Advice on Protein drinks

ricanprince
ricanprince Members Posts: 1,869 ✭✭
edited March 2010 in The Weight Room
ok so i just started back working out last week after not working out for years. Well i can already see some results however im losing weight at the same time and im already a skinny guy. Ive heard that protein drinks are real good things to take and help you put on some weight while lifting. Im looking for a protein drink that isnt too nasty but is still effective and im wondering how many i should take a day and should i only take them on the days that im working out. ive also heard that sometimes they will fill a person up so as to be a meal in themselves. how true is this. All suggestions and advice are welcome. I also know that i can get protein from like chicken and fish and stuff

Comments

  • dreadedbwoy661
    dreadedbwoy661 Members Posts: 198 ✭✭
    edited March 2010
    Most of the protein drinks are a waste of money. How much do you weigh right now? It's seriously not hard to gain weight. I went from 175 to over 215 very low bodyfat lots of muscle without resorting to "gainer shakes" until after I was 205 pounds.
    You need about 1.5 to 2 pounds of protein per body weight which is extremely easy to get in actual food. Protein drinks are good because they are convenient.

    Look at the sugar and sodium content. You don't want too much of either unless you want to look like the pilsbury dough boy. Chicken is a good source of protein but it isn't really that good for bulking because it doesn't have that many calories. If you want to gain weight, you need a ? load more calories. Look at the calorie of the protein drink, you want one that has more than 200 calories per serving. Also, look at how many servings per container and how big the serving size is. Some of those tubs of protein only have like 6 servings if you use their recommended serving size. Also, I would recommend mixing your protein with some kind of milk.

    Most store bought gainer shakes are a waste of money, the best bet is to make your own using whey protein.
  • ricanprince
    ricanprince Members Posts: 1,869 ✭✭
    edited March 2010
    Most of the protein drinks are a waste of money. How much do you weigh right now? It's seriously not hard to gain weight. I went from 175 to over 215 very low bodyfat lots of muscle without resorting to "gainer shakes" until after I was 205 pounds.
    You need about 1.5 to 2 pounds of protein per body weight which is extremely easy to get in actual food. Protein drinks are good because they are convenient.

    Look at the sugar and sodium content. You don't want too much of either unless you want to look like the pilsbury dough boy. Chicken is a good source of protein but it isn't really that good for bulking because it doesn't have that many calories. If you want to gain weight, you need a ? load more calories. Look at the calorie of the protein drink, you want one that has more than 200 calories per serving. Also, look at how many servings per container and how big the serving size is. Some of those tubs of protein only have like 6 servings if you use their recommended serving size. Also, I would recommend mixing your protein with some kind of milk.

    Most store bought gainer shakes are a waste of money, the best bet is to make your own using whey protein.



    hmm, well im 180 at 6'2 right now you are the first person ive heard say that protein shakes are a waste of money
  • dreadedbwoy661
    dreadedbwoy661 Members Posts: 198 ✭✭
    edited March 2010
    hmm, well im 180 at 6'2 right now you are the first person ive heard say that protein shakes are a waste of money

    Yeah, I've been working out since I was 14, I'm 23 right now and like I said I put on quite a bit of muscle without steroids and they are a waste of money unless you don't eat enough solid food at which case I would say quit now because diet is probably the most important thing when it comes to getting jacked.

    The only point of protein shakes is to make sure you are getting enough protein, but when you calculate what you are eating (or should be eating) it really isn't hard to get the proper amount of protein you need per day if you are lifting weights by eating solid foods, and it's cheaper. Some of those protein shakes are $30 + when you could buy 10+ tuna cans for like 6 bucks (1 can of tuna has like 39 grams of protein in it).

    Like I said, the only advantage to protein shakes are that they are convenient, to which I would reply is convenient better? Going to Mcdonalds is more convenient than cooking yourself a meal, yet the nutritional content of mcdonalds will probably be far less than your cooking if you are eating what you should be eating. Also to reiterate, if your goal is to gain weight you need to take in a lot more calories.If you aren't gaining size, it's probably because you aren't eating enough.
  • ricanprince
    ricanprince Members Posts: 1,869 ✭✭
    edited March 2010
    Yeah, I've been working out since I was 14, I'm 23 right now and like I said I put on quite a bit of muscle without steroids and they are a waste of money unless you don't eat enough solid food at which case I would say quit now because diet is probably the most important thing when it comes to getting jacked.

    The only point of protein shakes is to make sure you are getting enough protein, but when you calculate what you are eating (or should be eating) it really isn't hard to get the proper amount of protein you need per day if you are lifting weights by eating solid foods, and it's cheaper. Some of those protein shakes are $30 + when you could buy 10+ tuna cans for like 6 bucks (1 can of tuna has like 39 grams of protein in it).

    Like I said, the only advantage to protein shakes are that they are convenient, to which I would reply is convenient better? Going to Mcdonalds is more convenient than cooking yourself a meal, yet the nutritional content of mcdonalds will probably be far less than your cooking if you are eating what you should be eating. Also to reiterate, if your goal is to gain weight you need to take in a lot more calories.If you aren't gaining size, it's probably because you aren't eating enough.

    thanks for the advice yeah im probably not eating enough, and ? i forgot about tuna, i love me some tuna, how do you fix it. Do you eat it straight from the can or do you mix some stuff in it. I can never get tired of tuna
  • dreadedbwoy661
    dreadedbwoy661 Members Posts: 198 ✭✭
    edited March 2010
    I usually mix my tuna with light mayo, mustard and green onions and then put it on toasted whole wheat bread.
  • ricanprince
    ricanprince Members Posts: 1,869 ✭✭
    edited March 2010
    I usually mix my tuna with light mayo, mustard and green onions and then put it on toasted whole wheat bread.

    hmm, i can do the light mayo and green onions, but i def cant do whole wheat bread. Next time i hit up the store i will buy a bunch of cans