Four protein shakes

[scotty2024]

I am curious if it is ok to have four protein shakes on workout days (monday, wednesday, friday) and three on non-workout days? The shakes are a scoop of protein (22g protein), 6-8oz 1% milk, and a little less than 2.5 cups of frozen berries.

On workout days I have one shake when I wake up in the morning, one before my workout, one post workout, and one before I go to sleep. On non-workout days I have one when I wake up, one in the afternoon, and one before I go to sleep.

I try to eat protein during my meals also. I stagger my meals and shakes a little so my body has time to process some of the protein before I eat more.

Thanks.

[bass]

it gets expensive! why not real food, it’s the best protein source. Besides manufactured protein not good on your kidneys. And it’s no good if you are cutting or on a diet.

[FireGuy]

it gets expensive! why not real food, it’s the best protein source. Besides manufactured protein not good on your kidneys. And it’s no good if you are cutting or on a diet.

I have seen this a few times lately. If someone has a link or can post some studies showing protein powder is more damaging or stressful on your kidneys than protein from food I would be very interested in reading it.

[jjfman]

Also mate if your have 4 shakes a day all with milk no matter if it's fully skimmed or not that's a heck of a lot of sugar in tht milk (lactose) try using water instead this way no sugar from the mixer and it will digest alot quciker feeding your muscles alot more efficently

[POPS]

I feel that the only time where the shake is crutial is for pwo. I used to have 3/day until I switched it up with real food and it made a huge difference.

Also, a casein shake before bed would be ok, but then again, real food would be better.....

[bass]

I have seen this a few times lately. If someone has a link or can post some studies showing protein powder is more damaging or stressful on your kidneys than protein from food I would be very interested in reading it.

FireGuy, actually my doctor told me not to take protein shakes after two blood tests that i did, but i still take it PWO anyway. Just remembered something, I think he said the Creatine in it is hard on the kidneys, not the protein, my bad…

[Phate]

FireGuy, actually my doctor told me not to take protein shakes after two blood tests that i did, but i still take it PWO anyway. Just remembered something, I think he said the Creatine in it is hard on the kidneys, not the protein, my bad…

and he's right, if you're taking 40-50g a day and dehydrated creatine can kill you, but 5-10g a day is fine

[FireGuy]

FireGuy, actually my doctor told me not to take protein shakes after two blood tests that i did, but i still take it PWO anyway. Just remembered something, I think he said the Creatine in it is hard on the kidneys, not the protein, my bad…

Ah...thanks for the clarification. That makes sense now. Elevated creatinine levels are very common among bodybuilders even if they are not taking creatine. I am always just over the accepted range. The Dr just had me take a clearance test and gave me the "good to go".

[Twist]

half assed diets = half assed results

[Kibble]

I used to go through 10lbs of protein in about 40 days. I was taking about 5 shakes a day.

Times have changed.

I have had the same 10lbs of protein for 45 days, and I still have half left. It just takes time and discipline to replace whey powder with whole-food protein sources. Since I have made the switch, I have felt much, much better overall. Eventually I want to make 10lbs last for 6 months

[scotty2024]

I am not cutting or on a diet. I am trying to bulk. I have found that protein powder just makes things much more simpler for me. This way I know that I am getting enough for each meal. But I'm not interested in damaging my kidneys and didn't realize that the powder was harder on them. Is there a "safe" number (besides 0) of shakes to have per day? Not sure if you need to know, but I take Iron-Tek Essential Natural 100% Protein.

I had a decent diet planned out. But I started to slip when I found out how much easier it was to make a quick shake rather than run to the grocery store every couple days. Probably the laziest excuse.

[terraj]

If you want so many shakes.

Buy powered egg whites and mix a half serve of whey for favor.

[scotty2024]

Thanks for the idea terraj.

I was reading the UNofficial how to bulk topic. LeanMeOut recommends a total of 6 scoops of whey protein in his 8 meal example diet. That was posted several years back. Would it now be out of date since that much whey protein seems to not be recommended?

[terraj]

Thanks for the idea terraj.

I was reading the UNofficial how to bulk topic. LeanMeOut recommends a total of 6 scoops of whey protein in his 8 meal example diet. That was posted several years back. Would it now be out of date since that much whey protein seems to not be recommended?

You get at least 5x the quality from whole foods.

Whey is ok PWO.

[energizer bunny]

http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_a...vs_whole_foods

an article i came across when i was researching...supp vs foods......

[danielli]

http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_a...vs_whole_foods

an article i came across when i was researching...supp vs foods......

good article. Thanks.

I'd probably drink more shakes, but havent found one I like the taste of yet

[FireGuy]

Interesting article, I would still love to hear the reasoning behind the stress on the kidneys being greater from a protein powder than a steak.

[energizer bunny]

Interesting article, I would still love to hear the reasoning behind the stress on the kidneys being greater from a protein powder than a steak.

i would like to see that also......

there are a lot of haters of the protein shake on here, for me they are a quick and helpful alternative.....at the min im having 3 a day inbetween foods.

[FireGuy]

My guess is someone confused "protein powder" and "extra protein". I dont see how eating egg whites wont hurt your kidneys but eating them in a powdered form will. Or you can drink milk and be fine but if you extract the casein from it you will stress your kidneys. This is the stuff only a Dr can make up.

[energizer bunny]

i also dont understand why people say that protein shakes are no good for cutting diets?...i mean if you're getting the correct macros/cals each day then why cant they be used in a cutting diet?

[FireGuy]

i also dont understand why people say that protein shakes are no good for cutting diets?...i mean if you're getting the correct macros/cals each day then why cant they be used in a cutting diet?

Well they are called a "supplement" for a reason. I dont think they should make up the foundation of any diet but I do believe they have their place. For most people around here that are eating 7-8 times a day and getting well over 2000 calories from whole foods I dont see any reason why they cant incorporate 3 MRP's or shakes during the day.

[mg1228]

i cut alot of fat and my first meal was protein shake and oats---workout--then protein shake and oats---last meal bfor bed was casein shake----so it worked for me with 3 a day-----of course i guess it couldve been quicker with real food--idk

[terraj]

i cut alot of fat and my first meal was protein shake and oats---workout--then protein shake and oats---last meal bfor bed was casein shake----so it worked for me with 3 a day-----of course i guess it couldve been quicker with real food--idk

^^Same use of shakes as myself, however the bulk of my shake's protien is egg white powder.

[scotty2024]

Seems like there are people on both sides of the fence. After reading the replies so far I am more confused as to whether the four shakes a day are a bad idea. As bass said, I have also read that creatine is a strain on kidneys. I do take 5g of creatine monohydrate with grape juice nightly. But from what I understand, staying within the 5g limit should be ok.

As for the protein, I haven't heard of the kidney strain before (hence this thread). I am a skinny ass hard gainer and found that the 4 shakes along with eating right have begun to show some results. The shakes are convenient for me but I don't want to add extra strain to my kidneys aside from the creatine monohydrate already. But like FireGuy1 said, what would be the difference of having 4 protein shakes from powdered egg whites or 4 shakes from whey protein? I'm still confused.

[drakonan]

ya thats kind of how i feel when im told the PLACE i ate makes the nutrition info different.... what makes something good or bad is the nutrition info, right? So if that's right, then it helps to know the reasons...

[mg1228]

ya thats kind of how i feel when im told the PLACE i ate makes the nutrition info different.... what makes something good or bad is the nutrition info, right? So if that's right, then it helps to know the reasons...

it how it is cooked that makes it different----u think the nutrional value of two eggs cooked with pam spray is the same as two eggs cooked with 1/2 cup of butter 1/4 cup of milk and 2 tbsp of olive oil is the same? heellll no

[scotty2024]

So what is the overall consensus? Four whey protein shakes a day: good/bad?

[FireGuy]

So what is the overall consensus? Four whey protein shakes a day: good/bad?

In your example I would say they are bad as you are using them as the staple of your diet. But not as bad as eating nothing or skipping meals.

[bass]

In your example I would say they are bad as you are using them as the staple of your diet. But not as bad as eating nothing or skipping meals.

excellent answer!

[dangerous dan]

I think people should look at the indivisual supp...i was looking at them yesterday..alot of them are filled with all sorts of shit.

[scotty2024]

I am still eating lots of protein in my diet. I am doing my best to eat quality foods. I am a skinny guy and have had a hard time building muscle mass. I haven't started to see an real results until I started adding these shakes to my diet (in between meals). I figured I better ask if it was ok to ingest that much whey protein. But from what I gather from this thread, it is no harder on your body and organs to process protein from foods than it is from shakes. However, the protein from foods is a better source.

dangerous dan, I agree that some brands add a lot of extra crap to many supplements. That is why I chose the product I take. They don't add anything extra. No artificial coloring, or sweaters etc.

[mg1228]

if i were u i would try and eat real food for breakfast---like 3 eggs & 5 eggwhites and some oats---that would cut it down to 3 on wo days and 2 on non wo days----and i see no problem with that

[energizer bunny]

^^^^^ very good idea!......i couldnt start the day without real food in my stomache....i love breakfast! my favourite meal of the day!

[scotty2024]

I think you guys are missing the point of my question. I'm not asking if shakes are a better source of protein than actual foods. And I'm not asking if I can substitute shakes for actual food as a staple part of my diet. mg1228, I in fact eat a bowl of rolled oats and a source of protein (eggs, chicken breast etc) for breakfast. I have my shakes in between meals. This way I have a constant flow of protein. I had a pretty good diet, but I have kind of been slacking a little on it. I am working on getting my diet plan back in order and I would like to supplement it with shakes in between meals.

So my question is simply is it ok to have four whey protein shakes on wo days and 3 on the rest of the days? In other words is it safe on my body and organs to process four whey protein shakes a day?

[mg1228]

I am curious if it is ok to have four protein shakes on workout days (monday, wednesday, friday) and three on non-workout days? The shakes are a scoop of protein (22g protein), 6-8oz 1% milk, and a little less than 2.5 cups of frozen berries.

On workout days I have one shake when I wake up in the morning, one before my workout, one post workout, and one before I go to sleep. On non-workout days I have one when I wake up, one in the afternoon, and one before I go to sleep.
I try to eat protein during my meals also. I stagger my meals and shakes a little so my body has time to process some of the protein before I eat more.

Thanks.

all we can go by is what u tell us--and the bold states u have 1 when u wake up---not after u have eaten eggs,oats----u might want to ask a doctor ur question--i dont think 4 would b a problem but then again im no doctor

[scotty2024]

Sorry I wasn't more clear in my original post. I guess I am not very good at writing what I am trying to say. I appreciate everyone's help!

[bucks_243]

I understand diet is almost important has the lifting but where I am i have a very limited choice of food when I eat and the DFAC is open only during certain hours so 3 meals a day is the best I can do. Protien shakes are pretty much my only choice for a good source of protien AND healthy carbs. On chicken days I eat as much as I can but thats only once a week unless you wanna eat fried chicken. My point is if you have the options to eat better and don't, don't complain but you do what you can.

PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION

[mg1228]

I understand diet is almost important has the lifting

but where I am i have a very limited choice of food when I eat and the DFAC is open only during certain hours so 3 meals a day is the best I can do. Protien shakes are pretty much my only choice for a good source of protien AND healthy carbs. On chicken days I eat as much as I can but thats only once a week unless you wanna eat fried chicken. My point is if you have the options to eat better and don't, don't complain but you do what you can.

PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION

wrong---diet is way more important than lifting--without it ur just strong and fat---of course this is my opinon

[theryano]

I agree...100%....i would say eating is 70% of working out....maybe more

[mg1228]

yea i worked out for a long time while eatin like shiit---guess what? i looked like shiit---i continued to workout the same way but ate right and in 3 mo i no longer looked like shiit