Which protein powder to buy?

[CrashL334]

Hey, i'm looking into purchasing protein powder to make my own shakes throughout each day.

I've never bought protein before so I'm at a loss.

I'm aiming to be lean, with a 6 pack, kinda like Taylor Lautner looked in Twilight (I don't like the series, please don't judge haha).

I don't wish to be hulking huge like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

I've taken drastic changes to my diet, exercise and overall health and now I wish to partake in protein shakes.

Could someone please tell me if the link below is a good match for what i'm after? Also, how long would that last? How many shakes?

theproteinworks.com/whey-pr...

Thanks in advance!!

[Hidden]

Hi Crash,

Love your post, love your positive outlook. My opinion, buy the smallest size first, you may hate the taste or texture. While your using that you can do more research on how they are sourced and what is the best type. Organic may be outside your budget but always good to consider. I have some organic pea powder but I only use a small amount because I don’t like the texture.

Good luck!

[CrashL334 in reply to Hidden]

Haha thanks! Always stay positive!

That's a good idea! I might even steal some of my work mates powder to see if I like whatever flavour he gets >.<

Thanks for the tips!

Soon I'll be posting a success story on body transformation, haha! XD

[Penel]

The Healthline site has some recommendations.

healthline.com/nutrition/be...

[CrashL334 in reply to Penel]

Thanks for the link!

[TheAwfulToad]

Realistically I would stick with eggs, meat and dairy (in that order) as your protein sources. There are several reasons for this:

1) It can work out cheaper

2) You know exactly what you're getting

3) The protein comes packaged with other useful nutrients

4) You can't overdose.

4) needs some explanation: human bodies just aren't good at assimilating protein, so anything more than about 20g in one hit just gets wasted, and it's tempting to just add a bit more than it says on the packet.

I do appreciate that the recommended 2g/kg protein for bodybuilding demands 6-7 doses a day, which can get time-consuming, so if you absolutely must buy protein powder, the expensive ones are generally the best. Avoid anything made with soy or padded out with sugar. The one you linked to looks fine. Assuming you're also eating proper food delivering 1g/kg (75g/day for an average male), you might have four scoops a day, so one bag lasts a month or so.

Incidentally, getting a sixpack isn't easy - you need to get your bodyfat down around the 10% mark (or lower). I'm about 13%, and although my obliques are pretty visible, I've basically just got a two-pack plus one of those plastic things that penguins get stuck on their necks.

[CrashL334 in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Annoyingly, my body hates me and decided to become intolerant to eggs and dairy (bread, too)

This is why I only have a banana for breakfast, then supplement with an avocado with 2 kipper fillets and lettuce for brunch. Although, I'm now incorporating oatmeal into my diet (as of yesterday) so that'll be another breakfast candidate

I don't mind the expense so much. My work mate says he spends £25 every 3 months on powder, which sounds pretty cheap. He's lean, which is the body type i'm hoping to get.

I will be worrying about overdosing

I'm 180 pounds / 81kg / 14 stone, and according to Google I need to consume 130g of protein a day. That sounds like a lot >.<

Thanks for the tips The 20g limit per hit is especially useful, I had no idea!

I know it's going to be tough work, especially with my flabby belly. I'm going to the gym every morning (weights) and evening (cardio) to help burn the fat, with only a couple days rest in a week

[TheAwfulToad]

hmmm .. bread is no big loss, but sucks to be intolerant to eggs and dairy if you're trying to pack on muscle mass.

I would go with a protein- and fat-loaded breakfast if you have a lot of bodyfat to lose. I'm thinking Korean-style crispy bacon strips wrapped in lettuce with kimchi (since you're allergic to the components of a standard fry-up). Oatmeal is fine if you're happy to just build muscle mass as fast as possible and then cut fat later, but if you'd rather lose the fat first then it's maybe not the best choice. Suggest you separate the kippers into two separate meals. Apart from that your diet outline sounds reasonable.

130g protein is possibly a bit on the low side. Adequate, but a bit more couldn't hurt.

Incidentally, cardio per se has little or no effect on bodyfat: you need to get your diet right to achieve your fat-loss aims. Not saying you shouldn't do cardio, but focus on improving your VO2max, power, and endurance rather than just cranking away "burning calories".

Anyway, good luck ... if you're under 30 it won't be too difficult!

[Rignold Keto]

I would add: don’t worry too much about ending up huge like Arnold: you would need to have one in a million genetics, eat around 6000 calories a day, lift heavy for 3 hours a day for 10 years and supplement with steroids. A few scoops of whey powder are not going to have that effect.

I would agree with Toad about focusing on dietary protein in the first instance. I have bacon and egg for breakfast, tuna for lunch and steak or chicken with green veg for supper typically and that gives me around 200g protein a day. I augment that with a shake post workout which has a scoop of whey (PhD Diet Belgian chocolate this week), 3 eggs, half a tub of cottage cheese and some creatine which adds another 50g or so.

The protein absorption 20g ceiling is not really true in fact. There are so many variables around muscle mass, age, exertion, hormones etc and the rate at which different foods pas through the small intestine etc. I haven’t the fortitude for the debate with Toad that going into this would entail, but rest assured, whilst a minimum of 20g protein per meal is good for maximising protein synthesis, the maximum is probably a lot higher ( or we’d need to be eating 12 meals a day)

[TheAwfulToad in reply to Rignold]

I wasn't suggesting there's a hard limit, simply that it's a case of diminishing returns. 20g is optimal for Mr average; sure you might get better results from 30g, but as you said, exactly how MUCH better depends on a whole load of obscure factors.

My nephew does 1g per lb, which is 200g per day for him.