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Alright , so I'm brand new on the gym scene , and I have no idea about protein powder! I was wanting to know , what is the best kind , why is it good , what does protein powder do for you ! When I should take it also ! Thank you very much

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I use whey protein isolate added into my already clean eating diet as a post workout shake for added nutrition as it is a fast digesting protein.  
 
I use casein protein at bedtime as it is a slow digesting protein.  
 
Telling you this will not help you with your gym scene /diet as you haven't mentioned YOUR goals in terms of fat loss, adding muscle, maintaining lean muscle etc. I personally use these two proteins as my diet consists of high protein, high good fats for increased body fat loss as I maintain my current lean mass. I tweak my workouts/meal plan when I'm reading to build muscle.  
 
When you're new to the gym scene. It helps if you can afford to hire a personal trainer with nutrition experience so you can not only have a workout tailored to your goals but a meal plan too. It's worth the investment!

Genivieve nailed it. Figure out what you want first, I would also add get your real food in order before worrying about adding protein powder.

Are you male or female? If female Popeyes has a low calorie protein and it tastes great. I will always recommend vanilla cause if you get sick of the flavour you can blend it with fruit, peanut butter or cocoa to make the other flavours. My fav is 1 scoop vanilla 1 cup milk 1 cup orange juice with pulp. Tastes like orange creamsicle.

Do your research first. There are a lot of reasons you should not use protein powder at all

What brand is the low calorie protein powder. I've been looking for something, but sick of buying huge containers that taste gross

There are a tonne of brands with different mixes and qualities. It really depends on preference.  
 
A quick digesting protein good for post workout is a whey isolate, they tend to be more expensive. There are a lot of brands. If you check out bodybuilding.com you can see a lot of reviews on flavor, mixability etc. These are usually the lowest calorie as they have highest % of protein per scoop  
 
A cheaper protein is a whey concentrate which is usually a mix of protein types. Can also be called a whey blend.  
 
A good night time protein is a casein as previously stated.  
 
Honestly it all depends on the user, their needs and goals and what they react to.  
 
Taste is a big thing as if it tastes bad less likely you will want to take it everyday...  
 
I would buy a small container of something you want to try or a few different ones and see if you like it before committing to a 5 pound tub.  
 
Edited by Fballjunkie, 2016-07-13 12:14:13

lovemygirl said "Do your research first. There are a lot of reasons you should not use protein powder at all "

Yes, do the research first. I tried a small packet of regular protein powder and yes, it taste great, but it gave me constipation.  
I was going to use it as a meal replacement but I feel I lack energy. I replaced it with Boost and it helped a lot.

Too many people make it too complicated.  
 
If you're just beginning don't worry too much about the type. Find some that tastes great and doesn't give you stomach issues. I use Natural New Zealand Whey Isolate from Proteinco. It tastes great and is super easy on my stomach. Bonus is that there's only ~4 ingredients. They often have great deals. Check them out: http://bit.do/proteinco

If you don't have the right genetics to be muscular no protein powder is going to make you so.

Just eat protein rich foods, typical diet has more than enough protein, even if you go to the gym, your body only absorbs what it needs and nothing more, any excess just gets excreted, along with your money.  
 
Your protien requirements directly correlate to how much muscle mass you already have, only someone like a 280+lb competitive bodybuilder might have trouble getting enough protein in their diet  
But for the average person, any beneficial effect would be hardly measurable and pointless if your not in professional competition of some sort, akin to a new swimmer shaving his body so he swim faster, technically true, but any difference would be marginal and only noticeable at an Olympic level.

Enfyre said "Just eat protein rich foods, typical diet has more than enough protein, even if you go to the gym, your body only absorbs what it needs and nothing more, any excess just gets excreted, along with your money.     Your protien requirements directly correlate to how much muscle mass you already have, only someone like a 280+lb competitive bodybuilder might have trouble getting enough protein in their diet   But for the average person, any beneficial effect would be hardly measurable and pointless if your not in professional competition of some sort, akin to a new swimmer shaving his body so he swim faster, technically true, but any difference would be marginal and only noticeable at an Olympic level. "

A scoop of protein is a far better snack than a lot of other options as it is lower calorie and the protein content will help keep you full longer. Not too mention the convenience factor.  
 
Don't have time to make eggs before work? Make a shake in <:1 min. Trying to avoid evening munchies? Make a shake. Forget to take chicken out of the freezer? Stir fry some veggies and make a shake.  
 
Can you get by without protein powder? Definitely. But a healthy lifestyle is substantially easier to maintain with it.  
 
Side note: If you want to save some calories, add PB2 to your shakes. It's powdered peanut butter than you can get at Costco or a local place like Hedley's. It's a tasty option if your goals are to lose a few.

lovemygirl said "Do your research first. There are a lot of reasons you should not use protein powder at all "

I haven't come cross any articles saying to avoid protein powder. Where did you read that

Here is one-  
http://nutritionstudies.org/no-whey-man-ill-pass-on-protein-powder/  
 
I also have a family member in healthcare and can tell you there are a lot of people who have issues from using it.

Iso 100

I don't care! Lol. That was just one of many articles that come up if you google why not to use protein powder. If you want to fill your body with all that junk go ahead. That is why I said to do your research.  
 
My hubby wanted to fall into this fad as well as the guys from work took it. My family member who is in healthcare was over and saw it on the counter. She strongly recommended he stop as she sees way too many issues with people who take it. Shortly after a friend had to deal with some serious physical issues caused by it. The tub of powder quickly went in the garbage.  
 
Each to their own

Another thing is that substituting a variety of whole foods for plain protein powder will lead to nutritional deficiencies.  
 
Deficiencies are already an issue as a result of commercial agricultural in the last century having depleted the soil, plants only have a fraction of their nutritional value as they once did, also the chemical structure of vitamins/minerals found in pill form doesn't have the same bioavailability as what's in foods naturally so that's not a good substitute either.  
 
So just keep in mind when consuming pure protien powder as a meal supplement/alternative that your getting satiety on something completely void of all other nutrients, micronutrients, enzymes, bioflavonoids, etc.  
It's almost like a form of pica in a way, at least those with pica are actually getting their minerals.

interesting. I guess you can't go wrong eating whole food instead of process and powder food.  
Thanks for info.

When needing a quick lunch or quick snack, I often get my blender out and make a shake, adding in a scoop of protein powder.  
 
The whey isolate protein powder I purchase is sweetened with stevia. I buy it at Costco. Yes, it is a large container but that is ok. It is way more economical to get it there than in a health food store. They have both vanilla as well as chocolate flavors.  
 
Whatever your protein powder you look at purchasing, look at the type of sweetener it uses...sugar? sucralose? I prefer to use a natural sweetener.  
 
I put vanilla into fruit shakes, like when I use my homegrown cherries to make a shake with. Chocolate I put into banana peanut butter shakes. So good!!!  
 
To the person purchasing PB2...it has sugar added to it. If you want peanut powder (simply ground peanuts), then Jif makes some that has no added sugar. I find mine in the US at Walmart stores.

I use a powder by a company called "BioX". You can get it in various sizes at Popeye's. It mixes the best out of any I have tried (both water and milk) and they have such a variety of flavors. Currently I have chocolate peanut butter and strawberry. Both taste amazing.  
 
There is Casein, Whey, and isolate powders.  
Casein in a very slow digesting protein, whey is more balance and takes a few hours to digest. As for isolate it digests like right away. It's also usually a lot more expensive because it has more protein and less fillers per scoop. I use a whey just because it's the cheapest and I don't need my protein to be digesting any faster at this point.  
 
As for the other comments telling you not to use protein powder. Don't listen to them. Yes you can fill all your protein needs from just eating good healthy foods. Dollar to protein ratio though, It's hard to beat a good priced whey at a per gram cost. Next best things price wise I would say would be eggs and canned tuna. Eating say chicken breasts for most of your protein can add up in the money department quite fast. This also of course all depends how much muscle you want to grow and hard and often you work out.  
 
There are other things to look at when buying powders but there's to much to go over and google would be your friend a lot better.

in their research if they considered different protein powder companies because some protein powder are made cheaper than others.  
I did googled some info but not enough said and described in their research process.

veloster said "If you don't have the right genetics to be muscular no protein powder is going to make you so. "

Do you even lift bro, that's some bs your throwing down. Sure genetic disposition will help but everyone can make gains.  
 
Just buy some whey powder Iso 93 is my fav but now I use mutant whey cause it's like $10 a pound. I'll say it once and I'll say it again muscles are made in the kitchen not the gym.  
 
Pm me if you want real info and real results. I've done it all, I've lost 150lbs of fat and put on 30 lbs of muscle and done it all over again. It is very simple to achieve your goals. Calorie counting hitting macros and a little math and you'll achieve success.

Than you everyone for your replies ! Any one have any reviews on muscletech powder

If you have nutrition related questions you can call Dial-A-Dietitian for free!!!  
Their toll free number is 1-877-830-2892  
They can give you the latest trustworthy evidence based information on any topic, I highly recommend sharing their contact info with others too! Not many know about it. Or ask your doctor for a referral you can usually see one for free- they will look at your current diet and may be able to figure out if you even need one at all.  
 
Here is an incredibly detailed blog post a Registered Dietitian wrote about the different types of protein powders.  
http://whittynutritionblog.weebly.com/home/whats-the-deal-with-protein-powder-anyway  
 
If you are moderately active you likely don't need a supplement at all- having a glass of milk post workout has the ideal ratio of carbs to protein and much cheaper than protein supplements.  
We have been brainwashed by the multibillion dollar supplement industry that if you exercise then you automatically should drink protein shakes. But most of the time we can meet our requirements with food alone.  
It definitely depends on your anthropometrics, workout goals and workout regime/ intensity.  
 
A couple good articles on why personal trainers or those Shakeology supplement pushers may not be the best people to get nutrition advice from, there's no 'one size fits all' when it come to nutrition  
 
http://nypost.com/2016/07/04/the-dangerous-lies-your-trainer-is-telling-you/  
 
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/should-personal-trainer-put-you-on-diet

but I also worked as a steel worker lifting and setting up tool and die. At my biggest I weighed 280lb and had a fat % of 5%. I've seen so many guys fall under the belief that if they take protein powder and steroids that they would achieve my size or bigger. They were sadly mistaken. I have the genetic deposition That you need just like Arnold, Lou, the rock have. Russell Brand for instance will never be as big as the rock even though hes pretty much the same height,no matter what he takes.

veloster said "but I also worked as a steel worker lifting and setting up tool and die. At my biggest I weighed 280lb and had a fat % of 5%. I've seen so many guys fall under the belief that if they take protein powder and steroids that they would achieve my size or bigger. They were sadly mistaken. I have the genetic deposition That you need just like Arnold, Lou, the rock have. Russell Brand for instance will never be as big as the rock even though hes pretty much the same height,no matter what he takes. "

Agreed. We were thinking two different things. Russel Brand will never be Ronnie but he can put on muscle.  
 
Good luck to you OP.

All I'm saying is that people believe that all they have to do is take these supplements and they will be like Arnold and it takes so many factors to achieve that type of body and not everyone can do it. It's not in their genes.

Everyone has their own position on protein or no protein / but again it all depends on what you want to accomplish. People are right when they say a normal diet will give you all you need/ but if your workout rutein is truly intense you will need some supplementation at certain times/ when I was younger around 16 to 22 years of age I would work out and made some decent gains of muscle, and that was without any protein or other supplements. With many years between then and now with no time to work out I have finally decided to start again. I did my research and found out what I needed to do . With a little supplementation of proteins and other supplements I have achieved far greater muscle gains and fat loss then I did when I was younger/ and at my current age of 47 I can say without a doubt protein does help. But again always caution in over supplementing..good luck ! There is always truth and fiction on both sides of the "protein or no protein!!!

High protein diets will help you shed fat and get lean. Protein helps to rebuild damaged muscle after you train. Helps speed up recovery time. One protein shake in the morning, one after you workout and one before bed is a good practice.

I am diabetic and was told to  
Add protein to my diet but to watch fat intake. An acquaintance told me for weight loss it is recommended for 2 grams of protein per one pound of body weight. That can reach quite high and seeing as a chicken breast only has about 30 grams of protein I am thinking of adding a protein mix. Is this information correct?