I give up on protein shakes!

Candiceena

Cathlete
I've had it. I'm giving up.

I have spent so much money trying to find a protein shake that I can drink. They all make me DEAD TIRED within 20-30 min of drinking them. I have tried fancy organic whey that is grassfed. Right now I've got a tub of Body Fortress vanilla whey that I bought at the grocery store.

Someone suggested here it might have been the sugar from the berries I usually use (my go-to was protein mix, berries, unsweetened vanilla almond milk) so I took those out and tried just almond milk w/ protein powder. STILL WIPED OUT.

Tonight I did a 20 min cardio workout plus HoCo GS1 and after my workout I ate brown rice, chicken, and spinach salad and feel AWESOME. I feel like I could run a marathon right now.

I guess it just goes to show that conventional wisdom isn't always right for everyone & some people do actually do great with carbs/grains and not so great with protein shakes.
 
I am not a big fan of protein shakes either. They taste OK but make me feel bloated. I like a green drink better. Greens, half an apple, pear and banana and a squeeze of lemon with either plain water or coconut water. I would rather eat something solid like a banana or a crisp bread with nut butter. Shakes play havoc with my blood sugar levels and that is without berries. The only shake I really enjoyed was Shakeology from Beachbody and it is too expensive.
I always think of these protein powders as being processed food. Just my opinion.
 
Protein shakes are definitely not a necessity. It's taken me alot of trial and error to find one i can tolerate as well when trying to avoid gluten/ added sugar and artificial sweeteners. I just find it more convenient to blend one up as a smoothie to serve as my breakfast after my workout and it keeps me satiated for hours, but i totally agree that if you're able to maintain adequate protein intake from diet you really don't need it. There's always contradictory information out there about whey protein needed to aid weight loss etc but a clean diet with regular exercise is probably more important.
 
I'm on the verge of giving up protein shakes too. I ran out of my protein powder a few weeks ago and have been doing fine (almost fine) without it. I still have trouble getting the protein I need daily w/out it so I went ahead and ordered my usual PP again last night. I really like the taste, but it just has too much sugar for me. And I don't like artificial sweeteners so that really limits my options. If I could figure out how to up my protein intake, I'd forgo the shakes and concentrate more on green drinks/juicing.
 
That's the only thing ... I have a hard time erring enough protein without a PP. I think I might try eating more egg whites or something though. I just do not like how whey makes me feel. Or I might try a rice protein. I just hate to waste the giant tub of of the whey that I've got. Maybe I will use it to make some protein pancakes or mix it into some oatmeal.
 
The powder I use post workout is (per 20 protein gram scoop is:
100 calories
3 grams carbs
1 gram sugar
90 mg sodium (that is LOW for a powder)

I put a tablespoon of pulverized oatmeal in my shake post workout. Carbs for a person? Like gas for your car. Would you ask your car to run with no gas in it? I also prefer "real" food, but this has been my post workout drink YEARS...
 
Candice...have you tried a vegan PP? I really like Hemp. Sun Warrior will send you free samples...at least they used to, probably still do.

Marti Jean...would you mind sharing your brand? Mine is 20g of protein in 2 scoops and I just can't do that much w/ how sweet it is :(
 
I believe protein shakes are a bit of a scam. The best thing we can do for our body is eat healthy, natural sources of protein. The average America diet has plenty of protein. We do not need supplements. Our problem is not that we do not get enough protein.... Our problem is that we have too much food!

I love FitnessBlender.com. And they are the first voice of reason I have ever heard by any trainer on this subject.. They said that if you are going to a trainer and they are trying to push some protein shake on you, run the other way and fast from them...they are just trying to make a buck off you.
 
I stopped drinking protein shakes a gazillion years ago. There is no substitute for the micronutrients that come from a real food smoothie or juice. I believe I am more satisfied when I make a smoothie with coconut or almond milk, fresh fruit (and sometimes veggies), and flaxseed than with any protein shake and believe me I have tried a lot of brands and some I used to buy in boxes. I also gained weight on protein shakes. No thanks. Never going back, I'm saving money and eating cleaner.
 
Wheybollic 60 from GNC. There is now one sweetened with stevia, but I'm still working through my current tub.

Thanks :) I'll check it out.

I just got my new can today and realized I ordered unsweetened by mistake (I usually get vanilla) but I gave it a try anyway. Thankfully with a banana and some frozen strawberries thrown in, I really couldn't tell much difference from the vanilla. So yay, no sugar/sweeteners and the taste was fine! The scoop is also bigger than in my previous cans so I'm getting 20g of protein in that one scoop now.

I agree Tracy & Island Rose. I think it's more important to get nutrients from food. I try to get as much bang for my buck w/ my shakes...I add in a ton of spinach, greek yogurt, chia seeds, fruit & almond milk. I am going to use them more sporadicly though and continue to focus on clean eating :cool:
 

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