Whey protein intake

madma

Hi all

I started taking shakes for the 1st time ever an i have never taken any supplements before. been on and off goin the gym for years....

anyways im checking if im using it right. i purchased strawberry falvour from holland & barrret (its a big white tub with red cap and red+yellow sticker) met-rx supreme. hoping this is the right one i should be using as my target is weight-loss. id imagine this is for everyeone and its up to you how its used

i take around 2 and a half scoops and throw into a blender with half a pint of water. i do this after the gym about 15-20 mins after it as that the soonest i get home. on non-training days i take the same but take it in the morning. i started this last thursday and have been the gym 4 times so far doing a mixture of cadio and weights and also ab workots etc.

im wondering if im doing the right thing or should i take more shakes maybe 1 more at night? the 1st time i used it i used 3 scoops and i mixed it with milk but a friend tld me not to do that as mixing it with milk is more for bulking up and it should be only used before going to bed if that when you have your shake

Thanks

Gevil

hey madma, your post raises a number of key points about protein supplementation.

I've been using supplements for around 10 years now and have through trial and error found out a few useful tips.

1) whey is a supplement, it's no substitute for food, no more than 2 shakes a day.

2) when you take whey is critical, immediately after your workout is an absolute must or even as your workout is ending. The next important time is breakfast, as your body has been in a fasting state and requires protein quickly.

3) dont take anymore thna 45G in one go. use the scoop to work out how much this is.

4) too much whey and you will gain fat, it's energy like all food sources

5) if you are training 5 days a week, twice a day on training days at the times mentioned is around the max i could say is useful, excess whey will just be flushed down the toilet

6) technique is the number one key for building muscle, check out www.activechannel.com for loads of informative, explanatory and technical secrets to gaining muscle. Dean Ash is my favourite instructor as he explains how and why.

7) if you want to lose fat, reduce carbs, never eat processed or sugar based foods and swap beer for spirits or another low calorie alternative.

8) if you want to gain bulk, aka bit of fat, eat BIG meals, 3 times a day with the final meal quite close to sleep time.

9) if you want to lose fat quickly, do the opposite, eat 6 times a day, low carbs like above, never eat before you sleep and it will start to fall off after 4 weeks.

10) I would always go for an unflavoured whey protein, in bulk from myprotein.co.uk. That way you know you are getting whey which contains protein, a bit of fat and some carbs, any fancy flavoured brands also contain useless additives and potentially sugar which is never good.

11) don't expect over night miracles, if you have a structured programme with good nutrition and good rest you will see a difference in 8 weeks, not sooner

madma

Gevil wrote: »

hey madma, your post raises a number of key points about protein supplementation.

I've been using supplements for around 10 years now and have through trial and error found out a few useful tips.

1) whey is a supplement, it's no substitute for food, no more than 2 shakes a day.

2) when you take it is critical, immediately after your workout or even as your workout is ending and breakfast, as your body has been in a fasting state and requires protein quickly.

3) dont take anymore thna 45G in one go. use the scoop to work out how much this is.

4) too much whey and you will gain fat, it's energy like all food sources

5) if you are training 5 days a week, twice a day on training days at the times mentioned is around the max i could say is useful, the waste will just be flushed down the toilet

6) technique is the number one key for building muscle, check out www.activechannel.com for loads of informative, explenatory and secrets to gaining muscle. Dean Ash is my favourite instructor as he explains how and why.

7) if you want to lose fat, reduce carbs, never eat processed or sugar based foods and swap beer for spirits or another low calorie alternative.

8) if you want to gain bulk, aka bit of fat, eat BIG meals, 3 times a day with the final meal quite close to sleep time.

9) if you want to lose fat quickly, do the opposite, eat 6 times a day, low carbs like above, never eat before you sleep and it will start to fall off after 4 weeks.

10) don't expect over night miracles, if you have a structured programme with good nutrition and good rest you will see a difference in 8 weeks, not sooner

Thanks for the tips..


after the gym when i have the shake its about 15-20mins after workout the only way i could improve this is if i bring a flask and drink it as soons as im finished

about 45mins-1hr after i take the shake i have lunch, which is 2 boiled eggs and either with 2 pieces of wholemeal brown bread or 1 wholemeal brown pitta bread.

im unsure about moving up to 2 shakes.. im hoping 1 a day post workout and 1 for breakfeast on training days. hoping this is enough.

malafela

On the same topic, im after starting a new routine in the gym, never took any supplements before but im in the same boat as the op.

I was thinking lately about try whey, also for weight loss. But a friend who would know alot more than me told me to stay away from it. Thats it only empty calories and wont help long term.

Can anybody clear this up?

Duck's hoop

Gevil wrote: »

7) if you want to lose fat, reduce carbs, never eat processed or sugar based foods and swap beer for spirits or another low calorie alternative.

8) if you want to gain bulk, aka bit of fat, eat BIG meals, 3 times a day with the final meal quite close to sleep time.

3 x 800 kcals = 2400 kcals
6 x 400 = 2400 kcals

Duck's hoop

malafela wrote: »

On the same topic, im after starting a new routine in the gym, never took any supplements before but im in the same boat as the op.

I was thinking lately about try whey, also for weight loss. But a friend who would know alot more than me told me to stay away from it. Thats it only empty calories and wont help long term.

Can anybody clear this up?

Sugar in tea/coffee is 'empty calories'. Nutritionally it's sub-optimal. Whey protein is pretty good bang for buck on a calorie to protein ratio though.

If you're looking to lose fat it's not going to do anything magic so your pal is correct there. It's food!

Justin1982

With all due respect, I'm not sure that Gevil's post is correct exactly.
Different people/experts will tell you different things about max amount of protein to eat in one sitting, how much whey protein to take and when exactly to take it. They'll all swear by their advice as well and they'll all be different.

Here is a general rule of thumb though. If you want to gain muscle mass then you need to eat on a calorie surplus and eat about 1g of protein per pound bodyweight (I've seen anything between 0.6g and 1.7g per pound weight quoted by different experts. Take 1g as an approximation). By calorie surplus, I mean that you need to eat "on average" more calories a day than you use up via all your different activities.

If you want to loose weight while maintaining muscle mass then you need to consume the same amount of protein but eat on a calorie deficit.

Getting fat has less to do with how much fat, sugar or protein you consume and a lot more to do with the total calories consumed overall via all sources.

Meal timing isnt really that important, nor is when you take your protein shakes. Obviously, you want to try and consume your calories and protein spread out through the day.

Source of calories is not necessarily that important for gains although for health reasons you want to eat complex carbs and fruit and veg.

There is very little wrong with consuming whey protein shakes. They are probably no more dangerous a source of protein than chicken or beef or eggs and the quality of whey protein is top notch even if flavoured. Of course they should be taken as part of a balanced diet. Get your protein from different and varied sources.
As long as your stomach and digestive system is not reacting negatively (causing you to feel sick or making you feel full and bloated) then whey protein is fine. At the end of the day its just the concentrated protein from milk, only most of the fat and sugar is taken out.

Most important thing I think is to ensure that you get enough fibre into your diet....If your bodybuilding or training for strength then you'll probably be eating copious amounts of food.....Get the fibre in with each meal. Your digestive system will thank you for it.

The sticky post in Health & Fitness section has lots of good advice.

malafela

Duck's hoop wrote: »

Sugar in tea/coffee is 'empty calories'. Nutritionally it's sub-optimal. Whey protein is pretty good bang for buck on a calorie to protein ratio though.

If you're looking to lose fat it's not going to do anything magic so your pal is correct there. It's food!

Cheers Duck's hoop

Mellor

Justin1982 wrote: »

With all due respect, I'm not sure that Gevil's post is correct exactly.

There's quite a few points that are inaccurate and some that are totally wrong.


3 meals for weight gain, 6 meals for weight loss. - that's nonsense. Total cals matter, not the number of meals.
In actual fact, it would be easier to get the high cals needed for weight gain via mroe meals, and less cals via less meals. but that's a side effect of eating more often or less often and not realted to the meals

monny

I recently bought Kinetica whey protein and Kinetica complete.
I am unsure of which one to take after a workout in the gym and other days. I was advised to buy both.
I want to gain muscle and lose a bit of fat.
What do i take on training days? and what do i take on days i dont?

AntiVirus

I don't understand why people take whey protein when they haven't a clue why they are taking it in the first place

Hanley

AntiVirus wrote: »

I don't understand why people take whey protein when they haven't a clue why they are taking it in the first place

What I can't understand is why people will let someone sell a product to them without having a good explanation and plan as to how to use it (and obviously what it is and what it should do!).

But anyway, just so I'm actually being helpful. Here's a general protein guideline for everyone....

Bodyweight in lbs = grams of protein daily, split it over 4-6 meals, try to get a carb and protein source (25-50g) in as soon as possible after training.

From there you either adjust protein and kcals up to gain muscle, or hold protein steady/maybe increase it a tad while decreasing total kcals to lose fat.

Henno30

madma wrote: »

Hi all

I started taking shakes for the 1st time ever an i have never taken any supplements before. been on and off goin the gym for years....

anyways im checking if im using it right. i purchased strawberry falvour from holland & barrret (its a big white tub with red cap and red+yellow sticker) met-rx supreme. hoping this is the right one i should be using as my target is weight-loss. id imagine this is for everyeone and its up to you how its used

i take around 2 and a half scoops and throw into a blender with half a pint of water. i do this after the gym about 15-20 mins after it as that the soonest i get home. on non-training days i take the same but take it in the morning. i started this last thursday and have been the gym 4 times so far doing a mixture of cadio and weights and also ab workots etc.

im wondering if im doing the right thing or should i take more shakes maybe 1 more at night? the 1st time i used it i used 3 scoops and i mixed it with milk but a friend tld me not to do that as mixing it with milk is more for bulking up and it should be only used before going to bed if that when you have your shake

Thanks

Hey madma, I'm no real expert on this stuff like a lot of people here are I'm sure, but I started taking protein for the first time this year and had just as many questions as you had.

The first thing I would say is don't over think it. The advice on bodybuilding forums and the like is massively contradictory and you will find ten different approaches supported in ten different google results. The main thing I did was focus on my carbs, fat, protein, and total calorie consumption. When you work out what you need in this respect (something like Scooby's calorie calculator gives you a good idea - http://www.scoobysworkshop.com/caloriecalculator.htm), you can work out how much protein you need.

I figured out that stuff first, adjusted my diet accordingly, and based my shake consumption on that. As for the timing of it, I don't know how important it is, I don't worry about it too much but I'm sure the guys here will have that figured out. On the weight loss thing, I cut about 3/4 of a stone earlier in the year in a short space of time. Again I'm no expert, but being aware of your calorie intake and the calories you're burning is a big help. It quantifies the whole thing for you which helps you feel like you can control the process. Stick to your routine and you'll see results within 6 or 8 weeks. Good luck

squod

Gevil wrote: »

I've been using supplements for around 10 years now and have through trial and error found out a few useful tips.

He did say trial and error. It's what works for him. I don't take post workout protein shakes by themselves. Take a shake with dinner meself. Otherwise it immediately forms pooh and quickly evacuates my body.

Mellor

Henno30 wrote: »

The advice on bodybuilding forums and the like is massively contradictory and you will find ten different approaches supported in ten different google results.

It isn't really. The advice is that same everywhere.

What is contradictory is people taking protein along with either good or poor diet. And contributing their good or bad results directly to the protein. Not realising that it prob makes to 10% of their intake.
These posts aren't advice, they are people just posting what they did and not knowing why.