Best protein powders for muscle gain?

restlessmason54 said:Is there any actual downside to consuming protein this directly—I mean, even though it's whey, we should consider it's naturally derived despite being processed through chemical means—to the body?

No!

If anyone’s looking, I’ve got some Winstrol left over from a cycle I started
but never actually finished. It's Tiger Blood brand. Shoot me a DM if you want it, peace.🙂

restlessmason54 said:thanks for such a detailed breakdown 🙂
so what would you recommend then?
whey in the morning with my oats (30 grams), then whey after training (80 grams), though I'm not counting my main meals and snacks where I'd get about 90-100g from actual food (is there any point in buying casein on top of that?)
basically, I'm around 220 lbs (evenly distributed) at 6'4", is this intake enough, assuming I see visible progress of course

does taking protein directly like this (even if it's whey, which is natural but processed chemically) have any negative effects on the body?

Like 2cool mentioned, you don't need 80 grams of whey after a workout. Half that amount is plenty. Personally, I just do a scoop and a half of whey in the morning with my oats and another one after the gym.
On top of those two shakes, you should aim for another 150 grams of protein. But honestly, that’s not a huge hurdle. You don't even need to track every single gram; just make sure every meal has some protein paired with carbs (or protein with fats). If you eat five meals a day and ensure you combine at least two macros in each, you'll easily hit over 200 grams of protein daily.

And for the record, whey isn't harmful at all. Honestly, you're probably more likely to get sick from unwashed bell peppers from a farmer's market than from a protein shake. 🙂

Ethan Garcia8 said:You've got this 95% blend from MuscleTech—a mix of whey and milk-egg protein blends, $33 about half a pound. No extra additives, no artificial sweeteners, no flavor enhancers. None.

How much of a difference is there compared to the pure whey (like the chocolate one) I’m currently using?
And could I just swap this out for my current stuff and take it the same way after a workout?
Thanks

Jesse Martinez23 said:How much of a difference is there compared to the plain whey (like chocolate) I'm currently using?
Could I switch to this instead of my current supplement and take it the same way after a workout?
Thanks

Kid, you're fifteen years old; just stick to basic whey and quit overthinking it.☕

I need some advice here.

I play soccer, so my cardio load is pretty intense—right now, since it's the off-season, I'm hitting aerobic training twice a day, morning and night, without fail. My weightlifting sessions are a bit all over the place—maybe two or three times a week—but nothing is really structured...

So, the real question is: will egg white protein actually do anything for me given this kind of training schedule?

NQR said:Yeah, "protein-based"... what a joke.

So what’s the end goal here?🤷

Look—regeneration and muscle retention. Basically, I need something that won't make me gain weight, but ensures my muscle mass stays put while I'm burning through fat...

Daniel Baker49 said:Also, about muscle regeneration and not losing mass. Basically, I need something that won't make me gain weight, but when I'm dropping fat, I don't want my muscle to go with it.

Protein equals protein.

Helicopter...

Just grab a whey shake with some glucose after your workout.

Roger Richardson61 said:Like velvetraven mentioned, you really don't need 80 grams of whey right after a workout. Honestly, even half that amount is plenty. Personally, I just toss a scoop and a half into my oats in the morning and then have another serving after my training sessions.
If you’re hitting those two shakes, you should still be aiming for another 150 grams of protein through food. But honestly, that shouldn't be a massive hurdle. You don't even need to be obsessively counting every single gram; just try to make sure every meal has a solid hit of protein paired with either carbs or fats. If you manage to eat five meals a day where you consistently combine at least two macronutrients, you'll easily clear that 200-gram protein mark daily.

And for the record, whey isn't some kind of poison. You're probably more likely to get sick from unwashed produce you picked up at a local Farmer's Market if you don't rinse it properly under hot water. 🙂

In theory, I shouldn't even be bothering with buying a mass gainer, right? Is whey enough based on what you're saying? The thing is, over the last six months, I've put on a solid 15 pounds—mostly strength, though I've picked up a little bit of fat around the midsection. My main concern is actually my chest area. I'm worried that this "overeating" phase, which you described so perfectly, might push me past the point of building lean muscle and into pure fat gain, even though I'm hitting the gym four times a week.🤷

So, here’s a look at my typical daily menu... my circadian rhythm is pretty shot, so sometimes I sleep right through breakfast and wake up around 11:00 AM when I really ought to be up by 9:00. I've been trying to get back on track lately.🙂

In the mornings, I usually go for something dairy-based, like cereal or maybe some Cocoa Puffs with a bit of added sugar. I typically drink about a quart of milk with it.
For my mid-morning snack before lunch, I'll grab a sandwich made with sourdough and Emmental cheese, or maybe some low-fat cottage cheese from Tillamook (which I tend to overeat, unfortunately).
I try to keep lunch relatively lean. Luckily, my folks shop for real meat—usually venison or beef, sometimes chicken or turkey—served with mashed potatoes. I don't strictly measure, but I eat quite a bit; last time, I estimate I had about 700 grams of meat for lunch along with 300 to 400 grams of rice.🤷
That's usually accompanied by a salad and stuff like that. After lunch comes another snack, which is mostly fruit—usually two bananas or some blueberries mixed with raspberries and a little sugar.
Then it's time for my workout, which lasts about an hour and a half.
Post-workout, I always eat two or three bananas, followed by eggs—averaging about eight eggs—and maybe some sour cream if I'm feeling it.😁

After that, I'm basically waiting until dinner, which is around 11:00 PM or midnight. At that point, it's back to dairy—milk with cereal or rice😁, plus the essential cottage cheese.
If I stay awake a bit longer, I'll snack on some fruit with more cottage cheese, and the cycle just repeats.🙂

How does my protein intake look to you? Does it even make sense for me to buy a mass gainer at all?
Can someone with this kind of diet actually expect significant muscle mass gains over time? I'm genuinely afraid that at this rate, I might just end up getting "bulked up" in the worst way rather than actually building muscle.😁

Thanks again.

It’s honestly a losing battle at this point—the more I eat, the hungrier I seem to get.😁

restlessmason54 said:I’m honestly worried that my massive binge-eating sessions—which is pretty much exactly how you described them—might push me way past my limits, even though I'm hitting the gym four times a week.🤷

Then there's the workout itself, which usually runs about an hour and a half or so.
After I wrap up, I always make sure to smash two or three bananas, followed by eggs😁(averaging around 8 of them), and if I'm feeling it, some sour cream

After that, I'm just waiting—let's call it "hanging in there"—until dinner hits around 11 PM or midnight. That’s when the dairy comes back into play, like milk with some oats or rice😁, plus that essential cottage cheese
If I stay up a bit later, I’ll grab some fruit along with a Bioactive yogurt, and yeah, it's basically a loop.🙂

What do you think about my protein intake? Is there even any point in buying casein?
With a diet like this, can I actually expect to see significant muscle mass gains over time?Or am I just gonna end up getting fat instead of building actual muscle at this rate?😁

Exactly. And those "elephant-sized" meals? You aren't getting rid of them easily once they're in you—your stomach just stretches out... and man, if you slip up on your training for even a second, you are absolutely screwed.☕

What kind of foods are actually high in protein? I could use some specific examples...
And please, no condescending smirks... I’m just finding myself more and more confused the deeper I dive into all this reading...

Meat of all kinds, though I find turkey and chicken to be quite reliable since they aren't laden with grease; then there's fish, eggs, and cheese...

Grace Davis90 said:What kind of foods are actually high in protein? Give me some examples, please.
And don't give me that condescending attitude... honestly, the more I read through all this stuff, the more confused I get...

Look, you've got dairy, meat, fish, egg whites—and even soybeans have a ton of it. Grain products have some too, though not nearly as much since they're mostly carbs; actually, it's wild that oatmeal has about as much protein as most types of fish.😲 That was news to me... Veggies have some protein, sure, but it's peanuts compared to the other stuff. Peas are probably one of the better options in the veggie category, but even then, they've only got about half the protein you'd find in oats.

So, based on what we just discussed, it sounds like the smart move would be to save the heavy lifting for the afternoon, while keeping the carbs—you know, things like cereal or toast—strictly for the morning hours?

Grace Davis90 said:So, what you're saying is I should aim for those meals in the afternoon, and just stick to things like cereal or pastries during the morning hours?

You're better off consulting your doctor about this... if you're struggling to lose weight, it might stem from something specific in your diet, perhaps an undiagnosed food sensitivity... try cutting out one group entirely for two weeks... say, all grains... if you don't see any progress, put them back in and try cutting out dairy for two weeks instead... and so on... those two categories are usually the culprits when it comes to sensitivities...

I’m looking to drop maybe 10 pounds at most—it’s not like I’m overweight or anything, I’m 5'7" and sitting at about 139 pounds right now. My sweet spot is really closer to 132, where everything just feels right. So, I’m dealing with this minor weight fluctuation, and my clothes are feeling a bit snug lately... I just feel a little bloated all over, though nothing worth worrying about... it’s just not budging, even if I could use a bit of tightening.

That’s really why I’m pestering you all here. I honestly think I just need to bring some semblance of order to my diet, nothing extreme...

Grace Davis90 said:So, basically, what you're saying is I should aim for those meals in the afternoon, and just leave the light stuff—like cereal or toast—for the morning?

Look, you can definitely have some stuff in the afternoon too—it really just comes down to how your body handles it. Honestly, the main goal is just to shave off enough carbs from your daily total to make an impact... at least, that’s how I played it. I managed to drop all my extra weight in just a few months by doing exactly that. Back then, I didn't even know about things like low-fat cottage cheese or oatmeal, and my dinners were pretty standard—usually just a sandwich on white bread. But even without all the fancy health food, I hit my target weight just by cutting back on the overall carb intake for the day.

Thanks. I’m definitely cutting back on the carbs and the sugar...

I don't have the patience to scroll through this entire thread from the beginning—so please, just answer a few direct questions. I’ll admit, I’m completely lost when it comes to all these fitness terms; there are so many products out there that I honestly have no clue what to use or when.
To give you some context: I weigh about 160 lbs and I'm 5'7". Starting tomorrow, I'm hitting the pavement for running and cardio sessions. What should I be eating or taking before and after morning runs? And what about dinner? Specifically, what’s the move regarding nutrition before and after aerobic workouts? When exactly are shakes supposed to be consumed? Also—is protein actually going to help me burn fat faster, or am I totally off base here? Is there such a thing as a supplement for fat burning plus energy?
The goal is simple: I want to drop weight and burn fat—not build muscle. I'm a 19-year-old woman. So, what's the deal with these shakes and proteins? I'm clueless...
Thanks in advance. I'd appreciate a detailed response if possible.