Post: #1

I've been doing a cut/body recomposition for the past few weeks. The main thing I changed besides cutting calories is drastically upping my intake of protein. At first I did this by adding protein powder to everything liquid or mushy in my diet. It was certainly effective in terms of getting my protein intake up to 1 g/lb but it also started getting expensive.

So I broke it down:
Cost: $18/340 g ($53/kg) of powder (Whey Factors 100% Natural Whey Protein)
Protein/Cal: 16 g/80 Calories (26g/100 Calories)
$/g protein: $0.20/g

Non-fat Greek Yogurt on the other hand:
Cost: $2.05/6 oz ($12/kg)
Protein/Cal: 18g/100 Cal
$/g protein: $0.11/g

So for basically half the price and a relatively small increase in carbs I can get the same amount of protein. Now I just eat bowls and bowls on nonfat greek yogurt everyday and I don't get the weird stomach cramps that came with the protein powder.

Post: #2

But non-fat Greek Yogurt contains carbs. 7 grams of carbs per 170 gram portion.

Post: #3

Right, so I'm giving up 3g/100g of fat in the protein powder for 7g/100g carbs - which fits into my macros just fine.

Are you willing to pay $90 to avoid 70 grams of carbs?

Post: #4

I don't think the small amount of carbs matter, but whey protein is absorbed faster than the casein found in Greek yogurt. (I eat both.)

Post: #5

Just to be clear, my mental math shows you're paying ~24$/lbs for whey protein?

That is high. Or at least very high quality I should say. Or maybe that includes shipping and I don't know where you live.

I wouldnt say that it is fair to go and outright declare protein powders a scam when you can get perfectly good powders for half that price. Also, you can factor in convenience as powder doesn't have to be refridgerated.

Post: #6

I've got a sweet tooth so I usually get the vanilla flavoured full fat(11%) Greek yogurt. Shit is like candy lol, loaded with carbs and fat though but I'm bulking so it works out.

I usually get isoflex isonatural whey protein isolate @ $23 a pound. Nothing added just straight protein. Think it's 28g per 30g serving. Not really interested in the cheap flavoured shit, all seems to have sucralose/aspartame.

Post: #7

(08-16-2014 03:03 PM)Doctor Wrote:  Just to be clear, my mental math shows you're paying ~24$/lbs for whey protein?

That is high. Or at least very high quality I should say. Or maybe that includes shipping and I don't know where you live.

I wouldnt say that it is fair to go and outright declare protein powders a scam when you can get perfectly good powders for half that price. Also, you can factor in convenience as powder doesn't have to be refridgerated.

Good point on the convenience, I guess that's ultimately what people are paying for. In my situation I did not find it very convenient because of the time it took to mix it into things. I have a large fridge and my yogurt keeps for 3 weeks. In terms of pricing there's cheaper greek yogurt out there as well. I found some for as low as $3.63/lb which is still significantly cheaper than protein powder at half the price.

Post: #8

Just like the 'Carbo-loaded super wheatbix manly bars' in supermarkets, right next to some fruit-bars with twice the carbs and half the price.

Anyone else here walk into a gym store, packed full of pretty cylinders of protein powder, and think 'what is the actual difference between all of these?'.

I guess a store full of black cylinders with white text giving nutrient percentages, just wouldn't get much business. Bullshit sells. Schools should have at least one period a day called 'How Not To Be Stupid 101'.

I kind of want to find a protein powder called 'Wimpy Soft Dick Virgin 2.0 Peach Edition' in a pink tub with pictures of feminists on the front and nutrient percentages in block caps on the back, and bring it with me to the gym.

Post: #9

Strange thread. Why are you paying $24/lb for protein powder? A quick search on amazon.com shows Gaspari brand protein powder for ~$11/lb. If you want pure protein powder with no flavors (no thanks), you can get whey protein powder from truenutrition.com for $8/lb.

Post: #10

I'm curious on how well powdered protein is absorb as opposed to chicken, beef or fish. I would think protein powder your body wouldn't fully absorb.

Post: #11

Besides the other things that have already been mentioned, such as whey and casein being used differently by the body, most decent protein powders will contain a range of amino acids which are not found in greek yogurt.

Also, something is not a "scam" because there is a slightly cheaper option available.

(08-16-2014 03:12 PM)Ensam Wrote:  Good point on the convenience, I guess that's ultimately what people are paying for.

That's always been the point of protein powder.

Quote:In my situation I did not find it very convenient because of the time it took to mix it into things.

A decent whey isolate will mix with tap water in like 10 shakes of a shaker bottle. It also doesn't cause any stomach problems or bloating.

Post: #12

What would be the absolutely cheapest alternatives to protein powder?

Canned tune fish? Do they have these in EE or the Baltics?

Frozen chicken breasts?

Post: #13

At $3.63/lb the cheapest greek yogurt I could find easily online still beats $8/lb by a wide margin.

In terms of protein density it seems hard to do better than boneless/skinless chicken breasts (23% protein). Canned tuna is 19%. Probably depends a bit on your area which is cheaper.

I should add, greek yogurt isn't my only protein source, it's just what I use to make up the full 1g/lb (which is about 200g) when I don't get it from the rest of my diet.

Post: #14

1 lb, whey protein = $9.87 - http://truenutrition.com/p-947-whey-prot...milk.aspx?
15 servings/lb, @ 27.3g protein per serving, 15x27.3 = 409.5 g/lb
409 grams / $9.87 = $0.024 per gram

Which is cheaper, your greek yogurt or whey protein powder?

Post: #15

It is not a scam, as long as you view it for what it is, a meal replacement powder, and don't buy into the hype of the supplement industry and buy the expensive brands thinking they will make a difference.

Post: #16

(08-16-2014 05:03 PM)billbudsocket Wrote:  1 lb, whey protein = $9.87 - http://truenutrition.com/p-947-whey-prot...milk.aspx?
15 servings/lb, @ 27.3g protein per serving, 15x27.3 = 409.5 g/lb
409 grams / $9.87 = $0.024 per gram

Which is cheaper, your greek yogurt or whey protein powder?

The isolate stuff looks a lot better than the usual powders I've seen.

Post: #17

Not all protein powders are created equal anyhow. Most distributors spike their protein powders with shit amino acids that don't do anything. For this reason I'm inclined to agree with the OP in principle, that it oftentimes is a scam (though for different reasons).

If you're looking for quality protein, here's a chart courtesy of Jamie Lewis at Chaos and Pain. Shop wisely.



This is his safe for work site, so here's a link --
http://blog.chaosandpain.com/?p=126

Of course if you don't want to eat protein powders, you can always make chicken shakes.

Post: #18

(08-16-2014 05:03 PM)billbudsocket Wrote:  1 lb, whey protein = $9.87 - http://truenutrition.com/p-947-whey-prot...milk.aspx?
15 servings/lb, @ 27.3g protein per serving, 15x27.3 = 409.5 g/lb
409 grams / $9.87 = $0.024 per gram

Which is cheaper, your greek yogurt or whey protein powder?

How does that stuff taste? I know you linked to the unflavored option but there are some flavor upgrades. Just wondering if you had any thoughts. Thanks.

Post: #19

On his podcast MikeCF recommended the Gaspari protein powders - I've since gone through a couple of the 5lb bottles of the peanut butter (tastes awesome), and one vanilla (weird aftertaste - I'm not getting that flavor again). I like the Gaspari a lot more than the unflavored plain protein from truenutrition. It's more expensive but easier to take than the unflavored stuff.

Post: #20

Protein powder may be a scam, but not for the reason you suggest. Essentially you get what you pay for: A convenitent, condensed low carb form of protein.

I'm actually writing a blog post about why I hate most whey. I find that the whey is of poor quality, plus I have a mild lactose intolerance. I use vegan protein powders (not soy) and I have no issues with them. And they're actually cheaper then the optimum whey I used to buy.

Post: #21

Bro go full-fat Greek yogurt

Come on

Post: #22

I eat a shitload of plain Chobani, and I also eat a shitload of BSN Syntha-6.

Greek yogurt is exceptional. It's portable, easy to eat, and the protein is good quality. However, it gets boring after a while.

Today I tried to change it up, and I bought a ton of canned salmon. Turns out the brand I bought is full of bones and skin, so I'm gonna try to return it tomorrow.

If only everything were as convenient as protein powder.

If I could, I would eat tons more eggs, smoked salmon, lentils, grilled chicken, and tofu. However, that's just not an option for me, so I pay for protein powder.

Post: #23

Sardines you can eat the skin and bones without a problem.

Post: #24

Relevant:

Post: #25

I buy the Body Fortress 32oz can from Wal Mart for $18. It's pretty highly rated and easy on the wallet at about the cost of two drinks at a nightclub. 60g protein with 2 scoops. Not a bad deal at all.