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Best of all, it’s quite tasty. I’ve read several reviews that rank Myoplex as #1, but personally I hated myoplex. It’s thick and gloppy and has that “supplement hidden under lots of sugar” taste. Lean Body, on the other hand, has a flavor and consistency reminiscent of Ovaltine. I rather enjoy it, truth be told, and I’m sure I’ll be enjoying this product for as long as they make it!

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The main difference between this meal replacement and other meal replacement products I’ve seen is in the carbohydrates they provide. Most other meal replacements I’ve seen either use sugars or maltodextrin as their main carbohydrate. The problem with this is that they have a high glycemic index. This means that when you eat them, your blood sugar rapidly rises and your body responds by making a lot of insulin. Then in a very short time, your blood sugar is low and you have no energy and are hungry again. This product is low sugar and no maltodextrin which is great. Hopefully it has a low glycemic index.

The oil blend is this product looks to be good. They don’t report the exact percentages of omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids but they do contain omega fatty acids.

As for the protein, it’s a blended protein that’s 40 grams per serving.

In my opinion, the taste of these products is great, but that’s only an opinion. Concerning the nutritional value of this product, everything I’ve said here is easy to validate with a little research.

The only downfall of this product is the cost. It’s a lot cheaper to just blend protein powder, oatmeal and Udo’s oil in a blender, but that obviously isn’t nearly as convienent. All in all, this is a great product, but be sure to shop around because the price can vary greatly.

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Optimum Nutrition excels at giving us simple products at affordable prices without a bunch of glitz and extra junk we don’t need, and this is more of the same. Get a big size and this stuff will last you an incredibly long time. I do 2 months on, 1 month off, and I’m halfway through my second phase without being even close to finishing off the 2000g bottle I bought.

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Right Now They are $5.00 off of the case price at C0stc0….. which means they are less than $20.00 a case. thru mid June…..it is Limit Two but just keep going back again and again.

These are great for a recovery drink.

Taste great and very smooth…..

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BUT THE CASE OF 18 IS ONLY $36 FROM THE COMPANYS WEBSITE!

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160 calories – 30 from fat; total fat 3 grams; 5 grams carbs; 1 gram sugar; 3 grams fiber; 30 grams protein; 330 mg sodium; 680 mg potassium; no high fructose corn syrup. However, FYI, this does contain some calcium caseinate just in case you are not in favor of using calcium caseinate as a protein source.

I buy the chocolate flavor which is quite yummy, not artificial tasting and tastes like thick, chocolate milk – especially when ice cold as mentioned above. I’ve never tried any other flavors except the chocolate.

This price and shipping seem very expensive, but I buy them at one of the membership big-box warehouse type places (that begins with the letter “C”) for a much better and more reasonable price.

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But anyway 0 carb, perfect taste (athough if artificial sweetners scare you, stay away), every imaginable vitamin in the book. can’t beat it.

These are typically buy 1 get 1 half off or BOGO (buy one get one free) at GNC. 20% off with Gold member discount (both discounts stack). with these discounts, you can often get the price down somewhere to $1 per shake.

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My diet consists of 3 low fat, high protein meals a day (small to medium portion size – like lean cuisine), a protein bar, and 2 protein shakes. I used to take muscle milk as the protein shakes, but I found them to be very difficult to digest, but the results were decent. I weighed 175 lbs when I got the Isopure in the mail, and I simply swapped out my 2 daily muscle milk shakes with the Isopure and noticed that my weight began to gradually drop. I was worried that I was losing muscle, but the strange thing is that I was getting stronger in the gym at the same time. I now weigh 165 lbs a month later, and am much stronger. I changed nothing else in my diet or exercise routine…just swapped out muscle milk with Isopure. I’ve noticed that I’m getting more muscular and more defined at the same time. Who wouldn’t want that?

I find that I began to immediately drive myself harder in the gym when taking Isopure. It could be simple coincidence.

One last thing I love about this product is the fact that it is so easy to digest. I woof down a shake with 50g of protein like I would a glass of water. It is very easy on the stomach, and I’m not left feeling full for hours like with muscle milk.

I recommend this product for anyone that wants to build very lean muscle mass, and is trying to cut both fat and carbs.

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The two scoop serving size is huge, and really, the protein amount per scoop is comparable to other brands. The way they claim to have 50 grams of protein per serving is to double the serving size. Read the labels and make sure you’re comparing the right amounts! I do like that the shakes contain a lot of vitamins and minerals, providing 25% daily value per scoop of most of the major ones.

Mixing up the shake is no problem. I use one scoop in 6-8 ounces of very cold water. I give it a good stir, let it settle and absorb some water, then finish stirring. There are no clumps, goop, or anything gross; just a smooth shake. My only complaint is that there are sometimes a few little chalky-textured granules (which are really no bigger than a grain of sand) that settle to the bottom.

The flavor is ok, once you know what to expect. I think I psyched myself out over it a little too much the first time, especially based on the smell I experienced when first opening the can. It smells rather strongly of powdered milk, which has an odd sweet smell. The dutch chocolate flavor tastes very good, and is comparable to sugar free Carnation Instant Breakfast. I am not a big fan of the creamy vanilla flavor, because it still retains the weird powdered milk smell, and the actual vanilla flavor seems to be lacking. I can dress it up with a teaspoon of real cocoa powder and a couple drops of almond extract, and that makes it tolerable. You just have to stir it more to get the cocoa to blend in.

I do want to point out something that may be TMI, but useful for people who may be on a bariatric surgery-type diet. Having to drink this stuff for two meals a day has produced some interesting gastrointestinal results for me. Let’s just say you won’t be needing any Miralax while using this product. We’ll just leave it at that.

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Having experimented with numerous brands and types of protein powders, I have found this product to be the best for me.

I wish it were a bit cheaper to be honest…but it is an isolate protein which is due to the extra refining it undergoes. From a taste perspective, it’s okay. Palatable and you get used to it. It’s not chalky but don’t expect vanilla pudding taste here either. As the granules are very tiny (microlyzed) which is par for isolates…this stuff dissolves well even in water (which is what I consume it with).

It does not give me gas and doesn’t appear to have any effect on my bowel movements which whey protein, unfortunately, does.

This product is fortified with essential micronutrients (except iron which is good!) including healthy amounts of potassium…essential electrolyte for post workout. Note: Most weightlifters get adequate iron from their diet or other supplements and seek to control it.

This powder also has BCAAs in it…

3465mg of isoleucine

7865mg of leucine

3080mg of valine

4.6g of L-Glutamine

These are very nice for post-workout recovery…and saves having to add BCAAs seperately (which can get very expensive). Note that the ratios of the BCAAs are proper as well.

Lastly, and most importantly, I have definitely been adding muscle since I’ve started using this over the last 3-4 months. So, ultimately, if you need a protein powder to augment your weightlifting routine…this is a good choice providing you need a lactose free product. Otherwise, if you can tolerate lactose, you might want to consider a whey protein as it is about half the price.

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The math: $23 and 325 tablet doses of 2,222 milligrams vs 2-3 capsules (bottle count 300 caps) so only 100 – 120 doses to achieve the same amino intake per serving, for $34 (as of 11/06). You pay 7 cents per dose with tabs vs 34 cents with capsules.

The tablets are just as absorbant – tableting technology has matched capsule production since 2000-2002.

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Try there other products such as there protein powder is awesome….

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As with its Creatine and Gold Standard 100% Whey, Optimum Nutrition excels at giving us simple products at affordable prices without a bunch of glitz and extra junk we don’t need. Just add a teaspoon of this to a shake or smoothie 2-3 times a day to help boost your progress, no matter what your goal is, and you won’t be disappointed.

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The only other protein shake that I’ve found that tastes as good is Champion Nutrition Pure Whey Protein Stack (though Optimum Nutrition’s Nitro Core 24 Cinnamon Roll flavor is tasty as well once you get used to it).

As for the recovery, I make sure I don’t finish a workout without my recovery shake. I’ve found conclusively that I feel really sore, with the soreness lingering longer than it should, when I don’t have a recovery shake. My first recovery shake was Champion Pro Score 100 stacked with Met 2 (so I could get the 2:1 ratio of carbs to protein), and 2:1:1 gives the same results, but for a cheaper price.

I’m on probably my 4th bottle of 2:1:1 and will be buying more when I’m near the point of running out.

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I wish I could give it 50 stars, not 5.

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Optimum Nutrition excels at giving us simple products at affordable prices without a bunch of glitz and extra junk we don’t need, and this is more of the same. Get a big size and this stuff will last you an incredibly long time. I do 2 months on, 1 month off, and I’m halfway through my second phase without being even close to finishing off the 2000g bottle I bought.

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I bought the Caribbean Cooler several months ago and drank it for a short period of time, but stopped drinking it. It is too coconut for me. I had to get back to drinking my protein drinks, so I recently got it back out of my cabinet. I’m still not real fond of the coconut flavor.

I knew Nectar had many flavors, so I started researching online and found a post for a variety pack of 11 different flavors for just $9.99 and I called. I’m skeptical of things like that, but it was legit. They charged me correctly and I got my sampler pack in just 2 days! If you’re interested, call 1-866-333-7403.

I just use a blender bottle to mix my drinks, so I can do it on the go or at work without having to worry about needing a blender. I have learned that it does not mix as well with ice in the blender bottle. It tends to clump up because it sticks to the ice and clumps together. I suggest that you mix the powder with JUST the liquid (water or milk) and then after it is well mixed, add ice if you want. I think they will all mix well if you do this. Also, I see that some people add crystal light to it. I’m not sure how they are doing it, but I have found that if you try to mix the crystal light powder with the protein powder it does not mix well in the liquid. I have found that if you mix the crystal light with water separately and add it to the protein drink after it is mixed, it all mixes well.

Let me also mention the nutritionals: per scoop, 90 calories, 0 fat, 0 carbs, 23g protein! You can not beat that! I have not found another protein powder that offers that kind of nutritional balance. There is no aspartame in it. They use Sucrolose (Splenda) for sweetening. Great stuff!

The flavors I have tried in order of favorite to least favorite:

1) Cappuccino – 5/5 Stars. This flavor is so good. I’m definitely going to buy this one in bulk. It is sweet, but it will replace my morning coffee and my sweet tooth cravings. I did not detect any whey flavor or aftertaste. It does not taste artificial at all and I imagine that is because they actually add decaffeinated coffee as an ingredient. I mix this one with skim milk (1 cup) and drink it down! I have also heard that some people like to drink it hot. I will try that when I buy a container of it.

2) Fuzzy Navel – 5/5 Stars. I don’t have anything bad to say about it. It has a good balance of orange and peach flavor. No whey flavor and a peachy aftertaste. This is a good one!

3) Vanilla Torte – 5/5 Stars. This one was really good. I actually had this one on Saturday morning so I had time to experiment with it. I put ¼ cup frozen blackberries, raspberries and blueberries in the blender with 1 cup of skim milk and the blended. Then, I added the protein powder and blended until mixed well. It was very good. Even with the fruit I could taste the vanilla flavor. No whey flavor or aftertaste.

4) Roadside Lemonade – 4/5 Stars. It is creamier than I was expecting which I thought was nice. I was expecting a harsh artificial lemon flavor, but I was pleasantly surprised. There was not much of a whey taste or aftertaste to it. I like this one.

5) Twisted Cherry – 3.5/5 Stars. It is smoother than I thought it would be. I thought it would be tart, but it’s not. Not much of an aftertaste or whey taste.

6) Chocolate Truffle – 3/5 Stars. I was surprised not to like this one as much as I was hoping. I mixed it with a cup of skim milk and thought it would be creamier and chocolatier, but I could taste a hint of whey. It doesn’t have a bad aftertaste though. It’s okay, but doesn’t live up to my expectations as far as flavor. Cappuccino is still my FAV!

7) Strawberry Mousse – 1/5 Stars. I mixed this with 1 cup of skim milk hoping for a strawberry milkshake flavor, but it flopped! It is so artificial tasting and I could taste the whey. I’m not fond of this one.

Strawberry Kiwi – 1/5 Stars. Again with the artificial strawberry flavor and I could taste the whey even more in this one. This one might be better if you add some other flavoring to it. I only have one sample though so I can’t experiment with it.

9) Caribbean Cooler – 1/5 Stars. Way too much of a coconut flavor for me. Where is the pineapple? I bought a 2lb container of this one before I had ever tried Nectar at all. I had heard it was a good one and tasted like a pina colada. I figured I like pina coladas so I would like this one. The first time I tried this one it was pretty good, but I quickly got tired of it. On a positive note, there is not much whey taste or aftertaste. It’s better if you mix it with the sunrise orange flavored crystal light.

10) Crystal Sky – 0.5/5 Stars. I gave this a half star just because it’s not AS bad as the Apple one, but it nasty too. It has too much of a whey taste. The aftertaste isn’t as bad as the apple.

11) Apple Ecstasy – 0/5 Stars. I did not like this flavor at all. It took me a while to choke it down. I could taste the whey all the way through and I could not stand it. Horrible aftertaste. I’m glad that I won’t ever have to taste this one again. Way worse than the Caribbean Cooler.

So, at the end of this taste testing I decided to order two flavors. I ordered the Cappuccino and Fuzzy Navel in the 2lb tubs. The retail price at the local store is $35/tub plus tax. I ordered from [...] on Sunday. I think they have one of the best deals. They were $24.50/tub with $11.27 for s/h for UPS Ground for a grand total of $60.27. I should have them by Tuesday because they are based in Georgia and I’m in South Carolina. I think that is a very good deal. I could have gotten them a little cheaper from [...] with 5% off coupon code. They have flat rate shipping of $4.99 I believe. It would have been a really good deal and would have only cost about $54.00 for two tubs, but they were out of Fuzzy Navel. I thought about just ordering the Vanilla Torte because I do like that one, but I didn’t want two sweet flavors. I wanted to have a fruity flavor to break it up some.

I hope you find this review helpful and informative. Please remember that this is one person’s perspective and everyone’s taste is different. I would suggest trying them yourself.

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Personally, I decided to get the Naturals because I work out 2-3 times a day and always drink a whey shake after… ingesting that much artificial sweetener every day will probably add up to cancer one day. The Natural Nectars use stevia, which has actually been shown to have positive effects such as regulating blood sugar.

Flavors:

Apple Ecstasy – 4/5 – I normally like apple-flavored anything, but this did not impress me. It’s a little too sour. However, there was no aftertaste or anything, so I’m sure someone out there might like it.

Caribbean Cooler – 5/5 – I must say I was impressed with how the coconut aspect of this coconut/pineapple flavor concoction really captures the taste and texture of real coconut milk. Would I want to drink 2 lbs. of this stuff? Eh, IDK. But if you like coconut…

Crystal Sky – 2/5 – Tastes like ground up Sweet-Tarts mixed with water. It’s a very, very synthetic berry taste of some sort. It has so much blue coloring that my poo was bright green!

Fuzzy Navel – 5/5 – This is the flavor that made Nectar famous. It’s a nice blend of peach and orange and tastes like a glass of juice; I could not detect any protein, and the aftertaste was mostly just peach flavor.

Lemon Tea – 3/5 – I really wanted to dislike this one, and although I’m still not a fan of iced tea protein (lol), I can see why some people would like it. I can clearly detect an underlying protein taste, but ignore that and it’s just like Arizona iced tea.

Roadside Lemonade – 1/5 – This one is nasty, I could barely get it down! The obvious protein taste gives it a gelatin-like quality. So, yeah, (synthetic) lemon-flavored liquid Jell-O is how I’d describe it.

Strawberry Kiwi – 3/5 As soon as I smelled it, I knew this was going to be another Jell-O flavor. Honestly it’s not that bad (no kind of protein taste or aftertaste), but most of us have had strawberry kiwi Jell-O, and so drinking it in liquid form is rather unappealing.

Twisted Cherry – 2/5 – Extremely synthetic cherry Kool-Aid flavor (just like children’s medicine) with way too much red color.

Strawberry Mousse – 5/5 – Tastes like the pink Yoohoo or strawberry milk. Slight bitter aftertaste, but not a big deal.

Vanilla Bean Torte – 5/5 – I normally don’t like vanilla, but this is just like frosting (yummmm)! There is a slight “metallic” aftertaste (Acesulfame K can do that), but not as bad as the weird Chocolate Truffle aftertaste.

Chocolate Truffle – 4/5 – It’s like watered down chocolate mousse. I’m not a big chocolate fan, but someone who likes that kind of thing would probably enjoy this flavor. I took a point off because it had a strange aftertaste.

Cappuccino – 5/5 – Personally, it’s way too sweet for me (but I really don’t have much of a sweet tooth). I like my coffee black, but someone who is into those Starbucks shakes would probably like this. It actually reminds me a lot of a mocha flavored chocolate bar Lindt sells called “Milk Mocha.”

Natural Peach – 5/5 – The best of the “naturals.” It’s kind of orangey-peachy, but in a more toned down way than Fuzzy Navel.

Natural Orange – 3/5 – My least favorite of the “naturals,” but it’s okay.

Natural Fruit Punch – 5/5 – Didn’t like this one at 1st, but it grew on me. It’s not like a Hawaiian Punch kind of taste, but more like fruit-flavored Tums.

Rating:

1. Apple Ecstasy – 4 stars – This is the first flavor I tried and I like the taste a lot, very “Jolly Rancher” apple flavor. For some reason though I seem to have more problem with this flavor versus others properly dissolving, it tends to leave behind a bit of grit that I don’t care for.

2. Roadside Lemonade – 5 stars – This is my favorite flavor and the one I generally buy. It has great lemon flavor with little aftertaste. I often use a little less than a full scoop which helps it dissolve completely and dilutes out the strong lemon taste a little. I do get some clumps sometimes, but I find it less offensive than the grit I get with the Apple Ecstasy.

3. Strawberry Kiwi – 3 stars – This was just so-so for me but a lot of people would probably like it. I am a big fan of strawberries but the taste didn’t work well for me as a drink. It’s not a bad as some flavors, but not in my favorites.

4. Caribbean Cooler – 1 star – My least favorite that I’ve tried. This is a kind of “pina colada” flavor and I found it quite awful. It is a strong taste of coconut and little of the pineapple, if it was the other way around it probably would be much better. Again, everyone’s tastes are different, and I know some people like it, but this just didn’t work at all for me.

5. Fuzzy Navel – 5 stars – I like this orange flavor a lot and it’s my favorite next to Roadside Lemonade. It’s not quite like orange juice but close enough to taste like something you are used to drinking.

6. Natural Peach – 2 stars – Peach is one of my favorite flavors so I was eager to try this one, but definitely did not like it much. The “Naturals” line does not have Sucralose and claims to have only natural flavors and sweetners, but strangely enough, it has a more artifical and strange aftertaste for me than the regular flavors. I’m guessing this is due to the protein taste being less “hidden” than in the other types, but for whatever reason, it definitely was not something I would care to drink again. If you have issues with Sucralose though, it may be worth trying.

7. Crystal Sky – 4 stars – This one tastes like a berry-flavored Kool-Aid or Gatorade and has the same bright blue color. If you like Gatorade, you will probably like this flavor as well. I liked the flavor as it is so close to the taste of a normal type of drink although the couple times I’ve had it I had a little more problem with clumping. I’ve found clumping to vary with batches and if you use a protein mixing device instead of just vigorous stirring with a spoon like I usually do, it probably won’t be an issue.

8. Natural Fruit Punch – 2 stars – Like the Natural Peach, this has a weird aftertaste I really disliked, I just can’t imagine someone preferring this flavor over others. It seems that the “Natural” line of Nectar all have this strange aftertaste that is very unpleasant due to the lack of Sucralose, so consider that when choosing the flavor(s) to try.

9. Lemon Iced Tea – 2-1/2 stars – If you like iced tea, you may like this flavor, but it wasn’t for me. It does have a taste very similar to iced tea (reminded me of Lipton) and seems to dissolve okay but it was a bit strong for me. A bigger issue was the color of it is kind of off-putting. It was a lot darker than the normal watered-down brown color of iced tea, and looked more like mud. I just found it hard to look at that yucky brown color and want to drink it down.

10. – Cappuccino – 2 stars – This is from their new “Lattes” line and is basically coffee flavored. It dissolved nicely and you can drink either either cold or warm, in water or milk. I tried it just in water with some ice and it does taste reasonably like iced coffee, with perhaps a touch of spice. However, it has a rather strong artificial sweeter aftertaste, stronger than any Nectar flavor I’ve had, that doesn’t go away for sometime after consuming it. Clearly, people that don’t like coffee won’t like this flavor, but if you are a dedicated coffee drinker like me, you may also not care for something that tastes “sort of” like coffee but not the real thing. I’ll have to try this in milk warmed up though and see if the aftertaste is lessened with a different preparation.

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The vanilla ice cream really doesn’t have much flavor at all. When mixed with milk, it tastes like a slightly vanilla-y milk shake. But if you mix it at the gym, with water, it just tastes disgusting.

So overall, optimum makes very good, quality protein. In terms of nutritional value, ON is awesome. I’d just recommend another flavor.

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The flavor is just like a good vanilla shake and the texture is nice and thick. If there’s anything a bit unusual, it’s that the shake is white with a slight GREEN tint. The green is from the sirulina (algae) they put in because it’s so good for you. I love giving them to friends because they usually don’t notice that it’s a little bit green until they’ve already taken the first sip. That first sip is all it takes to be HOOKED!

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Calories: 110 – 190

Calories from Fat: 10 – 80

Saturated Fat: 0.5g – 1.5g

Trans Fat: 0g – 0g

Cholesterol: 5mg – 15mg

Sodium: 230mg – 260mg

Potassium: 230mg – 550mg

Total Carbohydrate: 5g – 6g

Dietary Fiber: 3g – 4g

Sugars: 1g – 1g

“Net Carbs:” 2g – 2g

Protein: 21g – 20g

The vitamins/minerals are somewhat similar in these two drinks and can be found on the Nutrition Facts on the cans. The biggest difference is that Slim Fast Low Carb has about 73% more calories and 70 more Fat calories per drink.

The taste, which I was concerned about when I order my first case of 24 drinks, is similar with the main difference that the Slim Fast Low Carb has a smoother, creamier texture. I experimented with adding about 80 calories of cream to a ZOIC drink and it definitely acquired a smoother, creamier texture. The overall taste of both drinks, in my opinion, is a good taste; but not a great taste. I would give these products a 4.5 rating if I could.

The Slim Fast Low Carb drink with its extra 70 more calories from Fat seems to satisfy my hunger perhaps 30 minutes longer than the ZOIC drink (without any cream added). ZOIC’s package states “meal complement & snack replacement” not a meal replacement; in other words, it seems logical that one would add a small portion of other healthful food to make it a meal.

Both drinks refrain from adding any sugar or sugar alcohols (make sure you are comparing Slim Fast “Low Carb” and not other Slim Fast drinks which do have sugar added). Both drinks are free from Trans Fat.

I like to use both drinks to give me variety in taste and calories. The ZOIC drink at only 110 calories is a good choice when I want less calories and less fat calories; perhaps, when a planned meal time has to be pushed back in time by a couple of hours. If I need something to skip a meal, then I will usually choose Slim Fast Low Carb.

Both of these “Low Carb” drinks are good to have on hand in the refrigerator, so you can choose 110 or 190 calories versus some other super-sized 500 plus calorie item that may be in the refrigerator too.

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Rating:

Optimum Nutrition excels at giving us simple products at affordable prices without a bunch of glitz and extra junk we don’t need, and this is more of the same. Get a big size and this stuff will last you an incredibly long time. I do 2 months on, 1 month off, and I’m halfway through my second phase without being even close to finishing off the 2000g bottle I bought.

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I have found that the best mix is blending 3 scoups of powder, 12oz of water and 3 ice cubes together, it gives it more of a “shake” feel and body.

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As far as potency and such, a powder is a great way to go b/c you can monitor your dosages very easily.

Overall, it worked well for me, and I would buy it again.

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I take 1 tablespoon (5 grams of creatine) 10 minutes before the end of my workout with 8 ounces of Powerade, providing simple carbs that aide in the delivery of the creatine to the necessary muscles. I use a Nalgene to shake it up in and find that it mixes very well. The powder doesn’t dissolve but it’s not difficult to get it down, just shake between sips. This method helps cover any taste it may or may not have and also makes it easy to mix before drinking. I’ve definitely noticed a change in the size of my triceps and biceps although I have not altered my workout significantly, suggesting the creatine is the cause.

I would suggest this product, and above drinking directions, to anyone interested in taking creatine.

Remember: work hard; eat healthy; rest up; and stay natural!

Rating:

The powder mixes extremely well in water and results in a pretty smooth drink without any clumping. It was cheap, it’s from a reputable supplier, it had what I wanted (Whey Protein, BCAA’s, L-Glutamine and Creatine) and it seems to be working well.

I have 2 gripes with this stuff though. 1) The Vanilla Ice Cream flavor finishes weird. Maybe it’s the splenda or maybe I’m adding too much water, I don’t know. Going down it tastes fine, but the aftertaste and the lingering taste the rest of the day is not enjoyable. I’ve been adding a teaspoon of cocoa powder and reducing the amount of water and that’s helped a lot, but I’m still playing with the mixture. 2) 3 scoops is 320 calories, which for my current diet is a lot more than I would have liked. It’s not terrible, but for my needs, it’s a lot. I’ve been sticking with 2 scoops, which works for me, but also reduces the Glutamine and Creatine levels. I wish I would have done a little more research before settling on the AfterMax. The AfterShock looks like a better fit for me, and even ON’s 100% Whey Protein has almost everything I wanted (besides the carbs), but it’s a little too late now.

Overall, I’m happy with the purchase. Because of the excessive calories though (320 in 3 scoops), I don’t think I’d buy it again. If you’re trying to really bulk up though, this might make After Max an even better choice for you though.

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Do the research and see how much you need. I weigh 200 lbs, so I take a full serving, but if you weigh more or less, you will want to adjust accordingly.

I usually put powder in my shaker and take it to the gym so I can add water and drink it right after my workout. Throw in a multivitamin, and you’re set.

Also, this is one you don’t want to mix with milk; that would slow down the absorption rate. And really, you don’t need to: it tastes great with water. The chocolate does, anyway. Do NOT get the vanilla. It’s horrible.

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The good:

- Great combo of supplements. I’m lazy when it comes to certain things. I don’t want to be bothered with buying 9 different supplements to achieve a certain result. Its great that this has a little bit of everything I need/want. I also didn’t want to have to worry about buying and preparing food for recovery. I drink this to make up for my laziness.

- Mixes well. I just shook it in a regular bottle and it was fine.

- One one hand, it tastes better than I thought…

The bad:

- On the other hand, I’d still rather chug it than just drink it normally. The ready-to-drink stuff like what Muscle Milk offers tastes better, but you pay premium for it. The way I see it, I’m drinking it for function, not enjoyment, so this isn’t a big deal. Its not awful, just not great either.

- Serving size. It says “3 scoops (97 grams)” is a serving. 1) that’s a lot. 2) I couldn’t tell whether if it was to the line on the scooper or to the top of the scooper. I’m willing to bet if I busted out a small scale, 3 scoops to the top are more than 97 grams. Trying to sell me more crap maybe?

My thoughts:

I did some reading and decided to give this one a shot. I think compared to everything that’s out there, this is a pretty good choice. Its a blend of good protein, recovery carbs, and creatine. The way I see it, I get the same amount of protein as those other guys for the same price more or less PLUS those other supplements. Good deal.

For you:

I still recommend researching products to see what fits your needs personally. Some people don’t buy into supplements over food. Some people don’t buy into recovery carbs. Read a little from non-vendor websites and talk to nutritionists/trainers. Experiment with supplements, food, serving sizes, etc. Your body is made up of chemicals and everyone is different, so its not one size fits all.

Regardless of what you do, everyone in the fitness community agrees: 1) you need something for recovery and 2) it should be as soon after your work out as possible. People say its a 1-2 hour window. I’d say with digestion in mind, just eat within 30 minutes to be safe. Digesting fluids is far faster than solids and pouring powder in a cup is super fast preparation, protein shakes aren’t a bad choice.

Rating:

I used the P90-X workout program for awhile without a recovery drink and other protein drinks, but I found that I was constantly hungry. Turns out the foods I normally eat (though healthy by most means) weren’t providing my body with the nutrients it was craving. After purchasing this recovery drink for after my cardio workouts and a protein drink for other times of the day, I became less hungry in general and have accelerated the decline in my body fat percentage! I’m sure you might be able to put together some other great recovery drinks by buying each supplement and mixing, but I don’t have the time, space, or care to do that. This recovery drink has been wonderful for me so far.

Rating:

The P90X Results and Recovery shake is a good combination of after workout Protien, Creatine, and Amino-Acids. What does this mean? It means that it has all of the things that every extreme athelete is looking for after a solid workout.

I’m a health nut, and I was already a body builder before I started the P90X system. While my normal workouts were tough, they never really pushed me to the point of wanting to dry heave, but the P90X really allowed me to stretch my self. The first month I went with a standard mix of Creatine* + Protien a couple of times a day and mixed with fruit punch for my recovery drink, but I found that I really needed a lot of electrolyte replacement as well. I was feeling very sick (just completely exhausted) after my workouts and I had to drive over to the corner store to pickup a gatorade/powerade before I would start feeling good again. That really started to change my opinions about the need for a purchasing a recovery drink that focused on post workout recovery.

I purchased the P90X Results and Recovery formula during my second month of the P90X workouts and when I got exhausted it really made a huge difference in the 20 minutes directly after the workout. It already has the Creatine, Protien, and electrolytes all ready to go for the second your done.

Now for the important questions… Was it worth buying? It depends. If you are just doing the workouts and getting slightly winded but not really pushing yourself to an extreme state of fatigue, you can get away without using a recovery drink. If you are pushing yourself as hard as you can, to the point of complete exhaustion then a recovery drink directly after a workout is mandetory, and this one works very effectively. I’m starting my third rotation of P90X and I use this after all of the really intense workouts, and my normal protien + fruit punch for all the other workouts. One tub usually lasts me about 2 months.

I gave it 4/5 stars because it does cost a little more, and you can get other brands that seem to do as well. You could use a creatine/protien blend and a good sports drink after every workout for the same results, although the over all price of doing that would probably be a little bit more than just getting a recovery drink that is specific for post workout recovery.

*Creatine Monohydrate is a dietary supplement that hydrates your muscles and aids in recovery. It is used by a large majority of athletes and body builders to aid in increasing how far you can push yourself in workout sets and minimizing the time between workouts. It is generally recommended to use it for 3 months and then to take a 2-3 month break.

** Several reviews were saying you get the same out of Chocolate Milk… You can’t, period. There are specific suppliments in a recovery drink that are health industry known for helping in recovery. Ie.. Creatine, L-Arginine, and L-Glutamine. You can get all of these from other recovery drinks. But chocolate milk won’t do it, even if it has similar calories to a recovery drink. It’s not about the calories/fat/sugar, it’s about everything else.

Rating:

I am a lean muscle sort of “builder.” I have been strength training for a couple years now, and have tried numerous supplements and products. So, “bulking up” isn’t my interest, though those reading this review might be precisely into that.

However, I DID use this product (down to the last ounce) and have a few things to say about it.

Some “obvious positives” aren’t exactly positive when you take everything into context. The creatine in CytoGainer is NOT the highest quality (try ethyl ester), and is not easily absorbed in the system. It may cause bloating, which is one of the reasons why some people might think that they have gained “weight.” It is water weight, not muscle weight.

Also, each serving is so high calorie, it could be an entire dinner! Every informed builder knows that decreasing body fat percentage is what “brings out” the muscle – overloading the CytoGainer if you’re not cautious can obscure the lean muscle you already have.

The recommended serving size is so high in empty, complex carbohydrates. It is true that carbohydrates help your body absorb your protein more readily… but any decent protein drink will have pre-digested enzymes, so you’ll absorb the proteins without feeling gassy or bloated, and without the need of loads of carbs. 54 grams of protein in one serving can be a little excessive anyway, depending on your build and your strength training goals.

And, what I find so curious is that the information on the label of CytoSport’s Muscle Milk talks about the carbs you don’t need, and how the fats in it actually help build muscle… and then you have the label of CytoGainer telling you the opposite… so which is it, CytoSport?

You’re better off having a solid multi-source protein drink with nice slow-digesting carbs like potatoes or oatmeal. You’ll get the same results, but in a much healthier, more cost-effective manner.