Protein drinks

What do people think about protein drinks. A girl at work suggested I use them but I am only running 5k up to 5 times a week. Any advice welcome as I don't really fancy the idea.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate10]

You certainly don't need them for short distances like 5Ks...

A healthy, balanced well-hydrated eating regime, every day is all that is needed

Try shaking your routes and distances up too..it's fun And make sure you get your rest days in !

[Hidden in reply to Oldfloss]

Thanks oldfloss I didn't think I needed them yet. I am working on pace and times at the moment as I am quite slow. Yogi dog would love to speed up a bit haha

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

Slow is great...I love slow... we see so much as we pootle along.. There is a lot of great info and research on the need or not for protein drinks etc, etc for long, long runs...I still run up to 10K in a morning on my cup of tea and two light digestive bikkies

[Tony_68]

Lindy

I started taking them about 3 weeks ago, I graduated from C25k in September and have run 3 times a week since, slowly building distance, at 8 k now I was finding that my legs were constantly stiff and I was still fatigued for next run, a protein drink straight after run seems to do the trick to repair the muscle, I bought a bag from home & bargain about £10 just reading packaging, one shake is 40% of rec daily intake, about 30 + servings I also bought a shaker from there £1 green top works well and easy to clean, chocolate flavour whey protein it tastes ok, I did notice stiffness was better and pace started to improve again, happy running

[Irishprincess Graduate10]

You don't need them for 5K's as they can actually contain a lot of calories!

I make my own to take after long runs and sweaty sessions in the gym but I also take them to maintain weight as I can lose weight very quickly which is not what I want.

[Flyingred Graduate10]

We can get all the protein our body needs from eating a healthy, balanced diet. All vegetables contain some protein. Protein powders are highly processed and do you know what all the ingredients are and whey they come from? Natural, recognisable, raw ingredients that you cook yourself are much healthier.

[Sadie-runs Graduate10]

Unless you are in the body building game, I would say you don't need them! It is recommended to eat something with protein and carbs after a run though – I run in the morning on an empty stomach (unless I am going for more than 7 or 8k, then I have a banana beforehand), and treat myself to poached / scrambled / boiled egg on toast after. If you are not a morning runner, a nice protein snack a run after can still be helpful. Hummus on pitta bread, peanut butter with green apples, a milkshake. I would always go for the natural option over unnatural powders etc.

[misswobble Graduate10]

Nope from me 👎

[Whatsapp Graduate10]

As Sadie-runs says, leave them for bodybuilders. Make sure you eat well and you will most likely get more than enough protein in your daily diet without the need for these expensive gimmicks.

[Sqkr]

Agree with most here, I think if you drink a protein concoction after a 5k the main drawback will be taking in far more calories than you burn in the first place and for most they are simply not necessary. I use them sparingly, for higher exertion half type distances to restore glycogen and all that jazz. After a race I can feel a bit ropey for a bit as I'm still new to it all, I get a bit of system shock and they seem to help settle me down quickly and easily, so you might find them beneficial if/when you go for longer times and distances, but I don't think a 5k will really deplete anything that is designed to be replaced by a recovery shake. I'm no nutrition expert of course, and there will be exceptions, but I'd say if you're not feeling ill after your runs then I'd avoid till you're doing over 90 minutes of solid activity to harness the benefits and negate the drawbacks.

[AnnieW55]

Good old chocolate milk is all that is needed. And you can make your own with a mug of milk, a bit of hot water and a teaspoon of cocoa. Mix the cocoa with some hot water first then top with cold (or hot) milk. Cheap and works. When it’s hot outside, I make up and refrigerate ready for my return. Milk has an ideal carb/protein ratio. Too much protein is like too much processed carbs, excess turns into glucose, turns into fat.

As long as you eat a healthy diet you shouldn’t need much else until running long. I think, may be wrong, feeling off after a run is more likely to be down to needing electrolyte replacement, through sweat loss and milk does provide electrolytes. I know the sports drinks do but I don’t like fizzy drinks - unless it’s a tonic to go with my gin 😀.

[Tasha99 Graduate10]

I’m trying a carb/protein drink on Sunday as I flake out for the day after a long run over 14k. I’m hoping it’ll help as going to HM distance gradually. Definitely don’t need them unless running for over 1.5 hours IMO.

[Sandraj39 Graduate10]

Another vote for chocolate milk here - I'm a skinny thing so I use whole milk for this and also my porridge.🙂

[mrrun Graduate10]

You run 5 times per week? Slow or not the pressure on your joints is on with not much time in between left for recovery. Unless you’re extremely lucky, you are risking injuries. Guys who run 5-6 times per week are pros in their twenties and even they bust their tendons..

[AnnieW55 in reply to mrrun]

What mrrun said. You are still a new runner to be doing so much.

[Hidden in reply to mrrun]

Thank you I will reduce it to 3 as I don't want to undo my good work

[Hidden]

Pretty much what everyone has said here is spot on in respect of using protein drinks for recovery.

That said, I do use them from time to time as a meal replacement for weight loss. While they're not as nutritious as good old fashioned, well balanced meals, who's got the time these days! So, for me, they're a quick fix being fairly well balanced. There are some cheap and nasty products out there, so should anyone decide to try them after reading this post, do some research.

I only replace lunch as you absolutely do need to eat real food to keep your system balanced.

The big names using these for weight loss include Slim Fast and Forever Living. However, I favour Optimum Nutrition as I find the first too sweet and the second too expensive, albeit effective.

It sounds as though you don't fancy trying them and in which case don't, there's no need for the reasons you have been recommended, at least not until your workload changes dramatically.

😁

[misswobble Graduate10]

Who’s got the time ?😳 meal replacements 😳. Arrows into my heart 😫😁