Protein vs Regular Meal

[Justin Jones]

I was wondering if there would be any benefit to substituting a protein shake vs. a regular meal?

If I eat a chicken that totals 50 grams of protein vs. a protein shake, is one healthier than the other, if I am trying to loose weight and Build Muscle at the same time (I know that is an oxymoron) without processing un-necessary calories?

For example:

For lunch I decide to go to Wendy's and pick up a Chicken BLT salad, or I decide to have a protein shake. Will my body usefully process more of the protein shake or the Chicken BLT salad efficiently?

[DKing]

50 grams of protein is 50 grams for all practical purposes. If you can eat the chicken, I would go that route, as chicken and other whole foods have more micronutrients and tend to be better overall. Use a protein shake when you need more protein and for whatever reason you can't really eat a whole food meal.
The BLT Salad might be a different story. I would check the macro ratios of the salad to see. My guess is that it is damn full of calories from the bacon and dressing. Here is the food facts without dressing or croutons, not the best: http://www.dietfacts.com/item.asp?itemid=17429

What are you doing to build muscle and lose fat at the same time? I would like to hear how you plan to accomplish this because often times people end up spinning their wheels and going no-where trying to do this.

Danny

[Johnka]

Sound advice from Danny. It's easy to go overboard on protein powder, so I generally try to limit it to my PWO shake, and perhaps a dessert-type recipe at night. But you have to be careful to get your protein from lean sources if you choose to eat meat instead of whey - animals from farms have horrible fatty-acid breakdowns, because of the feed (corn and other nasty stuff). General rule - eat the leanest meat possible, and get your fat from fish oil and olive oil.

[Justin Jones]

I alternate days between cardio and weight lifting, resistance training.

I do the cardio to try to loose weight, and by what I have read in these forums, cardio eats muscle, and that if I perform cardio exercises, to make sure that I take a protein shake before and after my cardio session. I just go ahead and consume the 250g of protein a day.

To turn my fat into muscle, I do resistance training. No pain, no gain. Same thing, 250g of protein a day.

I also take a multi-vitamin (GNC MegaMen brand/non-synthetic), Stacker 3 w/ephedrine (take as directed, bought a whole bunch of bottles before they banned it, works great for me), Vitamin E and CO-Q 10 (for the heart), HMB (calcium B-hydroxyl B-methylbutyrate monohydrate), and creatine.

The protein is GNC Mega Isolate, 50g of protein per serving.

Typical small meals include something like some pickles (love the zesty kind), honey roasted Planters Peanuts, carrots & ranch dressing, fruit, or a sandwich.

I have been on this plan for a while (over 6 months, but not religious on it), however, I have lost a lot of weight, but would like to fine tune if more if I can.

[Tracey Fackler]

Hey Justin-

Quick question on your overall diet - how many calories are you eating per day? Just wondering b/c you say you have not lost weight.

Also, what is your weight and height - it will aid us in providing advice.

[Tracey Fackler]

I'm not sure how to edit that last post.

I just re-read your posy where you say you have lost weight.

Sorry about that.

All in all, it is better to get your calories be it protein,etc, from real food vs. supps.

[jreimann]

I've found that eating whole foods for protien sources tend to make me feel better than with supplements. I'm currently getting my protien by eating 3-4 cans of canned chicken(60 g protein a can) a day. Less digestive problems than with protien supplements and you feel fuller while keeping your blood sugar levels from spikeing. I quit taking whey protein mainly because I could tell that sometimes alone it absorbed too quickly and was messing with my blood sugar level.