Dumb protein question.

[dss62467]

OK, I added up all the protein I got today from just my diet. I had 3 8oz. glasses of skim milk, 1 nonfat plain yogurt, 3 egg whites, Kashi Go Lean cereal, a grilled chicken bacon ranch salad from McDonald's (low fat dressing), and baked chicken for dinner. Adding up all the protein from that...I come up with 107 g of protein.

All you who take the protein supplements, do you take them when you get a lot of protein from your diet? Is there a difference in using whey protein than from eating food?

 

[FitnessGoddess]

Nutritionally speaking, you should try to get all of your protein from natural sources but it doesn't hurt to have a shake now & again.

 

[Kit_]

Hi Donna,

That's not a dumb question. From all my dietetic training as well as my own research anything that is more processed. IE, you can't find it, living out side and able to eat it, without having to do a lot too it. Like pick it grind it and bake it into something, or catch it, kill it and bake it, I'm sure you get the point. Then there is a high posibility your not geting everything it says on the package. To compensate for this, a lot of time products have more then what you need. Because they know your body will throw some of it out, on average. Now if you happen to have a body that absorbs everything you can easily get too much this way. So any time you take any type of supplement or replaement you have to be really mindful you don't get too much. So if you take a supplement keep a really sharp eye and make sure your not getting too much protein. And supplements should be taken when your missing something or not getting enough. Or replacing something, due to time, inconvence etc. Say you only got a 10 minute lunch break for whatever reason and you have whey protein and have blender and milk/water. Then you'd be subituting the whey protein for your normal lunch.

Basically if you want to do the low carb thing you still want to have some carbs at lest 1/4 of your total calories that day. And then let the rest be protein. Carbs are needed for you to burn hot and quick and when they are added the break down the protein more efficently especally mixed with exercise. It's kind of like turning your oven upt to 700 degrees, just in your stomach a ton of chemical proceses happen and it's a good thing unlike your oven at 700 with a cake in it. But then again maybe that is a good thing it will keep you from eating the cake. But suppulments are mainly to use when your lacking, or missing something. Or to subsitute like you decide to have a light lunch of cup of fruitand a whey protein shake. This would take the place of your lunch and you'd calculate the protein it gives you and the calories into your daily total and see what you should have for dinner.

Hope that helps,

Kit

 

[dss62467]

Ummm...OK, I think I get you.

I don't try to do the low carb thing, I eat whole grains and fruits/veggies. I just didn't include those in my list of things I ate yesterday. I also had oatmeal, pineapple and blueberries, and corn and another salad for dinner.

I think I'll just do the protein supplements on the weekends. I tend to not eat with as much purpose on the weekends.

 

[momto2bratz]

Hi Donna,


Are you trying to maintain your muscle or increase you mass?? I have been adding two protein shakes a day in addition to my regular intake from food. I weigh 115 and am trying to build some more mass. It seems that if I consume 1 gm of protein per pound, I maintain my muscle. I am now consuming 1.5 gm of protein and am actually starting to see some muscle growth. I didn't want to add too many calories, so the extra protein shake(23 gm whey) is actually making a difference. I am pretty much getting 46 gms of extra protein from supplements. The rest is from food. Basically, it is very hard for me to put on muscle and you just need to play around and see what works for you. I am now really starting to see results with this increase in protein. I eat the same way on my rest days as well.

HTH
Aila

Edited to add this link about Whey protein:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/whey.html

 

[Kit_]

Ah okay, with your list, it gave the impression of being really low carb, and that was a bit worry some, as I've seen so many bad things happen to people who have did the low carb thing and really tried to cut out all the carbs. And I really hate to see that happen, but you also gave a whole lot better picture of your diet, and if you are feeling hungry in the evening or some other time of day, adding a protein supplement and some fruit, or something wouldn't really hurt you, if it keeps you full and energized. I'm not sure what direction your going with the protein supplements body buidling? Or just trying to keep your energy up and going strong?

If it's body building or sculpting then you do want to hit the carbs and protein right after your workout, basically right after you cool down grab something quick, eat it then jump in the shower. Or of course if your not one that tries to workout before work and has a limited time, you can always fix yourself a much more interesting carb and protein snack. If your trying to build some good strong muscles it is essentinal for you to make sure you get gobble down the carbs and protein right after the workout hungry or not.

But yes, if you miss your protein on weekends that is a really good time to hit yourself with a protein shake, and keep your energy stablize as well as it helps chase the munches away. Just last night with your list, I did sit down and figure it out, and if you had just ate that, your protein was up to 87% of your total calories. And I was really wondering if you really wanted to add more protein to that high of a level or not. But with the carbs you ate you dropped that percentage back to about 65 - 75% which is actually pretty good, and pretty balanced. As it allows you to have about 15 - 25% carbs and about 5% fat. I count fruit and veggies in with the carbs as they have good carbs in them, unless they are an Avocado, and they that gets counted toward the fat for the day as well.

Kit