So, I’m pretty annoyed with Formulx right now. Initially caught on to their recovery protein product a couple years ago, so much so that they were the first affiliate program I ever agreed to participate in and give them props on my other blog, occasionalfaileo.com.
Their vanilla recovery protein is the best, but their supply chain is the absolute WORST. They have been continuously experiencing inventory issues, with product out of stock for months on end. To borrow a phrase from the youths, I HAVE NO CHILL about this. I need vanilla protein for my morning smoothies.
Last year, Progenex lost their mind about OMG EXCLUSIVE limited edition Cookies & Cream More Muscle being available at regionals only, so being in FOMO mode, bro style, I grabbed a bag. (Three weeks later they added that flavor to the full time lineup. Talk about a sh!tty alarmist marketing plan. Then again, it can’t be that sh!tty if it worked on putzes like me.)
It took me ages to finish, because I really didn’t need any muscle-building protein in my life. When my last canister of Formulx ended, I had no choice but to validate my $70 impulse purchase and use the Cookies & Cream down to the last scoop. So, I started in on it, half a serving at a time.
With the Cookies & Cream finally out of the way, I logged on to buy my trusty favorite, Formulx. Much to my chagrin, sold the eff out. They’ve been out of stock now for an unacceptably long time (months).
I made a terrible horrible no good very bad mistake and bought a $15 small canister of something that claimed to be grassfed and natural at Target out of sheer desperation. I know. I am ashamed to admit this. However, once I discovered that I could get Quest Bars on Amazon Prime for the same member price as GNC, I let that membership expire and hate to indulge their stupid non-member markup.
Welp, this random Target stuff is AWFUL (surprise surprise), can’t even choke it down right now, even blended with coconut water & frozen fruit.
So now, I need your recommendations!
Optimum Nutrition, EAS, Pure Protein, Progenex? For those of you who use protein supplements in your diets, which is your favorite? Protein powder is never cheap, so any recommendations would be appreciated!
(For the love of all things lulu, please don’t say PlantFusion. That stuff is A-W-F-U-L.)
I never want to spend $40+ for protein. I tried the vegan protein from Trader Joe’s. It’s way cheaper. I put it in smoothies and it’s fine. Haven’t used it very much, but love the price. (I feel like it’s around $15). It’s great in a smoothie with chocolate almond milk and a banana.
Perfect Fit protein (from Karena and Katrina at Tone It Up) has good reviews but is mostly for baking and is expensive.
I can’t do whey—so vegan protein is all I’ve tried.
I like GNC Total Lean Shake 25. It contains 25 grams of protein. It’s a meal replacement, though. It’s delicious and comes in many flavors (vanilla, banana, and orange cream are my favorites). Wait for a sale. I can usually get four canisters for just under $100.00. Each canister has 16 servings.
I’ve used Vega for a few years. Mixed with fruit and almond milk. Its still pricey but they often have it at costco.
I pretty much am just an optimum nutrition girl. But then again what I can get living overseas is limited so having a brand I like is the most important. Right now going through a 5lb thing of vanilla and liking it.
I like Genuine Health! The whey protein isolate (chocolate) is my go-to. Grassfed whey for the win!
SFH! I love their recovery vanilla- and it has extra goodies in there to aid recovery. I also have a bag of the chocolate pure protein. It is grassfed, whey based. But what I love the most is how fine the powder is. There isn’t any graininess, etc.
And my Whole Foods puts it on sale every now and then!
On an unrelated note- I’m really hoping someone is going to do a fashion roundup for Regionals!! I spent a lot of the last three weekends glued to YouTube, and I asked myself more than once “what leggings is she wearing?”. It was like my own NY Fashion Week.
I love Cellucor COR-Performance Whey Cinnamon Swirl! Tastes like Cinnabon!
I really like Cellucor too! Amazon has 4 serving bags you can get so you can try a few flavors before you buy. I’ve had the cinnamon and agree it’s delicious but my favorite is the red velvet. I’ve also tried the mint chocolate chip and the smores, all of which were very good. And when I bought them they were buy 2, get 1 free. I also really like About Time but the taste is very light no matter what flavor you get. But it’s a low calorie, high protein option which I really like. Good luck finding the best protein for you!
for whey protein Promera Sports Concret in cake batter. For a plant based protein Vega SPORT in vanilla. Concret is cheapest on their own website and code bshae for 25% off. I get the Vega usually on Vitacost.com; I think it’s on sale now actually. Both are very high quality and taste great.
I LOVE the PureWOD BUILD product. It’s grass-fed beef protein, cocoa, and stevia. That’s it. I love how clean it is, and bonus for it not being whey protein (which messes with my tummy). They don’t have a vanilla flavor but I can vouch for the chocolate being super tasty, especially with some of the new coffee Amino Energy flavor BCAAs from Optimum Nutrition. Yum!
About Time whey protein. They have awesome paleo bars as well. And pancake mix! I’ve been using them for over 3 years, and now they are really getting involved in the crossfit community. Progenex is totally overpriced. You can get about time for like 30 dollars a tub on amazon (its 50+ on their website). I use their whey, pancake mix, and now their recovery protein. Its not grassfed, but the only real benefits of grassfed dairy is in the fat anyways.
I don’t drink a ton of shakes, but I’ll definitely have some of my husband’s Muscle Infusion by Nutrrex chocolate shake and it’s pretty good, especially with an added teaspoon of powdered cocoa (not Dutch-process).
I love the vega performance protein in mocha. I mix it with ice and a quarter piece of frozen banana and it’s a delicious treat! Vega is expensive but very high quality and has 30 grams of protein per serving.
I love your blog by the way!
I’m not usually a vanilla person but my go to brands are About Time (Amazon or Vitacost), PEscience (has ACE-K though, so many retailers for $30 or less), SFH, and Muscle Gauge (muscle and strength website). Hope you find some yummy not uber expensive and fully-stocked protein stat!
I am pro optimum nutrition through and through! I don’t know if I have ever found a more quality protein, and they really stand behind their product. I love using their vanilla ice cream whey for smoothies, but their regular vanilla is great too. It’s much finer than a lot of other protein powders and I find it mixes in really well. If you’re looking for something post workout, they make a great product called Oats n Whey which is basically a chocolate protein with ground oats into it to give you that necessary carb to protein ratio PWO. It can be a little gritty if not mixed really well but I found I got over it pretty quick. I find the best prices for it on Bodybuilding.com (#notabodybuilder #justpoor) and a lot of times you can get BOGO sales. They also have a natural vanilla protein but I can’t speak to it’s taste as I have yet to try it. Either way, I highly recommend ON!
Bodylogix natural whey….all the way! Vanilla and dark chocolate.
I’m finishing my bag of Progenex recovery, loco mocha flavor- love it but want to try something new. So just ordered a SFH recovery, vanilla flavor from Rogue (+ SFH fuel, coconut flavor + another random stuff to get free shipping LOL). I used the Optimum Nutrition Belgian chocolate (I think) years ago- a lot of people in the bodybuilding community swears by it and I did like it. A lot cheaper than SFH and Progenex. Depending on how I like the SFH I may just cycle through these brands again. All 3 are solid, albeit at different price points. My goal is more on recovery, not so much on muscle gains.
Check out Ascent Protein ( https://www.ascentprotein.com/?utm_source=TDA&utm_medium=Search ) they are newer to the market but have an awesome product and I love using it so far! I switched over from the over-priced Progenex and haven’t looked back. The vanilla from Ascent is mildly flavored and could honestly be mixed with anything! Their stuff is also cheaper than most at $35 a bag. You’ll have to let us know what you decide!
This is the first time I’ve commented on your blog, so you definitely know what I’m about to share is worthy. I don’t know how I stumbled upon Beverly International while browsing the web one day, but I’m glad I did. I decided to try some of their protein and supplements and they are awesome! I use their ultimate muscle protein “UMP” and cookies and cream is my favorite flavor. It’s good enough to mix with plain water, which is primarily how I eat/drink it. Beverly products are also on Amazon, but the company itself sends discount codes to its peeps fairly often. I discovered Beverly about 6 months ago and haven’t bought anything else since. Oh yeah and orders usually get from their home in Kentucky up to me in Alaska within two days of placing the order. Good luck!
I think all the powdered stuff is nasty. I buy pure protein drinks At SAMs and add the powdered PB from there also. 35 grams 200 cal. I use it bc I hate meat as a meal replacement. Im no body builder
It Works Ultimate ProFit is the best!!! Email me if you want the info on it. I can’t live without it!! abundow@gmail.com
It tastes AMAZING, it isn’t chalky like a lot of them and you feel amazing from it!