LionsAndTigers said:

MacDaddy said:

Really, don't bother with that stuff. You're way better off by eating some canned tuna, avocado's and nuts, or cottage cheese.

I agree

although I do use brown rice protein occasionally

Brown rice protein is not very effective. IF you think you should use protein powders, you better use something with a good amino acid profile. Stay away from wheat or pea or soy or rice based plant proteins. They´re cheaply made, not necessarily harmful, but not that efficient either.

MacDaddy said:

PurpleJedi said:

Do you ever buy protein powders?

When I joined the gym, I bought their store-brand mix and it was OK. Then my buddy told me to get Nitrotech and it was better.

THEN I made the mitake of walking into GNC...the dude talked me into buying this;

Expensive as hell, but it tastes GREAT.

Really, don't bother with that stuff. You're way better off by eating some canned tuna, avocado's and nuts, or cottage cheese.

Proper food is always better than some protein powder. However, if you´re in a hurry or can´t carry lots of food with you, then a good protein powder comes in handy. Also, you´d need to eat a lot of tuna or cottage cheese to get the same amount of protein.

I can´t eat two jars of cottage cheese or two cans of tuna every day, and the nuts you´d have to eat to get 30 grams of protein ( the amount that is in one protein shake) would mean that you´d have to eat so many nuts that the fat intake would be too high.

But in essence I totally agree with you. Most women, and also men, don´t really need protein powders.

I usually drink a whey protein shake right after a strenous workout, and a good casein/egg albumin multi component shake before I go to bed. But I also eat food that´s high in protein, too.

I use whey but I´m very skeptical. Some say it triggers diabetes, some say it prevents diabetes and boosts your immune system. Don´t know. What I do know is that whey is a byproduct of the dairy industry and most powders are waaaay too overpriced when you think about it.

And not all powders have a good amino profile.Some cheap powders contain a lot of junk (wheat protein, rice protein, pea protein, soy), and some are reasonably priced and contain good stuff, and some are basically very similar to the cheaper ones but totally overpriced due to the brand name. I use a generic powder, and the manufacturer also makes some expensive high end products, basically the same stuff, but with a different label.

KoolEaze said:

LionsAndTigers said:

I agree

although I do use brown rice protein occasionally

Brown rice protein is not very effective. IF you think you should use protein powders, you better use something with a good amino acid profile. Stay away from wheat or pea or soy or rice based plant proteins. They´re cheaply made, not necessarily harmful, but not that efficient either.

I definitely agree with you, but I am limited in choices due to a gastrointestinal disorder that I have. I can't do dairy and I try to avoid soy so I don't know what other options I have

LionsAndTigers said:

KoolEaze said:

Brown rice protein is not very effective. IF you think you should use protein powders, you better use something with a good amino acid profile. Stay away from wheat or pea or soy or rice based plant proteins. They´re cheaply made, not necessarily harmful, but not that efficient either.

I definitely agree with you, but I am limited in choices due to a gastrointestinal disorder that I have. I can't do dairy and I try to avoid soy so I don't know what other options I have

Ahh, ok, I see. Sorry about that. I guess then I´d rather stick with soy instead of rice protein, but hey, better ask your doctor first.I dont even think that you´d need protein powders at all, unless you really want to bulk up. Men, on the other hand, could probably do with a shake every now and then if they don´t eat well. Then again, eating well is always better than some powder based shake.

By the way, most whey powders don´t contain lactose. But yes, they´re still a dairy product, so you should stay away from them if they´re bad for you. Eat eggs, tuna, etc. instead.

Canned tuna and an occasional protein shake is good enough for me.

I had to buy a protein powder to make myself protein shakes, I just cant seem to get enough protein from food alone. Actually I can but I would go way over on carbs and fats

[Edited 3/6/12 16:34pm]

How does someone tell they're not getting enough protein, short of having a doctor tell you? Are there symptoms?

morningsong said:

How does someone tell they're not getting enough protein, short of having a doctor tell you? Are there symptoms?

I thought if you felt tired then you aren't getting enough protein. To me, when you have enough protein you feel satisfied and not famished.

Lisa10 said:

MacDaddy said:

Likewise!

Likewise too!

My body is feeling nicely petite right now. I'm down to 8 stone 7lbs (I haven't weighed this for a long time) I have 7lbs to go and a little more toning up... then i'm going to have the bestest clothes-shopping trip EVER.

I'm not the most beautiful woman in the world, and I certainly don't have the best body... but i'm feeling very damned good about myself right now.

That's awesome.

I still have a long way to go myself but I'm getting there...with old fashioned hard work and good choices and that makes me feel amazing. Plus, I'm getting told that I'm looking fantastic by those who see me on a regular basis so that's pretty wicked and extremely motivating to keep going hard.

JustErin said:

Lisa10 said:

Likewise too!

My body is feeling nicely petite right now. I'm down to 8 stone 7lbs (I haven't weighed this for a long time) I have 7lbs to go and a little more toning up... then i'm going to have the bestest clothes-shopping trip EVER.

I'm not the most beautiful woman in the world, and I certainly don't have the best body... but i'm feeling very damned good about myself right now.

That's awesome.

I still have a long way to go myself but I'm getting there...with old fashioned hard work and good choices and that makes me feel amazing. Plus, I'm getting told that I'm looking fantastic by those who see me on a regular basis so that's pretty wicked and extremely motivating to keep going hard.

Keep it going, girl!

I'm pretty sure i'd have thrown in the towel weeks ago if it wasn't for people noticing the difference and complimenting me - that's been the single best motivator.

I'm still going 4 times a week On the days when I don't go,I try to do a long walk or a little jogging.It's all about staying active!

Does anyone go to the gym at weird hours? I'm thinking about going to the gym around midnight on the weekends.I like to be there when it isn't crowded and I don't have to wait to use certain equipment.

veronikka said:

I had to buy a protein powder to make myself protein shakes, I just cant seem to get enough protein from food alone. Actually I can but I would go way over on carbs and fats

[Edited 3/6/12 16:34pm]

can't you just eat loads of rice n' pasta?

Rightly said:

veronikka said:

I had to buy a protein powder to make myself protein shakes, I just cant seem to get enough protein from food alone. Actually I can but I would go way over on carbs and fats

[Edited 3/6/12 16:34pm]

can't you just eat loads of rice n' pasta?

Those are not proteins but carbohydrates.

I'm going to the gym today after work. Getting back on track!

SoulAlive said:

Does anyone go to the gym at weird hours? I'm thinking about going to the gym around midnight on the weekends.I like to be there when it isn't crowded and I don't have to wait to use certain equipment.

Sometimes I would go around 11-ish and stay 'til 1 or 2am.

Definitely more relaxed.

missfee said:

I'm going to the gym today after work. Getting back on track!

morningsong said:

How does someone tell they're not getting enough protein, short of having a doctor tell you? Are there symptoms?

You need approximately 1.5 ( or 2 if you´re male and really dedicated) grams per 2lbs body weight.

So, if your weight is 160 lbs you need at least more than 80 grams of protein a day. Not everybody is able to eat that amount regularly and daily. The rule of thumb is that you should eat a protein rich food the size of your hand three times a day.

Some disagree and call this a myth and eat more carbs instead. I think getting at least 90 grams per day will give you visible results, based on my personal experience.

missfee said:

morningsong said:

How does someone tell they're not getting enough protein, short of having a doctor tell you? Are there symptoms?

I thought if you felt tired then you aren't getting enough protein. To me, when you have enough protein you feel satisfied and not famished.

Yeah, I'm wondering because I've gotten so muscle stiff where I'm normally able to touch the floor with no problem to the point I'm stiffening up so bad I'm have difficulty touching my knees, which is the excercising because when I stop it goes away. I normally don't take supplements but I take iron for anemia and a multivitamin hoping to catch everything else, even though I would prefer to adjust my eating habits to accomodate my nutritional needs, I just can't figure this out. I stretch before and after excercising but the stiffness gets worse. I've been putting that nutritional yeast on my popocorn now, but that's vitamin Bs and I haven't noticed a problem with that in fact there are times that I crave it. So I'm preplexed. I usually get famished when my sugar levels go down, so I don't know maybe it is the protein.

KoolEaze said:

morningsong said:

How does someone tell they're not getting enough protein, short of having a doctor tell you? Are there symptoms?

You need approximately 1.5 ( or 2 if you´re male and really dedicated) grams per 2lbs body weight.

So, if your weight is 160 lbs you need at least more than 80 grams of protein a day. Not everybody is able to eat that amount regularly and daily. The rule of thumb is that you should eat a protein rich food the size of your hand three times a day.

Some disagree and call this a myth and eat more carbs instead. I think getting at least 90 grams per day will give you visible results, based on my personal experience.

Nope, don't do that. Now I went to a nutritionalist and she worked out a chart for me years ago and it came out to 2x a day, which I assumed I've been getting. Maybe I'm not absorbing enough of something, I know it's something simple, it always has been.

PurpleJedi said:

SoulAlive said:

Does anyone go to the gym at weird hours? I'm thinking about going to the gym around midnight on the weekends.I like to be there when it isn't crowded and I don't have to wait to use certain equipment.

Sometimes I would go around 11-ish and stay 'til 1 or 2am.

Definitely more relaxed.

To use a phrase from nike "JUST DO IT" quit talkin about it.

SoLiDiFy said:

To use a phrase from nike "JUST DO IT" quit talkin about it.

missfee said:

I'm going to the gym today after work. Getting back on track!