Are protein shakes actually worth taking?

What like? You're a vegetarian IIRC, just wondering what your staples are?

I'm vegan and only use soy protein powder when cutting or on the odd occasion I have a no appetite day. My standard 'where do you get your protein?' list:

beans (not just baked- all different sorts including) and lentils
Tofu, tempeh, supermarket burgers and sausages, TVP, seitan
Whole grains- quinoa and bulgar in particular but even brown bread or tortillas or oats
Pretty much all nuts and seeds, including peanut butter
Peas and broccoli

Think my top suggestion for you would be Linda McCarney sausages, £1 a box of 6 in Farmfoods, 11g protein each.

And my 'here's one I made earlier' typical days of eating

5 weetabix, soy milk, strawberries, soy yogurt, coffee
bean & veg curry (quite mild so I can eat it without rice), 3 veggie sausages, fruit
4 slices of toast, some with spread and some with PB
bean & sietan burger with sauce, veg
biscuits and chocolate soy milk


3 Shredded wheat, berries, 30g mixed nuts, soy milk
2 Linda McCartney sausages, homemade oat protein bar
Lasagna (TVP, spinach, tomato, white pasta, soy milk based white sauce), broccilli
2 lentil & sietan burgers, corn on the cob
Chocolate
2 hummus sandwiches (brown bread), 2-3 bits of fruit

I'm vegan and only use soy protein powder when cutting or on the odd occasion I have a no appetite day. My standard 'where do you get your protein?' list:

beans (not just baked- all different sorts including) and lentils
Tofu, tempeh, supermarket burgers and sausages, TVP, seitan
Whole grains- quinoa and bulgar in particular but even brown bread or tortillas or oats
Pretty much all nuts and seeds, including peanut butter
Peas and broccoli

Think my top suggestion for you would be Linda McCarney sausages, £1 a box of 6 in Farmfoods, 11g protein each.

And my 'here's one I made earlier' typical days of eating

5 weetabix, soy milk, strawberries, soy yogurt, coffee
bean & veg curry (quite mild so I can eat it without rice), 3 veggie sausages, fruit
4 slices of toast, some with spread and some with PB
bean & sietan burger with sauce, veg
biscuits and chocolate soy milk


3 Shredded wheat, berries, 30g mixed nuts, soy milk
2 Linda McCartney sausages, homemade oat protein bar
Lasagna (TVP, spinach, tomato, white pasta, soy milk based white sauce), broccilli
2 lentil & sietan burgers, corn on the cob
Chocolate
2 hummus sandwiches (brown bread), 2-3 bits of fruit

Thanks for your post (I'm not a veggie but might have some "veggie days" as I've tried it before and it always leaves me feeling healthier for some reason)

OT but for the record I totally dispute the idea that a veggie or vegan diet is somehow inherently healthier. It's very possible to be vegan and eat like ****.

Just in case you thought that or someone reading it did. Obviously, I'd like people to eat less meat but I'd rather they did it for real reasons

I read this article which says that you can get protein shakes which provide around 100g of protein per 100 calories:

http://www.menshealth.co.uk/food-nutrition/muscle-foods/the-worlds-best-protein-sources-313853

The most I can find online, though, is whey protein shakes that provide around 20g per 100 calories. Is it really worth buying those as opposed to just eating normal protein-rich foods like chicken, beef and so on?

Does anyone know of a protein shake that's much higher in protein provided per calories?What's the actual point of them? I need around 190 grams of protein per day so not sure if I should just eat normally or not.

The main point of protein shakes is to get a cheap source of protein into your body post work-out so that your body doesn't start catabolizing other muscle in order to maintain the stuff you've just built/ toned. So in that way, they're definitely worth it. 100g of protein in protein shake form might cost about 70p, whereas the same amount from chicken might cost £2-3, and also involves taking the time to prepare it, cook it and eat it. It's also already basically in amino-acid form a lot of the time and goes straight to purpose versus your body first having to digest the chicken.

When I first started going to the gym I didn't use protein shakes because I basically thought along the same lines, and often found myself not gaining muscle as quickly as I wanted to whilst also being hungry more. Bought 5kg of powder online (http://www.bulkpowders.co.uk/pure-whey-protein-90.html) and although it didn't make a MASSIVE difference in muscle gain, it definitely improved it, and I also found myself cutting fat a lot faster than I had beforehand.

It's suggested that you eat between 2 and 2.5g of protein for each kg of body weight when at the gym minimum, and I just don't see a better way of doing that other than using protein shakes. I would definitely avoid the all-in-one solutions though, such as cyclone, unless you're a) loaded and b) someone who also needs the extra calories it provides in carb form (i.e, you go to the gym like twice a day) because you don't have time for other meals.

I won't debate the 2-2.5g number because I'm not sure myself on the numbers

But I'm pretty sure it's "x" amount of protein for each KG of LEAN bodyweight

How do you work out your lean bodyweight then? Calculate your body fat and estimate it from there?

I read this article which says that you can get protein shakes which provide around 100g of protein per 100 calories:

http://www.menshealth.co.uk/food-nutrition/muscle-foods/the-worlds-best-protein-sources-313853

The most I can find online, though, is whey protein shakes that provide around 20g per 100 calories. Is it really worth buying those as opposed to just eating normal protein-rich foods like chicken, beef and so on?

Does anyone know of a protein shake that's much higher in protein provided per calories?What's the actual point of them? I need around 190 grams of protein per day so not sure if I should just eat normally or not.

How do you work out your lean bodyweight then? Calculate your body fat and estimate it from there?

The whole idea of needing protein powder post-workout because without fast absorbing protein your muscles will " catabolise". And the idea that using protein powder makes any difference to muscle gat/fat loss.

If you use protein shakes purely for convenience reasons (ie. it's too tedious to always have to cook chicken) then fine, that's the reason I do it - but it makes no difference to muscle gain/physique and you don't by any means "need" them.

I'm not trying to bodybuild, I'm actually trying to lose weight but I'm going to be doing a lot of exercise (including lifting) so I was wondering if protein shakes provided more of the protein I'm going to need while adding less of the calories, if you see what I mean

instead of that better eat proper meals. chicken + barley + veggies for the dinner work fine for me (i've lost ~10 kilos in about 3 months!).
And do more HIIT - they are much better for loosing weight than free weights.

Thanks for the help dude-I was looking to try find some non-meat related protein sources, I'll give those LM sausages a try

And do more HIIT - they are much better for loosing weight than free weights.