I was just wondering what everyone's favorite meal replacement/protein powder supplements were...and their favorite flavors. There are so many out there-Myoplex regular and lite, MetRX, Designer Protein...the list goes on and on and on...what is everyone using, what flavor-and how are they using it-plain, mixed with another food, etc.
I have tried a few over the years, and was interested in seeing what everyone else likes before trying another.
Aphil

Grow! low carb, chocolate. It even TASTES great.

Yup, I'm with Mindi on the chocolate Grow! Mix it in your oatmeal in the morning and you'll think you're eating warm oatmeal cookies.

Meg

I must try GROW because I haven't found one that I've truly liked and that tastes "creamy" and "rich" like the labels say...

I tried in vain to order GROW! here.. the only importer decided to stop selling it. The stuff Im using now is moderately OK but I still dont breath thru my nose until I drink some water afterwards LOL

Tidey

Grow! chocolate is good.

MetRX Vanilla Buttercream Protein Plus is yummy, I ordered some today.

Jamie will disagree but I also like www.proteinfactory.com's Night Formula Chocolate. This company customizes protein powders (sweeteners, flavors, even stuff like glutamine and creatine) and is quite cheap.

For MRPs; I like Capp Ice Myoplex Lite. Some of their chocolate flavors are okay too.


Laura

Laura, yes I disagree. I still have that stuff in my cupboard! I am afraid to drink it again. I should mix it with my other chocolate proteins and just get rid of it.

I love Chocolate Grow! low carb, but I don't like it mixed in my oatmeal. I tried that once and had to gag it down. Had a weird after taste to me. I also enjoy EAS Simply Whey either chocolate or vanilla. The EAS is on sale at www.vitaglo.com for $20 for a 5lb jug. You get 80 servings per 5lb.

Jamie

Hey, could you guys post where you buy the stuff? As a newbie I've quickly discovered that the local grocery store doesn't sell it.

I buy everything online; it is so much cheaper.


www.vitaglo.com- shipping is FREE with orders over $20, prices are great too

www.netrition.com- prices great, shipping 4.95 no matter what you order and if you are in the Northeast that gets you next day if you order early enough.

www.proteinfactory.com- shipping is okay, prices are wonderful on PP, not on glutamine. Like the customiztion factor.

Laura

Hey Laura - Vitaglo changed their shipping policy - now you have to order $50 in product to get free shipping. Granted that's not really difficult I personally think that they have the lowest prices - lowest I've seen anyway, short of winning an ebay auction which can be a real pain in the butt anyway...

For straight protein powder I buy the MetRx Protein Plus - either vanilla cream or chocolate. Since there's only a fifty-cent price difference, I just buy it at Trader Joes' if I happen to be there.

Favorite MRP - Myo Lite Cappuchino Ice and Strawberry (I must be the ONLY person who likes the Strawberry flavor - gimme a break, I'm just weird! )

I tried GROW! Vanilla but I just didn't like it, tasted funny to me. But ya know, we're all different and gonna have different tastes, so what tastes like crap to me would taste heavenly to someone else. Besides, I haven't tried the chocolate flavor - maybe it's better???

Hey Aphil, thanks for asking the question I've been wondering about all day today. I'm not following BFL nor do I lift weights but I know this was the place to ask this question. I'm one of those 'uneducated' consumers who uses Slim Fast soy protein MRP (ducking for cover as the rest of you throw things ) . While I have lost a bit of weight while using this product, so much of what I've read in these forums have convinced me that I need to look for something more nutritive to put into my body. I am most interested in the EAS Myoplex Lite or MetRx product lines but was wondering if these are true meal replacements or do I need to supplement w/other foods at the same meal. I am totally not a breakfast eater but have no problem drinking a good tasting shake, which I've been doing for aprox 5 mos. now. Any additional info you ladies can give me would be appreciated. THanks.

Don't worry, I won't throw things, not big things anyway.

EAS or Myoplex products that are labeled as "MRP" and contain both carb and protein are adequate by themselves for meal replacement (Biotest also makes Grow! in an MRP form).

The main difference you will see between these and Slimfast is the amount of protein grams in a serving; Slimfast has maybe 15, which is just not enough for anyone. When carbs (and sugar) are higher than protein, it's an indication of a lower-quality product.

Another thing to look for in an MRP; blended proteins will burn slower (a very good thing) than straight whey. You should be able to see on the label what kind of protein a product contains. Whey is usually cheaper and is great post-workout, but if you are using a shake for breakfast you would be better off using a blended protein.

HTH

Laura

Hey Mele... (hope you don't mind if I abbreviate your name a bit - now I have that Bing Crosby song in my head!!! )

Don't worry about it - we aren't going to toss stuff at you. Remember one thing - the people that market SlimFat (and this goes for most of the other diet products out there) are experts at what they do...they know what to say and how to say it to make you go out and buy, thinking it's healthy stuff, when actually it is mostly sugar (the canned stuff has around 35g of sugar on average - the powdered stuff less but remember you add milk to it, and all milk has sugar in it). The thing that kills me is when they call it 'energy from carbohydrates' rather than just plain 'sugar'. Hoo boy.

I personally stay away from straight on soy protein, after reading up on it a bit. There is a history of breast and ovarian cancer in my family (my mom and great-grandma had both) and more studies are coming out saying that too much soy can increase your estrogen levels, causing a greater risk for such cancers. Of course new studies are coming out all the time...Myoplex Lite is a blend of whey/casein/soy protein which I think burns slower.

The one good thing IMO about GNC is that you can buy individual packets of MRPs and try 'em out, rather than spending a lot of money on something you end up hating. If you don't care for the taste of something, you're not going to use it, right? Also, I believe that Nutrition Express www.nutritionexpress.com sells variety packs of different MRPs. I used to get their catalog all the time and I saw them offered frequently. I haven't ordered from them in eons, though, since Vitaglo is way cheaper!

I use Vitamin World's brand of LC protein powder. It's good, inexpensive (the most importanmt thing for me right now) and I get 30% off on discount days. All 3 flavors are good (chocolate, vanilla & strawberry) but I generally just get chocolate & vanilla. I also add stuff to my shakes to flavor them so that makes them even better. I don't order things online if I can avoid it but you can order from VW here: www.vitaminworld.com

I've got Vanilla Grow! MRP and it's great-tastes like cake batter, just like they say. I use it post workout. I've used Myoplex regular Chocolate Lover's pack and absolutely loved it! I'd like to try the LC chocolate!

What about RTD shakes? Any good ones out there? I don't have a choice but to use them for 1-2 meals whikle at work. I get LC/high protein ones but have never really tasted a great one, though MET0-Rx is better than most. I get whatever is cheapest at GNC. They usually have some on sale, buy 1, get one.

Laura, doesn't the night formula contain soy? I thought I read that it does. I avoid soy.

One thing I like about GNC is that they'll give me an extra 5% off on Vitamin World's prices if they're cheaper. I always check both places.

Deb

Ok I looked at the listed websites and I cannot find GROW!! Where do you get that?

Robin