[Rahul Bhalgat]

Originally Posted by nirmaljusdoit

A lot of whey protein powders available in the market are sadly fakes. The ones which are original also contain a lot of synthetic additives which will wreck havoc long term on the body. Kidney and liver damage is the long term effects of having these concoctions.

I would suggest your son to have a protein rich diet from veg and non veg sources. Red meat, fish and eggs are much safer and effective.

Thank you for the insights.

We are pure vegetarian. Hence the dietitian suggested the protein powder.

We certainly want to avoid any products containing the synthetic additives. Aren't there any products not containing these?

The dietitian suggested Pentasure from Hexagon Nutrition.

[nirmaljusdoit]

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

Thank you for the insights.

We are pure vegetarian. Hence the dietitian suggested the protein powder.
.

Vegetarian sources of proteins are Panneer, Tofu, Hemp, lentils, milk,cheese, yoghurt, chia seeds, Nuts, Quinoa, Hummus etc. There is no need to introduce your son to whey protein. Stay natural, will give the best results.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Any folks here into resistance band training? Man it’s like I have discovered a whole new world out there! I don’t think I will ever go back to weights!


The best part is I can carry all of them when I travel. I love it!

I can’t say I’m “into” them since I’m not that much into gym work per se but yes, I have used them quite extensively and they are very effective for most strength training along with other functional workouts. Off late though I have started using some basic kettlebells and dumbbells but I’m very comfortable switching around with bands as needed. Have used those much longer.

And yes, ease of travel (along with its a skipping rope) is a huge plus. I can’t count how many workouts I’ve done over the years out of a hotel room while traveling with just a skipping rope and resistance bands.

[harry10]

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

Thank you for the insights.

We are pure vegetarian. Hence the dietitian suggested the protein powder.

We certainly want to avoid any products containing the synthetic additives. Aren't there any products not containing these?

The dietitian suggested Pentasure from Hexagon Nutrition.

Too early for him to get into whey protein. Ask him to get his protein from natural sources and workout for atleast 2-3 years. Then as per his goals he can consider getting into whey protein.

For now the only supplement I will consider him to take is Creatine monohydrate. It's completely safe without any side effects and does help with strength training. Plus for health benefits he can take a Multivitamin and Omega 3.

[Rahul Bhalgat]

Originally Posted by harry10

Too early for him to get into whey protein. Ask him to get his protein from natural sources and workout for atleast 2-3 years. Then as per his goals he can consider getting into whey protein.

For now the only supplement I will consider him to take is Creatine monohydrate. It's completely safe without any side effects and does help with strength training. Plus for health benefits he can take a Multivitamin and Omega 3.

Thank you for the advice.

His goal right now is only to gain some weight in a healthy manner. At the age of 16 and with a height of 167 cm, he weighs 40 kg right now. Even for a BMI of 18, he shall weigh 50 kg for this height.

He is doing exercises at home (stretching, flexing, push ups, sit ups, Surya namaskar etc.). Diet plan also has been given by the dietitian. As a part of the plan, he has been advised to take milk with protein powder and dry dates' powder, twice a day.

Will substituting the Whey Protein by Creatine Monohydrate help him to gain weight healthily?

[harry10]

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

Thank you for the advice.

His goal right now is only to gain some weight in a healthy manner. At the age of 16 and with a height of 167 cm, he weighs 40 kg right now. Even for a BMI of 18, he shall weigh 50 kg for this height.

Will substituting the Whey Protein by Creatine Monohydrate help him to gain weight healthily?

Whey protein won't help in gaining weight. It's the weight gainer supplement which does that. I won't recommend a weight gainer at all as I had myself experienced it in my teenage days which wasn't a good one. Creatine will help if he is lifting weights. If he isn't then no need to take that too.

Just encourage him to increase his diet and gain weight naturally. At 16 years there is no need to get into supplements.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

We are pure vegetarian. Hence the dietitian suggested the protein powder. The dietitian suggested Pentasure from Hexagon Nutrition.

Rahul, I am surmising you took your son to a properly qualified dietitian who gave you certain advice after meeting your son, going over his issues and then deciding a certain path to be followed.

You are diluting/negating the advice of a qualified dietitian (assuming so since you mention it) by asking the same thing here. It’s important to note that no one here has spoken with your son or knows the real reason for the dietitian recommendation. I feel you should follow what a qualified dietitian has charted after a clear understanding of your sons history.

Please dear members, do not take my comments above as demeaning the good hearted advice given by many. It’s driven by the fact that professional dietitian advice should be followed over a single point question of protein. I am sure he (the dietitian) must have thought about and recommended something for Rahul’s son based on his individual requirements.

Of course, your son and your choice Rahul. Just mentioning my point of view.

Cheers

[gt_mustang]

i am looking forward to getting back to the gym after a 6 year hiatus.

i have always been a gym and body building addict since i finished my 12th. ( i worked out for 14 years )

in 2015 i had extreme pain in my arms and was diagnosed with cervical slip discs.
it was a major blow to me and it took me several years to regain the confidence / strength to get back .

can anyone guide me or point me to an experienced coach to restart my journey.
i know there are several exercises that i cannot and must not do.

what i really need is support from the members here who have gone through a similar experience and gotten back. also if someone is taking guidance from a certified and experienced coach please connect me with him so i can start getting fit again.

[Rahul Bhalgat]

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

Hi everyone,

My son (age 16, weight 40 kg) has been suggested to take Whey Protein twice a day along with the properly planned diet. This is for him to gain weight and maintain health.

My dilemma:

All whey protein powders claim to have a certain % of protein. But how shall we know whether these really contain this much protein or not?

Which makes are trustable regarding the protein content?

Originally Posted by Cyborg

Rahul, I am surmising you took your son to a properly qualified dietitian who gave you certain advice after meeting your son, going over his issues and then deciding a certain path to be followed.

You are diluting/negating the advice of a qualified dietitian (assuming so since you mention it) by asking the same thing here. It’s important to note that no one here has spoken with your son or knows the real reason for the dietitian recommendation. I feel you should follow what a qualified dietitian has charted after a clear understanding of your sons history.

Appreciate your opinion.

I do not intend diluting/negating the advice of my qualified dietitian. She is indeed a qualified dietitian with long experience. Not the kind of personal trainers who themselves sell some product.

If you read my original query stated above, you will come to know what am I asking for.

I am waiting for the other members to share their own actual experiences about quality and trustability of various brands.

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

Hi everyone,
My son (age 16, weight 40 kg) has been suggested to take Whey Protein twice a day along with the properly planned diet. This is for him to gain weight and maintain health.

My dilemma:

All whey protein powders claim to have a certain % of protein. But how shall we know whether these really contain this much protein or not?

Which makes are trustable regarding the protein content?

There is no guarantee that the % proteins marketed is actually present in the supplement.
You would need to get it tested from independent lab.

However, the more fundamental point is that you don't require huge amounts of proteins to grow. Not that I am discouraging it, but greater drivers for any mass growth are Carbs and Fats.

Babies undergo fastest growth during first year and all they require is milk.
Sumo wrestlers are some of the heaviest people on earth and they mostly consume carbs in their diet.
Akhada wrestlers are also known to use carbs and fats (dry fruits, ghee laden savories, etc) to gain weight rapidly.

The dietitian suggested Pentasure from Hexagon Nutrition.

Pentasure is 20% Protein, 55% Carbohydrates, 15% Fats
Typical Milk powder is 25% Protein, 40% Carbohydrates, 25% Fats

Might as well buy milk power.

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

Thank you for the advice.

His goal right now is only to gain some weight in a healthy manner. At the age of 16 and with a height of 167 cm, he weighs 40 kg right now. Even for a BMI of 18, he shall weigh 50 kg for this height.

He is doing exercises at home (stretching, flexing, push ups, sit ups, Surya namaskar etc.). Diet plan also has been given by the dietitian. As a part of the plan, he has been advised to take milk with protein powder and dry dates' powder, twice a day.

Will substituting the Whey Protein by Creatine Monohydrate help him to gain weight healthily?

Creatine monohydrate will do zilch for weight gain, all it does it add water to your body, which you lose as soon as you stop using creatine.

***

Since your son's height appears normal there can only be two reasons for his "less weight":
1) He doesn't eat as much as required for growth
2) He has very fast metabolism (naturally low TSH and high T3, T4 levels)

In both the cases your aim should be to stuff as many calories as humanly possible while avoiding sugary stuff.
No need to fret over proteins, whey, creatine etc.
One of the best way would be to add copious amount of ghee in every food; and if you feel there is a protein deficit then please indulge in paneer.

Increase the serving size - rice, rotis, veggies, stuff.

[WanderinNomad]

I am slowly easing into my fitness jouney, a goal which I wanted to pursue for a long time. Some extra time during lockdown and gaining some new education towards fitness made me take some action.

I am 31 year old, 75kg and 5'8" height and 30% body fat ( approximately) I will attach my current pictures below and experienced forum members can guide me further regarding my approximate body fate %age. Obviously, my primary aim is to reduce body fat.

I have recently started following the below mentioned channels and I find their science backed approach to fitness quite convincing. Their approach makes this journey easy, measurable and sustainable over long run.






So in the past 20 days, I have slowly taken the following action steps:

1 I have taken out my maintenance calories which were around 2100 kcal and post applying a calorie deficit of 25%, arrived at a goal of 1600 Kcal per day
2 My protein intake requirement comes to be about 140gms/day
3 For the past 20 days I have been tracking my macros intake using a kitchen scale and healthify me application
4 Have started tracking my wieght daily, my body measurements and pictures every 15 days
5 I have arranged a pair of adjustable dumbbells with 2/4 kg wieghts. Plan to add further wieghts .
6 I started taking whey concentrate but stopped it after 9 days because of the reasons mentioned below.

All the above are going on fine and I would love opinions about my approach from experienced members.

The first few problems I am facing in my 20 day journey are the following and I would be highly grateful if experienced forum members can be of help:

1 My daily protien intake from natural foods ( including non vegetarian ) ranges somewhere between 50-100 gms. To reach my requirement of at least 135gm protien I started taking whey protein concentrate unflavoured but stopped it in just 9 days when I experienced increased hairfall.
There is a huge debate on this topic hence, I am attaching a doctor's video on this topic. The doctor in this video has solid credentials and is the only Indian doctor which makes into the list of top hair transplant surgeons in the World. I have a genetic predisposition towards male pattern baldness and have been slowly balding since my early 20's. The progression is controlled and I would definitely not like to take any chances.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D18u...lingBudsClinic

For the people who do not want to watch the video I will summarise the same in points
- people who have male pattern baldness should avoid whey protien supplements as per doctor's experience
- The factors which aggravate male pattern baldness are creatinine, growth hormones givent to cows in dairy industry,DHEA, steroids given to cows to increase milk yield.
- studies have been done on this topic some certify this fact, some inconclusive and others are fuelled by supplement companies.
- The doctor recommends people who are genetically predisposed to balding to stay away from whey protien powders and meet their protien intake with natural foods only. - If they really need to take any protien poweder, stick to vegan organic sources.

So, for the past week I have tried to reach 135gms protien intake with natural diet but the best I could do was 100gms and on most days it was close to 75gms . I do not think taking 135gms of protein is sustainable for me in the long term. Hence I would like to add an organic vegan protien powder to my regimen. Since I am apprehensive about the hair loss aspect of supplement I would like a natural, clean suppliment from a reputed company. What should I go for?

2 Can experienced guys approximate my body weight percentage from the below pictures. I have estimated it to be 30%. Am I correct? Body weight percentage is important since it will help me determine my calorie intake.






3) Can anyone guide my towards a beginner oriented dumbbell only workout. I plan to join a gym post the lockdown till then I am following the below routine 3 times a day for full body training but I have taken it from a random android app and I am not sure about the same.

[Rahul Bhalgat]

Originally Posted by alpha1

There is no guarantee that the % proteins marketed is actually present in the supplement.
You would need to get it tested from independent lab.

This is why I had requested the members to share their actual experiences about the protein powde quality / results and long term effects.

There are a number of replies to my post and these contain genuine advice by the members. I will definately discuss with dietitian about "no need for whey protein". However no members have shared their actual experiences; positive or otherwise. Probably noone has taken the protein powder for 3 to 6 months at a stretch. Maybe for most of us, the story of protein powder ends like new year resolution of morning walk. And maybe the protein powder manufacturers take an advantage of this, in respect of the accountability.

Originally Posted by alpha1

However, the more fundamental point is that you don't require huge amounts of proteins to grow. Not that I am discouraging it, but greater drivers for any mass growth are Carbs and Fats. Akhada wrestlers are also known to use carbs and fats (dry fruits, ghee laden savories, etc) to gain weight rapidly.

Obviously, the dietitian is trying for a balance of fat mass and muscle mass. As we all know, only carbs and fats will only increase the fats in the body.

Originally Posted by alpha1

Pentasure is 20% Protein, 55% Carbohydrates, 15% Fats
Typical Milk powder is 25% Protein, 40% Carbohydrates, 25% Fats

Might as well buy milk power.

Pentasure also offers a protein powder having 43g protein per 100g powder.

Originally Posted by alpha1

Creatine monohydrate will do zilch for weight gain, all it does it add water to your body, which you lose as soon as you stop using creatine.

Understood. And the dietitian hasn't prescribed it too. My question on the advice of Creatine Monohydrate was to know about the reasoning behind the advice.

Originally Posted by alpha1

Since your son's height appears normal there can only be two reasons for his "less weight":
1) He doesn't eat as much as required for growth
2) He has very fast metabolism (naturally low TSH and high T3, T4 levels)

As per his observation, his intake is more or less same compared to his peers. And according to the dietitian, eating more or less has limited effect. Before going to the dietitian, we had consulted a doctor, who got the fecal fat test done. The test confirmed that the fats aren't getting lost through the stools.

And T3, T4, TSH are within normal limits.

Originally Posted by alpha1

One of the best way would be to add copious amount of ghee in every food; and if you feel there is a protein deficit then please indulge in paneer.

Increase the serving size - rice, rotis, veggies, stuff.

We use home made ghee in good quantity. The dietitian appreciated ghee but advised against consuming more ghee than required.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

The dietitian suggested Pentasure from Hexagon Nutrition.

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

Appreciate your opinion.

I do not intend diluting/negating the advice of my qualified dietitian. She is indeed a qualified dietitian with long experience. Not the kind of personal trainers who themselves sell some product.

I am waiting for the other members to share their own actual experiences about quality and trustability of various brands.

The reason for my post was because (If I am reading your first post quoted above correctly) your dietitian had already suggested “Pentasure from Hexagon Nutrition”.

As mentioned before, your call entirely. Nothing further to add from my side.

All the best.

Cheers

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by Cyborg

You are diluting/negating the advice of a qualified dietitian (assuming so since you mention it) by asking the same thing here. It’s important to note that no one here has spoken with your son or knows the real reason for the dietitian recommendation. I feel you should follow what a qualified dietitian has charted after a clear understanding of your sons history.

While this is a valid point, what I have seen is that most dietitians follow old-school theories which have been challenged by the latest studies. For example, they still suggest replacing rice with wheat for diabetics patients, but we now know that wheat is equally bad, if not worse than rice. So, there is no harm in asking around and learning from other's experiences.

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

I am waiting for the other members to share their own actual experiences about the quality and trustability of various brands.

Being a vegetarian, I too have been drawn to protein supplements. The main concern is that there are a ton of fakes floating around, even with big brand products. So your first hurdle would be to find a trusted dealer in your area. Or, stock up on products from abroad if you travel or can have someone carry them for you. But the second option is pretty much ruled out in the current pandemic situation.

Whether a 16-year-old needs supplements is something that I will leave the experts to comment on. But what I can tell is that protein supplements without proper exercise will do more harm than good. Only you know your son's activity levels, so you are the best to decide. But I suggest you take a qualified doctor's opinion as well.

And instead of just protein powder with milk, there are many recipes of high-calorie shakes available on the net and body-building books like the one by Arnold. Find something that your son likes. Since you are focussing on weight gain, some ice cream is also a tasty addition

Originally Posted by alpha1

In both the cases your aim should be to stuff as many calories as humanly possible while avoiding sugary stuff.
No need to fret over proteins, whey, creatine etc.
One of the best way would be to add copious amount of ghee in every food; and if you feel there is a protein deficit then please indulge in paneer.

Increase the serving size - rice, rotis, veggies, stuff.

Just stuffing calories without taking into account the other parameters is not right. Also, just avoiding sugar and not caring about other fats is again an issue. Quality of diet also matters, not just quantity.

Being from a vegetarian family, my parents also used to get all these kinds of advice and force me to drink milk, etc. But nobody realized that I have a low tolerance to lactose and I used to suffer from related gastric issues a lot. So, please stop blindly suggesting a heavy diary-based diet whenever someone says they are a vegetarian.

PS: Whether diary is really required or not is a topic in itself and let's not get into that here.

[faithless_1984]

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

This is why I had requested the members to share their actual experiences about the protein powde quality / results and long term effects.

There are a number of replies to my post and these contain genuine advice by the members. I will definately discuss with dietitian about "no need for whey protein". However no members have shared their actual experiences; positive or otherwise. Probably noone has taken the protein powder for 3 to 6 months at a stretch.

Just saw your post and the replies. Wont comment about others but i personally think whey protein is a very good option.

Some background, iv been working out and eating right for many years now, managed to lose a lot of weight and gain muscle mass (posted my transformation in the weightloss thread). Now coming to the point, i did a lot of research before buying a protein supplement. I agree there are many fake brands in the market but if you are aware/careful then its not that hard to get the right stuff. Also in this day and age people have easily figured it out how to check the claims made by the brands.

The best brand in the market is Optimum Nutrition (ON). It tastes good, easily mixable/digestible and very high quality. You can Order from Amazon (i did) ,they have a scratch code on the box which you can check from ON's own website for authenticity so dont worry.
Iv recently tried Zomato supplements too, ordered both Normal and Raw whey isolate, for the price they are really good. The macros are impressive. Also no chance of tampering as it comes directly through their app.
For a better understanding about these supplements there's a channel called All About Nutrition on YouTube which gives genuine/lab tested reviews of almost all the brands in the market.
Btw am not associated with any brand/channel which i have mentioned. Only shared what iv personally experienced.
Hope this helps.