Meal replacement supplements

[kyle_d]

Hiya i'm new to this but i'm wanting to gain weight and i've just purchased a very well reviewed book and it says about taking meal replacement supplements to add extra calories to my daily diet.

My question is, can you take meal replacement supplements on a daily basis? If so, should i take one a day, or 2, or more? Also, is the one in the shop any good? (£20) or are there any cheaper ones.

I'm only 9 stone/120lb, 5.7" tall and i'm just about to start the weight gaining process as i have struggled to put weight on and been the same size and weight for the past couple of years.

Any help would be appreciated.

[LionHair]

Hi kyle_d

Good luck with your goals mate... most folks on here wold say save your money for wholefoods. MRPs have their place... but real food is better for you and cheaper too. Maybe for lower prices start by looking to add 1 or 2 shakes of ordinary whey (Unflavoured protein - Bulk supplies | myprotein.co.uk these are the bulk bagged ones in unflavoured, or here for flavoured Flavoured protein - Bulk supplies | myprotein.co.uk)

Have a quick peak here it's radicalry00's Sticky re: Training and diet for the beginner

To quote his thread:

Quote

6. Diet. Eat whole foods 90% of the time.

* Proteins. Meat, poultry, fish, whey, eggs, milk, …
* Carbs. Brown rice, oats, whole grain pasta, quinoa, …
* Veggies: Spinach, broccoli, tomato, salad, carrot, …
* Fruits. Banana, orange, apple, pineapple, peers, …
* Fats. Olive oil, fish oil, real butter, nuts, flax seeds, …


Eat More. You need food for energy and for muscle growth & recovery. More frequent meals also boosts your metabolism, helping fat loss.

* Eat Breakfast. Your body has been starved since you went to bed, eat protein.
* Eat Post Workout. Get proteins & carbs post workout to help muscle recovery & replenish energy stores.
* Eat Every 3 Hours. 6 meals/day. Gives your muscles a steady intake of protein, speeds up muscle repair & recovery, boosts your metabolism.

Get Protein. You need 1g protein per pound of body-weight daily to build & maintain muscle. That’s 160g of daily protein if you weigh 160lbs/72kg. Eat whole proteins with each meal.

* Red Meat. Ground round, steaks, deer, buffalo, …
* Poultry. Chicken breast, whole chicken, turkey, duck, …
* Fish. Tuna, salmon, sardines, mackerel, …
* Eggs. Eat the yolk, it’’s full of vitamins.
* Dairy. Milk, cottage cheese, yoghurt, whey.

Get Fats. Essential Fatty acids are vital for good health. Essential Fatty Acids are necessary fats that humans cannot make, and must be obtained through diet. EFAs are long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids derived from linolenic, linoleic, and oleic acids. Try and include the following into your diet:
Olive oil, fish oil, real butter, nuts, flax seeds.


7. Track Progress - Start a journal here at MP. Many people will guide you in what routines to follow and offer lots of motivation.

And that's about it. I've tried to keep it as brief and compact as I could. Hope it helps alot of beginners out. The best of luck with your diet / training goals.

Ryan.

Quote

Also newbies out there... take a look at the Sticky's at the top of this sub-forum

• How to build muscle : The Definitive guide
• And this one too... Useful diet links. Read before posting. ALL PREVIOUS STICKIES HERE
• And for body-buidling this sticky Useful bodybuilding links. Read before posting. ALL PREVIOUS STICKIES HERE

[LionHair]

kyle_d just had a though.. I'm the same height as you & I'm currently 11.5 stone wanna swap weights mate? LOL.... You'd look buff with your instant new gains, and I'd re-invent myself as a super-model

[kyle_d]

Hi mate, thanks for the reply.

You say whole foods are beter than MRPs but im thinking that taking a drink of one of those say once a day aswell as eating as much whole foods as possible would be a good thing because you can only fit so much whole food in your body especially when your small like me.

I'll take a look at the stickies thanks! I tried some Whey Protein shakes ages ago but didnt really see any changes but i didn't stick at it if im honest. Are they worth adding to my daily diet? Is it just a boost in protein?

Heres some more info on my goals etc..

http://forum.myprotein.co.uk/beginne...tml#post276416

[LionHair]

Quote

Hi mate, thanks for the reply.

You say whole foods are beter than MRPs [yup]but im thinking that taking a drink of one of those say once a day aswell as eating as much whole foods as possible would be a good thing because you can only fit so much whole food in your body especially when your small like me. [true maybe look to introduce snacks between meals, and something before bed too?]

I'll take a look at the stickies thanks! I tried some Whey Protein shakes ages ago but didnt really see any changes but i didn't stick at it if im honest. Are they worth adding to my daily diet? [they're a very useful add-on, not the main source of your calories/protein/food] Is it just a boost in protein? [yup!]

Heres some more info on my goals etc..

http://forum.myprotein.co.uk/beginne...tml#post276416

Whey/protein shakes in whichever shape form... are supplements, i.e. add-ons to your diet, they're there to help top-up, they should'nt be your main source of protein. There's no quick route to gaining, but you're in the right place to put your questions.

You'll get more answers during the daytime hours of the weekend... I reckon everyone's asleep now as Iwill be in a few mins. Check back every few days, and do a bump on your threads in case you don't get a reply mate.

It's possible to over eat too... even on a good diet balanced in nutrients for an individual's training goals... if the volume & quantity eaten is too much then a person will gain fat (it doesn't matter if it's only excess protein, or if it's too much sugar/fat... it'll still be too many calories & your body will store fat )

This is a good article I just found Build Muscle on a Budget: The 10 Cheapest Sources of Protein (from www.stronglifts.com)

See also...

Quote

StrongLifts.com’s 10 Nutrition Rules for Building Muscle, Losing Fat & Getting Stronger
Point no. secen says...
7. Eat Body-weight in lbs x 18kcal Daily. Fat is emergency storage for your body. If you don’t eat enough calories, your body holds fat & burns muscle. You need muscle to increase your metabolism. And you need food for energy.

Eat your body-weight in lbs x 18 kcal daily. BW x 16 if you need to lose fat. BW x 20 if you need to gain weight. Don’t worry, you’re eating healthy foods, not junk food, makes a difference. And you workout, you burn more calories.

Night-night for now...

[kyle_d]

Okay thanks for that mate, so as i should be taking in protein when i first wake up and also on a night taking a whey shake on a morning and night would be good? I'm just trying to work out when would be best to have it.

That list of 10 cheap protein sources is really good thanks for that mate! Here's a rough plan from that site:

Quote

Breakfast: 3 whole eggs with spinach
Snack: 200g cottage cheese with apple
Lunch: 1 can of tuna with bok choy
Snack: 500ml raw milk and banana
Post workout: 1 scoop whey with oats & 500ml milk
Dinner: 150g chicken breast with pasta & broccoli
Pre bed: 200g cottage cheese with berries & flax seeds

Where it says "3 whole eggs" it doesnt say how to cook them, i would like to know what would be the best way to consume eggs as i cant see fried eggs being the best way to be honest lol plus i dunno if i could eat 3 fried eggs every morning lol.

Are there any other plans like that i could have a look at or follow or can anyone recommend me one? If i got a couple i could try come up with something i could stick to and make my strict diet for say 6-8weeks but id like a bit of variety for different days or something but it would have to be on a budget.

I'd like someone to add when i should take any supplements and what/where i should get from e.g. whey, MRPs, recovery + anything else.

Also, i have a problem.. i work nights, and all i ever seem to take to eat are ham and cheese sandwiches! I can never think of what to take and always end up taking this plus its quick and easy to make i will also take loads of other snacks but never take any real food, i would like to learn some new things i could take that are easy to prepare before work and that would be alot better for me as i am seriously bored to death of ham now.

Night mate thanks for your posts so far!

[dope540]

check out the recipes for ideas in teh diet and nutrition section. try making protein flapjacks from my link, well tasty and handy for snacks.

mrps are good for if you cant get access to make your meals. i have them in my lectures.