Is it okay to eat nothing but protein powder?

[bruce9241]

I'm trying an experiment today.

I'm going to consume nothing but protein powder and water.

So far I've taken in 150 gram of protein. I need another 70g of protein before the day is over.

Is this okay to do?

The reason I'm doing this is because it is faster and more manageable. It's easier to control the portions and know exactly how much protein/fat/carbs I'm getting since the powder is labeled.

 

[needtogetaas]

No not really

 

[thebigoz]

Not a good idea.

Sources of animal protein also contain amino acids, vitamins, essential fats/fatty acids etc - Even if these are substituted into your powder, they have been processed. That more or less automatically degrades their nutritional value.

You need to eat real, whole food.

 

[rikishi]

Fuck no. I will explain why:

1. The slower protein digests the better the body uses it. Whole foods digest slowly while powder digests rapidly. Whole foods mean more protein is used toward muscle, which means bigger muscle gains. Powder will mean a lot of wasted protein, which means more time on the toilet and less muscle gains.

2. The faster something digests the more of an insulin response the body gives. Powder will give you more insulin than whole foods, which will make it harder to lose fat.

Over time, this will add up and you will miss out on a lot of gains. Eat whole food and only eat powder when you have no time to make food.

 

[cobracock1979]

NO,

solid foods need to be the main source.

Whats are your goals?

 

[gethotabs]

Nope, protein shakes should be accompanied by solid food unless you take some Meal Replacement shake (i tried only once because I could not bear the flavor, yuck). Protein shakes are for the extra-added protein which goes best when you're eating NORMAL food.

----
Everybody wants to get six pack abs, but only the most motivated, strong-willed, and updated to the latest breakthrough succeeds.

 

[bruce9241]

My goals are to lose weight right now while trying to maintain this muscle I built up.

I'm currently 5'5 223lbs. I used to be 235lbs about a month ago.

Would it be okay to eat a lot of protein along with a lot of regular foods? For example: I eat 1 serving of protein powder(52g of protein) and a big plate of brocolli. Would this work? Would the brocolli help make the protein powder digest slower?

I'm usually eating TONS of eggs each day. I was eating about 30-45 to even 60 egg whites a day. I got tired of cracking all those eggs though.

 

[bentoverrow]

My goals are to lose weight right now while trying to maintain this muscle I built up.

I'm currently 5'5 223lbs. I used to be 235lbs about a month ago.

Would it be okay to eat a lot of protein along with a lot of regular foods? For example: I eat 1 serving of protein powder(52g of protein) and a big plate of brocolli. Would this work? Would the brocolli help make the protein powder digest slower?

I'm usually eating TONS of eggs each day. I was eating about 30-45 to even 60 egg whites a day. I got tired of cracking all those eggs though.

If you drink alota protein powder are gonna crap "toothpaste" tommorrow...

 

[AEKDB]

Bruce,

I assume you are talking about the Velocity Diet where one drinks shakes several times a day and eats one meal a week for 20 some days? Here are some links: TESTOSTERONE MUSCLE | Velocity Diet 3.0, TMUSCLE.com | Velocity Diet Test Drive.

You will note there is a lot more involved than just drinking protein shakes including flax seed, fiber and vitamin supplements.

I don't know if this is a diet I would recommend but the info is in the links.

 

[rikishi]

you have to vary your protein sources, if you eat the same one over and over again your body will develop up allergen antibodies and you will become allergic to that food

Um, what? I've been eating chicken my entire life and I'm not allergic to it.

 

[chazk]

let us know if it looks the same in the toliet as it did when you drank it.

 

[joe d]

I'm trying an experiment today.

I'm going to consume nothing but protein powder and water.

So far I've taken in 150 gram of protein. I need another 70g of protein before the day is over.

Is this okay to do?

The reason I'm doing this is because it is faster and more manageable. It's easier to control the portions and know exactly how much protein/fat/carbs I'm getting since the powder is labeled.

hell no. you will lose muscle and your health. you need food beef, milk, eggs, chicken, broccoli, spinach, carrots, potatoes, oats, apples, bananas, ect.

 

[chucktown04]

I think the consensus is 'it's not a good idea.' 2-3 proteing shakes a day max in addition to your whole foods (beef, chicken, seafood). Protein shakes are supplements not replacements.

 

[chucktown04]

it's called a food borne allergy, it occurs when you eat a certain food in large amounts everyday and use it as your sole source of a certain nutrient, it's more common in proteins, but i've seen it happen a few times when a bodybuilder for example eats only eggs and egg whites to cut for 6-8 weeks, then will start getting sick when eating the eggs and will have to stop eating them for a while

They are probably sick because they are only eating eggs and not getting enough nutrients from other sources. I've never hear of developing an allergy this way and I would never worry about becoming allergic to protein shakes.

 

[bruce9241]

Okay I think I understand now. How about those protein powders that say "meal replacement?"

I've been purchasing different brands of protein powder. Some of them have a lot of carbs/fats in them per serving. Some have hardly any. The ones with lots of fats/carbs in them. Are those safe to consume as a meal replacement? Since it comes with balanced protein/fat/carbs as opposed to the ones that have like 52g of protein and 4gcarbs and no fat?


I noticed you guys say that protein powder digests way too fast for our bodies to absorb. If I were to eat protein powder along with say some brocolli or a few eggs. Would the eggs/brocolli help it digest slower?

Sorry for all the questions. I'm pretty new to lifting (liftin seriously, before I only used to do chest/arms) and I know nothing of nutrition either.

 

[rikishi]

Okay I think I understand now. How about those protein powders that say "meal replacement?"

I've been purchasing different brands of protein powder. Some of them have a lot of carbs/fats in them per serving. Some have hardly any. The ones with lots of fats/carbs in them. Are those safe to consume as a meal replacement? Since it comes with balanced protein/fat/carbs as opposed to the ones that have like 52g of protein and 4gcarbs and no fat?


I noticed you guys say that protein powder digests way too fast for our bodies to absorb. If I were to eat protein powder along with say some brocolli or a few eggs. Would the eggs/brocolli help it digest slower?

Sorry for all the questions. I'm pretty new to lifting (liftin seriously, before I only used to do chest/arms) and I know nothing of nutrition either.

Some foods can help protein powder digest slower, like good fats and fiber, but powder is still extremely broken down. It is not comparable to whole foods, which take a lot longer to break down, hence far better absorption and more muscle gains.

 

[chucktown04]

Okay I think I understand now. How about those protein powders that say "meal replacement?"

I've been purchasing different brands of protein powder. Some of them have a lot of carbs/fats in them per serving. Some have hardly any. The ones with lots of fats/carbs in them. Are those safe to consume as a meal replacement? Since it comes with balanced protein/fat/carbs as opposed to the ones that have like 52g of protein and 4gcarbs and no fat?


I noticed you guys say that protein powder digests way too fast for our bodies to absorb. If I were to eat protein powder along with say some brocolli or a few eggs. Would the eggs/brocolli help it digest slower?

Sorry for all the questions. I'm pretty new to lifting (liftin seriously, before I only used to do chest/arms) and I know nothing of nutrition either.

Meal replacements are still not ok to use as your only source of nutrients. And not all powder proteins break down as fast as everyone is saying (pretty sure someone enlighten me if I'm wrong). Whey protein which is most common protein in the supplements store breaks down very quickly like everyone is saying. Casein protein, for example, breaks down more slowly. However, I am not saying that you should be using different types of proteins or meal replacements for your sole source of nutrition.

At least your trying to learn about nutrition now...believe me protein shakes are VERY important for growth and gaining muscle but they are only a piece of the puzzle. I would never discourage anyone from using them to supplement a good diet of whole foods.

 

[-SD-]

No. you need natural foods made by nature, not processed by man.

 

[bruce9241]

Okay I've been eating real foods lately with a scoop or two of protein just for the extra protein. Something like five egg whites, plate of steamed brocolli and a scoop of protein is my usual meal throughout the day.

 

[joe d]

if you are going to drink a lot of shakes try making them in milk add eggs, fruit, and oats to them. but still eat at least 3 meals per day.

 

[AEKDB]

why fruit in all those shakes? fructose fills liver glycogen predominantly

Fruit is a good source of fiber and vitamins, plus it makes shakes taste better.

 

[joe d]

Fruit is a good source of fiber and vitamins, plus it makes shakes taste better.

right its adding more of the essentials you are giving up when you dring tons of shakes and little actual food. its not all going to be good but far better than powder in water. again i wouldnt even consider a diet like this. im just saying if your going to do it adding these to a shake will help.

 

[-SD-]

Okay I've been eating real foods lately with a scoop or two of protein just for the extra protein. Something like five egg whites, plate of steamed brocolli and a scoop of protein is my usual meal throughout the day.

so....you eat that like 6 times a day or what? mix it up bor, add chicken, beef, vegetables, rice, etc.

 

[oso0960]

Ha, sorry if I'm going to stir things up in here, I completely agree that whole foods are superior to SUPPLEMENTS which should only SUPPLEMENT the diet. It's a little hypocritical, but..I've decided to try the Vdiet just to experiment on myself and see how well it goes.

Let me tell everybody the basics of it...I'm on my 5th day today..and no I did not waste 580 something dollars, I did some research and found cheaper brands.

The protein is 100% micellar casein which is a slow digesting protein i'm sure most of you know. The shit is expensive but is a bit cheaper than substituting cottage cheese (which would be disgusting with water.) You add L-leucine which is supposed to help make the protein more useful in your body.

I eat cold milled ground flax seed 2x a day. mix it in water and drink it. Very disgusting, most of the times I want to puke.

The last shake, I drop in ANPB.

After my workout, I do not drink the Surge stuff. I mix water/oats/protein isolate shake.

Once a week, you eat 1 healthy complete meal..steak/potatoes/corn or something.

My "other" supplements to the already Only supplement diet are:
-Fish oil (3 pills every meal)
-32x Multi vitamin (2x day)
-d-alpha-tocopherol E vitamin (1200iu throughout day)
-Vitamin C w/rose hips (2500mg throughout day)
-B-50 complex vitamin w/ PABA, cholin, inositol (100mg/mcg spread throughout a day)
-ZMA
-Lipo 6 fat burner (4pills a day)
-Green phytofoods by NOW
-inulin fiber (lots)
-psyllium husk fiber (lots)

First day was fine. Now..everything tastes like shit...every meal. I miss milk . Although I feel absolutely great. 1600kcal nonworkout days 2000kcal workouts, I feel awesome. Might be the added caffeine..I don't know. Haven't lost strength (yet) and am already down about 5 pounds. (probably a lot of water weight?)

Also, like someone said earlier, my shit is like toothpaste, although it's definitely not as voluminous as before. It used to be quick and wipeless, but now is coming out much slower even though I take a lot of fiber supps and flax seed.

I do no recommend this diet to anybody that is not 100% dedicated to trying it...it takes a lot of willpower to overcome even 5 days of the 28 days of it. And like I said before, I agree with everybody that supplements will never completely substitute real food.

 

[AEKDB]

First day was fine. Now..everything tastes like shit...every meal. I miss milk ...I do no recommend this diet to anybody that is not 100% dedicated to trying it...it takes a lot of willpower to overcome even 5 days of the 28 days of it.

Yep, it is a hard diet. I did it last fall and after I finished I could not look at protein powder without feeling sick. Keep us up to date on your progress.

 

[oso0960]

Yep, it is a hard diet. I did it last fall and after I finished I could not look at protein powder without feeling sick. Keep us up to date on your progress.

Ha, I bet. After it's done I'll post my results here with pics and whatever else. How was your progress on it?

 

[AEKDB]

I did the v-diet as the first part of a 3 month diet plan. I lost 30lbs over the three months from 250 to 220. On the whole food days I really cheated and usually ate a whole pizza! It felt great to get on the scale the next morning and still see a decrease in weight.

Disclaimer: I still think this is an extreme diet and do not recommend it without doctor supervision.

 

[TRAINHARD808]

Fuck no. I will explain why:

1. The slower protein digests the better the body uses it. Whole foods digest slowly while powder digests rapidly. Whole foods mean more protein is used toward muscle, which means bigger muscle gains. Powder will mean a lot of wasted protein, which means more time on the toilet and less muscle gains.

2. The faster something digests the more of an insulin response the body gives. Powder will give you more insulin than whole foods, which will make it harder to lose fat.

Over time, this will add up and you will miss out on a lot of gains. Eat whole food and only eat powder when you have no time to make food.

Thats what casein protein is for. You can actually play with digestion times with some fiber, or add some slow digesting carbos to the meal. I have done this theory many of times, and it got me ripped to shreds! Although I would have an occasional cheat day maybe once a week, or maybe every 4 days. (3 days on 1 day off) just my opinion though!

 

[travanx]

oso0960: Thanks for your review. It's pretty interesting. Are you still holding that diet??? I feel as though something that tastes bad is something you cant maintain for life. It's some weird combo of what is ok tasting and what is good tasting, to get the proper diet. If it tastes no good well that just can't last forever.

 

[TRAINHARD808]

Make your protein shakes interesting. Try out different recipes like adding peanut butter to chocolate shakes, or fruit or orange juice to vanilla powders. Freeze Dried strawberries always are my favorite. It gives the shake some crunch to it. I always blend everything with lots of ice. I'm always anxious to whip up my next unique shake. Protein bars are good to for on the go. Then again, that's just my opinion!