to get my protein.

And who am I kidding, even when it's not after a workout and I don't feel like cooking something, I'll whip up a quick shake with protein powder.

It's just an easy way to get protein. When you diet, you lose fat and muscle mass both. If you'd like to keep the muscle mass (as much as possible), the best strategy is to eat a ton of proteins and lift heavy (or so I've been told and so I've read).

I've tried getting my protein from "normal foods" and I can't get enough of it easily without significantly increasing my calorie intake... unless I switched to a low carb diet, which I refuse to do 'cause my brain likes glucose too much. So I now drink whey protein. I actually like it. It's just thick chocolate milk. A little on the slimy side. But still good.

Because proatmeal tastes way better than chicktmeal.

^^ I have proatmeal every morning lol

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/sports_health/nutrition/protein.aspx

Protein: How Much Do I Need?Protein is needed in the diet to build and repair damaged muscles. However, eating a high protein diet (more than 2 grams per kilogram of body weight) does not necessarily lead to larger muscles. In fact, if you eat more protein than you need, your body will simply use it as an energy source or store it as fat.

An athlete requires 1.1 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of ideal body weight each day, depending on the type and intensity of the sport he or she is involved in.

For example, a 150-pound athlete (150 divided by 2.2 = 68 kilograms) requires 75-136 grams of protein each day (68 x 1.1 = 75 grams; 68 x 2.0 = 136 grams).

The following is a guideline that can be used to determine how much protein an athlete requires:
Competitive adult: 1.4-2.0 gm/kg body weight
Teenage athlete: 1.8-2.0 gm/kg body weight
Strength athlete: 1.4-1.8 gm/kg body weight
Endurance athlete: 1.2-1.4 gm/kg body weight
Maximum usable amount for adults: 2.0 gm/kg body weight
Are protein or amino acid supplements needed?
No. You do not need to spend money on protein powders, pills or special supplements to add protein to your diet. Protein supplements simply provide extra calories – they do not provide a "magical formula" to increase muscle strength. Regular foods can provide protein more economically than protein supplements.

Amino acid supplements do not help you gain muscle and they can actually cause an amino acid imbalance in your body. Amino acids (the building blocks of protein) are naturally found in foods in balanced amounts.

The amount of protein or amino acid in expensive powders and pills is less than the amount you might easily get from food. For example, you have to eat 5 tablespoons of one popular protein powder to get the same amount of protein in 3 1/2 ounces of tuna.

What happens if I take too much protein?
Excess protein should be avoided. Not only is it not shown to be beneficial, but it can also be harmful to your body.

Too much protein may cause:
diarrhea and an upset stomach
dehydration--protein requires more water to break down and digest
calcium loss from bones (particularly harmful to women)
kidney damage
Protein content of select foods
There is some protein in most of the foods that we eat. High-protein foods include meats and milk, but even breads, potatoes and vegetables contain some protein. This table lists the amount of protein in some common foods and demonstrates how easy it is to meet your daily protein needs.

OK... these answers make sense!

I met with a registered dietitian about a year ago and she gave me this rule of thumb:

"As a general rule, between 10 percent and 15 percent of your total calories should come from protein. So, if you consume 2,000 calories per day, at least 200 should come from protein, or about 50 grams. You should try to eat around one gram of protein per one kilogram of body weight, or around 0.4 grams per pound. An easier way to figure this out in your head is to take your weight, divide it in half, and subtract 10. The total will be the number of grams of protein you should consume each day. So, if you weigh 120 pounds, you should eat about 50 grams of protein. "

When I saw all the protein powder people here were consuming, I started wondering if I was missing something! I usually come out between 70-90 grams of protein in a day. My body seems to like that and I feel really good overall, so maybe I'll pass on the protein powder for now. :-)

I've read to maintain and build muscle you should be eating 1 gram of protien for every pound of lean body mass. That is about 120 grams for me. I think the 15% idea is out of date.

Don't just rely on the above information. Do some real research yourself on protein and sports nutrition from multiple sources and you will see why protein powders/shakes are a good thing(and even superior for post exercise to meat) for people that are trying to build muscle, especially while trying to reduce body fat with a caloric deficit.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/390156-should-i-use-a-protein-shake

Protein shakes taste delicious, too.

Agreed!