HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH

There’s nothing magical about protein. While it’s harder for your body to store excess calories from protein than from dietary fat or even carbs, if you consume too many total calories you will gain body fat.

Most of the people on this site recommend between 1 and 1.5 grams of protein (this includes all the protein that you eat or drink) for every pound of bodyweight, everyday.

Based upon your 130 lb bodyweight, that’s about 130-195 grams of protein daily

I've read things before that say it's best to get protein from real food and keep the shakes to a minimum but that makes little sense to me. Once your food or shakes are broken down and absorbed, protein is protein. If I'm on the go and need a certain amount of protein, guess which route I'm going to go? For my weight (220 LBS) I'll need as much as 415 grams of protein daily and shakes definitely help with that.

Honestly, I think you're looking into it too much. Keep your protein high and your carbs moderate, plain and simple. 4 shakes a day is not going to be bad for you.

Danny,

There are both advantages and disadvantages to getting your protein from shakes.

First the advantages…

Convenience – you’d be hard-pressed to find an easier to make, lean, high-protein meal than a protein shake

Speed – because they’re already in liquid form, protein shakes get into your system faster than solid foods. This is a great quality for hard-gainers who have difficulty eating enough solid food to gain or maintain bodyweight/mass. It also makes protein shakes ideal for pre- and post-workout nutrition when you want to get the amino acids into your system as quickly as possible.

Control – unlike high protein foods like beef, fish, pork, poultry, etc., it’s easier to control the portion sizes (and, thus, the calories, fat, sat fat, and cholesterol levels) of protein shakes. Just add 1-2 scoops (or packets), mix, and drink. No need to get out the scale and weigh your portions or calculate the amount of energy and nutrients your meal provides.

Cost – in many cases, protein shakes end up being more economical than high protein foods. If you shop aggressively, you can often find 5 lbs of good quality whey protein for under $0.50 a serving. Hard to get Micky D’s for that price.

The main disadvantage of protein shakes (for non-hard gainers anyway) is that they’re generally not as filling as solid protein foods. Some protein shakes have added fiber that helps. But the fact is, I’ve yet to try a protein shake that’ll hold me over as long as solid food.

If you’re trying to shed some weight, but like the convenience, speed, control, and cost benefits of protein shakes, try combining your protein powder with whole foods (e.g., have a protein shake with 2 slices of whole grain toast, add 1-2 scoops of whey or casein protein to your oatmeal, or toss some peanut butter or yogurt into your shake)

PM- Nice breakdown. But, my main point was that once your food or shakes are broken down, protein is protein. Just like fat is fat and carbs are carbs. Shakes of course do have their pluses and minuses, just like anything. But, your muscles don't know or care where the fuel comes from, just as long as it's delivered properly and healthfully.

Also, with the negative you mentioned of shakes not filling you up, it makes perfect sense. Like you noted, anything liquid is quicker to digest than anything solid. For me personally, the convenience and ease of consumption with shakes out weigh the "hunger" factor.

Like Jeremy mentioned, some people develop stomach issues with shakes but I never have. It's been my experiences that most people have their issues with straight whey. If that's the case, I'd try using something like pro complex or nitro core.

Absolutely Danny. I was focusing on the physical state of the protein (solid vs. liquid). Once they get broken down in the gut, the amino acids are all the same -- assuming you're comparing the same type of protein (i.e., 5-6 egg whites = a scoop of egg protein powder).

Good point about the bloating and gas, Korj. Like Danny, I don’t really have any serious problems with protein shakes. But, if I drink too much of any liquid, I get that bloated feeling. To help overcome this, I try to consolidate (stack) some of my shakes/ingredients (e.g., rather than drink separate beta-alanine, creatine, BCAA, glutamine, protein, carbs, etc. shakes, I’ll toss everything into the blender or shaker and drink one potent post-workout recovery shake).

BTW - Korj, whatever happened to your protein and ice cream combination? Are you still eating this before bed, or are you just down to a serving of 2:1:1 Recovery now?

I have 3-4 solid food meals and 2-3 shakes per day