protein powder?

Options
gem_cat
gem_cat Posts: 62 Member
in Food and Nutrition
yesterday i was "grilled" by other MFP members for not eating enough food! :sad: (I'M JUST KIDDING, I LOVE YOU GUYS!!! :heart: :heart: :heart: you all keep me going.. :love: )

one friend said i should increase my protein and another said that i should use protein powder. my dad also told me about whey protein a few months ago i just didnt take him seriously.

i'm 154 pounds, 5'7, 20 years old.

should i take protein powder? i don't go to the gym, i only do some weight training at home and 30 minutes cardio.

my concern is that, i'm all flabby. i think whats underneath me is just fat with little muscle. so i want to increase my protein. wouldnt taking more lean meat be enough to suffice for my protein needs? btw, if i take protein powder, how much, when, and what brand would you recommend?

Replies

  • RonSwanson66
    RonSwanson66 Posts: 1,150 Member
    Options
    If you're hitting your goals with regular food, then you don't need whey protein. It can, however, be a cheap and convenient way to up your intake if you're falling short.

    Optimum Nutrition is inexpensive, tasty, and good quality.
  • DuchessNukem
    DuchessNukem Posts: 8 Member
    Options
    If you're hitting your goals with regular food, then you don't need whey protein. It can, however, be a cheap and convenient way to up your intake if you're falling short.

    Optimum Nutrition is inexpensive, tasty, and good quality.

    I totally agree with this. I would also like to add that any protein you consume that is not used immediately for energy or for building muscle from exercise, gets stored as fat. So don't consume extra protein expecting to build muscle from that alone. You need to do weight training as well. Best of luck :)
  • anubis609
    anubis609 Posts: 3,966 Member
    Options
    I totally agree with this. I would also like to add that any protein you consume that is not used immediately for energy or for building muscle from exercise, gets stored as fat. So don't consume extra protein expecting to build muscle from that alone. You need to do weight training as well. Best of luck :)

    Wow. No.
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
    Options
    If you're hitting your goals with regular food, then you don't need whey protein. It can, however, be a cheap and convenient way to up your intake if you're falling short.

    Optimum Nutrition is inexpensive, tasty, and good quality.

    I totally agree with this. I would also like to add that any protein you consume that is not used immediately for energy or for building muscle from exercise, gets stored as fat. So don't consume extra protein expecting to build muscle from that alone. You need to do weight training as well. Best of luck :)

    Don't be afraid of protein. Protein helps you maintain lean body mass when your calories are restricted.
    In a caloric deficit, your body shouldn't be storing any fat from what you are eating. Your body burns carbs and fat anyway, not protein.
  • stubbysticks
    stubbysticks Posts: 1,275 Member
    Options
    any protein you consume that is not used immediately for energy or for building muscle from exercise, gets stored as fat.
    Yeah...FALSE.
    So don't consume extra protein expecting to build muscle from that alone. You need to do weight training as well.
    This, however, is true. If you really want to build muscle, "some weight training at home" is probably not enough to make it happen unless you have sufficient resistance. For people who are not very strong (yet), then body weight exercises are enough for a while, but the key to continued growth is increased resistance, so you will have to find ways to increase the resistance as often as you can. If you're serious about muscle definition I'd suggest you look up "progressive overload."

    Plug your stats into an online calculator to figure out what your target grams should be then adjust your food diary ratios so the protein one comes close to that number. Then plan your menus trying to get close to that goal. If you have trouble reaching it, then whey protein would be an easy way to get you there.

    What whey protein is commonly used for is post-workout nutrition, particularly strength training. It dissolves quickly so once ingested, it gets to work right away, assuming you don't eat something with a lot of fat immediately after drinking a shake. Eating protein is good too, but your body still has to digest it to extract the protein so obviously it doesn't get to your muscles quite as fast. The goal is to preserve the muscle mass you have - note that when you're in a caloric deficit it's very difficult to increase muscle mass, so your real goal is to define what you have & ensure the weight you do lose is strictly fat.

    Keep up those workouts & eat that protein!

Categories