What kind of protein to take?

[manram26 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close manram26]

So I started PEing about 5 weeks ago, and really working out the week after to supplement my PE. I downloaded the Focus T25 workout, and have been doing it every day. I also started eating a little healthier, but I'm sure I'm not getting enough protein, and maybe not enough nutrients either. But I'm on the 5th week of the T25, which is the last week of the first phase, and I will be going into the second phase next week. I have already seen a huge difference in the way I look, my "V" on my lower abs is starting to show again, my chest has gotten a little bigger, and by biceps are starting to look more round. The second phase requires some weight lifting, and I wanna maximize my muscular gains by adding more protein to my diet. I have done a little research on the different types of protein you can get, but I am still unsure on what to get. I'm thinking either whey protein or casein protein. There are a few more but I'm thinking those two might be two good places to start. What would some of our gym junkies recommend for a beginner? I know whey is the most basic form, and casein takes a little longer to break down, but I wanna know what other people's experiences with different kinds of protein are.

[BTBrian Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BTBrian]

Almonds, fish, chicken, lean beef, other nuts, and eggs. Protein shakes are for people who A) don't get enough protein naturally (that's almost nobody) and B) people who want whey (get it) more protein than they actually need and want to look like idiots drinking it in the gym.

[akaTrex Senior Member Member of the Month Jan 2016 Find all posts View Profile Close akaTrex]

I personally use Whey Protein.

Whey protein is popular because of its ability to be digested very rapidly and help return the post-workout body back from a catabolic state to an anabolic state.

I ingest a protein drink right after my workouts!

If one was to drink a protein drink during one of my leg workouts they would soon be mopping their protein and bile off the floor!

[manram26 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close manram26]

Almonds, fish, chicken, lean beef, other nuts, and eggs. Protein shakes are for people who A) don't get enough protein naturally (that's almost nobody) and B) people who want whey (get it) more protein than they actually need and want to look like idiots drinking it in the gym.

I eat lots of chicken, nuts, and peanut butter. Working on veggies and other sources as well. It's not like I'm gonna abuse it like some people do. Just something after a workout. I'm a smaller guy, about 145 pounds, and I need as much as I can take.

[manram26 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close manram26]

I personally use Whey Protein.

Whey protein is popular because of its ability to be digested very rapidly and help return the post-workout body back from a catabolic state to an anabolic state.

I ingest a protein drink right after my workouts!

If one was to drink a protein drink during one of my leg workouts they would soon be mopping their protein and bile off the floor!

I only really wanna use it as a post workout meal. Something to help my muscles recover faster and helping me gain quicker and more efficiently. I have been leaning towards whey protein, since it's a little cheaper. I might drop a few bucks on a tub of whey protein this weekend. Sometimes chicken and rice does not cut it.

Thanks for the input guys!

[TAAB Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close TAAB]

Always change brands when you use a protein supplement, that helps keep the body off balance and will maintain better absorption. Also the more expensive ISOLATE formulas are the best for results. TAAB

[PurpleOnes Senior Member Member of the Month June 2014PEGym Hero Find all posts View Profile Close PurpleOnes]

Protein shakes are for people who are too busy to eat real meals so they compensate the protein with a liquid meal which is protein shake.

Real meal is always better and personally I use protein shakes only PWO with dextrose for quicker recovery.

No need really to buy expensive whey proteins since it is always a marketing scheme and you pay for brand.

[BTBrian Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BTBrian]

I eat lots of chicken, nuts, and peanut butter. Working on veggies and other sources as well. It's not like I'm gonna abuse it like some people do. Just something after a workout. I'm a smaller guy, about 145 pounds, and I need as much as I can take.

You definitely don't need as much as you can take. If you way 145 you probably don't need any more than about 110 grams of protein each day to gain lean body mass. You could probably gain just as much with about 80 grams per day. You are best off just eating some almonds and an apple after a workout.

Protein shakes are for people who are too busy to eat real meals so they compensate the protein with a liquid meal which is protein shake.

Real meal is always better and personally I use protein shakes only PWO with dextrose for quicker recovery.

No need really to buy expensive whey proteins since it is always a marketing scheme and you pay for brand.

+1

Also you can make a protein shake yourself if you really want one, and it will be much better than one that you could buy! Just take some nuts, peanut butter, maybe some oatmeal or fruit and make your own smoothie! Much better!

[manram26 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close manram26]

That smoothie sounds like a good idea, BT! Are there any supplements I should look into getting tho? I know I'm not getting everything I need. Just mostly the protein. Like I said, I've been working on veggies, but don't get enough. I mainly eat chicken and brown rice, and try to eat everything else as a snack whenever I can. The protein will only be used as a post workout meal. I'm still debating anyway, as money is a little tight right now. Being able to buy food is always a priority, then will be any supplements if I choose to go in that direction

[aBone2pick Senior Member Member of the Month July 2014 Find all posts View Profile Close aBone2pick]

Casein and soy proteins are significantly less effective than whey isolate. Gold Standard is the best whey isolate I've found. Some people don't like using protein, but it's been very beneficial for me.

The only problem with protein powders is that nearly all of them have nasty stuff like sucralose in them (the active ingredient in Splenda). It is because of this that I have recently switched to an all natural, lactose free, no soy whey. Unfortunately it costs literally 3x as much as competitors.

The choice is yours! But no matter what you choose, limit yourself to one a day, regardless of what the container says.

[kickinthemebs Senior Member Member of the Month Feb 2014 Find all posts View Profile Close kickinthemebs]

Meat: Turkey, chicken, beef, duck, game, pheasant, fish (all), lamb, seafood.

Dairy etc: Low fat yoghurt, cottage cheese, whey protein, eggs, low fat milk.

Veg/nuts: All types of nuts, kidney beans, lentils, any kind of bean or pulse really.

[manram26 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close manram26]

Been eating chicken for most of my meals. I'm trying to avoid beef as much as I can, unless I get a craving for Carl's Jr. and unless it's lean. I just find chicken easier to cook. Also, I plan on making a one month supply of protein last me a couple extra weeks. I find that snacking on any type of nut will keep me a little fuller than I expected, so buying in bulk is working out for me great. Also... Water, water, water.. I try to drink as much water as I can. If I don't pee clear I freak out. And today I peed yellow. I was a little upset haha. And obviously I'm never gonna pee completely clear, but you know when it's really yellow, and that shit upsets me. Also, what about that flavored hummus? I've never been a fan of it but you gotta make some sacrifices to reach your goals. And I'll have cheat days anyway, so it's not that big of a deal as long as I'm not hungry

[BTBrian Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BTBrian]

That smoothie sounds like a good idea, BT! Are there any supplements I should look into getting tho? I know I'm not getting everything I need. Just mostly the protein. Like I said, I've been working on veggies, but don't get enough. I mainly eat chicken and brown rice, and try to eat everything else as a snack whenever I can. The protein will only be used as a post workout meal. I'm still debating anyway, as money is a little tight right now. Being able to buy food is always a priority, then will be any supplements if I choose to go in that direction

Don't use any supplements except maybe a daily multivitamin and creatine. Creatine is less important than a multivitamin if you have to choose, but if you just eat enough veggies and fruits in the first place then you shouldn't need a multivitamin.

Creatine is only effective in about 50% of people. I won't go into the metabolic pathways, but our body turns turns creatine into phosphocreatine and then stores it until it needs instant energy, at which point it turns phosphocreatine into energy. However, everybody has a set limit of how much creatine their body will store and about 50% of people are naturally their already without any supplement, so taking in more does not affect them. If you are a responder, then taking creatine will help you get about 1-2 more reps on your last set of an exercise, so the benefit is real but it's not huge. If you switched 30$ from a creatine supplement into 30$ more of veggies every month you'd be better off.

[TheGreatDivider Senior Member Member of the Month Dec 2015 Find all posts View Profile Close TheGreatDivider]

Listen to BTBrian and PurpleOnes, protein supplements are not at all necessary for building muscle. Anyone that tells you that you need a high protein diet with a protein supplement does not understand human biology very well. The body only needs about 60-120g of protein a day and anything excess just gets excreted through urine. And what you're seeing with your bright yellow pee is a side effect of vitamin C BTW.

It doesn't matter what you eat either, because you have these amino acid pools in every cell that collect broken down amino acid strains. They help with immediate repair long before any fast digesting protein can be digested, broken down, and used. The process for rebuilding muscle and growing bigger and stronger is also a very slow one. We're talking 1-2lbs a month without the use of steroids. You could eat 500g of protein a day and it wouldn't speed up muscle growth. Only anabolic hormones can do this.

However if you were to follow this popular bodybuilding and eat a super high protein diet along with a couple protein shakes a day, chances are you would put on about 3-5lbs of fat along with that 1-2lbs of muscle a month. Don't let the full muscle bellies in your arms fool you, fat is still fat and you can only dream you're gaining all muscle for so long. About 22% of your muscles are made up of protein, the rest is mostly water, carbohydrates, and a tiny bit of fats. Anything you actually gain won't show up over night like water gains do.... Because it takes longer than a week to fully heal and grow bigger.

So you see you could build muscle and meet whatever athletic goal you set or yourself with a normal diet. Probably even be a little skinnier too! The "fast acting" protein that are all the rage with whey proteins are also very insulin triggering, meaning a shake is about as bad for you as sugar. Taken at the wrong type of day with nothing else and it's almost like you're drinking a glass of koolaide. But you won't hear this from anybody actually drinking the supplement company's koolaide.

[manram26 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close manram26]

I'll drop more money on veggies and keep increasing my water intake. Just gotta get more variety in my diet, along with healthier snacks throughout the day, including fats live nuts and avocados. I hear avocados have carbs too, which is fine with me. Just gotta cut down on shit like alcohol and pizza. My pee was yellow today simply because I wasn't drinking enough water. I usually drink at least 2 bottles of water with several long trips to the water fountain at work. Today I only had 1 bottle of water with only a few quick trips. I downed another bottle toward the end of my work day to try to make up for it, but I already know that it's too late by then. Gotta keep hydrated throughout the day. What's the fuss about pre workout supplements? I hear that they pump you the hell up.