By Gia Huynh 
That Protein Shake Experiment Debunked
Alright folks, grabbing my workout journal here. Noticed that fancy tub of “Whey Protein” tucked away at my discount grocer a couple weeks back. Big ol’ promises plastered all over it – “HUGE GAINS,” “FUELLED MUSCLES,” “THE EDGE YOU NEED.” Sounded slick, figured I’d toss it in the cart. Seemed like half the guys at my gym swore by the stuff.
First day back from the store, dumped two scoops of the powder into my shaker bottle after hitting chest day hard. Mixed it up with water like the directions said. Took one gulp… whoa. Seriously, tasted like somebody scraped sidewalk chalk into dishwater. Chalky, weirdly fake-sweet. Choked it down anyway, thinking ‘no pain, no gain’, right?
Next hour? Disaster. Felt like a balloon was inflating in my gut. Cramps started doing jumping jacks inside me. Loudest, most embarrassing noises ever started rumbling around. My wife side-eyed me across the living room like ‘what the heck did you eat?’ Felt totally off.
Decided maybe it was a fluke. Stubborn me kept trying it. For a whole week:
- Choked down the nasty shake daily after workouts.
- Stomach stayed angry. Non-stop bloating and symphony sounds.
- Felt MORE tired lifting some days.
- Started dreading the shake itself.
Got curious. Was this magic dust actually doing anything besides torturing my insides? Tried a little experiment. Ditched the shake for a whole week. Ate extra chicken breast and real eggs instead. Guess what?
No. Difference. Felt.
My lifts felt the same, my energy wasn’t worse, and my gut wasn’t staging a mutiny. Actually slept better without that after-shake bloat. Kinda shocking, honestly. Felt the same – maybe even a bit lighter.
Got skeptical about the tub’s claims. Grabbed my phone right there in the kitchen and started digging around. Turns out, my actual food was already covering my protein needs easy – about 1.6 grams per kilo I weigh, which seems fine for a guy like me lifting a few times a week. The powder was just… extra. And expensive, crummy-tasting extra at that.
Okay, so maybe it works wonders if you literally can’t eat enough chicken, or train like an Olympian. For me? Just a regular dude trying to stay fit? Probably oversold.
Forced myself to finish the tub – hated wasting money. Literally counted down the scoops. Now? Back to good ol’ meat and eggs. Gut peace restored. Wallet’s less dented. Lesson learned: sometimes simple works best. That whole ‘protein hype’ thing? Think I’ll skip the hype next time.
yadanarbon 