Do you use protein shakes??  I started lifting weight small amount and using protein shake for about 2 weeks now..  I feel better...  I have been using Muscle Milk protein shake daily is this ok??  I heard Muscle Milk is not good for you??  I feel good and can see a different but heard it has metal in it or something??  Any other suggestions and is ok to take protein shake daily?  Anyone who lifts weight or takes protein shake let me know..  I am not going professional weight lifting or anything just trying to move a bit more etc !!


Thanks!! 

1 gram of protein per pound of body weight a day is more than enough if your goal is to gain muscle/weight. Protein powder is hardly necessary to hit that limit, but it's convenient and a nice to use instead of relying on eat tons of lean meat. As long as your protein powder is low in fat and carbs, which most are, your only concern should be if it tastes good.

(10-04-2015, 03:38 PM)6andcounting Wrote: 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight a day is more than enough if your goal is to gain muscle/weight. Protein powder is hardly  necessary to hit that limit, but it's convenient and a nice to use instead of relying on eat tons of lean meat. As long as your protein powder is low in fat and carbs, which most are, your only concern should be if it tastes good.

Nice cause I was talking with the GNC guy and he was telling me muscle milk is bad with metals and no way he would take it...!! 

(10-04-2015, 07:42 PM)Marlon23 Wrote: Nice cause I was talking with the GNC guy and he was telling me muscle milk is bad with metals and no way he would take it...!! 

I'm not familiar with that, but I don't think GNC would sell anything that would tarnish their reputation. Most of their stuff is way overpriced so it's their reputation that keeps them in business.

(10-04-2015, 03:38 PM)6andcounting Wrote: 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight a day is more than enough if your goal is to gain muscle/weight. Protein powder is hardly  necessary to hit that limit, but it's convenient and a nice to use instead of relying on eat tons of lean meat. As long as your protein powder is low in fat and carbs, which most are, your only concern should be if it tastes good.

Pretty much this.  It is better to get your protein through your regular diet if possible.  Try to choose protein sources low in fat when possible.  Protein shakes are convenient and can be found with low carbs and fats.

I believe Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard is the best selling protein powder.

I just can't get over the title of this thread

Pretty much what the other guys said. Get your protein from food sources, if possible. I've been a lifelong gym rat, athlete, and now in middle age, even dabble in strongman. I keep a tub of ON Gold Standard in my bag, just in case I need to skip meals.

If I'm working in the field, I typically substitute a shake for breakfast, as it is most unsavory to cop a squat, when surveying in swamp land..

(10-03-2015, 02:42 PM)Marlon23 Wrote: Do you use protein shakes??  I started lifting weight small amount and using protein shake for about 2 weeks now..  I feel better...  I have been using Muscle Milk protein shake daily is this ok??  I heard Muscle Milk is not good for you??  I feel good and can see a different but heard it has metal in it or something??  Any other suggestions and is ok to take protein shake daily?  Anyone who lifts weight or takes protein shake let me know..  I am not going professional weight lifting or anything just trying to move a bit more etc !!


Thanks!! 

Someone said a gram of protein per pound... I think they meant a gram per kilo of body weight.

There is great debate about how much protein your body can process at a time, leading many to say consuming more than about 23 grams in a meal has no benefit as your body can't process it and will just expel it.

Someone said GNC stuff is overpriced. Very true. Plus, their only training of most staff seems to be to train them to lie about products they don't sell and to steer people to the most expensive products in the store. The more expensive stuff is always better, according to their "experts." I base this both off of personal opinion and the opinion of an expert who has a crap ton of body building and power lifting trophies. He does buy some GNC products, but maintains you should disregard anything the staff there tells you.

That same guy once told me when I mentioned an interest in nutrition to read a book by Franco Columbu.

You can google that name - he used to train with Arnold (yeah, that Arnold) - and I believe he has a degree in nutrition. I didn't read the book but read parts of it and I would be hard pressed to name a better resource.

Generally, a store is going to push whatever has the highest profit margin. Making money keeps the doors open.

I'm not a bodybuilder. I started going to the gym back in January and started really getting into it. I stopped around July because I partially tore my bicep, but I started going again Sunday. I was talking to a guy a couple months ago about it and his thinking was it's mostly just genetics. His opinion, but it was basically that some people can eat what they want, spend an hour or two in the gym a couple times each week and come out looking like Arnold. Other guys can follow strict training guidelines and spend a lot more time in the gym and they'll still look like Rachel Maddow.

(10-07-2015, 12:12 AM)Benton Wrote: Generally, a store is going to push whatever has the highest profit margin. Making money keeps the doors open.

I'm not a bodybuilder. I started going to the gym back in January and started really getting into it. I stopped around July because I partially tore my bicep, but I started going again Sunday. I was talking to a guy a couple months ago about it and his thinking was it's mostly just genetics. His opinion, but it was basically that some people can eat what they want, spend an hour or two in the gym a couple times each week and come out looking like Arnold. Other guys can follow strict training guidelines and spend a lot more time in the gym and they'll still look like Rachel Maddow.

It's totally genetics if drugs aren't involved.  I've seen roids turn a 160 pound beanpole into a 220 pound monster in a year after he struggled to put on 5 pounds eating and lifting for 3 years.  Note:  He also told me that he had a baseball-size cyst removed from his injection site last year.

I personally have some of the best genetics I could possibly ask for.  I could eat apple cores and fried cardboard  and turn them into muscle.  I don't even lift anymore and won 20 bucks last May when my buddy bet me I couldn't bench 300 anymore, and I was drunk to boot.  The only workout I do is yoga.  I've been this way since I was 17.  My dad was the exact same way, as was his dad and all of his brothers and all of my male cousins..  All about 5-10, all about 200lbs, all built like gorillas.  Gorillas with zero athletic ability, haha.

(10-06-2015, 09:22 PM)oncemoreuntothejimbreech Wrote: Pretty much this.  It is better to get your protein through your regular diet if possible.  Try to choose protein sources low in fat when possible.  Protein shakes are convenient and can be found with low carbs and fats.

I believe Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard is the best selling protein powder.

For price per serving, definitely ON Gold Standard.

For taste, MuscleTech Phase 8 is a little bit better.

(10-06-2015, 11:54 PM)xxlt Wrote: Someone said a gram of protein per pound... I think they meant a gram per kilo of body weight.

I've always heard and went by 1 gram for 1 pound of weight.

The strength and conditioning coach at my school (it's D1) has been doing competitive powerlifting for most of his life - I think he's in his late 30's. Just last spring, I heard him speak as a guest speaker and he said 1 gram for 1 pound is the rule of thumb. He doesn't eat a lot of meat so most days he doesn't even get to that guideline. He writes for EliteFTS.com so I looked up some of his articles and bio. His max bench is 2.5 times his bodyweight and max deadlift is close to 4 times.

Even if less than 1 gram/pound isn't going to hurt 1 gram/kilo seems like it would be way too little, but that's just from my experience.

Everything else from you post i couldn't agree with more.

(10-04-2015, 03:38 PM)6andcounting Wrote: 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight a day is more than enough if your goal is to gain muscle/weight. Protein powder is hardly  necessary to hit that limit, but it's convenient and a nice to use instead of relying on eat tons of lean meat. As long as your protein powder is low in fat and carbs, which most are, your only concern should be if it tastes good.

^^ This. ^^^ 

It's good you asked people who DO instead of people who SELL.

(10-07-2015, 09:44 AM)6andcounting Wrote: I've always heard and went by 1 gram for 1 pound of weight.

The strength and conditioning coach at my school (it's D1) has been doing competitive powerlifting for most of his life - I think he's in his late 30's. Just last spring, I heard him speak as a guest speaker and he said 1 gram for 1 pound is the rule of thumb. He doesn't eat a lot of meat so most days he doesn't even get to that guideline. He writes for EliteFTS.com so I looked up some of his articles and bio. His max bench is 2.5 times his bodyweight and max deadlift is close to 4 times.

Even if less than 1 gram/pound isn't going to hurt  1 gram/kilo seems like it would be way too little, but that's just from my experience.

Everything else from you post i couldn't agree with more.

6andcounting - you may be right on the formula, but I have seen it the other way many times. I am not an expert but have read a bit on it. I have seen it gram per pound too, but just always assumed that was on oversight on the part of the person repeating it (we aren't used to saying kilos in the US much).

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/will-eating-more-protein-help-your-body-gain-muscle-faster

^ This article offers some caveats about too much protein and says 1/3 gram per pound which is close to a gram per kilo, which I have seen in numerous body building and medical articles. I've seem that formula many times which says a quick way to get your target is instead of dividing by 2.2 (number of pounds in a kilo) to get a close approximation and be able to do the math in your head just divide your weight by 2 and there is your target. So for me at 200 pounds I would be targeting 100 grams of protein a day.

Given that there are many who say you can't process more than about 23 grams from a meal, that sounds about right and realistic. If I am eating four or five times a day and I get 20-25 grams of protein per meal then I am right on target. For me it is tough to consume that much protein. I can't do the Rocky thing and crack six raw eggs in a glass and drink them. But it is impossible for me to imagine consuming twice that much. For example, a McDonalds Quarter Pounder with cheese has 29 grams of protein. (Just looked it up.) So let's say I make a quarter pound burger in my kitchen (cheaper and probably better quality ingredients) but we are probably still looking at around 29 grams of protein. I have to eat almost seven of those in a day to get 200 grams of protein. That's almost two pounds of beef. I guess there are people who can do that, and obviously you don't eat a burger for every meal - but beef is up there for protein percentage content (plus some from the cheese and bun) and so other meals you would have to eat more volume to get to 29 grams.

I also just looked at a bag of protein supplement (I use it sometimes because I don't eat much beef and can't begin to eat enough vegetables to get 100 grams of protein in a day and don't always eat fish or chicken every day so if I feel I need to get some protein and can't eat it I will do a shake). It has 27 grams per serving (it is 100% whey, which tastes like ass but has a high protein content and is digestible). Again, I think there is a lot of research that says consuming any more than about that amount in a sitting is a waste. In other words if I drink two shakes at meal time I might as well have poured one out - my body can't synthesize all that protein that quickly. If we think of it as a meal replacement and the typical person eating three large meals a day and not the 4-5 smaller ones many nutrition experts recommend then again that puts protein for the day at ca. 100 grams (3X27 is actually under 90) and not 200 grams.

I am sure there are people who find a way to cram that much (1 gram per pound) down, and maybe it puts on the muscle mass they want. I just think it sounds like an awful lot and again, there can be some health risks with eating too much protein. Of course, as a couple guys noted, genetics does play a huge role. I know guys who never exercise and eat a crap diet but they are big and stupid strong and some even look decent (not just a big strong blob) and I know guys who eat clean and lift but never put on any bulk and don't experience huge strength gains even when lifting.

There are so many "experts" out there you just have to be careful. I think many of them advocate over training (not allowing enough rest) and many know little about diet and nutrition. But we are in a culture that knows little about that. Our stores are filled with chemicals masquerading as food and our streets are filled with chronically obese people. I commend anyone who tries to figure out a healthier way. And I appreciate others sharing their thoughts, insights, and experiences.

(10-07-2015, 10:34 AM)xxlt Wrote: 6andcounting - you may be right on the formula, but I have seen it the other way many times. I am not an expert but have read a bit on it. I have seen it gram per pound too, but just always assumed that was on oversight on the part of the person repeating it (we aren't used to saying kilos in the US much).

I'm not going to argue because I'm really only speaking for what I've have made work for myself. And that certainly doesn't prove you our your sources wrong.

I do believe that 30 grams of protein at a time is digested most efficiently, beat eating in excess still counts. Eating 60 grams of protein in one sitting is still 240 calories your body will process. It's probably best to space out relatively equal sized meals, but the more I've gotten away from having perfect portions at the exact right time the more I realize that it hasn't even slowed my progress.

This is just our difference in eating habits, but I never had a problem getting to 180+ grams a protein a day. A lot of time I'll go 20 to 30 grams over and just eat that many less carbs because it just fit my meals a lot better. I get around 40 grams a day just from eating whole grains. Throw in a cup of cottage cheese, 2 eggs, 4oz of chicken and protein bar or smoothie and I'm golden.

(10-07-2015, 09:48 AM)Interceptor Wrote: ^^ This. ^^^ 

It's good you asked people who DO instead of people who SELL.

Honestly, I learned most of what I know from reading or watching videos on the internet, and just through experience seeing what has worked for me. Hearing him speak just confirmed much of what I already knew - it was just nice hearing from someone who literally has a degree and job around health and fitness, and who lives the lifestyle himself.

There was/is a lot of crap and broscience I had to sort through though. Bodybuilding.com has some good info in their articles, but nonetheless the articles are still pushing products and overstating the importance of taking supplements. He writes for a site EliteFTS, and all their authors are professionals with relevant degrees, not just bodybuilder brands reps trying to boost sales like on the aforementioned site.

I always enjoy talking to people about fitness because I can speak from experience from being around 240 pounds with no muscle to 177 pounds with muscle definition everywhere in about 3 years. I had a decent 6 pack when i was at 167 pounds, but 4 months and 10 pounds later it's gonna be a 4 pack until I cut again.

[url=http:https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrTccQxWRZWAXIAJdknnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTE5Z2k4bWpwBGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwM0BHZ0aWQDRkZYVUk0M18xBHNlYwNyZWwtYm90?p=protein+in+food+chart&ei=UTF-8&hsimp=yhs-001&hspart=mozilla&fr2=rs-bottom&fr=yhs-mozilla-001]http:https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrTccQxWRZWAXIAJdknnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTE5Z2k4bWpwBGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwM0BHZ0aWQDRkZYVUk0M18xBHNlYwNyZWwtYm90?p=protein+in+food+chart&ei=UTF-8&hsimp=yhs-001&hspart=mozilla&fr2=rs-bottom&fr=yhs-mozilla-001[/url]

I've found some better charts in the past but this one isn't bad.

I use protein shakes but in cycles. Protein shakes clog me up.

(10-08-2015, 07:40 PM)Bmoreblitz Wrote: I use protein shakes but in cycles. Protein shakes clog me up.

Yeah, that's another issue with taking in a lot of protein powders.  When I got into lifting a lot of the guys that had been into it for awhile advised me to keep Metamucil handy and take it on the regular if you're not eating a lot of fruits and vegetables.  

Water intake is a no-brainer, too.  I'd drink at least 2 gallons a day if I were taking 1 gram per pound of body weight.  Protein is rough on your kidneys in large amounts.  

Also, although it may seem antiquated because it is, but you may consider some old school amino acid tablets or BCAAs.  I'd take the BCAAs if you only did one.  I worked at a small supplement shop for a year or so in college and had access to all kinds of things at great prices.  At one point I took desiccated liver tablets, regular aminos, and BCAAs plus glutamine post-workout.  It was absolutely brutal to wolf down all of those pills, but FWIW, I was at my biggest and strongest at the time.  Just couldn't do it all of the time.  Just too many tablets.

(10-06-2015, 09:56 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Pretty much what the other guys said.  Get your protein from food sources, if possible.  I've been a lifelong gym rat, athlete, and now in middle age, even dabble in strongman.  I keep a tub of ON Gold Standard in my bag, just in case I need to skip meals.

If I'm working in the field, I typically substitute a shake for breakfast, as it is most unsavory to cop a squat, when surveying in swamp land..

hey there he is I did this thread I couldnt remember your name and didnt feel like searching so i thought hey lets start a thread!!!