Supplement Review: I like GNC's Whey Isolate 28

When I started working out in February of this year I knew that my diet would have to improve in addition to a good workout regimen if I wanted to lose weight and get more fit.  I tried to stick to real food - lean meats, veggies, fruit and so on.

The hardest thing was getting enough lean protein.  Well, let me be more clear - it was hard getting lean protein that was convenient, economical and tasty.  It was too hard to grill a piece of lean meat every day (particularly several servings).  I'm too picky to cook and refrigerate meat - I prefer to eat it the same day I cook it.  Tuna in water out of can is doable but not on a regular basis and certainly not every day.  Ditto for egg white omelets.

I realized that I need a protein supplement.  I started out with protein bars but found that it was too tedious to eat them (chewing on a bitter sweet, doughy, chalky bar will chugging water isn't pleasant and it takes a while to get down).

That's when I returned to the tried and true protein drinks.  I say "returned to" because in my youth (high school) I used to chug Joe Weider's Muscle Builder protein drink (a protein powder that I mixed with skim milk).

It was a great protein supplement back then (the packaging was different back then though).  I got very strong thanks to Weider's Muscle Builder and a lot of exercise back then (my pride and joy of that era was a 320 lbs bench press at a body weight of 180 lbs with good form).

Nowadays there are so many protein supplements on the market.  They all have flashy advertising and boast of all sorts of special qualities.  I needed quality protein.  Some friends suggested I go with an whey protein isolate.  It is easy to digest and it's a high quality protein they told me.

Okay then.  I went shopping for a protein supplement at the local GNC.  As I said, the shelves were stocked with all kinds of hi-tech supplements.  While in the store, however, the simplicity and the price of the GNC brand caught my eye.

GNC's "Whey Isolate 28" was reasonably priced and it was a basic supplement.  I decided to go with it and I've remained with it over the past 3 months.  It's been a great dietary supplement.

I started out mixing it with cold water but then moved to skim milk.  I need the calories and carbs anyhow and it tastes better mixed in milk.  I use the chocolate and vanilla flavored powder with skim milk.  Recently I bought an unflavored version as well to mix with juice as an energy drink before workouts.

In the morning I drink a serving (8 oz skim milk + 1 scoop of the whey protein).  It ends up being about 250 calories and about 35 grams of protein.  I drink another serving at night or soon after my workout.  If I don't eat any protein at dinner, then I have another serving with dinner.

I feel it's helping me.  It's a great way to get large quantities of protein conveniently, quickly and economically.  I'll admit it's not like drinking a chocolate milkshake, but then again, I don't expect it to taste that way.  It's easy to consume then the protein bars and I can control the portion size.  It's also a lot cheaper.

Although many people said I can't lose fat and build muscle at the same time, I feel that's exactly what I've been doing these past few months thanks in part to the protein supplement provided via GNC's Whey Isolate 28.  I'm burning more calories than I consume but I'm ingesting at least 80 to 100 grams of protein daily in smaller doses throughout the day (including right after workouts).  I think this is helping me simultaneously grow and strengthen my muscles will allowing my body to tap into the fat reserves rather than muscle to make up for the caloric deficit.

The bottom line for me is that I'm happy with the gains/losses I've been experiencing and since the GNC Whey Isolate 28 has been a part of the success, I'm going to stay with it!