Protein Shake / Power - What is the deal?

kirstiey
kirstiey Posts: 243
edited November 12 in Food and Nutrition
Hi

I am thinking about buying some and would like to know:

1) How to use it?
2) What difference will it make/ how will it benefit me?

Thank you Pals

Replies

  • tbduchess
    tbduchess Posts: 4 Member
    Hi

    Protein shakes are a very quick way of getting protein into your body, hence why a lot of bodybuilders use them immediately after a weights session etc. I wouldnt use them to replace meals entirely although some people do and use the diet version ones but I prefer to try and eat real food and use my shakes as a supplement to my training.
  • kirstiey
    kirstiey Posts: 243
    Thanks for your help. That sounds like a good Idea. I was going to swap my weetabix for a Protein shake and have one after workouts to see if it would make me less hungry....
  • JenAiMarres
    JenAiMarres Posts: 743 Member
    I drink a protein shake first thing in the morning and then Again after I work out...or u can mix protein Powder in your food..today I had pumpkin purée mixed with protein powder Splenda cinnamon and spices..yummy! Once u start u won't be able to stop!! My protein shakes are my favorite part of my food day!!
  • GemmieNoWobbles
    GemmieNoWobbles Posts: 398 Member
    You could blend the morning one with a banana which wil give you some carb too to sustain you through the morning... or in the "book" says you can mix with milk and put over your cereal... not sure which flavour you bought but could work? I wouldnt have them instead of real food though, just as a supplement after workout and morning protein boost! x
  • kirstiey
    kirstiey Posts: 243
    OK, I will use it as a supplement then. I am just worried about it taking up all my Cals, but I suppose it will only take up what I am using through exercise..... it has over 200 cals per serving you see....
  • sabinecbauer
    sabinecbauer Posts: 250 Member
    I use whey isolate protein powder regularly to bump up my daily calories. Chocolate flavor mixed with low-fat probiotic yoghurt makes a great treat/dessert, so you kill two birds with one stone: get a nice dose of protein and stop a potential snack attack :smile:

    PS: One serving of whey isolate has 111 kcal and next to no carbs, so that's a pretty good deal.
  • graysmom2005
    graysmom2005 Posts: 1,882 Member
    I've started using them as snacks to help keep me full...or late at night when I start getting snack-y. I have one that's 100 calories and 22gram of protein. I put it in with a cup of coffee, a tablespoon of sugar free vanilla coffee mate, some ice, and blend. It keeps me full for a long time! I'll make one and have it after I workout! So it's 115 calories all told with only 2 carbs!
  • Topsking2010
    Topsking2010 Posts: 2,245 Member
    bump
  • amruden
    amruden Posts: 228 Member
    I've started using them as snacks to help keep me full...or late at night when I start getting snack-y. I have one that's 100 calories and 22gram of protein. I put it in with a cup of coffee, a tablespoon of sugar free vanilla coffee mate, some ice, and blend. It keeps me full for a long time! I'll make one and have it after I workout! So it's 115 calories all told with only 2 carbs!


    AHH!! Coffee! Now why did i not think of that!!

    Thanks!
  • AllanMisner
    AllanMisner Posts: 4,140 Member
    Conventional wisdom is that you should get 1gram of protein for each pound of lean body mass. If you're lifting weights, you might want/need more. I find it hard to get protein when I'm away from my home, so I use protein shakes when I'm traveling. I package up little baggies (two scoops each) and have a shaker to mix with water. It beats carrying cans of tuna with me (although I do that sometimes as well).

    Whey protein is quicker absorbing than Casein protein. Unless you're really trying to time your absorption, you can probably get a basic powder to start with and figure out what you like.

    I'm also a big fan of the protein bars. All of them taste like candy to me, so I feel like I'm getting a treat, and taking in 30 grams of protein to boot!
  • WifenMom
    WifenMom Posts: 40
    I like to use a protein shake as a snack. Never a meal. I use the women's Aria Protein powder and mix it with 8oz of soy milk and crushed ice. Shake it up in a shaker and it's a great snack on the go and satisfying for about 2 hours. I always make sure I have a meal 2 hours after having the protein shake.
  • dsagaties1963
    dsagaties1963 Posts: 43
    bump
  • MHunte
    MHunte Posts: 149
    Your mother may have said, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” If you’re a bodybuilder, that advice is pretty close but not exactly right. When it comes to gaining muscle mass, the most critical “meal” is actually the supplement stack you down within seconds of waking. That’s because you don’t want to lose precious minutes preparing eggs or oatmeal, much less the time it takes to digest those whole foods. By then, because of the fast you endured while sleeping, you’ve already lost lean tissue to catabolism. Instead, you need nutrition that can quickly get in your stomach and to your muscles. You also want to take morning by supplementing with something that can help put that u to work, driving more gains. Using the Morning Muscle Stack as soon as you wake up will help you accomplish all that, without a lick of cooking.

    Whey

    When you wake up, your body is essentially coming off a 7-9-hour fast, and it’s breaking down muscle protein to convert it into fuel. The best way to halt this process is to take about 40 grams of whey protein.

    Whey is the fastest-acting protein you can consume, especially if you choose a whey protein isolate or, even faster, a whey protein powder with whey hydrolysates (whey proteins broken down into smaller fragments for speedier entry into your bloodstream). The amino acids from whey rapidly enter your blood to be used for fuel, instead of muscle proteins. Those aminos not used for fuel will go to your muscles to rebuild them.

    Whey protein also contains peptides that enhance blood vessel dilation, which means you’ll have greater blood flow to your muscles to enhance the delivery of not only the aminos in the whey but also more testosterone. This is important when you wake up, since that’s when your T levels are highest.

    Dose: 40 grams of whey protein in a shake.

    High molecular-weight carbs

    During the night, your liver uses its glycogen (the storage form of carbs) to fuel your body. Once these glycogen stores reach a critically low level, the liver signals the body to attack muscle protein for fuel. So in the morning you want to drink the fastest-digesting carb you can get your hands on - what’s known technically as high molecular-weight carbs. They’ll get to your liver even faster than Gatorade and will restock your liver glycogen levels so your liver turns off the signal to the body to use muscle protein for fuel. That will switch you from being in a catabolic phase to an anabolic phase. All that whey plus high T levels equals muscle growth.

    Molecular weight is a term that refers to the mass of one molecule of a substance. HMCs, then, are made up of very large molecules that are very heavy compared to other molecules. HMCs such as Vitargo are typically made from natural sources like barely - yes, barley. They pass rapidly through the stomach to the intestines where they’re absorbed, enter the bloodstream and travel to the liver. This also helps blunt levels of cortisol (the catabolic hormone that competes with testosterone’s anabolic actions and encourages muscle breakdown), which are high when you wake.

    Dose: Mix 40-60 grams of HMCs into your whey protein shake.

    Carnitine

    This amino acid-like supplement is mostly known for its ability to help transport fat into the mitochondria of cells, where it’s burned for fuel. Now science tells us that carnitine can also increase the amount of androgen receptors in your muscles, to which testosterone binds to instigate growth. Having more of these receptors means more T can do its thing.

    Since T levels are at their peak when you roll out of bed, taking carnitine can help get a higher amount of that T working to boost muscle growth. Research also shows that carnitine can enhance blood flow to muscles, which further guides the testosterone to where it needs to be. Taking carnitine with your whey-and-carb shake is smart because the insulin spike caused by the carbs and protein will help shuttle more carnitine into your muscles.

    Dose: 1-3 grams as L-carnitine, acetyl-L-carnitine, L-carnitine-L-tartrate or GPLC

    Morning Muscle Stack

    Stop muscle breakdown and kick-start growth as soon as you wake up.
    Supplement Dose
    Whey Protein 40 g
    High Molecular-Weight Carbs 40-60 g
    Carnitine 1-3 g
  • texastango
    texastango Posts: 309
    Melvin: This forum is not the place to refute your comments, but there is significant metabolic data to contradict what you suggest about morning eating. There is still a bit of debate on late night eating and what effect, if any, it has on the waistline.

    That said, for the typical person using Whey Isolate to diet....I would offer just this advice. The nice thing about Whey "Shakes" you make yourself is that they are very filling (used for example with 4 ounces of nonsweetened almond milk and ice and perhaps some frozen fruit)....so they will fill you up late at night or early in the morning.

    READ THE LABELS Carefully! I see the same lack of attention to the label in this blog/forum as I always see even around many amateur body builders. What isn't protein is other stuff! Check out the cholesterol number on the label as well as sodium and what they use for sweetener. Some can contain as much as 85 mg or cholesterol per scoop. Your limit for the day (not that you're trying to hit it) is 300 mg. Some (ie Jay Robb) have Zero cholesterol. GNC 5mg. etc. Why add something you don't want in a supplement when there is better.

    If you do aerobic exercise your needs are different than weight training. That's a subject for another day. In general a good mix of carb/protein several hours before working out and a replacement drink with protein/and carbs within 30 minutes after a workout has been bandied about as the most effective. Most of the data is based on serious atheletes who exhaust their glycogen (energy)stores in the liver (approximately 100 grams in most people - rate of use approximately 1 gram per minute during exercise (ie 100 grams in 100 minutes). Most of us don't do that. Elite atheletes generally have been observed to carry less glycogen in their livers (approximately 55 grams) and have more storage space in the muscle (up to 800 grams instead of the average 250 grams). Bottom line is what works for elite atheletes isn't exactly what always is what should be recommended to non-elite atheletes or dietary intake for dieters. Keep reading and asking questions. You are on the right track and learning is the best method to success!

    Mixing complex carbs/slow to digest proteins along with ones that are absorbed quickly may be just as, if not more, important. Slow absorbing proteins/carbs do two things. They keep you full longer and keep insulin levels from spiking. Data supports that better sustained insulin levels may in fact help restore glycogen stores faster and more efficiently (thereby helping build muscle faster) and certainly keeping your blood sugar better adjusted.

    Sorry for the long answer. Use protein bars for fun or convience or (in the case of something like Quest bars - 170 cal, 20 grams protein, 19 grams fiber, 0 sugar - either stevia or sucralose) a dietary aid. If you are going for exercise nutrition replacement or pre-work out stuff, stay away from fiber bars (fiber is basically non-usable carbs) in favor of carbs you can use for energy and to restore depleted stores if you work out a great deal (over 90 minutes).
  • kirstiey
    kirstiey Posts: 243
    Blimey! Thanks guys. There is a lot to take in here. Maybe I will measure my body fat...which is huge!!! and plan my protein intake based on this for a starters and take the Whey Protein as a quick burst before breakfast and then straight after a workout. Thanks for all the advice x
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Conventional wisdom is that you should get 1gram of protein for each pound of lean body mass. ...........

    You might want to double check that number, from what I've read it's about .8g for every kg of body mass for most people; for those with more active lifestyles between 1.2 and 1.8 g per kg. Maybe it's 1g per pound for bodybuilders?
  • clickmaster
    clickmaster Posts: 54 Member
    Hi

    I am thinking about buying some and would like to know:

    1) How to use it?
    2) What difference will it make/ how will it benefit me?

    Thank you Pals

    You would be wise to avoid protein supplements altogether.

    Read my answer about protein supplements here --> http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AtGdwn5cqfesP6O1LkavjSjty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20110821092640AA3hq12

    Read my answer about how much protein you need --> http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AocOxl_9XssWhHrAUe8xbxrty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20111220215008AA0RjXM

    Read my answer about supplements here --> http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AmA35VDViBrL0y9rSkKcLknty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20111001134224AANB0OV

    Read my answer about supplement scamming here --> http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Aii1OzUVjBo7o550CXhmvVbty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20111014151252AAak0J4

    Good luck and good health!!

    ♠
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    after a workout and only for breakfast if you can't be arsed making 'real' food. i also like the new pharma blend which is a slow release one - i take this at bedtime on days i've done strength training.
  • sportyskylar
    sportyskylar Posts: 149
    I've started using them as snacks to help keep me full...or late at night when I start getting snack-y. I have one that's 100 calories and 22gram of protein. I put it in with a cup of coffee, a tablespoon of sugar free vanilla coffee mate, some ice, and blend. It keeps me full for a long time! I'll make one and have it after I workout! So it's 115 calories all told with only 2 carbs!

    that sounds delish!!
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