Nutritional Supplements & Meal Replacements

[SOLDIER #819]

I have two Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard protein shakes during the day with 8oz of egg whites, one 30 minutes before breakfast and one right after my workout.

Oh, I think that's the one I was using up until now. Double Chocolate is one of the flavors right? It was always on sale and seemed like one of the better things out there as far as relatively carb-free protein supplements go. Muscle Milk was always too heavy. I'd add an oatmeal and/or banana and nuts on certain occasions. Milk felt like it would be overkill so I just used water, but I bet most people wouldn't be able to stand the taste with that alone.

And yes S, that diet sounds very suspicious to me. The best diet is what you are willing to live with and what you are willing to live without. Going cold turkey on everything you love is the worst possible thing you can do as you will be right back on the bad food band wagon.

I'm pretty suspicious of any diet like it, but putting that aside the crash wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Even during the diet I would go to fast food, sushi, etc. and somehow managed to resist eating anything from those places. It's not something that I realistically could do for more than those 5 days, nor is it intended to be long term, but in the end it did what it advertised it would. Lost the ~5 pounds and I will hopefully never have to do it again.

[Merlin]

Oh, I think that's the one I was using up until now. Double Chocolate is one of the flavors right? It was always on sale and seemed like one of the better things out there as far as relatively carb-free protein supplements go. Muscle Milk was always too heavy. I'd add an oatmeal and/or banana and nuts on certain occasions. Milk felt like it would be overkill so I just used water, but I bet most people wouldn't be able to stand the taste with that alone.

Yeah, Muscle Milk is only good if you're trying to add some fat on your off-season, if you're a body builder. They don't use that during the season though because they then burn all that fat off. It's "padding" to keep you from destroying as much muscle. It just depends on what you are going for.

I get Optimum Nutrition off of Amazon.com with their auto-shipping service which makes it super-cheap. No I'm not advertising them, just saying its a good deal compared to buying it from GNC or other places. Plus I don't have to think about it. My container is about to run out and another appears on my doorstep. ^^

And Sinister, yes you shouldn't use vitamin supplements as your only source. They are good for people who are working towards improving their meal plans to include healthier choices. You can't expect people to just magically start eating perfect. They'll never stay on it.

As for protein shakes, the good ones do help. Is it as good as eating a boneless skinless chicken breast? No... but there's only so much chicken, fish, and beans I want to eat in a day to get the protein I need for my workouts. Most people don't even need protein shakes as they get enough through normal food. For those of us who want to make gains, it helps.

[Sinister]

I suppose that depends, Merlin. I, for one, never really have the presence of mind to remember to take them(vitamins) anyway. And I know I'm not alone in this. But when I'm hungry, I remember to eat, I just have to remember to eat well.

-Sin

[SOLDIER #819]

Oh, vitamin D. I had been taking vitamin D daily because of the cold season earlier this year and accidentally took more than I should have one day. My lips started chapping up and burning like crazy that same day. I don't think anything else in my diet or that the weather changed much, so I assumed it was the supplement. I couldn't find any mention of a correlation though, so it was probably just coincidence.

It was the first time anything remotely like that happened, but I try to take more care now. I'm about as inattentive to taking vitamins as the average person, but I also seem to have trouble remembering when I do take them.

And sometimes I take a supplement with green tea, cinnamon, and some other things that are good for spiking metabolism. I take that every now and then as a boost.

Which supplement is that?

I get Optimum Nutrition off of Amazon.com with their auto-shipping service which makes it super-cheap.

It is about $35 w/ shipping cheap?

[Merlin]

Well protein powder in general isn't cheap, but if you compare it to the price of brick-and-mortar stores and other online places, it is a lot cheaper on average.

[Kyreaan]

Whey protein, glutimen, wheat germ, brewer's yeast, pineapple, vanilla ice cream, soy milk, and peanut butter...hhhhmmmmmmmmmm