Just purchased some Protien powder.

[CLB2112]

How long/much should I take before I start working out? What about after im finished?

[PTI]

You should take it back before you open it and get your money back. You can get all the protein your body needs through diet. It is accepted that protein requirements range from about .36 grams per pound of body weight per day in sedentary individuals, .6 grams per pound per day in endurance athletes and .75 grams per pound per day in strenght athletes. There is a definite downside to excessive protein intake. It creates a diuretic effect which can result in dehydration. Urinary calcium losses are increased which may increase the risk of osteoporosis. Some protein sources are high in saturated fat and cholesterol which can lead to an increased risk of coronary artery disease and some cancers. Hurry back to the store and use that money to buy some chicken.

[pkagel]

Exactly, I'll sum up what PTI said in case you didn't understand it. It will jack up your kidneys, do nothing for you, chicken is cheap!

[krj]

PTI - thank you!

I was just looking at this post and thinking "I don't want to write AGAIN that you're too young, you don't know WHAT you're taking or why you're taking it, you need to concentrate on learning how to eat and train properly....."

Thanks!

[MrOrange]

I know this is a month old... but oh well.

There is one good use for protein shakes, and this is especially good for people on the move all the time who can't sit down and eat a healthy meals all the time - meal replacements. Get a shaker cup and a small cooler, keep the powder and some milk in there, mix and drink when hungry. Most of them are pretty close to the right forumlation for a good ol' healthy meal. (straight up whey powders don't do this as well, so look for ones that are specifically designed for meal replacements.)

But, like PTI and pkagle said indirectly, most supplements are simply powdered or liquified versions of real food extracts and nothing can replace well balanced meals, especially if you can stick to a plan with 6 small meals a day where you could eat just after your workout - possibly even a meal replacement shake. oh yeah, and you can't forget that per meal, meal replacement shakes tend to be dirt cheap! My reccomendation is Muscle Milk by Cytosport - tastes great and has everything a small meal needs!

[Bodie]

Go get your money back. Change your diet to higher protien and be healthy as you build muscle. This stuff can cause damage to kidneys etc.

[IronKing]

I use protein powder but I don't depend on it. I only use it when I don't have time to prepare a meal. I rather stick to chicken, fish, turkey, steak(red meat keep at a minimum) fish and milk for my protein sources. A good trick I use is to cook your meats in large quantities that way you don't have to spend a lot of time cooking everyday and then all you have to do is add some sides which doesn't take long to prepare(rice, salads,etc.). But don't ever depend on that stuff. I may use it one - three times in the course of a week. I keep some for the times I can't make a meal.
Don't depend on it! It's not made for that. That's why it's called a supplement. Real food is always better.

[Serpico]

My reccomendation is Muscle Milk by Cytosport - tastes great and has everything a small meal needs!

That's the truth. The cookies & cream and banana cream pie flavors are fantastic.

I usually have a shake for breakfast and it holds me over until lunch. It mixes really well too. Other protein shakes end up a bunch of clumps or have a thick cruddy texture to them.

[Bigd1970]

DO NOT USE IT. I have been training for 16 plus years. I have tried just about everything legal there is. Protien Powder has never done anything for me. (Note: Everybody is different) The average person does not need extra protien. Unless you are going to compete in bodybuilding you will be fine just working out and eating right. I worked for years in college to put on extra weight in order to play football. I did just fine eating right and working out. Now, I can't keep the weight off. I guess that comes from getting old. All the protien powder will do is make it difficult to keep the weight off after you stop working out. Just eat right and work out regularly.

[scooterlee]

To answer your question: Take it immediately following your workout.
I'm assuming that you bought Whey Protein??

[mlburrows]

The protein powder does not directly effect your kidneys, but watch your potassium intake because with high protein and high potassium kidney damage can occur not always but their is a possibility. And for those of you who are going to say I am wrong, I worked in kidney dialysis for several years and used protein powder and this advice come from a dietician so I honestly believe what they told me. However, my advice is that just up your natural intake and eat plenty of white chicken, fish, and egg whites, this will do as much good as anything you can buy on the market.

[Tender Lumpling]

Eat a balanced diet ~ stay FAR away from protein powders/supplements !!! Excess protein can permanentally effect your skeletal system, as well as internal organs like the kidneys and liver.

The protein powder does not directly effect your kidneys, but watch your potassium intake because with high protein and high potassium kidney damage can occur not always but their is a possibility. And for those of you who are going to say I am wrong, I worked in kidney dialysis for several years and used protein powder and this advice come from a dietician so I honestly believe what they told me. However, my advice is that just up your natural intake and eat plenty of white chicken, fish, and egg whites, this will do as much good as anything you can buy on the market.

[krj]

The average person does not need extra protien. Unless you are going to compete in bodybuilding you will be fine just working out and eating right.

That's the bottom line right there.

None of us here are elite (or even high calibre) athletes. The vast majority of people reading this thread would be considered recreational athletes, and as such would be better served learning how to maximize their results by:

a) learning how to get the absolute most from each their workouts
b) learning how to eat appropriately to fuel each of their workouts
c) learning the importance of rest between each of their workouts

You build muscle by making those muscles physically work harder than they're used to, refueling, resting and repeating. Downing protein in amounts higher than recommended levels, won't help this process. You can't EAT your way into big muscle. You'll just end up putting added stress on your kidneys and possibly end up gaining body FAT (due to the consumption of un-needed and unused calories).

And to again answer the original poster - you were only 19 when you asked that question (and have now turned 20). It is obvious from the way you posed the question that you had this stuff in hand, and had NO IDEA why, what to do with it, or what it was supposed to do FOR you. Please take the time to learn about exercise and nutrition first, before you start shoving extra anything down your throat in a misguided attempt to gain muscle without the required amount of work.

[ProWriter]

Some Old Threads Precisely on Point

If you go to the main Health & Fitness section you can scroll through about a dozen not-too-old threads on protein powders and other related supplements. This, for example, was from the thread titled "Powder"

If you're just looking to replace a meal with a shake, that's fine. Usually people asking about powders are looking to eat themselves into some new muscles, which doesn't work. I mix Twinlab Gainers Fuel 1000 with Universal Hard Fast for breakfast, into my iced coffee myself. About 700 calories, 40g protein, 80g complex carbs, 4g fat. There's plenty others to choose from, just avoid the ones with fructose, dextrose, sucrose or corn syrup as one of the first ingredients listed.

There's no magic powders for gaining muscle; just train regularly and have maybe one extra meal per day (or shake, if you prefer). Force feeding yourself and drinking massive quantities of "weight gain" supplements doesn't "build" much of anything, except maybe a nice soft, puffy uniform layer of body fat that some guys like to hide behind because it makes them look "big" in their clothes.

[Batman21]

Just remember 1 for 1.

You should be taking in 1 gram of protein for 1 pound of body weight (as a general rule) so just evaluate your diet and if you are below your target goal and dont think that you can eat that many chicken breast's then go ahead use it and get what you need from it.

I use it and recommend it. Go to the newstands get a Mens health, or any variety of it and read it. There is a lot of reading to be done on the subject but simply put your muscles need it to grow and Whey protien has a much higher BV (biological value) than anything you can eat not to mention that after you workout you need to have protien in your system for optimal growth etc.......

Like I said lots of reading and if you are only going light you dont need it but if you are really trying to get stronger/bigger it is a must.