Protein intake question

[Qi dup]

I have a question about protein. As far as I know to really gain in muscle you need to take in about 1gm of protein per pound of your total body weight. I am also under the impresion that your body can only obsorb so much protien at a time, something like 30gms every three hours. So my first question is, How am I saposed to equal my body to protein ratio through out the day? taking in 30 grams ever 3 hours will only get me 120 grams in 12 hours. Pleas forgive any of my misconceptions as I'm still trying to weed out all the myths in my head about weight training and nutrtion.

My other question is on the same line so to speak. GNC sells some 'Mega Whey' protein that has 40 grams per serving. Is this worth while, or will some of that protein just go right through my system? Should I take something like this at night? Thanks for all the responces and forgive me once again for any of my wrong ideas here, thanks!

[IronFist]

The thing about protein powders and their serving sizes is... serving size doesn't really matter. Consider the following:

Brand A: serving size: 40g (3 scoops). Servings per container, 15.

Brand B: serving size: 26.33g (2 scoops) Servings per container, about 23.

Brand C: serving size: 13g (1 level scoop) Servings per container, about 46.

Which is the better deal? Of A, B, and C, they're all exactly the same amount of protein in the container. (approx. 600g). I just made up all these figures, but the math is real. I used to see stuff like "80g protein per serving" and I was like "whoa!!" and then it says like 10 servings per container. Ok, whatever, that's dumb.

They just add more scoops to make the protein per serving look bigger. Take Designer Protein for example, who says on their label that one serving is one scoop (17 grams). On the other side, however, it says "three scoops mixed with 8-12 oz of your favorite beverage gives you 51g of the bigest quality protein available." Well, that's not one serving, just three scoops.

*As a side note, I don't know how the hell you could mix 3 scoops of Designer Protein in 12 oz of ANYTHING. One scoop in 16 oz milk is hard enough to mix, much less 3 scoops in less liquid.

Anyway, here's a cool trick to find out how much protein you're actually getting:

Take the weight of one serving size (not grams of protein, grams total per serving of everything). A usual label looks like this:

Serving size: 28g
Fat...~
Carbs...~
Other stuff...~
Fiber...~
Whatever...~
Protein...20g.

Using that as an example, you can see that in one 28 gram serving, there are only 20 grams of protein!! That means in each serving you are getting 8g of stuff that is NOT protein. I learned this method from www.proteinfactory.com :)

In conclusion, decide how much protein you want per shake. Find out the total amount of protein you get per CONTAINER, not per "serving." If there are 10 servings of 80g drinks, and you only want 20g per shake, then you're actually going to get 40 shakes with that bottle, not 10.

Sorry this is long winded, does this all make sense?

IronFist

[NPMantis]

Dear Qi dup,

It's also important to remember that muscke is only about 30% protein, there is so much more to it than that. I used to use protein powder and found no diference between gains either in power or size when taking or not taking it. Make sure you eat plenty of carbohydrates as well, remember these supplements aren't the answer to everything.

A friend's brother has been weight training for about 15 years (and is seriously massive so he must be doing something right!) and he obviously trains with many different people and states that in terms of size gains the only thing that works for anyone is steroids (but they seriously mess up your body with all sorts of nasty side effects) and these supplements are all a big con. I have heard this from other good sources as well.

Personally when I used to train a lot, when I'd get home after the gym I eat plenty of pasta, proteins (mainly fish or eggs) and green vegetables and have had pretty good gains in size (18 pounds of muscle in about a year and a half).

Hope this has given you something to think about.

Take care mate,

Mantis

[ElPietro]

You guys need to look up the meaning of supplement. If you eat according to your needs 100% of the time you do not need supplements. The problem is most people do not do this. Yes protein is important...amino acids are the building block of muscle and are responsible for many other chemical reactions in the body. There is no hard evidence on how much protein you can absorb at once...but as for this 3 hour thing i'd say it's a crock. Try to eat a balance of protein and carbs each meal...and get some good fat into you as well. Protein is protein...you can get different kinds which have different bioavailibility, or absorption rates but your body will break it down into the same building blocks in the end.

[Qi dup]

Thanks for all the help everyone. I'm glad there are knoledgable people on here who are willing to help me out.

IronFist, I think you were right on with what you said. I hadn't payed much attention to serving size. The mega Whey container is twice as big as the stuff I use but it has the same amount of servings. But with mine you use one scoop and 'Mega Whey' uses two. So what you said makes sence. I still will probably get the mega whey because It has some other stuff in it that sounds nice, I can't remember now.


NPMantis, I didn't know that muscle was only 30% protein, that's good to know. I agree with you and the carbs. I actually just read an articual about that. I know you can't believe everything you read but this one seemed logical. So yeah, I try to keep my daily intake of carbs pretty high, and i'll also try to take a lot of carbs and protein an hour or so before I lift weights. THen after wards I do the same, usually a half hour or so after, depending how I feel. this might not be the perfect procedure, but it seems close enough for me.

Thanks ElPietro, you always have good advice on this forum.

Do any of you wake up in the night to take protein when you are training heavily? I have heard that some people do this.

[NPMantis]

No way, nothing gets me out of bed! lol.

Just remember your sleep is your body's recovery time, you should have at least 8 hours a night if you can,

glad we can all be of help,

take care mate,

Mantis

[Arhat of Fury]

Qidup,
You are correct in the sense that it does take your body 3-1/2 hours to 4 hours to digest a normal size meal. If you have to take protein and are looking to get bigger, you might want to take a
20 gram protein shake with a nutritious meal. If you get into the 40-50 gram of protein shake, thats enough protein to consider it a meal replacement and that might cause you to lose weight. I would start with 2 protein shakes a day (with your meal) One in the morning and one with your last meal of the day. This way your body begins and finishes the day with good nutrients.


Hope this helps,

AOF

[IronFist]

As for getting up at night, I think the only people who do it are some really hardcore BB's who get up to eat a meal or drink a shake in the middle of the night for the extra calories for bulking up.

You don't need to worry about this unless you're trying to eat like 6,000 calories per day.

IronFist

[greyseal]

Different proteins are uti;lized at diferent speeds by the body. Some are used immediately, while others take longer (3 hours or so) to be utilized. That's why some proteins poweders have a mixture of certain proteins such as casein, whey, or soy. That way, the body gets a steady stream of protein over a longer duration and less is wasted. Whoever said that muscle isn't all mostly protein is right though; a good portion of it is water, so drink lots of water.:D

[Qi dup]

Thanks greyseal, I think I'm finally starting to understand! For instance, since whey protein is utilized Relatively quickly, I could take in 40 or so grams with in a short period of time and have little of it just pass through my system in waste. However, If I were to eat some protein in a some what large quantity that is utilized slower, my body may just digest it and pass it through my system before it has time to be absorbed. It's not a great example but i think I'm finnaly getting it. thanks.

[Justa Man]

You guys need to look up the meaning of supplement. If you eat according to your needs 100% of the time you do not need supplements.
maybe as far as protein, carbs, and fat goes, but not as far as vitamins, minerals, aminos, and nutrients go. people need to make sure they eat organic food.
for one, no pesticides, herbacides, or any other -cide that basically toxifies the body.
for two, organinc farmers care about their soil, the place where vegatables and fruits and grains get their substance. unorganic farmers do not care for their soil as much, and deplete the soils worth. america is such a large consumer country that most farmers don't have the time to re-energize their soil. a great book out on this is called Empty Hervest. Read it and you'll learn exactly how good for you the food you're eating is.

[Qi dup]

I have any ok diet, I avoid fast food and fried things, stuff like that, nothing spectacular. I'm actaully affraid to know what is in most food though. That can be my next project.