I would like to get some views on this subject.
Why do so many people around the world reach for a pill when there is food on this planet that can do the very same?

All I read on fitness sites is 'Whey that amino this' blah blah blah

Do we really need this stuff?
Would we all shrivel up and become weak without these products?

Im curious as to what you all think.
I am very anti-supplement. Anti - buy it in a tin pack tablet anti-anti.

Now where are my ciggies?

you dont need them.

just like you dont need cold remedies.

all they are are products to help you reach your goal. mind you, there is alot of crap on the market such as carb blockers

I think it depends on your goals. If you want to look like Ronnie Coleman then yeah, if you just want to get toned then no.

Supplementing protein especially helps stop your body from cannibalizing lean muscle mass while you are dieting. I'd sat that's pretty important. I also take glutamine and glucosamine to help bounce back from my workouts (bad knees from standing at work for 10 years).

I'd stay away from the ECA stacks and that nonsense (ephedra is almost illegal, give it a few more weeks) and from anything that claims its blocks carbs or fat from being absorbed.

You can mos def eat the proper amounts of protein without takin whey protein. There are a shit load of diet pills on the market because everyone wants something for nothing. Meaning no one wants to be as strict on their diet as John is but everyone wants the results that John has. A lot of pills are marketing toward the people that dont know better.

Working out and eating right should be the first two priorties. Then supplements to fill in the difference.

I would like to get some views on this subject.
Why do so many people around the world reach for a pill when there is food on this planet that can do the very same?

All I read on fitness sites is 'Whey that amino this' blah blah blah

Do we really need this stuff?
Would we all shrivel up and become weak without these products?

Im curious as to what you all think.
I am very anti-supplement. Anti - buy it in a tin pack tablet anti-anti.

Now where are my ciggies?

Agreed, u dont need it, u dont need to take vit c, multi vit or whey
BUT they can help, especially if your in a hectic/demanding job/a student and are unable to make 'decent' meals every 2-3 hrs

Mark

While I'm wanting to have a good protein/carbs/fat balance, since I've been watching what I eat I'm finding it way too easy to get enough carbs and fat and very difficult to get enough protein. I can only eat so much tuna or eggs before I start to feel queasy! I went into this thinking I'd stay away from paying for supplements, but now I'm thinking it'd be worth it to get my protein intake up without having to eat a dozen eggs to do it.

Egg Beaters, cottage cheese, shrimp. Nice omelette, gobs of protein.

While I'm wanting to have a good protein/carbs/fat balance, since I've been watching what I eat I'm finding it way too easy to get enough carbs and fat and very difficult to get enough protein. I can only eat so much tuna or eggs before I start to feel queasy! I went into this thinking I'd stay away from paying for supplements, but now I'm thinking it'd be worth it to get my protein intake up without having to eat a dozen eggs to do it.
:nod:
That's one of the reasons I'm taking whey right now. I'm a veggie and between the veggie salami & such, and the whey, and eggbeaters, and tuna, I find I can scrape by while keeping things balanced.

I definetly noticed how much carbohydrate I was taking in... I suppose it wasn't too much, it just wasn't balanced.

If you are bulking - It is very difficult to get enough protein without screwing up your nutrient ratios and total daily calories without whey powder!

30 grams of protein in a scoop that is 100 calories and no fat that costs about $0.75

to get that much protein out of real food it would be a chicken breast at 250-300 calories and about $3
or if you do it with eggs - it would take 5 eggs, at 400 calories and that is 30-40 grams of fat aswell (that is two thirds of my total daily fat intake right there).

so unless you can afford the extra calories and cost - supplimental protein is very important for lean muscle gain.

I haven't started cutting yet, but when I do, I wil still want high protein intake to maintain my muscles, but I will be even more concerned with low calories and fat intake - so really - supplimental protein is pretty important for cutting to! :confused:

You could go without supplements, sure no problem. The old addage "4 steps forward and 3 steps back" would be a good description of what you're trying to do.

Simply put, whey protein is the cheapest, easiest, and most readily available source of protein. Protein is required for adequate muscle growth and muscle rebuilding. Creatine is a proven source of muscle mass building amino acid. Creatine is available in the foods you eat but at very small amounts. Glutamine plays a very important role in protein metabolism. It helps reduce the amount of muscle deterioration that occurs because other tissues that need glutamine will not rob the glutamine stored in the muscle cells.

If you use those three supplements along with a good dose of multivitamins and dietary fiber you are on the golden path to where you want to be.

Agreed, u dont need it, u dont need to take vit c, multi vit or whey
BUT they can help, especially if your in a hectic/demanding job/a student and are unable to make 'decent' meals every 2-3 hrs

Mark

Very good point.
I hadn't thought of that.
It's the sad day in the world when we don't have time to make meals for ourselves. I definitely fit into that profile.
up at 6am back home by 10 pm
work work work

You could go without supplements, sure no problem. The old addage "4 steps forward and 3 steps back" would be a good description of what you're trying to do.

Simply put, whey protein is the cheapest, easiest, and most readily available source of protein. Protein is required for adequate muscle growth and muscle rebuilding. Creatine is a proven source of muscle mass building amino acid. Creatine is available in the foods you eat but at very small amounts. Glutamine plays a very important role in protein metabolism. It helps reduce the amount of muscle deterioration that occurs because other tissues that need glutamine will not rob the glutamine stored in the muscle cells.

If you use those three supplements along with a good dose of multivitamins and dietary fiber you are on the golden path to where you want to be.

Are you saying then , that is not possible to be fit and healthy and look good on a natural diet, unless you take the above?

Thanks for the input everybody.
I think I'll just stick to a natural diet.
But its certainly tempting , especially with my hectic schedule. :spaz:

I could not agree more with Tokyo on the benefits of eating a natural diet.
I think that too often people become fixated on the wrong things. Generally all you hear is "I want to lose weight" or "I want to get huge" etc. Unfortunately it is not so common to hear "I want to be healthy"

It is important to remember that the skinniest model or buffest body builder can look great on the outside only to be rotting away on the inside.

Just a little food for thought

Are you saying then , that is not possible to be fit and healthy and look good on a natural diet, unless you take the above?

Thanks for the input everybody.
I think I'll just stick to a natural diet.
But its certainly tempting , especially with my hectic schedule. :spaz:

I think you can do fine on a natural diet. I just think you can be more efficient supplementing with whey. The only times I even drink the stuff is when I wake up, pre-workout, post-workout.

Whey is really the only thing that I think people NEED, and even then it's only for efficiency's sake. You'll get to the same place as the average whey guy regardless.

The only other thing I take is Swole V2.

I'm having a hard time understanding the problem here. These are all amino acids you find in the foods you already eat. These proteins are not somehow magically created in a test tube they're refined from wholesome sources, only concentrated. The sheer volume of chicken breasts, egg whites, and soy pattys you would have to eat to get the same protein as a whey (which is a byproduct of cheese making) shake is huge.

I'm not going to say it cannot be done. But to say taking protein supplements, glutamine (which is a significant portion of your skeletal system), or creatine (which is available in red meats) is not natural or healthy is wrong. You will have to wait a lot longer to see the results you want and in the end, ironically, you won't be as healthy.

I agree that whey protein is not 'weird' or 'un-natural'. I trim the skim and white bits off of my chicken breasts, and if someone eats egg whites they sure put a lot of work into separating the whites from the eggs. Does that make the food unnatural or unwholesome? No. Whey protein is a natural product.

OP, how much chicken, fish, tofu, dairy, do you consume on a daily basis? And how do you find the time to prepare it all? I notice you're in Japan, and living the salaryman life - I certainly can't see you preparing all your meals at work.

I found I could get all my protein naturally but because there are some high protein / low fat foods I can't friggin stand the taste of I went with a protein shake in the morning. It really helped me get my fat intake under control while still getting the protein. Made it very easy for me to my ratios right 40/40/20. You know the drill. :tu:

Some have pointed out that protein is a natural substance along with the amino acids which make the protein chain complete. However, the problem with synthesizing anything in a lab is that it isolates the substance. The human body intakes nutrients through complex chemical reactions of many nutrients; it is not adapted to take in only isolated substances. Science is simply not able to replicate the complexities of the human body.