Question:
I’ve looked, and I’ve looked, and I’ve looked, and I still can’t find an answer to my question because everyone says differently. I want to know precisely how much whey protein I can take at any one time.
Answer:
You probably find different answers because there is no magical number. How much whey protein you take depends on how much your own body can handle, what type of whey protein, what brand you take and when, and what workout routine you are doing – none of which you have specified in your question.
Some whey protein is higher in lactose. I don’t know if you are lactose intolerant, so I can’t give you a dosage. I don’t know what type of whey protein you are taking – concentrate, isolate or hydrolysate. I don’t know what brand of protein you are taking. Finally, I don’t know anything about your workout routine (if you even have one) or your goals.
As a rule of thumb, dosages prescribed on the packaging of whey protein products tend to be more for reasons of not having someone go silly and take several pounds of the stuff in just a few days then turn around and blame the company that they got sick. Most people can handle more doses than the packaging says, but that at least gives you a rough guide.
Another rule of thumb is, you can take more whey protein after a workout than at any other time as your body needs those fast complete proteins more than ever. Breakfast is the second most important time to take a reasonable dose of whey protein.
Test it for yourself. Push the envelope if you wish – just don’t rely entirely on whey protein supplements; they are supplements, after all.