My protein shake tastes horrible! Help!

So, I made my first official protein shake this morning. The first few sips tasted alright, but the more I drank the worse it tasted until I had to plug my nose to get the rest down. The amount I made came to about three 8 oz glasses. I drank two, and threw the last one away. Any tips on how I can make it taste better? Here's the ingredients I used:

1/2 cup (about 33g) Body Fortress Super Advanced Whey Protein

1 cup 1% milk

1 large banana (peeled)

5 ice cubes

Is there also a way I can make it so I get less of a volume to my shake? For example, if I only added 1 or 2 cubes of ice I would only have a enough shake to fill two 8 oz glasses instead of three? Thanks.

 

I use body flex am most of the time.  

I freeze my fruits, instead of adding ice cubes and that will inlude usually 1/2 banana, a few strawberries, blueberries, etc.   Sometimes I add about 2 oz. of the egg whites in cartons.  Some times I add water too.  I will put it into a drink bottle and put it ine the freezer and take it out when I go to the gym.  By the time I'm done, it's still nice and cold, thick and I am one of those who enjoy the taste.

You might want to try different brands.  The first one I tried was Joe Weider, and it was awful.   I was gagging on it no matter how I tried to disguise the taste.    They're so many brands these days so you'll have to see what's best for you.  Just remember you want low sugar, sodium and preferably carbs.  And of course high protein.  I don't buy anything under 20 grams per scoop.  

When do you consume yours?  I will have mine after my workout, and sometimes as a mid evening snack.  I take into consideration everything I put in it to make sure I get as close to my daily requirements.  I do find it difficult to 'eat' enough protein on any given day and I find the protein shakes are the best way.  If I've had my share of fruit, there is always decaf coffee and a touch of chocolate for a nice mocha smoothie.  

Did I say I blend mine in a blender?  I know some just add the liquid and shake the bottle.   To each their own.   Hope you find something you like.

My protein shake starts with crushed ice, add 1 cup skim milk, 1 cup frozen mixed berries, 1 scoop chocolate protein powder, and 2-3 tsp of sugar-free instant pudding powder - flavor of your choice.  I also like a bit of instant coffee thrown in.  Blend until smooth.  Sometimes I'll add half a banana and/or a bit of peanut butter.  The pudding thickens to the consistency of a milk shake or smoothie and adds a bit of sweetness to offset the tart berries.  YUM! and it satisfies for the whole morning.

I only took the protein plunge last week and I'm only taking it after strength training. So I've used it 3 times now in 3 different ways and enjoyed it. I'm using chocolate promax.

1)Chocolate promax, .5pint skimmed milk, .5 banana, ice cubes - blended (275cal snack shake)
2)Chocolate promax, 200ml skimmed milk, ice cubes - blended (~200 cals I think)
3)40g oatmeal made up with water + chocolate promax, tsp nutella + tsp pb (400 cals lunch)

I love slim fast so I was shocked when I tasted protein shakes... they taste like ASS!

Honestly, you probably get enough protein without the shake.  If you take too much you start to secrete calcium in your urine.  Not good for the bones!

Yes, but "too much" is around 4.0g/kg bodyweight or about 2g/lbs. Joe is somewhere in the 200lbs range - I have a hard time picturing anyone managing to consume 350-400g protein/day even with the addition of protein shakes.

 And Joe's doing strength training, which places his protein needs at 1.8g/kg or roughly 90kg*1.8g=162g/day - to achieve that while dieting without resorting to protein shakes means an awful lot of canned tuna.

 Slim-fast has far, far too much carbohydrates in it, which of course leaves you conditioned to expect too much sugar in your liquid meals.

 Though in general, if you can achieve a sufficient protein intake without resorting to supplements you're better off doing so, there is a slight but significant metabolic advantage to using them in association with pre- and post-workout nutrition. When attempting to optimize athletic function and training results, taking advantage of this is important.

 If optimization of your effort is not on your list of priorities then you don't need to be concerned of course, but personally I'd rather spend a little time on making sure that my diet is optimally supporting my training regime.

Original Post by melkor:

Yes, but "too much" is around 4.0g/kg bodyweight or about 2g/lbs. Joe is somewhere in the 200lbs range - I have a hard time picturing anyone managing to consume 350-400g protein/day even with the addition of protein shakes.

 And Joe's doing strength training, which places his protein needs at 1.8g/kg or roughly 90kg*1.8g=162g/day - to achieve that while dieting without resorting to protein shakes means an awful lot of canned tuna.

 Slim-fast has far, far too much carbohydrates in it, which of course leaves you conditioned to expect too much sugar in your liquid meals.

 Though in general, if you can achieve a sufficient protein intake without resorting to supplements you're better off doing so, there is a slight but significant metabolic advantage to using them in association with pre- and post-workout nutrition. When attempting to optimize athletic function and training results, taking advantage of this is important.

 If optimization of your effort is not on your list of priorities then you don't need to be concerned of course, but personally I'd rather spend a little time on making sure that my diet is optimally supporting my training regime.

Thanks melkor, I was wondering about how much protein I needed. So I need about 162g of protein a day? I'm 220lbs, by the way. Well, I've been getting about 200 to 350g of protein for the last 3 days. Is that too much? And you said something about calcium in the urine, well since I've been upping my protein and taking Whey protein my urine has been brown. Could this have something to do with the protein? I'm also taking creatine, and a multivitamin (both of which I've never taken before). Any advice? I'm not taking any Whey protein or other supplements today because I want to see if I can get the color of my urine back to normal. Any help would be appreciated.

Well, that would probably be more related to gall fluid getting into the urine than anything, either that or dehydration. Or you've been eating something that colors your output - drinking a spot of red food dye before your urine test at your doctor's is a known practical joke :)

 Hmm. What sort of food dye colors your chocolate whey, I wonder?

 Anyway, at 220lbs you're about 100kg, at 100kg*1.8g/kg=180g protein/day, give or take a few. If you range from 160-200g/day you're within a 'normal' average of what your body can actually use.

 Consuming more than this isn't actually dangerous unlike what PETA would have you believe, but it's not useful either as it's more than your body can actually use for muscular protein synthesis.

Underconsumption for your activity level on the other hand is actively harmful, so you're better off getting a little more than you need than less.

Well, all of this has me wanting to try protein shakes. Will they help cut fat or just make me bulky?

When do you recommend drinking them? I was thinking perhaps at breakfast time since oatmeal doesn't stick to my ribs like it used to!

I work out a few times a week and lift weights. I'm trying to get absolutely toned and ripped for my wedding in April, so any advice is appreciated!

(This reply is all over the place--sorry! End of the day!)

Protein shakes are just food - they help support muscle growth or retention by letting you get in enough protein pre/post-workout and by stimulating certain hormonal cascades that help amplify muscle growth, but without exercise they're fairly useless and in general food is better for you. It's just in the specific instance of about 30 minutes before and after a strength workout that there is a great deal of advantage to consuming rapidly-absorbed protein like whey. 

It won't cause me to gain a lot of muscle mass, though, will it? My fiance said something to me about seeing weight on the scale as a result, but I'm under the impression that as a female, it's hard to put on much mass because of the lack of testosterone, and I don't lift *that* much.

But will it only help with muscle tone and definition if consumed before or after I work out? Is breakfast not a good time then? (I have to exercise after work, around 5 pm.)

Thanks for your help.

Well, some of these are really good suggestions, although I have no idea why most are added extra sugars or flavorings to their supposed "healthy shake".  If you are carefully reading the labels of your protein you will notice it is loaded with natural,artificial, and /or (notice I put and/or, for those of you who use 'pure protein' or seomthing along the lines of EAS)other additives that give it a sweetened flavor.  Such as the cocoa powder in your chocolate flavor or the vanilla bean extract in the vanilla.  These are sweet, but to the not so acquired taste bud, of the "New to the health food seen person" they might be bland, give it time, and your taste buds will accustom to hte flavor.  Remember when you decided to switch from regular to diet, or from full fat to fat free...you got used to it right?  And those of you who used more will power and told yourself how much you wanted a change, didn't take long to get used to the new taste!

As for thickness, it's theprocess that the food is going through that gives it it's volume.  You are crushing, spinning,puree-ing, and there are loads of pockets of air that are being forced into the food.  You can add volume just by adding something creamy,it's not neccessarily the ice or the banana.  If you think it is too thick, don't omit something first off, just add more liquid to thin it out!  A little bit milk,soymilk, whatever.  I find if I add too much ice, it tends to water down.  Keep in mind the banana is packed with sugar, and cals, so if you are going for a ligth version, use half the banana.  And if you dont like to add ice, freeze the banana.

MAybe it's me, ubt I have a weird palate.  Raised vegatarian and in a very athletic household, we constantly had your whole food, natural, organic thing out there, before 'WHole Foods' was even built, and the whole trend spread.  we would make our own shakes at home of course, and my mother started using this Joe Weider blend, and some time down the road, after we visited the first 'Whole Foods' market in Texas, we switched to SPIRUTEIN.  Great taste, and i guess I'm a stickler for the VANILLA flavored protein powders, because I love strawberry banana smoothies, that i also make at home. 

As an adult, and serious athlete I changed from SPIRUTEIN, to EAS (any lite oneFrench Vanilla of course, and Pure Protein.  Which I have found to be the cheapest, and great quality per serving, and not so many calories at all.  only (120 cals per serving, 23g protein).  This is good for me because I add a crap load of stuff to my shales depending on the workout.  On my longer, more intense, workouts, I try to use the right amount of natural sugars, complex carbs, and simple proteins. 

A shake would be similar to this receipe:

1 serving protein powder (120cals)

4 cubes ice (I like them cold, and frosty)

6 oz fat free yogurt (60 cals)

3 Tbsp Whole Flax Seeds (160 cals)*make sure you puree for a finner grit

1 cup light soy/ or fat free milk (60-90 cals)

half frozen banana(med) (60cals)

2-3 frozen strawberries (16 cals)

1 packet of Green Vibrance,SuperGreenFood, or the like (20 cals)

All in all this shake is packed with tons of protein!!! Over 40 grams worth, over 12 grams of fiber, and all the vitamins and nutrients your body needs pre-post workout! 

this shake may head towards the 400 calories limit for some, but for long intense workouts, especially wieght lifters, it is very important to be sure to get the carbs in post workout to prevent the body from using the only other source of energy at that time, which is your muscle proteins, so since glucose is easier to convert into energy dont skimp on the carbs and protein!!!!

 

 

haweyegal,

you can consume a protein shake whenever you feel like it, but for training purposes, you should consume your protein shake, no less than 2-3 hours prior to your physical activity, more specifically wieght resistance training.  Your body, needs time to digest and then process the sugars (hopefully coming from complex carbs, and not simple.  Simple sugars, cause your insulin levels to rise too fast, and are only good for needs of immediate energy!), and proteins.    Your liver must process and break down the proteins in order for your muscles to be provided it's neccesary glucose, which will help in your endurance level of your activity as well.  Training too soon after a meal, shake, or whatever, is why people get muscle cramps,nausea,vomiting, dizziness..etc. while exercising.  Your blood flow (which mind you is carrying oxgen rich cells) is flowing to your digestive tract and away from your muscles.  Where obviously is where it needs to be in the moment of workouts!  It is misunderstood the time frame of optimum nutrient absorption, whether it being pre-or post.  With post workout, *assuming it was an instense workout involving anerobic, and aerobic activity for a duration of no less than 40 minutes, you'd wants to consume no more than 100grams of sugars, being in the form of simple and complex, to readily supply the body with the glucose to use for repairing the and rebuilding  what was brokendown during your workout, and don't forget another good amount of protein!  If not done within an apporpriate time frame of no more than 1 hours after workout, your body will resort to find energy from other sources to repair and rebuild.  YOUR MUSCLE PROTEIN! 

But to answer your question, just taking protein won't make you bulk up.  But not getting enough of the fine nutrient, will not only have you lose weight, you will be making extra room for fat to be stored when you start gaining weight again.  Not getting enough protein, is only going to have your bodsy feeding itself by using your muscle proteins, which is why crash dieters loose weight so fast by eating less that what the need to function.  Your weight gain that was noticed, could obviously be a number of reasons because you are female.  But also after a weight resistance routine, your muscles are reatining fluid to help in it's reparing stages.  This is sometimes why you may see 1-2 pounds extra.  NO, it's not immidiate muscle gain.  Drink plenty of water though no matter what, when you are taking in more protein than required for your lean body weight (mean muscle composition only, not fat,bone, and muscle) be sure to drink at least a gallon or more a day, to help the liver process the toxins that are produced when breaking down proteins.  This will help to eleviate some of the danger of liver damaging or scarring known to be cause by excessive protein consumption among professional athletes.

ummm....good luck.

Okay folks, here's an update. Thank you for all your tips! They really helped me out. 2 tlbsp of Peanut butter seemed to do the trick! I also put less protein (33g of chocolate protein, instead of 66g). I kept the banana at about 1/4 of a large one, and added two cups of 1% milk. It tasted great! Thanks for your help!

Have you tried Muscle Milk by Cytosport?

 

I love the tast of Muscle Milk.  I use the Muscle Milk Light which has less calories and I go between the chocolate and the vanilla.  With the chocolate you can use peanut butter, mint extract or bananas and with the vanilla I like to add strawberries - you can buy the bag of frozen strawberries and use it insead of ice and they never go bad.  Also, Muscle Milk tastes pretty good by itself as well.