Protein on the cheap

Here's a post for all you weekend warriors out there - the non professionals, the full-time parents, the latecomers, the new hobbyists, the blue (and white) collar job-holders that work the gears to make the world turn, the self-starters, and the validation junkies like myself, who spend time and quite a considerable amount of money on endurance sports, not because it turns them any kind of profit (though wouldn't that be nice if we could somehow turn a profit off of all our little side projects), or because we really expect to win, place, or show, but because gosh darn it we like to get out there on a Saturday and wear ourselves ragged with a new kind of adoptive family.

I'm supposing that we all read a fair amount on nutrition and diet and things like what we need to eat after a heavy lifting workout or a long Saturday run, etc, etc. I don't feel like talking a whole lot about the science behind it, except to say that it makes sense to me. Besides, there's not much that's more enjoyable after a good hour or 90 mins of sweating and lifting and pacing than tipping back an ice cold Chocolate Muscle Milk. And it's hard to beat getting 21 grams of protein at just 210 calories. Except, of course, the fact that it's about $5 wherever I can find it (not in bulk).

Prices for equipment are enough to sweat over. Just this week I dropped nearly $200 on new shoes, a pair of tri trunks, and a little love for my bike, including two new tires. And I'm still in the hole for a couple of Ragnar teams that I've signed up for. All that considered, I'm saving the $30 a week I could spend on protein drinks and I'm investing it in a little research to find a reasonable alternative at a reasonable price. I hope someone out there can find this information useful, as well.

The first thing to do is ask yourself: how much protein do you really need? According to the ADA, for the average Joe, 40-70 grams a day is enough, and frankly pretty easy to come by. For the average Joe who exercises, the calculation is about 1.5 grams per kilogram of body weight (about 0.65 grams per pound) up to double the RDA, or no more than 80-140 g. Personally, I weigh ~180lb, which puts my ideal protein consumption (if I keep up with my regimen) at around 110 grams a day. There are other ways to see how much protein based on total daily caloric intake, but whatever. Close enough.

Next thing is to ask yourself, if you're not bank rolled or you don't manage a hedge fund and can't really afford high-end protein drinks, is what do you want to sacrifice, calories, or protein intake? I don't think there's a really good substitute that can give you that amount of protein at that few calories for much less $$. If you're trying to lose weight, I'd probably stick with something lower in calories. If you're trying to build muscle mass or you can afford a bit more calories in your diet, go for something that will give you more protein and not worry so much about the calories.

I've listed some options below of regular grocery store items that you can use as post-workout food that might save you some dough while still keeping you mindful of exercise and diet, etc. I've chosen to limit the portions to sizes that are similar in calories to one serving of Muscle Milk. If you prefer the high-protein route, I suppose you could do a little math to figure out the portion size you would need to come up with 21 g of protein. Oh yeah, and I've limited the field to lower-fat proteins, of course. Enjoy:

Item Serving Size Calories Protein (grams)

Yogurt 2 cup 220 14

(vanilla or plain)

Egg (whole) 3 240 21

Egg whites 12 Tbsp 100 20

Beans 1 cup 220 14

(black)
Chicken 100 g 109 23.5
Tofu 200 g 210 24

Or, there are of course loads of sites out there dedicated to listing nutritional information on high protein foods, that breaks down their content into fat grams, etc.

As more and more of my money goes out the door doing this kind of thing, I'm becoming more and more interested in finding ways to cut back on the spending. So maybe this will be like a weekly thing, to find cheap alternatives to things that endurance athletes spend most of their money on. Because more money in the pocket means more race entry fees, right?

End Transmission.