Protein Shakes: The Comprehensive Thread

[schizoid]

So, I've been checking around the internet, (and ATOT), and I thought it might be good to have a sort of unified FAQ for all this sort of stuff:

1. I've read that Whey protein is the best. Is this true?
2. There's a great thread on tastes...I want to try that cookies and cream stuff
3. It's best to take it immediately after a workout (if you're only going to do one a day)
4. Where is the best place to buy this stuff online? (I'd feel safer with a "name brand", like EAS or whatever)
5. Anything else?

Just looking for more opinions...personally, I've really only tried the MetRX Vanilla stuff. Not bad...if a bit sweet.

 

[Zugzwang152]

don't know, but i'm going to start working out at the end of the summer. Brand name stuff always makes noobs such as ourselves more comfortable. A lot of my rich friends use Myoplex now. But it's just a complete rip off when you can buy a tub of the same stuff for 40% of the price. Myoplex DOES taste awesome though

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: schizoid
So, I've been checking around the internet, (and ATOT), and I thought it might be good to have a sort of unified FAQ for all this sort of stuff:

1. I've read that Whey protein is the best. Is this true?

Yes, to a point. It's still good to get other kinds of protein in, be it by food, or suppliment.

2. There's a great thread on tastes...I want to try that cookies and cream stuff

Go for it. Taste is subjective. Stay away from flavors and/or brands with sugar.

3. It's best to take it immediately after a workout (if you're only going to do one a day)

About 20 minutes to an hour after your workout, yeah. Don't load up within minutes after a workout, as your body is busy sending blood and energy to your muscles. Having it divert blood and energy to your stomach has been said to be counter-productive by some. So wait a half hour to an hour.

4. Where is the best place to buy this stuff online? (I'd feel safer with a "name brand", like EAS or whatever)

I don't know. My local GNC has my Designer Whey Strawberry for $17 right now with Gold Card membership. That's about the cheapest I've found it.

5. Anything else?

Yes, protein is a suppliment. Not a magic bullet and not a substitute for a good diet. Don't take the protein, then skip a meal.

 

[BigJimbo]

Yes Myoplex is very expensive, ive tried a lot of different kinds and some of the more expensive ones have extra vitamins and ammino acids added into them, but to tell you the truth if your around my age (19) our metabolizms are soo fast you wont really need any of that extra crap. I use Bargain Whey 30$ a 5lb tub and to tell you the truth i think it tastes great, and it works just as good as the others.

i just started a new stack of the new NOX3 (NO2 knock off) suppliment and regardless of what some have said, i think the way it makes you feel is awesome. your pumps through your work out make you feel like your as big as the guy throwing up 8 plates yet your just at 4

creatine has shown me great results in the past. and ive taken creatine from cell-tech to Creatine 1000 (currently using) and they mosly work all the same yet again....its just additives and logo that make the price difference. i dont know if you have a local shop around you but at my local health shop (Physical Addictions) the people are very helpful and knowledgeable about everything they carry and they are almost half the price of GNC

www.musclesurf.com and check the yahoo stores i know they are about the cheapest youll find anywhere.

Go for it. Taste is subjective. Stay away from flavors and/or brands with sugar.

stay away from sugar!!!!!!! sugar is the worse thing to put in your body after a workout

edit 2 ok i read that wrong but stay away from sugar

 

[schizoid]

Some great replies already...hopefully people will keep adding to this.

But don't worry about me, I'm not fat, (6'4", and I think I JUST FINALLY broke 190, thanks to working out) so I'm just taking this stuff because I want to make sure I get enough protein.

And I'll stay away from sugar!

Anyone have any good links for places to buy this stuff online? Is it that much cheaper?

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: schizoid
Some great replies already...hopefully people will keep adding to this.

But don't worry about me, I'm not fat, (6'4", and I think I JUST FINALLY broke 190, thanks to working out) so I'm just taking this stuff because I want to make sure I get enough protein.

And I'll stay away from sugar!

Anyone have any good links for places to buy this stuff online? Is it that much cheaper?

Try Yahoo shopping. There are literally dozens of places, and you can price shop your fav brand.

BTW, if you're trying to gain weight, and don't put on fat easily, try three shakes a day ON TOP of your meals. One when you get up, one after your workout, and one an hour or so before bed. Try to make each shake 30 or so grams of protein. I think you'll be impressed with the results.

 

[RaiderJ]

I'm using High 5, a blend of protiens, including whey. Tastes pretty good, but damn hard to get it to mix. Not sure of a good place to get stuff online, I always just go to the store.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: RaiderJ
I'm using High 5, a blend of protiens, including whey. Tastes pretty good, but damn hard to get it to mix. Not sure of a good place to get stuff online, I always just go to the store.

Have you tried a good shaker cup? Works a hell of a lot better than stirring, and it's easier than a blender.

 

[Feldenak]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: RaiderJ
I'm using High 5, a blend of protiens, including whey. Tastes pretty good, but damn hard to get it to mix. Not sure of a good place to get stuff online, I always just go to the store.

Have you tried a good shaker cup? Works a hell of a lot better than stirring, and it's easier than a blender.

Shaker cup? You mean like bar-type shaker?

 

[Shaka]

i use a nalgene bottle to shake up the mix... leakproof and sturdy

 

[AznMaverick]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: schizoid
Some great replies already...hopefully people will keep adding to this.

But don't worry about me, I'm not fat, (6'4", and I think I JUST FINALLY broke 190, thanks to working out) so I'm just taking this stuff because I want to make sure I get enough protein.

And I'll stay away from sugar!

Anyone have any good links for places to buy this stuff online? Is it that much cheaper?

Try Yahoo shopping. There are literally dozens of places, and you can price shop your fav brand.

BTW, if you're trying to gain weight, and don't put on fat easily, try three shakes a day ON TOP of your meals. One when you get up, one after your workout, and one an hour or so before bed. Try to make each shake 30 or so grams of protein. I think you'll be impressed with the results.

sounds like something i should do, in the past 2-3 years i've only gained 10lbs (i'm aobut 123 right now) and i'm 20. too bad my protein's taste sucks butt...

 

[Ns1]

http://www.dpsnutrition.net/

is where i'm getting my stuff, ProLab chocolate is decently tasty, like crappy chocolate milk, a bit powdery though if you just stir it, okay if you blend it

 

[Angrymarshmello]

http://subscriber.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=38&threadid=1066157&FTVAR_MSGDBTABLE=

Has some good links. Vitaglo.com is also a great site for Designer - 2 5lb jugs of Designer for $55. They're kind of limited in overall selection however. I just used dpsnutritition.com last night to order 2 5lb jugs of Prolab Pure Whey ($27.49 each). Shipping was reasonable

Oh, and stay the fvck away from GNC. I'll never buy supplements from there again

 

[StageLeft]

Given how BLOODY cheap whey protein is now there is no reason not to take it throughout the day to supplement your diet. I buy a lot of my stuff from Ultimate Nutrition but angry's prices below are great. I pay $30 including tax for my new favorite protein which is Pro-Rated. Their bavarian chocholate is utterly out of this world and I mean that from the depths of my heart. I've been taking protein for years and have never come across anything tasting so good. That's 80 servings for $30.

Other than workout the two other most important times to take in protein are in the morning (you've not eaten for a long time and need protein) and before bed (keep you going through the night). You MUST be taking in protein throughout the day.

I shake my head at people who skip breakfast and expect to gain muscle at an optimal rate. If they've not eaten since 9:00 PM night before and are waiting until lunch time that's 15 hours without taking in a new protein source. bad bad.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Angrymarshmello
http://subscriber.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=38&threadid=1066157&FTVAR_MSGDBTABLE=

Has some good links. Vitaglo.com is also a great site for Designer - 2 5lb jugs of Designer for $55. They're kind of limited in overall selection however. I just used dpsnutritition.com last night to order 2 5lb jugs of Prolab Pure Whey ($27.49 each). Shipping was reasonable

Oh, and stay the fvck away from GNC. I'll never buy supplements from there again

I will only enter GNC's doors during the first week of every month. With their gold 20% card during that time their prices are then somewhat competitive for some products. My MET-Rx shakes for instance at GNC I can buy a box of 20 for $24 if it's first week of the month. Otherwise if I need supplements I go to Ultimate nutrition and even with the 20% gnc is not always cheaper than UN.

 

[isasir]

Originally posted by: Amused

5. Anything else?

Yes, protein is a suppliment. Not a magic bullet and not a substitute for a good diet. Don't take the protein, then skip a meal.

In regard to this - I tend to workout after work, which means that I don't get home til about 8 or 8:30 or so. If I were to take a protein shake (mixed with 2% milk) at this point, it actually is enough to fill me up (for the most part) for the night, so that I'm not that hungry to eat dinner.

Granted, yesterday was the first time where I skipped dinner because I was "full", but I could see such a situation happening again. I was wondering what should I do in that case? Force myself to eat dinner, even if it's smaller than usual portions? Or perhaps take the protein shake at some other point in the day to not interfere with dinner at all? Or is what I did yesterday ok, since I am trying to lose some weight anyways?

 

[misle]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
Given how BLOODY cheap whey protein is now there is no reason not to take it throughout the day to supplement your diet. I buy a lot of my stuff from Ultimate Nutrition but angry's prices below are great. I pay $30 including tax for my new favorite protein which is Pro-Rated. Their bavarian chocholate is utterly out of this world and I mean that from the depths of my heart. I've been taking protein for years and have never come across anything tasting so good. That's 80 servings for $30.

I was just looking around and found that All Sports Nutrition is selling 10 lbs of Pro-Rated for $37.99 + $5.95 shipping.

I know nothing about this company, just a site I ran across.

 

[Angrymarshmello]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Angrymarshmello
http://subscriber.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=38&threadid=1066157&FTVAR_MSGDBTABLE=

Has some good links. Vitaglo.com is also a great site for Designer - 2 5lb jugs of Designer for $55. They're kind of limited in overall selection however. I just used dpsnutritition.com last night to order 2 5lb jugs of Prolab Pure Whey ($27.49 each). Shipping was reasonable

Oh, and stay the fvck away from GNC. I'll never buy supplements from there again

I will only enter GNC's doors during the first week of every month. With their gold 20% card during that time their prices are then somewhat competitive for some products. My MET-Rx shakes for instance at GNC I can buy a box of 20 for $24 if it's first week of the month. Otherwise if I need supplements I go to Ultimate nutrition and even with the 20% gnc is not always cheaper than UN.

Those MET-Rx shakes are hard to find at those online sites, so you're right, in some certain circumstances GNC is alright, but as a whole they're very overpriced. The only time I can see myself going there is if I'm in a bind for some protein.

misle - according to the other thread, a couple people have recommended ASN

 

[Angrymarshmello]

Originally posted by: RishiS

Originally posted by: Amused

5. Anything else?

Yes, protein is a suppliment. Not a magic bullet and not a substitute for a good diet. Don't take the protein, then skip a meal.

In regard to this - I tend to workout after work, which means that I don't get home til about 8 or 8:30 or so. If I were to take a protein shake (mixed with 2% milk) at this point, it actually is enough to fill me up (for the most part) for the night, so that I'm not that hungry to eat dinner.

Granted, yesterday was the first time where I skipped dinner because I was "full", but I could see such a situation happening again. I was wondering what should I do in that case? Force myself to eat dinner, even if it's smaller than usual portions? Or perhaps take the protein shake at some other point in the day to not interfere with dinner at all? Or is what I did yesterday ok, since I am trying to lose some weight anyways?

Mix your protein shake with water. I know it's not necessarily great tasting but you digest it faster and usually 2 scoops with water and you'll be hungry in an hour or so. Just space out your meals and eat them in smaller portions - you definitely need to eat dinner or at least something post workout, but since it's close to bedtime cut down on the carbs. (Not eliminate it completly, just cut down)

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: RishiS

Originally posted by: Amused

5. Anything else?

Yes, protein is a suppliment. Not a magic bullet and not a substitute for a good diet. Don't take the protein, then skip a meal.

In regard to this - I tend to workout after work, which means that I don't get home til about 8 or 8:30 or so. If I were to take a protein shake (mixed with 2% milk) at this point, it actually is enough to fill me up (for the most part) for the night, so that I'm not that hungry to eat dinner.

Granted, yesterday was the first time where I skipped dinner because I was "full", but I could see such a situation happening again. I was wondering what should I do in that case? Force myself to eat dinner, even if it's smaller than usual portions? Or perhaps take the protein shake at some other point in the day to not interfere with dinner at all? Or is what I did yesterday ok, since I am trying to lose some weight anyways?

If that's the case, eat your dinner first, then have the shake as desert. A shake should never be a meal replacement.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Angrymarshmello
http://subscriber.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=38&threadid=1066157&FTVAR_MSGDBTABLE=

Has some good links. Vitaglo.com is also a great site for Designer - 2 5lb jugs of Designer for $55. They're kind of limited in overall selection however. I just used dpsnutritition.com last night to order 2 5lb jugs of Prolab Pure Whey ($27.49 each). Shipping was reasonable

Oh, and stay the fvck away from GNC. I'll never buy supplements from there again

I will only enter GNC's doors during the first week of every month. With their gold 20% card during that time their prices are then somewhat competitive for some products. My MET-Rx shakes for instance at GNC I can buy a box of 20 for $24 if it's first week of the month. Otherwise if I need supplements I go to Ultimate nutrition and even with the 20% gnc is not always cheaper than UN.

Yep. And at $17 bucks with no shipping, the deal on Designer Whey 2.1 lb at GNC is too good to pass up.

Yes, GNC is over priced. Yes, GNC's own brand leaves much to be desired and I wont buy it. But if you play the game right, you can get good prices on name brand stuff there.

Besides, I hate waiting for shipping.

 

[err]

YES, I just bought some whey protein from http://www.allsportsnutrition.com. It cost $37.99 for 10lbs and it came in [2] 5lbs containers.

This is what I've got.

It taste great and this is my first protein shake experience ever. If I have time, I usually mix a scoop with fat free milk and a banana using blender. Add some ice if you want to make it like a real shake.

If I don't have time, I mix a scoop with only water (taste kinda yucky).

I try to take 3 servings a day. One in the morning, one before working out and one before going to sleep. On my non-workout day, I usually take 2 servings. I feel this is best as the amount of protein needed by my body keeps flowing throughout the day with the protein shakes.

Read around. Go to anabolicreview.com and read what people has to say about your preferred protein shakes.

Good luck

eRr

 

[schizoid]

I ended up getting Prolab Advanced Whey Protein 2lb + 100g of Creatine FREE from A1NutritionProducts.com. It was $18 total. Figure I'd go with 2lbs to make sure I like the taste, and I'd get five days of Creatine to see if I really wanna bother with that stuff.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

 

[ZaneNBK]

Err - You should be taking a high protein shake AFTER workout as well. Pre-workout you should take a high carb high protein shake (15-30g Carbs - dextrose and maltodextrin, 15-30g Whey) about 15-20 minutes before. About 30-60 minutes after working out you should have another with more Whey and more carbs (60-80g of carbs - dextrose and maltodextrin, 30+g of whey).

Here's an article about protein which covers morning, day-time, evening, pre and post workout shakes with some formulas for calculating how much protein and carbs should be in your pre and post workout shakes. IIRC, the basic idea behind a high carb high protein post-workout shake is for the carbs to cause an insulin spike which helps the muscles absorb the nutrients it needs to rebuild faster.

Optimum 100% Whey Protein is almost universally agreed upon (at least in the forums I frequent to be a high quality, low cost whey protein. Looks like it's $55.59 for 10lbs. at BB.com, you can probably find it cheaper elsewhere. Their prices aren't the best but their forum and articles are awesome and their customer service is top-notch.

 

[Angrymarshmello]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: Angrymarshmello
http://subscriber.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=38&threadid=1066157&FTVAR_MSGDBTABLE=

Has some good links. Vitaglo.com is also a great site for Designer - 2 5lb jugs of Designer for $55. They're kind of limited in overall selection however. I just used dpsnutritition.com last night to order 2 5lb jugs of Prolab Pure Whey ($27.49 each). Shipping was reasonable

Oh, and stay the fvck away from GNC. I'll never buy supplements from there again

I will only enter GNC's doors during the first week of every month. With their gold 20% card during that time their prices are then somewhat competitive for some products. My MET-Rx shakes for instance at GNC I can buy a box of 20 for $24 if it's first week of the month. Otherwise if I need supplements I go to Ultimate nutrition and even with the 20% gnc is not always cheaper than UN.

Yep. And at $17 bucks with no shipping, the deal on Designer Whey 2.1 lb at GNC is too good to pass up.

Yes, GNC is over priced. Yes, GNC's own brand leaves much to be desired and I wont buy it. But if you play the game right, you can get good prices on name brand stuff there.

Besides, I hate waiting for shipping.

Vitaglo.com has 2 5lb jugs of Designer for $55, no shipping. And at least here in TX, Designer costs $29.99 regular price so Gold card days it's $23.99. I hate waiting for shipping too but that's why I order in advance so I won't run out.