Protein Shakes for Normal Women?

10/12/2009 1:03:45 AM #

Before I was married and lived with my mom, she would be my pretty much anything I requested at the grocery store. I ran in high school and have mostly kept it up through college (and now out of college) and I used to have her buy me protein mix a lot.

The summer after my freshman year of college I moved to New Jersey for a group trip and worked on the boardwalk at a fried food place. No freakin' joke, I gained 20 pounds in 3.5 months. I went from 130 to almost 150 at 5'5. Whoops?

When I came home, I did everything I could to lose the weight and in 5 months I lost 30 pounds. (Hey, why not knock off an extra 5.)

Anyway, I started drinking protein shakes after I worked out (I would get the chocolate kind and mix it with milk and a little Ovaltine to make the flavor more believable) and although I can't say whether the lean muscle I had was from killing myself on the weights and treadmill or drinking the shakes, it was probably both. I willl say that I liked having it around just for the fact that it was something quick and incredibly filling after workouts- it kept me away from the usual snacks I would grab right after a grueling workout: granola bars, chunks of cheese and crackers, etc. If I had the cash I would probably still buy it.

I hope this is helpful!

Jolie

10/12/2009 5:29:45 AM #

I put it in my smoothies along with some benefiber powder. It's a meal replacement. I'm not about muscle building but I am about not feeling hungry.

Shauna

10/12/2009 12:05:56 PM #

also, have you looked into the difference between, say, whey and soy protein?

laura

10/13/2009 9:49:33 AM #

My secret to maintaining (and losing) weight is protein powder mixed with weightlifting and cardio.

I am a professional dancer, and grew up dancing 2-5 hours a day and not thinking anything of it, so I could generally eat anything I wanted and remain the same weight.

Once I hit the dreaded late teens/early twenties where your metabolism decides it's time to grow up and not burn though every little thing that goes into your body, I started to gain weight. Over the course of three years, I'd gone from a svelte little 125lb person to an awkwardly portioned 158lb person, at 5'4. Thanks, college. Although I was a dance major, and then dancing close to eight hours a day, my body was used to the amount of activity it was getting, and thankfully, I didn't look like a 158lb person because of my muscle mass I had from dancing, and my inherited 'gain weight all over' body type.  

I finally decided enough was enough and changed my eating habits and incorporated cross training into my fitness regime (ahem, or rather started a fitness regime besides dancing). I learned how to run, lift heavy weights like back squats, deadlifts, presses, cleans (none of the dumbell stuff for me) and worked a lot on body dynamic exercises (like push ups, pull ups, sit ups, air squats, walking lunges). I started drinking soy protein shakes in the mornings, and sometimes in the evenings on the go.  (I was a vegetarian at the time, so naturally was drawn to soy, but was really only drawn away from whey because the type I had tried was not a high quality powder, and had a 'grainy' texture). In about five months, I'd gone from 158 to 134, and felt amazing.

I've since gone up a few pounds in the winter and then managed to bring it back down in the spring, but each time it was because of the protein powder/weight lifting combination. Your body burns more calories at rest when you have muscle...so the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest. Having more muscle will make your weight number slightly higher, but at the end of the day, that doesn't matter, and you'll look like you belong in the smaller weight category because of your density/size. (and besides, I think women should want to press the 110 pound models over our heads....hello strong! hello survival of the fittest! Being stronger than some men is sexy and empowering, yo!)

I've switched to Whey powder, which doesn't seem quite as effective, but it's hard to tell because I was likely eating less calories on a monthly basis when I had the most success/when I was eating soy protein powders.  I personally switched from soy to whey because of the recent findings with too much soy affecting a person's hormone levels. But, I generally believe too much of anything is bad for you, especially when it's genetically modified (GMOs....which most soybeans are).

Anyway, protein powder is for women! Not just meathead men.

kendra

10/25/2009 3:55:37 AM #

Particularly when doing strenuous workouts several days in a row, muscles need recovery.  Science says protein is best for this and many sports physiologists recommend downing it within 30 minutes of working out for best results.  When I finally decided to consistently follow this routine to really determine if it was working, I made sure I drank a protein shake after EVERY workout(no matter how hard) WITHIN 30 minutes.  I can honestly say that during that really dedicated time, I was the strongest I had ever felt.

rms

11/1/2009 9:44:31 PM #

I drink protein powder with skim milk.  I just can't do the water thing.  I love throwing in some frozen mango, chocolate protein powder and some skim milk. Seriously thick and creamy and so tasty. No need for sweetners at all.

Have you ever read Muscle & Fitness Hers? It does a really good job of breaking down which protein powders to use when and the difference between them.  Also helps with showing the difference between women and men and their protein needs.  I suggest picking up a copy or checking them out online.

heathercoo

11/1/2009 11:02:16 PM #

I've actually wondered this myself. I've been told by friends of mine for awhile now that I should be using protein powders or at least 'recovery shakes' in order to finish up my workouts, especially when some are quite intense.
So, I'd be curious. So far, I just try to have something after class... but since mine are so late, I don't like having a lot of stuff in my system. At the same time, i can't have a full meal.
But... you know me, i'm not tiny, so i don't want to get any bigger, blah blah blah... i want lean...
So, let me know what you find out

Stacey

1/3/2010 5:17:04 AM #

Concentrate can contain a lot less protein (as little as 30%). This leaves a lot of room for carb and fat in the same serving. Therefore, for females, protein shakes tend to be a better choice, although they can be a little more expensive.

Protein shakes

1/5/2010 6:58:40 AM #

The protein shake made for women do contain extra ingredients such as Iron, Vitamin B6 and Folic Acid - nutrients that many women tend to fall short in, as well as less sugar and lower carbohydrate quantities.

low carb protein bars

1/6/2010 9:22:30 AM #

This proteins shake is a handy for an anytime intake and they offer a staggered rate of protein absorption.

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