I drink protein shakes everyday.
And I’ve been doing it for years.
But the big question is — is it all a waste of my money?
In this post, I’ll tell you the cold hard truth. Although I’m an avid drinker of protein shakes, I’m not delusional. By the time you finish reading this you’ll know for a fact whether you want to spend your money on whey protein.
And reality is, you probably won’t.
Here’s why…
Whey Protein Is Overrated
Now I’m not down-talking whey protein or any protein powder for that matter.
I love it. But you have to face the facts.
Whey protein is overrated.
It’s unnecessary. The effects are almost entirely unnoticeable. And if you buy a tub of protein powder without already having your diet and training in check, you’re tossing money down the drain.
Now you’re probably thinking, what about all the people who say protein powder is amazing? And what about all the bodybuilders who are packing muscle and claim it’s the shakes they drink?
Sorry, but they’re all lies.
Why Protein Powder Is Praised
Those who claim protein powder to be the reason they gained size are generally beginners (or sponsored athletes).
One is ignorant, and the other is paid to say it. Neither are reliable sources.
Here’s the truth.
Beginner gym-goers build muscle easily. It’s almost instantaneous. This is well-known and is even termed “newbie gains”. These so-called newbies typically buy protein powder too just because they heard it helps build muscle.
So what tends to happen?
They hit the gym. They take their protein shakes. Then after a few weeks, maybe even a few days, they see gains. But is it because of the protein shakes? Or was it because they finally started exercising?
Well, to the beginner, they naively credit it to their magical protein shakes.
Wrong.
It’s just the your body’s natural reaction to finally lifting weights.
Now you might be thinking why I’m telling you all this.
This is why…
Is Whey Protein A Waste Of Money?
It depends.
If you fall for the erroneous stories of people getting huge off protein shakes, of course they’ll seem worth the money. After all, who wouldn’t love to be able to build muscle by simply drinking powder found in a plastic container?
But again, this completely false.
And if you buy whey protein with the mindset that drinking it alone can get you bigger, you’re wasting your money.
What’s whey protein good for then?
Like I said before, whey protein is food. Don’t treat it any other way. One scoop of whey protein is the same as eating 4 ounces of chicken breast. Nutritionally, whey is actually worse. But that’s a different topic for another day.
What makes whey protein useful, however, is its delectable taste, convenience, and because its low-calorie and high-protein. This should be the only reason you’re buying protein powder — its a fast and easy way to get your daily protein intake.
That’s what makes it worth the money.
And if you use it correctly with proper diet and training, only then will you find it really helpful. But even then, it’s still totally unnecessary.
Should You Buy Whey Protein Then?
If you’re a newbie, you might want to. Only because it’ll help you get enough protein everyday. It can be hard to meet your daily protein requirements when starting out.
Just don’t expect it to be the reason why you’re building muscle. It’s not.
If you’re advanced, I wouldn’t expect you to ask this question because you already probably knew the answer.
But if you’ve been lifting for some time now and aren’t sure whether you should keep spending money on protein powder, the answer is you don’t have to.
I look at whey protein as a luxury.
If you can afford it and don’t mind spending money on it, by all means, go ahead. It won’t hurt. Nor will it help much.
Why I Drink Whey Protein So Much
Personally, I drink it because they’re tasty. And of course, for the sake of this site.
Like myself, I know there are others out there who drink shakes because they like the taste of it. And when you’re on a diet, something sweet like whey is great.
Other than that, I don’t use it for any other reason. It’s a sweet treat and makes meeting my daily protein intake easier. And that in and of itself, makes it worth it to me.
But I don’t rely on it. And nor should you.
In fact, I have a secret to tell you.
I haven’t had a protein shake in months. I’ve been traveling and there’s none available. And guess what? I haven’t lost any muscle. In fact, I’ve gotten bigger by training harder and by still meeting my protein needs with extra chicken.
Now, this isn’t to brag. But to prove my point that whey protein isn’t what people make it seem to believe.
If there’s one lesson you get from this post, it’s that.
Whey protein is only worth it if you’re buying it for the right reasons mentioned above.
P.S. If you enjoyed this post and want to get whey protein, you might want to read this post on the cheapest protein powders.
Outstanding post!
No kidding, I am serious. I am more than glad to see it, actually, as I got many questions about protein from my relatives, friends, or colleagues. I am not a fitness expert, nor am I certified trainer, but I lost ~ 55 kg (120 pounds), so people trying to do the same (or at least stating they are interested in it) ask me questions about it. I don’t have pro-athlete defined or huge muscles, but that’s not stopping anyone. As you can guess, most search for “that magical stuff” that makes them slim, while they still munching everything they want without controlling themselves. š
Joke is, while I was losing weight I trained myself to eat less so much, meeting my daily nutritional needs via conventional food is quite difficult now. I can’t eat every 3 hours, and shoving large amounts of food makes me feeling heavy, I want to snooze, and my brain demands a time-out. Even easy to consume healthy food is still a little bit too much. I can’t force myself to consume more, even beloved quark/twarog or derivatives made of them met by “no vacation” sign from my stomach.:)
Therefore, for me protein shakes are very convenient way to add required protein to my daily “package”, so to speak. Besides, I can’t eat many eggs or some other traditional protein-based foods, so my options are narrower than those of other people. I am not complaining, I quite like what I eat. And funny part – I ate mostly same stuff while I was fat, but obviously I ate just too much of it:).
In addition, I think (well, my personal experience) that “slow” proteins, such as Casein are very convenient way not just to slow your “night time catabolism”, but to somewhat replace your traditional dairy foods when you on the move. For example, I’m construction worker (and avid fisherman) and often we work at remote areas for prolonged periods of time, where it is impossible to find quark – too short shelf-life, and nobody brings low-fat cheeses there, as majority of people find them inedible. I don’t have portable fridge I can shove to my backpack for couple of weeks, so I can’t bring a lot with me when I go fishing. Not that we eating only MREs, but any nutritional doctor will probably go banana all over our menus.
But I digress. On a daily run, when I understand I’ll be far from normal food, I can bring some some low-sugar flakes or dehydrated oatmeal (self-made “freeze-bag” MRE-like food) and add said Casein (or Whey), it creates quite nice carbohydrates+protein meal that could last for ~ 4 hours. Easy to carry and it won’t spoil even in summer sun, as both components are dry.
When it comes to whey, I usually consume 2 “doses” – one early in the morning, generally before exercising (yes, for me it’s easier to do them earlier), and then one after. Given how tasty Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard is, honestly, I don’t get why would anyone want a separate cheat meal. Yes, I am the guy who loved sweet cakes, candies, chocolate bars, soft drinks, you name it. Yet I don’t consume them any more. I can’t say I have iron will, but if I can avoid those foods, I don’t really get why other can’t.
In case you still want some solid meal, make some pancakes with protein (also works outside, when you hiking). It’ll make them tastier (and will remove need for additional sugar), there will be a measure of protein, and slow carbohydrates (depends on flour and other additives really). Sometimes that’s my morning “scoop” of protein, in addition to other foods. Hate pancakes (you, monster!:p)? No problem, make biscuits, cookies, cakes, bake a bread loaf with it, for crying out loud! Some combos are so tasty, even my picky relatives manage to eat most of what I’ve been preparing for myself. And they are very picky and make a lot of jokes on me and my nutrition. Regardless, there is huge list of products you can add protein too without ruining either them, or protein. No, I am not crazy on protein, just give ideas how you can add it to your favourite “cheat” meals to make them a bit healthier, without ruining the flavour. After all, this powder is indeed simply quite convenient food.
Regarding price. As calibrations… I mean calculations (but calibrations too, actually) are part of my daily work, I compared stated “table” values for protein content in various conventional foods and found that in the area where I live, only two products are actually cheaper per gram of protein than protein powder (at least Optimum Nutrition’s, that is). Everything else is more expensive. No, I don’t mean you have to throw away your “normal” food and chug a mugs of protein shakes instead, but I gave that table to my mates around the globe, and to make long story short, unless your local sport nutrition store went overboard with pricing, protein powder prices are not that high, generally they are within lower middle range. So unless it’s not true for anyone, I think we are worrying too much. Which is understandable, 5 pound tub costs somewhat more than turkey breast, but compare protein value for sake of protein value (not flavours or nutrition) and you may realize it’s not that expensive.
As final words, I’d like to personally thank you for this site, as it is interesting (and very thorough) way to describe flavours of proteins for those who haven’t tried them. For the most part I totally agree with you in description of them. As for lesser part – I haven’t tried those flavours. š
Keep up the good work and stay safe.
Hey Alex,
Thank you for the kind words and for sharing your story!
That’s incredible.
And yes, protein powder isn’t the magic powder for weight loss or for reaching your health goals. Discipline and commitment is. But whey sure does make it easier to stay on track. You made a good point about whey protein replacing cheat meals, and in general, from reaching for those sweets. The sweetness itself, as well as what you are able to mix it with can be a great way to treat yourself on a diet without having to be guilty for it.
And yes, pricing is relatively cheap. But it’ll never (nor should) replace a good whole source of protein š
Cheers!
Darren
Well I consume pea protein isolate and I need it. Why? Because Iām poor and it is as cheap as hell. Cheaper than whey per g of protein and cheaper than meat per g of protein. Whey tastes disgusting without artificial sweeteners and flavours