heres the deal i need to gain some poundage and muscle within the next seven months. I don't want to take creatine because i heard if you are acne prone you can break out i don't want to risk that. So the next line of defense is protien shakes and i was wondering what brand is has a good protien shake and when should i take this protien shake, and most importantly will it work?????????
i need your help plz respond

Trashmaster,

Why not make your own. I make a delicious shake with about an ounce of soy protein (29 grams protein), an egg (7), 12 ounces of milk (12 grams protein), 2 rounded Tbsp unsweettened cocoa (yummy 3 grams protein), 2 packets of aspartame, 1/3 tsp of xanthan gum (for thickness.)
About 5 ice cubes and BLEND!...You get a big shake about 22 ounces.
Really delicious and over 50 grams of protein: far tastier than any of the preprocessed ones I've ever had.
Go with non-fat or 1% milk if you want to limit calories.
I have some banana and coconut extracts and I sometimes use a couple drops of one or the other for a taste sensation...but the cocoa is usually enough of a treat!

Ah, an eggnog again would sound good. But ever since I heard years ago that 1/3 of the chickens in my state are affected with salmonella, I have forgone anything with raw eggs. To me, it just isn't worth the risk, even though I'm sure a smaller percent of the eggs would probably show it. So no eggnogs, no chiffon pie, no eggs in Lenin's shake.

Here is what the USDA has to say about it:

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/pubs/eggfacts.pdf

I'm assuming that the protein shake you want will be for after workouts...well, the best one I know of to date is Biotest Surge...do a such on the web for the cheapest price cause it can be expensive. This has the proper blend of branched chain amino acids with simple sugars/carbs and NO FAT which is the EXACT thing your body needs after a workout. Read up on this and you will be amazed by it. If you don't wanna go that route, I've always liked Designer Protein or EAS Whey Protein. They seem to taste the best and mix well with bananas which are a decent source of carbs.

I noticed the last post was talking about NO FAT. But I am wondering from what you said. Did you want to gain pounds through having more muscle? Or did you want to gain pounds and muscle? From my impression, it was muscle and pounds, but correct me if I'm wrong. Football players for example would want both. Wrestlers may too. Depends on what you're going for.

If you didn't mean pounds and muscle, then maybe you ought to forget the rest of my post. Why did you pick a protein shake anyhow? Was it because of convience or because you thought it was the only way to gain? The best way to gain, fat and muscle or just muscle, is just eating good (together with a weight routine of course). Even though everyone cringes when I say it, peanut butter is great. Whether we like it or not, or bodies do use fats for the inner workings of our bodies. Its just that normally, we get too much fat in the day. Peanut butter is great for you in limited quanities. So if you're making a weight gainer shake, throw in a tablespoon of peanut butter. It's got a decent amount of protein and essential fats.

Also try different foods. Cottage cheese (1 or 2% I suggest) and milk are both good for bulking up. Conversely, if cutting you probably want to stray from diary quite a bit. I'm surprised nobody even mentions tuna. Gosh, it's got to be one of my favorite proteins. A whole can of tuna is maybe 200 calories. Combine that with boiled egg whites and put on toasted bread...you got two fairly big sandwiches. And it's low calorie and huge protein. If you're really hardcore...try this site:

http://www.deepsquatter.com/shake.htm

Hope that's helpful. Remember don't be scared of fat but be careful in how much you intake too.

Good post Tank. Trashmaster, Protein is no magic bullet and a protein shake is just an easy way to get the protein required. This is especially important for those sportin large amounts of lean muscle. I think protein shakes and MRP are a must but, this is ust one piece of the puzzle. Find a good diet tailored to growth as the first step and if you want to supplement add a multivitamin/ mineral.

Tank - I like Tuna as well, just watch the mercury!

The purpose of a post-workout shake like Biotest Surge is to rapidly infuse all the amino acids into the muscles as quickly as possible after a workout. After lifting weights, you have about a 2 hour "window of opportunity" to give the muscles the fuel they need to recover as quickly as possible. The best way to do this is to use branched chain amino acids, so the body doesn't have to waste much time breaking down complete proteins, coupled with quick burning carbohydrates that studies show will help shuttle those aminos into the muscles more quickly and efficiently. With that said, having added fat to this post workout shake will only slow down the absorption of the amino acids and carbohydrates. So, no fat for an hour or two after a workout after having taken this shake is the ideal. Of course, Biotest Surge is a little pricey for some. Branched chain amino acids are notoriously expensive but they do work the best. My other suggestion, since you may not wanna go that route is to buy a regular old whey protein shake mixed with bananas. That will also give you just protein and carbohydrates and will also give you decent results. Some people go to shops where they sell home beer brewing supplies and buy a bag of maltodextrin which is a superior carb to add to the whey protein powder instead of bananas. Choice is yours though, whatever is most affordable and tastes best to you. Of course as far as diet goes, fat is definitely important. I never implied that you should shy away from fat in your diet...on the contrary, it should make up nearly 30% of you total daily caloric intake. After a workout, though, you don't want any fat mixed in with the protein and carbs.

Yes, Lamotta I read Tanks post out of context with yours. My point is the original post didnt specify a post workout portein - however if that is what they want your above post is dead on. To me the original post looks like they think adding creatine or mass (indiscriminately) will help to add lean mass.

I agree too about the post-workout protein shake and no fat. Slows your metabolism down especially if you're trying to burn up some fat on your gut through running. I guess I got the impression he was talking about a type of shake to gain and not neccasarily a post-workout one.

Oh, and I do try to watch my tuna since it does have mercury. Two cans a week max usually. Thanks for watching out for me Chappy. Where'd you come up with that name? Leather Chaps? :D

Tank- Thats Classic! No I really don't wear Chaps, Well not unless I am doing Village People Karaoke, but that's another story. It comes from the Island of Chappaquidick (commonly refered to as Chappy) a pice of Martha's Vineyard off the coast of MA. I live there part of the year.