Gave Up Protein Drinks And Feeling A Lot Better (ammonia Smell Also Gone)

[JDreamer]

For the last year or two I started noticing that my sweat (particularly down below) wreaked of ammonia. It was yet another thing I'd become self-conscious about, especially at the gym. I had no idea what was causing it and quite frankly was getting a little paranoid after trying to connect the dots thru research.

For as long as I can remember I've been drinking protein shakes. I've had them all - whey, soy, beef isolate, plant-based (most recent), etc etc. I was vigilant about trying to consume at least 120g of protein a day. There'd be days when 40-60g's of it would come from shakes. After reading what a farce the whole "protein" industry is, I decided to give it up and instead I'm supplementing with BCAA's. It made all the sense in the world to me given that protein is digested and broken down into aminos. The protein I do get comes fro my actual meals (3-4) during the day.

I'm happy to report that after a little over a month - the ammonia smell is finally gone. I've also noticed my digestion is a lot better and my stools finally look healthier (were getting very loose/pale). At first I was concerned I would lose some of the size I've worked so hard to build in the gym, but so far I'm maintaining perfectly fine. I assuming my kidneys and digestive system had been overworked or a very long time from excessive protein intake.

 

[DrJ]

Nice smell gains bro. Should be able to get away with a lot less BCAA in grams than protein since it is more easily utilized. I switched to casein powder a long time ago and never looked back. Might be a thing to check out if it wasn't the etc etc part of your shake list. Helps the digestion as casein soothes the intestine which is what got me into it.

 

[JDreamer]

Nice smell gains bro. Should be able to get away with a lot less BCAA in grams than protein since it is more easily utilized. I switched to casein powder a long time ago and never looked back. Might be a thing to check out if it wasn't the etc etc part of your shake list. Helps the digestion as casein soothes the intestine which is what got me into it.

LOL smell gains.

Never tried Casein, but willing to take a look at it. My digestion issues have lingered for the better part of the last 10 years.

 

[Kang]

If you like BCAA I suggest you check out IMPOWER Supplements AMINO PRO at Home
Read the testimonials at the bottom of the page and check out the blog, especially on your "ammonia" smell issue so you understand why. This stuff makes BCAA look like a waste of money. But then I'm biased as I use it every day.

 

[jitsmonkey]

^^^^^^^^^^this

 

[Kang]

6 Reasons AMINO PRO is better than your protein supplement

We purposely left out amino acids like cysteine, tryptophan, methionine, and histidine as these are common in the diet and can negatively impact performance. *Cysteine, histadine, methionine, and tryptophan in abundance act as precursors to substances that promote stress, inflammation, and poor metabolism.

We added;

1. The remaining Essential amino acids for their role in protein metabolism, healing, and repair, such as with Lysine. L-Lysine plays a major role in calcium absorption; building muscle protein; recovering from surgery or sports injuries; and the body's production of hormones, enzymes, and antibodies.
2. BCAA's for their muscle building and recovery benefits
3. Taurine & Phenylalanine to ensure you don't deplete dopamine while taking BCAA's as a lack of dopamine would take away your drive to do anything. It is also essential for antioxidation, cardiovascular function, and development and function of skeletal muscle, the retina, and the central nervous system.
4. Glycine to bond with excess cysteine which creates glutathione, which is otherwise only possible to supplement with by IV or injections.
5. Glycine to also improve sleep quality, recovery, lower inflammation and provide building blocks for neurotransmitters. Here are some other benefits The Most Important Amino Acid You Don’t Know About
6. We added Beta alanine because it will combine with histidine and form carnosine. Not only is carnosine beneficial but this will lower the amount of available histidine used to manufacture things like histamine. Carnosine is also very expensive to manufacture and buy so getting it for free is an added benefit!
7. What is so special about Carnosine? – Amazing Benefits for Athletes, Heart, Brain, Eyes, and Diabetes. ... Carnosine provides major, powerful antioxidant properties against one of the most damaging radicals, the hydroxyl radical. It protects one of the body's most powerful antioxidant systems, SOD, from damage and peroxidation. It is concentrated in muscles when they are working, and it is also found in the heart, brain, and many other parts of the body. Carnosine is used to prevent aging and for preventing or treating complications of diabetes such as nerve damage, eye disorders (cataracts), and kidney problems. More benefits here, https://selfhacked.com/2016/06/21/carnosine/

 

[Richiebogie]

Hi @JDreamer

Raw vegans who avoid onion and garlic tend to not smell - neither excrement nor armpits.

Your experience with reducing protein and stinking less is a similar finding.

So how many grams of protein + amino acids are you getting now in total per day?

It would be interesting to know how little protein you need to retain your physique.

Total Calories might be the most important variable.

What form of calories do you feel best on? Saturated fats, monounsaturated fats, wheat starch, potato starch, fruit etc?

 

[JDreamer]

Hi @JDreamer

Raw vegans who avoid onion and garlic tend to not smell - neither excrement nor armpits.

Your experience with reducing protein and stinking less is a similar finding.

So how many grams of protein + amino acids are you getting now in total per day?

It would be interesting to know how little protein you need to retain your physique.

Total Calories might be the most important variable.

What form of calories do you feel best on? Saturated fats, monounsaturated fats, wheat starch, potato starch, fruit etc?

At the moment I'm taking around 25 grams of BCAA's a day. Usually sip my BCAA drink in the morning and then have another one at night after my workout. Still researching the most effective dosage though.

Caloric intake is definitely very important and something I struggle with sometimes when I get really busy at work during the day. I'd say right now I'm getting at least 60-80g's of protein per day just from food. During the week my meals mostly consist of fruit(banannas, apples), scrambled egg bowls with beans, cheese sticks, protein bowls (turkey beef, white rice, black beans), and chopped salads (lettuce, beans, avocado, shaved carrot). Then on the weekends I'll cheat with fast food, I'm getting close to giving up on that stuff completely.

My diet is still a work in progress. I honestly should get a food allergy test to make sure I'm not eating anything causing me inflammation. But ya, so far I'm not losing size - which I was most fearful of. Took me so long to get my body in this condition after being so skinny for most of my teens and 20's.

 

[Kang]

At the moment I'm taking around 25 grams of BCAA's a day. Usually sip my BCAA drink in the morning and then have another one at night after my workout. Still researching the most effective dosage though.

Caloric intake is definitely very important and something I struggle with sometimes when I get really busy at work during the day. I'd say right now I'm getting at least 60-80g's of protein per day just from food. During the week my meals mostly consist of fruit(banannas, apples), scrambled egg bowls with beans, cheese sticks, protein bowls (turkey beef, white rice, black beans), and chopped salads (lettuce, beans, avocado, shaved carrot). Then on the weekends I'll cheat with fast food, I'm getting close to giving up on that stuff completely.

My diet is still a work in progress. I honestly should get a food allergy test to make sure I'm not eating anything causing me inflammation. But ya, so far I'm not losing size - which I was most fearful of. Took me so long to get my body in this condition after being so skinny for most of my teens and 20's.

Be cautious of high BCAA consumption as it leads to dopamine depletion. Thats why we added other amino acids so that doesn't happen. Also be cautious with high legume consumption for a variety of reasons previously discussed on this forum.

 

[JDreamer]

Be cautious of high BCAA consumption as it leads to dopamine depletion. Thats why we added other amino acids so that doesn't happen. Also be cautious with high legume consumption for a variety of reasons previously discussed on this forum.

Care to highlight the negatives of legumes for me?

In regards to dopamine ....... I was formerly on a regimen of Tyrosine and some other B vitamins in an attempt to lower serotonin increase dopamine. The stuff I read had me thinking I was serotonin-dominant. I was becoming increasingly agitated and even though it was helping with my hair, I had to give it up. Ever since I've been on these BCAA's and off the Tyrosine, I've felt a lot more relaxed and very much more social.

But again, this is my first go-round with supplementing BCAA's so I've got more to learn so I can properly calibrate.

 

[JDreamer]

Oh, forgot to mention that strangely I don't get cold so easily anymore especially in the hands/feet. It's been kind of funny because now other people in the office are complaining it has been too cold, but not me.

 

[Kang]

Care to highlight the negatives of legumes for me?

In regards to dopamine ....... I was formerly on a regimen of Tyrosine and some other B vitamins in an attempt to lower serotonin increase dopamine. The stuff I read had me thinking I was serotonin-dominant. I was becoming increasingly agitated and even though it was helping with my hair, I had to give it up. Ever since I've been on these BCAA's and off the Tyrosine, I've felt a lot more relaxed and very much more social.

But again, this is my first go-round with supplementing BCAA's so I've got more to learn so I can properly calibrate.

Natural Estrogens plus issues with lectins. Poor quality food - poor people food. 85% or higher conversion to ammonia in the gut when liberating the amino acids. So you get very little out of them, every food is a bundle of good and bad and requires context.

Tyrosine converts to adrenaline without the presence of sunlight - that might have been your problem.
BCAA without phenylalanine and taurine will usually lead to the depletion of dopamine within 2-4 weeks depending on dosing and other food sources.

 

[JDreamer]

Natural Estrogens plus issues with lectins. Poor quality food - poor people food. 85% or higher conversion to ammonia in the gut when liberating the amino acids. So you get very little out of them, every food is a bundle of good and bad and requires context.

Tyrosine converts to adrenaline without the presence of sunlight - that might have been your problem.
BCAA without phenylalanine and taurine will usually lead to the depletion of dopamine within 2-4 weeks depending on dosing and other food sources.

The BCAA's I'm taking has Taurine in it: Modern BCAA+

I still have my other bottle of Taurine if you feel I should supplement more.

 

[Kang]

The BCAA's I'm taking has Taurine in it: Modern BCAA+

I still have my other bottle of Taurine if you feel I should supplement more.

You should always experiment and test what you’re doing. But I believe that phenylalanine is the bigger part of the picture.

We really struggled in beta testing when mixing powders but didn’t realie how much until we had the exact ratio in each capsule to compare it against. Then it was like magic for some people.