Protein shakes? Which protein powder?

[BlueSkiesInItaly]

I'm peri menopausal, I need to lose weight. However, it has to be healthy.

When I had my DCs I was hospitalised with hyperemesis gravidarum and I still feel sick (and sometimes I am sick if I try to eat) in the mornings.

My gynae has suggested that I make protein shakes, bovine collagen as I can't eat marine collagen.

I don't want the kind of protein that men in the gym use to build them up!

What are the best powders? Do you know a good site for recipes?

Protein powder is basically just dried milk. It won’t build you up. You can get veggie and vegan protein powders, some derived from peas.

When you say you want to make protein shakes, do you mean using bovine collagen as the base?

I use whey based protein powder so if that’s what you want to use I can give you some ideas on how I use it.

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Yes please.

I need to lose weight, though I don't want to go to Weight Watchers/Slimming World or similar.

In the past I have found that I lose weight best by reducing carbs. However, I'm planning to make shakes with the protein powder and fruit/vegetables etc.

My plan is a protein shake at lunchtime and a home cooked meal for dinner.

Obviously, I am increasing my activity. I have had two operations in 18 months, so I can't exercise excessively (my consultant has told me this). The recovery from operations, lockdowns and peri menopause have been the things that caused the weight gain.

Recently I was told that I have osteoarthritis.

Now my gynae has said that I have to lose weight, but she said that I need to use protein and collagen.
As I say, I can't have marine collagen.

My emphasis has to be health as well as weight loss.

I need protein & collagen for peri menopause, dairy to keep my bones healthy and fruit/veg for vitamins and minerals. I am already prescribed iron and I take vitamins. I could do with Omega 3 but it is difficult to find a supplement that is only derived from white fish.

Btw I meant yes please, I could do with all the help I can get!

I'm t2 diabetic and really struggle to eat in the mornings but need to to be able to take my tablets so protein shakes work well for me. I mostly use Slimfast Vitality as they're vegan and low sugar - the blueberry burst one is really nice. You can stir it into fat free greek yogurt too with berries, that's a good breakfast and low carb. Otherwise I use Purition which are very wholefood based - higher in calories though as it's made from nuts/seeds. USN dietfuel is another good one, they're low sugar but I'm not sure about the collagen in them?

Whichever one you try, make sure it's not full of sugar as a lot of them are.

Protein powders don’t build you up or make you lose weight.
it is very hard for women to gain muscle- they have to work at it.
get a whey protein shake and look into getting your self in a calorie deficit.
collagen is not a complete protein btw.

I don't want the kind of protein that men in the gym use to build them up!

Errr - that's exactly what you're asking for...

Actual food protein (chicken, eggs, steak) plus lots of veg is going to be better, healthier and more sustainable than subsisting on protein shakes. Lots of herbs & spices to make it more interesting - but actual food will fill you up while having nothing but a protein shake will feel like you're depriving yourself - not a sustainable mindset. I do have shakes but as a supplement not a substitute fpr meals!

If you're ok with dairy then whey protein is what you want; you can get it at Holland & Barrett, online Bulk and MyProtein are better quality and better priced.

I'm not going to eat chicken, eggs, steak and veg for breakfast or lunch.
Though I will be eating then for dinner. In fact, that's exactly the kind of dinner I will be eating.

@LordEmsworth a friend of mine has an ex who used to take protein powders, maybe they had steroids in them or something? He started out as a kind, scrawny bloke and, in a very short time, became an angry one with no neck!
That's definitely not what I'm after.

@BigButtons I know that collagen is not a complete protein. I have been advised to take it as part of my shakes by my gynae. I'm already in a calorie deficit, I haven't got an appetite until the evening.

Unfortunately, I'm one of those women who doesn't have to work hard to build muscle, I was a sprinter and swimmer when I was younger. Sure, I trained for it, but I didn't need to do weights and gym work in the same way as my competitors did.

I'm going to walk for miles every day instead of running.
And do yoga and Pilates.

This is advised as one of my recent operations was a craniotomy. It is also the craniotomy which is the cause of the weight gain. Until recently I wasn't moving much. For a while I wasn't allowed to move at all.

To confuse things the gynae says protein shakes with collagen.
The orthopaedic surgeon says low fat dairy and the neurologist says no high impact or high intensity training.

Thank you @Badger1970, I'm sorry that you are diabetic, I know that it can be scary . Thank you for your suggestion. I don't want to go for vegan food as I need the calcium in dairy, otherwise that could have been ideal.

I'm not stupid, I have just had a rough couple of years and my mind isn't quite back to normal, I'm working on that too.

My BMI is 29. It's too big and I don't feel like me, I need to do something now before it gets even more out of hand.

The craniotomy didn't cause the weight gain, having to keep still and the start of peri menopause did.

I'm not overeating, I'm not eating badly.

I wasn't moving. Now that I can move I need to eat. My appetite is still absent.

You dont really seem to understand what protein is or what it does.

Good grief @LimboLass.
Would you like me to tell you what a protein is? I can use all of them science-ific words and that.

You don't know me, who I am, what I do, or what I know.

You do know that I want help choosing a protein powder containing bovine or vegan collagen, preferably with some digestible calcium, that I can add to a shake and eat (drink) during the day.

You also know that I have been advised to choose one that contains collagen.
That I will be using it as part of a controlled diet to help me lose weight as I start to move more again.

You know that I have recently diagnosed osteoporosis.
Protein will help with this.

If at this point that I am wilfully not explaining what a protein is, or how it works in the body, you would be correct.

If you can help me choose a powder, which contains what I need without having any added stuff e.g. steroids.

I will tell you all about proteins, amino acids, hormones, enzymes and

and how they can be used as an energy source by the body.

All I want is a recommendation for a good powder that supports health for menopausal women, possibly including some vitamins and minerals.
As long as none of it is derived from marine sources.

Thanks.

'they' meaning proteins.

I’ve also had neurological issues leading to prolonged immobility. It’s a long recovery. Well done for getting this far. I am not an expert on proteins, but I can tell you I didn’t enjoy Protein World & Garden of Life, probably down to the sweeteners they contain. These can be quite hidden in the ingredients, worth knowing if you don’t like sweet stuff as much as me. The Form Nutrition is one I’m looking at, it has a lot of good ingredients, unfortunately sweeteners too. I do find them to have a strange taste, I have to hold my breath and glug it down.

Have a look on the MyProtein website. They do lots of protein powders. I’m not aware of any with added collagen so maybe you could look for a separate collagen powder?

MyProtein do selection/sample packs which might be a good way to try out different flavours. I’d steer clear of ready made shakes as they would be uneconomical. MyProtein also do a clear whey powder that is more like a squash than milk shake.

If you do online grocery shopping, put ‘protein’ into the search engine and that might throw up powders in smaller quantities. My nearest Sainsbury sells powder in the aisle that does vitamins. PhD brand is supposed to be quite palatable.

I’ve currently got PE nutrition simply whey chocolate from Holland & Barrett but I don’t drink it as a shake. I make more of a smoothie in the blender with fruit and 0% Greek yoghurt. You can mix with yoghurt, spread on a baking sheet and make a frozen yoghurt bark. Also I use it to make protein pancakes by adding one scoop to a small mashed banana and beaten egg.

From the description of your friend’s husband, that sounds like steroids.

@smooththecat you have my full sympathies, head injuries are awful. Unless you have seen it or experienced it you cannot possibly know.
Mine was as a result of an accident, I went from a capable woman, with an excellent career to needing speech therapy.

Luckily I could walk quite quickly, I just wasn't allowed to!

Today I was trying to have a conversation with DH I was saying um, aargh, what is it? That thing outside with the wheels? DH: the car? Me: yes, that's what I meant.
FFS.

How are you now? I agree with you about sweeteners, they taste grim and some are potentially dangerous.

Thank you @Deux. That's exactly what I had got to: the My Protein website! I have bought additional collagen and a good multivitamin.

@Deux those are great ideas, and I will use them, thank you.

I agree, that my friend's former DH was probably taking steroids. As someone who has never purchased protein powders, and has had a rough time lately, I think that it is self-evident why I would want to avoid steroids! I have taken enough of them in recent months.

Pink sun whey. Grass fed, no gmo, no weird flavours. I do a scoop in 250mls oat milk, frozen blueberries, tsp chia or hemp seeds, tbsp peanut butter.

Sorry I see you want a vegan option 🙈

You can get a vegan omega 3 supplement. I can't recall its name but I got one from Holland and Barrett

a friend of mine has an ex who used to take protein powders, maybe they had steroids in them or something? He started out as a kind, scrawny bloke and, in a very short time, became an angry one with no neck!

As I said in my post, I use protein shakes - form My Protein no less - and I am neither angry, nor lacking a neck. Protein powders and steroids are different things, I'd be grateful if you would stop assuming that because I use protein shakes I am also on steroids.

I get my protein powder from the Protein Works website. I use one of their more basic ones, but they do powders with all sorts of added vitamins, minerals and other supplements as well.

I really don’t like the flavoured powders. They all taste incredibly artificial to me. So I buy unflavoured and turn it into a smoothie like one of the PP - a scoop of protein powder, 200 ml milk, a banana and 80 gram of frozen raspberries, blueberries or whatever other frozen fruit I have lying around.

Re Omega 3, not sure if this is suitable for your needs, but Healthspan do a vegan omega 3 supplement

Morning @Valhalla17 your first suggestion was right, I don't want vegan options.

@BlueSkiesInItaly many protein powders are quite high in calories so watch out for that.
I use a clear whey isolate from my protein which tastes like squash.
I also eat tonnes of protein rich foods. The shake supplements my diet if I haven’t got the appetite to meet my protein needs.
women in peri/ meno need a lot more protein than they did when they were younger .
I do resistance training to protect my bones and strengthen my muscles.

Thanks @BigButtons, that's helpful to know (can be high calorie), I'm going to check over the ones I have ordered now!
The point you make about women needing more protein during peri/menopause is what my gynae was trying to say to me, I think.

@CrimsonAlligator phew! I picked the unflavoured powders. I love the flavour of real fruit and vegetables, I like natural vanilla too but I didn't fancy the artificial one. Thank you, it's useful to know that the flavoured ones are best avoided - because you know I would have tried the flavoured ones next time, don't you?