cytogainer vs. whey

[wtfbbq]

Someone recommended Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey on this forum.

http://www.amazon.com/Optimum-...&qid=1249544397&sr=8-1

My RL friend recommended Cytogainer

http://www.amazon.com/CytoSpor...&qid=1249544489&sr=8-1

I lift 4 times a week, doing Starting Strength with some running and other stuff. I'm trying to eat 5-6 times a day, but usually around 3-4 times. I'm looking to add a protein drink (probably added to milk because I don't have a blender) to my diet, probably twice a day (one after lunch and one after workout??).

1. Is cytogainer worth it? It's got all this extra "stuff" in it. It's a little bit more expensive.
2. Is adding it to just milk fine, or should I invest in a blender and mix it with yogurt and fruit?
3. How long does a 6 pound tub last if I have 2 scoops a day?

thanks for the help, as usual!

 

[Kipper]

Basically cytogainer is a weight gainer with added sugar, a few extra aminos and maybe a multivitamin thrown in.

Stick with the whey, assuming you are not already hitting your protein "target." get your additional calories from food. If you are having trouble eating that much, pour olive oil...on everything, drink whole milk, etc.

A scoop is generally around an ounce (28.3 g), more or less. You do the math.

 

[TallBill]

If you're gonna only drink 2 scoops a day, don't bother with the Cytogainer. I drink 2-3 gainer shakes a day on top of thousands of other calories.

But I drink MHP Up Your Mass, better carbs. It's soy protein, but I eat plenty of other whole food protein every day.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: Kipper
Basically cytogainer is a weight gainer with added sugar, a few extra aminos and maybe a multivitamin thrown in.

Stick with the whey, assuming you are not already hitting your protein "target." get your additional calories from food. If you are having trouble eating that much, pour olive oil...on everything, drink whole milk, etc.

A scoop is generally around an ounce (28.3 g), more or less. You do the math.

Did... did you just say drink whole milk? I think I love you, Kipper. I have never in my days heard a nutritionist say such things. I'm proud of you

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

How about whey vs. hemp protein?

 

[crt1530]

Originally posted by: Kipper
Basically cytogainer is a weight gainer with added sugar, a few extra aminos and maybe a multivitamin thrown in.

Stick with the whey, assuming you are not already hitting your protein "target." get your additional calories from food. If you are having trouble eating that much, pour olive oil...on everything, drink whole milk, etc.

A scoop is generally around an ounce (28.3 g), more or less. You do the math.

This.

Weight gainers are full of cheap sugars to add calories and taste. Protein supplements should be used for convenience (e.g. breakfast shake when you're in a hurry, post exercise drink, etc.), not in place of whole foods. I buy protein by itself through TrueProtein.com.

If you want a great weight gainer, start with some oats, whey protein, and add anything else that tastes good to you (I like blueberries). Use the shake to down some fish oil pills, and you are good to go. 99% of the supplements out there are overpriced crap that isn't even good for you. Stick with the basics if you are interested in supplements: protein powder, creatine, fish oil, multivitamin. Spend your money on actual food.

 

[crt1530]

Originally posted by: wtfbbq
Someone recommended Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey on this forum.

http://www.amazon.com/Optimum-...&qid=1249544397&sr=8-1

My RL friend recommended Cytogainer

http://www.amazon.com/CytoSpor...&qid=1249544489&sr=8-1

I lift 4 times a week, doing Starting Strength with some running and other stuff. I'm trying to eat 5-6 times a day, but usually around 3-4 times. I'm looking to add a protein drink (probably added to milk because I don't have a blender) to my diet, probably twice a day (one after lunch and one after workout??).

1. Is cytogainer worth it? It's got all this extra "stuff" in it. It's a little bit more expensive.
2. Is adding it to just milk fine, or should I invest in a blender and mix it with yogurt and fruit?
3. How long does a 6 pound tub last if I have 2 scoops a day?

thanks for the help, as usual!

To answer your questions more directly:
1. No, Cytogainer is not worth it. If you are set on Optimum Nutrition, I'd recommend buying from Bodybuilding.com and pricematching the 10lb bag to Vitaglo ($70 w/ free shipping). If not, I'd recommend you buy from TrueProtein.com.
2. I recommend a blender or a MagicBullet. You will always have some clumps of dry protein powder if you try to mix it with a spoon. Particularly if you are mixing it in milk.
3. A 10lb bag of protein powder will last you 3+ months if you are using 2 scoops per day.

 

[Kipper]

Originally posted by: Gonad the Barbarian
How about whey vs. hemp protein?

If you are a vegan/vegetarian or have a milk allergy, it could be an alternative, but you want to bear in mind that the balance of amino acids within plant-based proteins is not as optimal as animal/fish-based sources - meaning it is best to diversify your plant protein sources to cover your bases. This means mix legumes/beans into the diet.

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Did... did you just say drink whole milk? I think I love you, Kipper. I have never in my days heard a nutritionist say such things. I'm proud of you

Context is everything. Getting radiation treatment for cancer? Drink whole. BMI of 60 and rising? Stick to skim. I'm not a robot...

 

[wtfbbq]

Originally posted by: crt1530

Originally posted by: wtfbbq
Someone recommended Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey on this forum.

http://www.amazon.com/Optimum-...&qid=1249544397&sr=8-1

My RL friend recommended Cytogainer

http://www.amazon.com/CytoSpor...&qid=1249544489&sr=8-1

I lift 4 times a week, doing Starting Strength with some running and other stuff. I'm trying to eat 5-6 times a day, but usually around 3-4 times. I'm looking to add a protein drink (probably added to milk because I don't have a blender) to my diet, probably twice a day (one after lunch and one after workout??).

1. Is cytogainer worth it? It's got all this extra "stuff" in it. It's a little bit more expensive.
2. Is adding it to just milk fine, or should I invest in a blender and mix it with yogurt and fruit?
3. How long does a 6 pound tub last if I have 2 scoops a day?

thanks for the help, as usual!

To answer your questions more directly:
1. No, Cytogainer is not worth it. If you are set on Optimum Nutrition, I'd recommend buying from Bodybuilding.com and pricematching the 10lb bag to Vitaglo ($70 w/ free shipping). If not, I'd recommend you buy from TrueProtein.com.
2. I recommend a blender or a MagicBullet. You will always have some clumps of dry protein powder if you try to mix it with a spoon. Particularly if you are mixing it in milk.
3. A 10lb bag of protein powder will last you 3+ months if you are using 2 scoops per day.

alright, thanks for the response everyone - I'll stick with whey.

few questions again:

1. I'm not set on Optimum Nutrition, are there any cheaper brands that are known to be quality?
2. Is 1 scoop per shake/drink standard? (I was just assuming that beforehand)

and damn, I don't think I can afford getting an extra blender just for this purpose I'll try to convince my roommate to buy one

edit: just reread the thread and I see that for #2, it just depends on my other amounts of protein intake.
edit2: damn I suck at reading comprehension. just went to trueprotein.com and saw that you were recommending that as an alternative to ON.

what's the difference between blend, concentrate, and isolate?

 

[TallBill]

Originally posted by: crt1530

Weight gainers are full of cheap sugars to add calories and taste.

Not all.. mine uses barley, oats and oat fiber for it's carbs.

 

[crt1530]

Originally posted by: wtfbbq
alright, thanks for the response everyone - I'll stick with whey.

few questions again:

1. I'm not set on Optimum Nutrition, are there any cheaper brands that are known to be quality?
2. Is 1 scoop per shake/drink standard? (I was just assuming that beforehand)

and damn, I don't think I can afford getting an extra blender just for this purpose I'll try to convince my roommate to buy one

edit: just reread the thread and I see that for #2, it just depends on my other amounts of protein intake.
edit2: damn I suck at reading comprehension. just went to trueprotein.com and saw that you were recommending that as an alternative to ON.

what's the difference between blend, concentrate, and isolate?

A shaker cup will also work pretty well. Definitely much better than a spoon. Blenders are a good thing to have, though.

On whey concentrate vs. isolate:

Whey is a dairy protein that is a by-product of the cheese making process. In its raw state, whey contains substantial amounts of fat and lactose (milk sugar). You wouldn?t want to eat raw whey. That?s why it is filtered and processed: to remove most of the lactose and fat. If you?ve ever heard of microfiltration or "ion exchange," those are simply methods of separating the fat and lactose from the protein. The end result is a more concentrated protein ? either concentrate or isolate (which is what you want). The primary difference between isolate and concentrate is that the isolate is more pure. In other words, isolate contains more protein with less fat and lactose per serving. Based on whose figures you go by, whey isolate usually contains between 90-94% protein while whey concentrate has a protein ratio of 70-85%. If you are lactose intolerant and you have problems with gas and bloating, then the isolate might be a better choice. But being more "pure" doesn?t necessarily mean tht whey isolate is better or will produce greater muscle growth. Whey protein concentrate is still an excellent source of protein. Besides, isolate does have disadvantages: For one, it is more expensive than concentrate. Isolate has also had some of the valuable immune-boosting protein subfractions such as alpha lactoglobulins and lactoferrins removed in the filtering process.

For example, the recession whey concentrate is 23g of protein per 30g serving. One of the whey isolates they sell has 27g of protein per 30g serving. That's 77% vs 90%. The WPI has ten fewer calories per serving. The blends are just a mixture of concentrate and isolate (and possibly other non-whey types of protein). I wouldn't bother with them. You either have a problem with lactose or you don't.

 

[crt1530]

Originally posted by: TallBill

Originally posted by: crt1530

Weight gainers are full of cheap sugars to add calories and taste.

Not all.. mine uses barley, oats and oat fiber for it's carbs.

Well, the vast majority are. I'd rather just buy the protein by itself and mix in whatever I want (oats, berries, fruit, etc.) instead of being locked in to one mixture. Not to mention the premium you are paying for having them premix that oat powder for you.

 

[wtfbbq]

what exactly is a shaker cup? is that just a closed top water bottle that you shake to mix up the powder? I was thinking of just using a thermos so I could premix the milk/powder and keep it cool throughout the day

 

[Kipper]

Originally posted by: wtfbbq
what exactly is a shaker cup? is that just a closed top water bottle that you shake to mix up the powder? I was thinking of just using a thermos so I could premix the milk/powder and keep it cool throughout the day

Make sure you can easily clean the inside of whatever you use. Protein powder poorly mixed or of the cheap kind that doesn't mix well tends to stick to the sides of the container, where it can coagulate and become notoriously difficult to remove. A shaker cup is a covered container, basically a lower-quality wide-mouthed water bottle.

 

[crt1530]

Originally posted by: wtfbbq
what exactly is a shaker cup? is that just a closed top water bottle that you shake to mix up the powder? I was thinking of just using a thermos so I could premix the milk/powder and keep it cool throughout the day

The shaker cup that I linked to has a plastic screen that fits inside and helps mix up the protein when you shake the water. If you want to carry the protein around during the day, I would put the scoops of protein in the shaker cup and then have water in another container or just get some from a sink or water fountain when you are ready to drink. Premixing the protein powder isn't the best idea. I would also recommend washing out the container immediately after you finish the drink.

 

[TallBill]

Originally posted by: crt1530

Originally posted by: TallBill

Originally posted by: crt1530

Weight gainers are full of cheap sugars to add calories and taste.

Not all.. mine uses barley, oats and oat fiber for it's carbs.

Well, the vast majority are. I'd rather just buy the protein by itself and mix in whatever I want (oats, berries, fruit, etc.) instead of being locked in to one mixture. Not to mention the premium you are paying for having them premix that oat powder for you.

I've run the numbers for cost of oat flour + whey and it was almost identical, plus my shake has BCAA's and EFA's added.

Trust me, I get what you're saying, but no time soon will I switch away from a premade shake.