Protein and the small stomache

[Niji]

I am female, 18 years old, 5'2" and 119 pounds. I have recently started working out a bit. I know that I won't see any progress without a good amount of protein in my diet. Now comes the problem. I have acid reflux disease, and although I am on medicine for it, the many many times I had bad heartburn before it was diagnosed has left me hating food. As a result, from not eating much, my stomache shrank and now I CANNOT eat much. My metabolism did adjust, so I was not left dangerously skinny, but I was left feeling weak and miserable. Hence my wish to improve my body. I'm not going for a HUGE look, just a bit of muscle.

I ordered some whey protein, but some of the people I chat with on IRC have said that shakes are not easy on the stomache. One said the taste alone (even if you put it in milk) can make you feel sick. I assume a chocolate shake would cover the bad taste better than vanilla, but chocolate isn't an option for me. Aside from the taste, how easy/hard on the stomache is whey protein really? Would it be best if I started out with less than a regular serving since I have such a small diet to begin with?

Also, I know you're supposed to drink water with protein, but would something like gatorade or tea work instead? I don't like water retention, and plain water seems to cause that more when I drink a bunch of it.

Advice appreciated!

[d-LiftStyles-b]

Water retention usually occurs due to dehydration. You will retain it at first, but in the long run if you keep drinking it your body will no longer see a need to store it and you will not only shed the weight but probubly feel like a million bucks in comparison. It totally depends what kind of whey you get. I like the isopure kind, chocolate of course although strawberry isnt bad at all. Designer whey is N-A-S-T-Y and so is optimum, lots of people rave about optimum but I found it hard to swallow. It wasnt the taste, I mean it didnt taste that bad, it could have been the texture, Im not sure, but it actually makes me gag. Pro-lab is ok too, although a little thick for my taste. I recommend avoiding any vanilla flavoured protien at all costs, its not really vanilla, its more like throw-up. Isopure (or Isopro) just tastes like brown cow and water. Im not sure how "heavy" it is, I get heart burn pretty easy too, mostly from foods with alot of sugar. I have never had heartburn from a protien shake. Try the little sample containers first that are like 10-15 bucks and see if its ok for you before you get stuck with a 5lb bucket of nastyness. If worst comes to worst, you can get unflavoured whey and customize it to what you need.

[Mrs.Fitness]

I had a horrible time trying to find a shake I could stomach..literally. The taste would make me gag. I got to the point that I was not willing to choke down this crap to loose weight...then I found American Whey. It really tastes like chocolate milk. They guaranteed my money back if I did not like it but I loved it!

Try the Chocolate, or classic vanilla!

[Cerbinator]

I havent met a protein I couldnt drink. If you dont like the flavor of it alone, add a banana. It helps, truse me. As for stomach, i dont think protein isnt any worse than other foods on the stomach.

[sillygirl]

Hee hee, I definitely agree with the banana thing...

[Niji]

Hrm well I had already ordered from APR (Advanced Pharmaceutical Research) but I can't find much info on that brand. It might be bad that I ordered vanilla since most people don't seem to like it (though I only saw vanilla and chocolate options when I ordered and I can't eat chocolate). But anyways, I opened it up and looked inside expecting to see a scoop since the directions say to use the scoop... but I didn't see one. Is it buried in the powder? Seems kind of unsanitary to have to rummage thru it.

Thanks for all the advice this far!

[d-LiftStyles-b]

LOL. yeah it should be buried. I know what you mean about sticking your fingers in it. Let us know what you think.

[leolady]

Tr Nectar by Syntrax in the Caribean Cooler flavor..this stuff is terrific, tastes like a Pina Colada, and absolutely no protein flavor at all. 23 grams protein, zero fat, zero carbs...only 90 calories....I love this stuff

[OneHotMama]

Vanilla is always a good flavor to have on hand because you can always add something to it to change the taste--a banana, a couple of strawberries, or some blueberries. I haven't tried this one yet, but you could also add some chunky peanut butter and some low-fat low-sugar butterscotch pudding mix to make a peanut brittle flavor!

Also, ProLab makes an Orange Vanilla Swirl flavor that tastes like a creamsicle. It is *really* yummy!

[Capricio]

Originally posted by Mrs.Fitness
I had a horrible time trying to find a shake I could stomach..literally. The taste would make me gag. I got to the point that I was not willing to choke down this crap to loose weight...then I found American Whey. It really tastes like chocolate milk. They guaranteed my money back if I did not like it but I loved it!

Try the Chocolate, or classic vanilla!

wow that smells like a muscletech ad

[helgatheviking]

peanut butter, cinnamon, vanilla extract and almond extract have all helped me cover the protein taste. imo the best way to drink a protein shake is blended with milk, ice and peanut butter, this works for both vanilla and chocolate flavors. this can make for a fairly large sized shake however. with your stomach you may need to cut the amounts of milk and ice down to something you can handle.

[Chameleon]

Originally posted by Mrs.Fitness
I had a horrible time trying to find a shake I could stomach..literally. The taste would make me gag. I got to the point that I was not willing to choke down this crap to loose weight...then I found American Whey. It really tastes like chocolate milk. They guaranteed my money back if I did not like it but I loved it!

Try the Chocolate, or classic vanilla!

I agree... I've tried a lot of different brands of protien powder and American Whey is definately the best tasting one I've found... I don't like most chocolate flavored whey... but the American Whey vanilla is yummy and it almost tastes creamy, which is unusual for a protien powder IMO... if you don't like it plain I've found that if you use frozen fruit you don't need to add ice and it tastes like a smoothy ;-)