#1841 ·
Is it actually true that soy protein is bad news? Like, does it really tank your testosterone levels?
Home › Lifestyle › Hobbies & Leisure ›
Best protein powders for muscle gain?
Best protein powders for muscle gain?
Started by feralbison4 · · 👁 22 views · 1.9K replies
Participants
…
…
#1842 ·
It spikes your estrogen levels, which messes with your testosterone, though honestly, it doesn't hit everyone the same way. Some people are super sensitive to it, others aren't. Personally, I steer clear of soy because there are just so many other food options out there—why would I go looking for trouble when I have endless alternatives? Besides, I don't even bother with protein supplements anymore. They aren't necessary for anyone; it’s just something people obsess over for no reason.
Here’s how I handle my eating:
First meal—whenever I actually feel hungry after waking up: Protein + carbs
Second meal—lunch, which also serves as my PWM: Protein + carbs
Third meal—my pre-sleep meal: Protein + carbs
Every other snack in between is basically just carbs, and I only eat them if I’m actually feeling hungry; otherwise, I skip it.
I don't really track fats; I get enough through those main meals, so I just stay laser-focused on my protein and carb intake.
Here’s how I handle my eating:
First meal—whenever I actually feel hungry after waking up: Protein + carbs
Second meal—lunch, which also serves as my PWM: Protein + carbs
Third meal—my pre-sleep meal: Protein + carbs
Every other snack in between is basically just carbs, and I only eat them if I’m actually feeling hungry; otherwise, I skip it.
I don't really track fats; I get enough through those main meals, so I just stay laser-focused on my protein and carb intake.
#1844 ·
Ice cream, fruit yogurts, fresh fruit, gummy bears, chocolate... honestly, I’ll grab a sandwich if I’m actually starving, plus the occasional handful of peanuts—usually late at night—and those cheap, sugary chocolate bars you find at the checkout line.
I basically just eat whatever is within arm's reach. That was the first thing that popped into my head, though most of the time it's fruit or yogurt, even if I feel like I'm just loading up on junk calories anyway.
I basically just eat whatever is within arm's reach. That was the first thing that popped into my head, though most of the time it's fruit or yogurt, even if I feel like I'm just loading up on junk calories anyway.
#1845 ·
Jonathan Miller7 said:Ice cream, fruit yogurts, actual fruit, gummy bears, chocolate... I mean, I'll grab a sandwich if I'm starving, some peanuts here and there—usually at night—and those corn-based chocolate bars.
Honestly, I just grab whatever is within reach! That was the first thing that popped into my head. Usually, it’s fruit or yogurt, though I feel like all that junk adds up in calories too.
Setting aside any goals about how you look, this stuff isn't healthy. I know most people eat like this and they're still walking and talking, but you can definitely pack in way more calories with much healthier food. Like, if you crush down 200g of oatmeal with a big glass of milk in the morning, you're already over 1,000 calories right there.
At the end of the day, it's actually cheaper to just stock up on chicken, oats, pasta, and rice.
#1846 ·
Matthew Richardson81 said:Setting aesthetic goals aside—this just isn't healthy.
😕
I look at gummy bears as being slightly less "unhealthy," but even then... you can't exactly go eating them by the pound.
#1847 ·
Matthew Richardson81 said:Look, setting aside all those aesthetic goals for a second—this just isn't healthy. I know most people live on this stuff and they're still kicking, but you can definitely hit your calorie targets with much better fuel. Like, if you just smash down 200g of oats with a big glass of milk in the morning, you’re already over 1,000 calories right there.
At the end of the day, it’s actually going to be cheaper to just bulk up on chicken, oats, pasta, and rice.
I'll give you my stomach for a week and then you can try it yourself.🙂
#1848 ·
placidranger said:😕
Personally, I just see gummy bears as being a tiny bit less healthy, but hey... it’s not like you're eating them by the bucketload.
Not sure if your eyes are playing tricks on you, but check that last sentence again—you wrote, "I'm Filati-ing myself with junk food."
#1849 ·
Jonathan Miller7 said:Man, I’ll give you my stomach for a week just so you can test it out! 🙂
Well, shoot. But honestly, I’m not even touching any supplements either—just some glucosamine pills. And look, even though I’m a total gym rat and don't usually feel that hungry, I can still smash my calorie goals if I have to.
#1850 ·
Matthew Richardson81 said:Well, shoot. To be fair, I don't touch any supplements either, aside from some glucosamine tablets. And honestly? I can still hit my calorie goals even though I'm a total hardgainer and barely have an appetite to speak of.
Look, that’s all well and good, but just because it works for you doesn't mean it works for everyone else. 🙂
#1851 ·
Jonathan Miller7;26491547 said:You get plenty of protein from regular food. Supplements are unnecessary.
I'm not entirely sure what you mean by wanting to look "tight." Are you trying to drop some weight and tone up your legs?
If you want strength, you train. If you want to lose weight, you manage your diet. You can certainly buy protein powder if you want, but honestly, you'll see the exact same results whether you drink them or not, so I don't think they're a necessity for you.
Personally, I never recommend them to anyone because they always mess with my digestion. Someone else might tell you they're life-changing, but once you try both ways, you'll realize the results are identical.
Right... then why does everyone bother drinking them if the result is the same?
#1852 ·
Sophia Grant6 said:the results are the same.
Aha... so why on earth are people even drinking this stuff if nothing changes?
Probably because they're using it as a cheap meal replacement, or maybe they just think they'll wake up looking like an action movie star.
#1853 ·
Matthew Richardson81 said:Not sure if you caught it—that last sentence, "I feel like junk."
Yeah, but strictly in terms of 'extra calories.'
I jumped into the thread because my approach is pretty much the same—and honestly, I don't see the harm in it. As long as the foundation is solid—complex carbs, lean protein, fruit, veggies, dairy, and so on—throwing in some tasty junk food now and then isn't going to ruin everything.
#1854 ·
placidranger said:yeah, but we're talking about 'extra calories' here.
I jumped into this debate because I basically follow the same logic, and honestly, I don't see why anyone thinks it’s bad or unhealthy. My foundation is solid—complex carbs, meat, fruit, veggies, dairy, all that good stuff—and if I feel like it, I'll toss in some tasty junk food on the side. It’s all about balance.
Exactly.
#1855 ·
Jonathan Miller7 said:Either they’re actually swapping out real meals for this stuff—or they just think it'll give them muscles like some Hollywood action star.
👍
For me, it started as the latter, but now it's definitely the former. 😬
I'd rather skip the whole ordeal—cleaning the stove, prepping ingredients, chopping through pounds of meat—and just knock back a liter of milk, some magic powder, and fruit. 🙂
#1856 ·
Man, I was such a total clown when I picked up my first tub of Weider protein—I must’ve been at least 80-something pounds lighter back then. There was 1.6kg of protein in that thing, and in my head, I was already visualizing myself being at least 20 pounds heavier, but don't even get me started on what it cost $153.
#1857 ·
placidranger said:👍
I used to do it the other way around, but now I’ve flipped it 😬
Just so I don't have to deal with all the prep work—you know, cleaning the stove, cooking, chopping, and chewing through pounds of meat. Now, I just grab a liter of milk, some magic powder, and some fruit. 🙂
Yeah, fair enough, I get what you mean. But looking at his meal plan, I don't really see him eating like that.
The same thing happens to me sometimes when I realize I'm just not gonna be able to finish everything I planned to eat.
But the foundation stays the same.
#1858 ·
Jonathan Miller7 said:That's pretty much it.
The thing is, junk food hits everyone differently—for some people, it absolutely wrecks their physique, while others can eat it and stay lean.
It's all about genetics.
So, this week I bumped my training up to four days a week plus three cardio sessions, and I was honestly tempted to indulge in some junk food, but I decided to stick to eating small amounts of carbs at every meal instead—even right before bed if I had a heavy lifting session that day.
Mostly, I've been sticking to whole wheat bread while at work paired with chicken or turkey deli meat; I usually end up snacking on at least a few slices of premium deli ham per meal when I'm having the turkey.
Even though it's hard for me to actually put on weight, I can definitely tell that junk food goes straight to my gut.
#1859 ·
I honestly can't seem to find much information on this lately, but I am incredibly curious about it...
What is the actual big deal regarding egg yolks? I mean, why would anyone suggest tossing out the yolk and just eating, say, one yolk with three whites instead? I totally get the logic—that the cholesterol and fats are tucked away in the yolk while the protein lives in the white...
But as I’m working on my physique, I start wondering if I should be prioritizing my calorie count... one fried egg is roughly 70-80 calories, so if I eat three, I've hit maybe 250 calories and I'm good to go!
I'll get around 12 grams of protein along with some fat, so I really don't understand why that single yolk is supposedly so detrimental...
It feels like such a waste to throw them away, especially since I eat whole eggs all the time. Yet, I constantly run into people giving me advice that says I absolutely have to stick to just the whites... it’s honestly so confusing.
The only reason to worry about the fat is if I'm trying to cut, but I still consume some healthy fats anyway, so I figure... I really don't want to strip my fat intake down to such an extreme minimum, because I don't think that's healthy at all...
What is the actual big deal regarding egg yolks? I mean, why would anyone suggest tossing out the yolk and just eating, say, one yolk with three whites instead? I totally get the logic—that the cholesterol and fats are tucked away in the yolk while the protein lives in the white...
But as I’m working on my physique, I start wondering if I should be prioritizing my calorie count... one fried egg is roughly 70-80 calories, so if I eat three, I've hit maybe 250 calories and I'm good to go!
I'll get around 12 grams of protein along with some fat, so I really don't understand why that single yolk is supposedly so detrimental...
It feels like such a waste to throw them away, especially since I eat whole eggs all the time. Yet, I constantly run into people giving me advice that says I absolutely have to stick to just the whites... it’s honestly so confusing.
The only reason to worry about the fat is if I'm trying to cut, but I still consume some healthy fats anyway, so I figure... I really don't want to strip my fat intake down to such an extreme minimum, because I don't think that's healthy at all...
#1860 ·
Linda Martinez60 said:I honestly can't find anything about this online right now, but I'm super curious,
what's the big deal or the "rule" regarding eggs? Like, why am I supposed to toss the yolk and just eat, say, 1 yolk and 3 whites? I mean, I get it—I know the cholesterol and fat live in the yolk while the protein is in the white.
Not really.
A single egg weighs about 60 grams and packs around 8 grams of protein.
The white has roughly 4 grams of protein, while the yolk has a little over 3.
Linda Martinez60 said:But while I'm prepping them, I don't know, aren't calories important? One fried egg is maybe 70-80 kcal, so if I eat 3, I'm looking at maybe 250 kcal and boom, done!
I'll get maybe 12g of protein, some fat, and I just don't see why that one yolk would be so bad for me?
It feels such a waste to throw them out; I eat whole eggs all the time. But I keep getting this advice from everyone saying I absolutely have to stick to just the whites... it’s so confusing.
The only thing is the fat might be an issue if I'm trying to lose weight, but I still consume some fats anyway, so I figure... I don't want to cut my fat intake down to such a tiny minimum; I don't think that's healthy.
You just need to keep an eye on your fat intake throughout the day—look at how much your body can actually process per meal and how much you're planning to hit for the total day.
🔗 Similar threads
- Is being a "reliable backup" actually a compliment or just a polite way to say second-best? in Fans · Jul 30, 2026
- The constant battle against invisible stuff in Health · Jul 30, 2026
- The transfer window madness is starting again in Fans · Jul 30, 2026
- Does the best player always have to be the captain? in Off-topic · Jul 30, 2026
- That feeling when you have to go up against a close friend in Fans · Jul 30, 2026