Can I gain muscle with only whey?

[David77]

I would like to use mostly whey for my protein source. I will have the occasional steak, fish, eggs, etc. I also eat chicken several times a week, but the bulk of it will be from powdered whey.

Thoughts?

[LiL USMC BBer]

no... what? no..

why? are you trying to save money? Going through that much powder a day its probably even more expensive then regular food. Getting all the protein powder you need a day everdyay from whey you'll kill tubs quickly.

One can of tuna fish is 30+G of protein and costs what... 50 cents? A bag of chicken is like 5 or 6 bucks and has like 30G of protein per breast...a can of beans is like 40 cents? and has a good 40g of carbs...

may I ask why your relying on protein powder for the bulk of your protein intake? inparticular why whey? atleast cassein powder.. and even that isn't sufficient..

[Sadao]

You need meat everyday man.

and he's probably trying to save time.

[tweaked17]

it's unhealthy - you're starving yourself of nutrients. don't tell me you'll take a multivitamin either, because you need fiber, fats and other essential stuff that you can really only get from food sources. it's been attempted before, why don't you search for it? people ask that question all the time, as if no one has ever entertained the thought before them.

[David77]

it's unhealthy - you're starving yourself of nutrients. don't tell me you'll take a multivitamin either, because you need fiber, fats and other essential stuff that you can really only get from food sources. it's been attempted before, why don't you search for it? people ask that question all the time, as if no one has ever entertained the thought before them.

I didn't mean whey and no other food. I'll eat food for the carbs and fat sources.

I want to do it to save time and money, and chicken breasts get old fast, and tuna gets old even faster.

I will still get meat everyday as that's what I eat for dinner.

[tweaked17]

one "real" protein source still isn't good enough. whey passes through your system too fast. you want slow-digesting protein and sustained release of aminos ALL DAY.

not to mention, because whey is digested so fast, your body tends to think it has more available than it does, so to speak, and as soon as it uses the aminos it needs, the rest of the peptides are sent to the liver to be converted to sugar.

it's not gonna work.

[livinonlava]

one "real" protein source still isn't good enough. whey passes through your system too fast. you want slow-digesting protein and sustained release of aminos ALL DAY.

not to mention, because whey is digested so fast, your body tends to think it has more available than it does, so to speak, and as soon as it uses the aminos it needs, the rest of the peptides are sent to the liver to be converted to sugar.

it's not gonna work.

Agree totally. Whey is beneficial because it is absorbed/processed so quickly. However, you need a sustained protein source to feed your body throughout the day. Always vary protein sources, even with your food. Don't just eat chicken. Lean red meat has a different amino profile as do eggs and also fish. Think balance. The cost is not much different, and time-saving is just not a good enough answer.

[wuzzo87]

Just remember that protein/whey shakes = SUPPLEMENTS ...
Like the label on every tub says...

[miilkbone]

Tweaked knows he's talkin bout. It sounds to me like you want overnight muscles, yeah well fat people want the miracle skinny pill too. Anything worth having is worth workin for. Tale the time and sacrifice to build you body right.

[Cyclops]

Muscle is:

70% water
22% PROTEIN
6% lipids
2% inorganic material

Don't believe all the hysteria that's spread on here about building muscle. It isn't rocket science.

[creativedesignz]

I didn't mean whey and no other food. I'll eat food for the carbs and fat sources.

I want to do it to save time and money, and chicken breasts get old fast, and tuna gets old even faster.

I will still get meat everyday as that's what I eat for dinner.

Drinking 4 shakes of whey a day gets old fast too. theres no easy way to build muscle, do it right or dont do it, thats how i think of things. Get your diet up to par eating 6 small meals a day isnt bad im a college student with a full time job and i still find time to do it all. its a lifestyle change but i guarantee you will love how you feel after a few weeks of diet change.

[David77]

Drinking 4 shakes of whey a day gets old fast too. theres no easy way to build muscle, do it right or dont do it, thats how i think of things. Get your diet up to par eating 6 small meals a day isnt bad im a college student with a full time job and i still find time to do it all. its a lifestyle change but i guarantee you will love how you feel after a few weeks of diet change.

Yeah shakes get old, but at least I don't have to prep anything.

I've been lifting for years so I'm not a complete novice. In the past I've had a perfect bodybuilding diet, but I got sick of it.

Thanks for the replies guys. Reps to the helpful ones.

[SolidSnake84]

to me, whey is so fast-acting that the only time's it is beneficial are post workout and MAYBE first thing in the morning when your body needs a quick hit of nutrients and protein b/c of no food all night. if youre taking a lot of whey shakes, they pass through your system much more quickly and you will feel hungry more often. you need the nutrients/vitamins in real foods to absorb all the protein and get optimum growth. a ton of protein is also pointless if youre not lifting.

it sounds to me like u are lifting and that you are eating some good foods. just remember, like they said, to vary your sources. one thing i really enjoy is drinking milk with a lot of meals. it is much slower acting and keeps you in a fairly constant anabolic state, and it keeps you kinda full too.

some other good protein sources are

eggs
milk
tuna
salmon
red meat
chicken
tilapia (really any fish)
steak
beans (kidney beans are my favorite)..i like to mix these with some brown rice.
almonds--good source of fat and little bit of protein

dont forget to get efa's in and lotta water.

[xer0xed]

You can build muscle with only whey. It would work better though if you also had some Casein. There are some types of protein powder that have both.

[JRX]

Also helps if your in a calorie surplus!

One item doesnt make a diet.

One meal choice will not make or break you.

Have to look at the bigger picture.

Whole diet is key!

[xer0xed]

Also helps if your in a calorie surplus!

One item doesnt make a diet.

One meal choice will not make or break you.

Have to look at the bigger picture.

Whole diet is key!

Yep. Good advice here.

Consume above your RMR (can be calculated here: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/calrmr.htm), and you should probably factor the calories burned from weight training in.

[Cheetah]

If you can gain muscle without any supp...i'm sure you can do it with only whey

[burgerboy]

I would like to use mostly whey for my protein source. I will have the occasional steak, fish, eggs, etc. I also eat chicken several times a week, but the bulk of it will be from powdered whey.

Thoughts?

no whey

eat burgers

[IraHays]

Also helps if your in a calorie surplus!

Amen! THat is the NUMBER 1 important factor, 2 bust your arse in the gym, all other factors are FAR behind.

[best regards]

david, this is a very interesting question and there is no obvious answer. such as "it's called a supplement". because theres no real reason behind that. so what if its a supplement if theres no scientific reason why you cant build muscle off it then why not. but unfortunately whoever said it digests too quickly is right. you can drink one shake a day in the morning. theres also casein and egg protein shakes. so theres 3 meals worth of protein. and then try to get the rest from regular food because too much of anything isnt good. also, like others were saying, make sure you eat lots of other foods to get fats, micronutrients, and carbs which are equally important for muscle-building. lots of peanut butter and brown rice-type foods outta do the trick. regards.

[David77]

Also helps if your in a calorie surplus!

No doubt man, that's a given.

BTW I always throw in some casein with my whey. I didn't mean to say whey only, just powdered protein in general.

[tweaked17]

No doubt man, that's a given.

BTW I always throw in some casein with my whey. I didn't mean to say whey only, just powdered protein in general.

if you plan on getting a lot of protein from powder, go with a blended protein - either buy one, or mix one yourself at that site we're not allowed to talk about

casein + whey + flavor 1

egg + whey + flavor 2

egg + casein + fat + flavor 3

for example.. alternate them depending on what's appropriate.

[David77]

if you plan on getting a lot of protein from powder, go with a blended protein - either buy one, or mix one yourself at that site we're not allowed to talk about

casein + whey + flavor 1

egg + whey + flavor 2

egg + casein + fat + flavor 3

for example.. alternate them depending on what's appropriate.

Oh you mean www.trueprotein.com? Yeah that's a good place to get custom blends.

[burgerboy]

Oh you mean www.trueprotein.com? Yeah that's a good place to get custom blends.

oh my, bypassing the censors. creative...

[Ruffian]

um where are you guys getting these 50 cent cans of tuna from...in vancouver there 3$+ for a can of tuna, mostly 3:50$ on average =/

[stealth_swimmer]

I didn't mean whey and no other food. I'll eat food for the carbs and fat sources.

I want to do it to save time and money, and chicken breasts get old fast, and tuna gets old even faster.

I will still get meat everyday as that's what I eat for dinner.

It would actually be better if you ate whole foods only and didn't take whey. Whey is only a supplement.

[jwnugget]

How come everyone talks about tuna, and never sardines? Are they not just as good?