I read the book "The New Rules of Lifting for Women" and that book said if you are working out very hard, 60 minutes per session, with weights, that you should shoot for 100 grams of protein on the days you workout really hard. The list was first get it from meat/chicken, then dairy then whey protein as it is broken down more easily. Last choice was beans and vegetable protein.

You obviously want to try to get as much protein as you can from real food before supplements, but that's not always possible... You can dive into the complexity of nutrition and read book after book to figure out exactly what does what and all that stuff.. to make it simple its 3 nutrition groups and thats where you macro's are.. now eating healthy in those groups are a big benefit because you hit some of the more detailed carbs/proteins/fats besides just the simple stuff (You can eat a big mac to get carbs/protein/fat but its not the right ones)..
As far as supplement protein goes, there are 2 big ones you will see and thats Whey and Casein.. Whey is a fast release protein and Casein is a slow release protein.. the idea is Whey for active times (morning, before/after workout) and Casein at night.. Too much Information, maybe.. but sounds like you got a know it all co worker.

You obviously want to try to get as much protein as you can from real food before supplements, but that's not always possible... You can dive into the complexity of nutrition and read book after book to figure out exactly what does what and all that stuff.. to make it simple its 3 nutrition groups and thats where you macro's are.. now eating healthy in those groups are a big benefit because you hit some of the more detailed carbs/proteins/fats besides just the simple stuff (You can eat a big mac to get carbs/protein/fat but its not the right ones)..
As far as supplement protein goes, there are 2 big ones you will see and thats Whey and Casein.. Whey is a fast release protein and Casein is a slow release protein.. the idea is Whey for active times (morning, before/after workout) and Casein at night.. Too much Information, maybe.. but sounds like you got a know it all co worker.

Thanks GreenRun99 for this information b/c I had heard about the differences but didn't realize that it is better to drink the Casein at night....I usually drink a protein shake a little while before bed b/c it usually keeps me full through the night - So I take it I need to start drinking the Casein instead at least at night??? I am going to try this out...


OP - I agree with what Heidi said about calculating your protein goals for the day with .5 to 1g of protein per lb of weight...For me for instance (and it shows you on the scooby site what number to use to calculate) but I weigh 167lbs right now and I put that x .9 (which was recommended on the scooby site) and I am supposed to eat 150g protein each day and sometimes I eat more than that...That guy doesn't know as much as he thinks he does it sounds like...

Is he correct?

LOL no, 100 grams per day is a perfectly reasonable protein allowance.

Look it's great if you get all your protein allowance though whole foods, but some people struggle and shake is just there to help you.

His argument about whey being some inferior source of protein is nonsense, whey is a milk derivative......so if he were correct dairy would be a rubbish source of protein also.

30 grams of protein is 30 grams of protein regardless of where it comes from (there are no simple/complex proteins). The benefit of whey is that you can get it without the fat that comes with most other protein sources such as meat etc, plus it actually has a better amino acid profile than many whole food proteins.

The reason that people suggest a casein shake before bed instead of whey is that casein is slower releasing and would in turn create less of an insulin spike......but in reality this is likely to make almost no difference your weight loss.

Sounds like he is a certified broscientist.

Although having said all that, if your protein goal is only 100 grams and you need 2 shakes just to hit that....I would have a look at what your eating, only for the reason that whole foods will keep you fuller for longer than a shake.

You obviously want to try to get as much protein as you can from real food before supplements, but that's not always possible... You can dive into the complexity of nutrition and read book after book to figure out exactly what does what and all that stuff.. to make it simple its 3 nutrition groups and thats where you macro's are.. now eating healthy in those groups are a big benefit because you hit some of the more detailed carbs/proteins/fats besides just the simple stuff (You can eat a big mac to get carbs/protein/fat but its not the right ones)..
As far as supplement protein goes, there are 2 big ones you will see and thats Whey and Casein.. Whey is a fast release protein and Casein is a slow release protein.. the idea is Whey for active times (morning, before/after workout) and Casein at night.. Too much Information, maybe.. but sounds like you got a know it all co worker.

Thank you for this one - I didn't know the difference between Whey and Casein. That is good to know. I usually have my protein shakes in the morning. On days I lift, it's after my workout. On days I don't, it's just the first thing I drink (in coffee). So...perhaps I should buy the Casein also for those days.

I drink the shakes because there's no way I can get all my protein without going absolutely crazy on calories and carbs as well if I don't drink the shakes. And honestly, they aren't that bad. They aren't amazing, but they aren't horrible to me either.

ETA: I thought the New Rules book said you should be getting at least your body weight in grams of protein, MORE on days you lift?

I shoot for at least my body weight but a little more because I'm lifting also and building (trying to) muscle.

I have also heard that the body can't absorbed a large amount of protein in one hit (i think 15g was the amount). But it can if you take it in in lots of different meals and sessions. I don't' really follow this though myself and often have a whole scoop of powder which has 30g in it. So there is that information out there that your friend was probably quoting, but whether or not it is scientifically sound i'm not sure, and having extra shouldn't do you any harm.

In terms of types of protein yes there are different types. Some are more complete than others. This really is only of importance though to vegetarians/vegans who are trying to avoid animal sources of protein. Animal proteins such as whey is complete, and i believe soy is too. Problem with soy is soy has phytoestrogens which there is some evidence a lot of soy that is non fermented in the diet can increase risks of breast cancer as they can screw up hormone levels as it is 'mimic's human oestrogen.
So some people after another plant based protein go for something like pea or hemp. But these aren't complete on their own. They are missing essential Amino acids and stuff and that is why vegetarians try and get their protein sources from a variety or sources in the hope that they cover all bases.

If you don't need to worry about avoiding animal products, the best thing is just use whey powder, and whey isolate if you can afford it which has the most concentrated amount of protein in it. And Casin too if you want.
And if you are worried about having more than 15g, just have half a scoop at a time (depending on the level of protein in the brand of powder you use).

Sounds like your friend was getting a bit confused though with the whole 'complex' thing they were saying. Probably heard about complex carbohydrates verus simple ones and somehow merged them in their mind into the protein thing they'd read.
So don' worry very much about what they said. Sounds like they've done a little bit of reading but got a bit confused about the exact details

I just want to clear up one quick thing about my post and casein/whey protein.. Don't everyone go out and buy casein protein, a great alternative is to have a glass of milk before bed as most of the protein in milk is casein.... so if you like a nice glass of chocolate milk before bed, there ya go don't go out and drop $30 on a few lbs of casein.
Also as Hendrix has pointed out, casein protein (or whey) is not a weight loss solution you won't instantly wake up with your pj's feeling loose.. its simply to help your muscles maintain while you sleep cause you do still burn calories while you sleep and most times your not eating during that time period (generally people are done eating by 7pm, they eat breakfast around 5-7am so 10+ hrs of no food)

This is why I drink a nice big class of chocolate milk after my workout (which happen to be late at night). I feel like it helps, my muscles are definitely showing more...of course it could all be in my head but chocolate milk is a good post workout drink (especially if you're like me and can't stand protein shakes).