Should I be taking protein supplements?

[jd1994]

I have been going to the gym for 6 months and friends of mine studying health and fitness at college are saying that I should be taking protein /creatine. I was wondering what you thought because tbh I don't feel the need to. I am growing fine and getting stronger but it seems to be the general consensus that more protein=better. Surely it would be wasted if I was to take it say 90g of protein all at once?. I'm a little confused so I thought I might as well ask. Sorry for the long explanation.

[grumbledoak]

It isn't mandatory, though it is fashionable. A sort of 'all the gear, no idea' equivalent for the gym. You can be very fit and healthy on actual, you know, food.

[jd1994]

This is what I was thinking, people advising me to take lots of liquid powders etc whilst they eat twice a day. I have just been going down the eat like a horse method but apparently it's 'outdated' . I'm not sure I want to be eating everything out of a tub either , but that could just be me being overly cautious

[goldblum]

No neeeed.

[jd1994]

Ok thanks for that , it might sound a bit unfair but I'm a but reluctant to take advice from someone who is not making any progress in the gym but always has a really scientific explanation. Feels like getting sex education from a nun, know what I mean?

[goldblum]

jd1994 said:

Ok thanks for that , it might sound a bit unfair but I'm a but reluctant to take advice from someone who is not making any progress in the gym but always has a really scientific explanation. Feels like getting sex education from a nun, know what I mean?

Proof's in the pudding,as they say.Quite right.

[Hoofy]

From what I hear about protein shakes, I am surprised you've not seen change in the guy.

[Pete102]

Personally, I do use protein shakes because I struggle to get enough food based protein throughout the day. If you eat healthily and get enough protein (approx 1 to 1.4g per kg of bodyweight) depending upon goals as part of your normal meals you probably don't need them.

Im no expert on creatine but from what I understand it helps to transport protein to muscles more efficiently, but as mentioned above it really depends on what you want from your training.

[N88]

I started taking protein shakes just 6 weeks ago and I've gained 15kg of lean muscle!!

On a serious note, if you're getting the protein your body needs to grow from food then no need to supplement! I can't get enough proper food down me so tend to have 2-3 shakes a day to get my intake right.

[Pete102]

N88 just 15kg? I put on nearly 50kg lean muscle with just 1 shake a day and no gym work

[jd1994]

It's pretty funny but there are a lot of teenagers who I know that take them and don't go to the gym. It seems to have gotten really popular to say you workout ?

[LordGrover]

Depends on your goals really.
If your goal is to get bigger/stronger then you must consume more than is required to maintain BMR.
This maybe achieved by improving your diet or eating the same old st and buying shakes. You'll probably end up with similar results, everything else being equal, but I know which camp I'd rather be in.

[jd1994]

Thanks a lot for the response, I know this must be extremely basic stuff to you guys but I thought I might as well check. I'm going to stick to my food I think aha.

[Hoofy]

jd1994 said:

It's pretty funny but there are a lot of teenagers who I know that take them and don't go to the gym. It seems to have gotten really popular to say you workout ?

WTF. And do they wonder why they're not growing muscles? Do they conclude they need to drink more?

[jd1994]

Yes, that's the thought process I think. The guy on the tub is huge so it must work right? Doesnt matter if the man in question is a world class bodybuilder taking a large amount of steroids/gh/insulin it has to be the proteins shake that did it. The company wouldn't exaggerate the benefits would they ?! Haha

[goldblum]

LordGrover said:

Depends on your goals really.
If your goal is to get bigger/stronger then you must consume more than is required to maintain BMR.

IF your goal is to get up in the morning the same thing applies.If your goal is to wash your teeth the same thing applies.Wipe your arse...well,the same thing applies.BMR is a measure that's all; it's a measure of the most basic energy levels a person needs to sustain vital functions.

[jd1994]

So bmr is just enough calories to sustain your current weight ? I know you should be aiming for an excess to put on weight but I haven't heard this term before .

[goldblum]

BMR is just a term used to describe the everyday function of our bodies in using energy to thermoregulate.In other words simply tick over.Y'know,like digesting food or producing hormones etc etc..What I mean is it's obvious that to do more you need to eat more: it's not something reserved just for resistance training and hypertrophy.To answer your question if you don't eat enough calories your BMR will still work fine for quite a while..you'll just get hungry and irritable.

Edited by goldblum on Thursday 10th May 00:50

[jd1994]

Ahh right got it now.sorry about all the questions but does metabolism affect how much energy a person uses or does it mean they are less efficient at getting the energy from food. Last question I promise

[goldblum]

jd1994 said:

Ahh right got it now.sorry about all the questions but does metabolism affect how much energy a person uses or does it mean they are less efficient at getting the energy from food. Last question I promise

Calories from food are a finite,calculable amount,which is the same for everyone.The working process of digestion,part of your metabolism,uses the energy from about 10% of the calories from the food eaten.It's possible to raise your RMR for short periods of time (BMR allows for some movement) by performing high intensity training.Both running and weights will achieve this.