Protein Shakes= Waste Of Money

[EL GAUCHO]

UNLESS you are unable to meet your nutrient requirements through proper food, or you are juicing of course.
I can honestly say that having given up protein shakes for the last 2 months, my physique has not sufered at all!
I have continued to make good gains.
How many of you can honestly say they have tried training with no Protein supplementation for a while? We all just shovel it down us because we want to stave off catabolism.
To think the amount I used to spend on this stuff!
In fact I think I have become leaner and harder having given up the shakes.
I now only have a Casein/Whey mix at night before bed.
Any thoughts?

 

[Babyfaced Assassin]

spot on in my opinion
shoot to get it from real foods where possible
for me it's a convenience and cost issue more than anything , the reason why i have shakes
post workout i deffinately hit a shake though

 

[Babyfaced Assassin]

one thing i found though is that it's not that expensive for what you get

for example i get a casein/whey blend with glutamine and aminos for about about under 1.00 per serving

A chicken breast costs me roughly 1.20 per serving
Salmon costs me 0.70 per tin
tuna costs me 0.50
6 whole eggs cost me 1.00
so cost wise it's not too bad

 

[krayzfresh]

where do you order your protien if you get it off the internet? plz don't say muscletrack. I'm trying to find a good site to buy suppliments off of, Probably gonna buy protien, glutamine peptides and creatine. Thinking NO2 also. I've heard E-bay is a good way to go too.

 

[FatRat]

Agree to a point however:

1) Protein shakes are cheaper for the same or better quality protein.
2) Protein shakes are much more convenient and allow you to take in protein at times when a whole meal is impossible.
3) There are time like post workout when the speed of absoption of a shake is much beter

 

[granby140]

plus if you get the right brand and flavor the taste much better also.

 

[EL GAUCHO]

Fair points.
However, personally I don't see how making a protein shake is any more convenient than say opening a tin of tuna, or eating a pre-cooked chicken breast.
Its all about planning ahead. I work shifts and still have time to cook meals in advance.
As for the whole post-workout shake thing: I don't really buy in to that. Its probably true but probably equates to a very slight margin of improvement over those who do not take a shake post-workout.
This theory resulted in me taking in more calories per day because I was shoving a shake down me even though I wasn't due a meal. This is not good for someone who is cutting and trying to get lean.
Worst thing is a protein shake never really satisfies. I found I was hungry within an hour of eating it.
Having taken away my post workout and afternoon shakes, I have effectively reduced my calorie intake without any detriment to my training or physique.
I would say if you can do it with proper food, then get cooking. I challenge a few bros to drop the protein shakes for a few weeks and see if they see any difference.
EG

 

[Babyfaced Assassin]

i accept your challenge el gaucho
... after i finish all the sups i have in my house so i can not get tempted lol

 

[javaguru]

1. My Milk Isolate is about half the price of chicken or lean beef per gram of protein.

2. Chicken and beef still take prep time and there are food safety concerns for its storage. Tuna can be carried anywhere but the smell is often offensive and many offices frown on eating at your desk as opposed to drinking.

3. I have more control over macronutrient breakdown of my meals. The protein has very little fat or carbs and I usually use a whole food source for my carbs (potato, oatmeal,fruit). One meals worth of chicken breast has about 12g fat from the food label, my protein shake adds about 4g for the same amount which leaves more more room to add EFA's. It also allows me the freedom to melt a little bit of cheddar and mozzarella cheese on my broccoli for my next to last meal of the day.

4. Choking down a couple dry chicken breasts or cans of tuna 6-8 times a day gets very old quickly. I've never had a problem chking down a shake.

Thaty being said, I still get between 120g-150g of protein from lean meat while getting another 100g-150g from shakes.

 

[witkowsd]

www.dpsnutrition.com - the cheapest place I've ordered from and I get the stuff the next day.