Protein shakes?

Question
Hello,

Let me start off by telling you about myself. I'm 16, 5'9'', and 143 haven't measured my body fat, but I don't have a six pack (but I also don't look fat, I look pretty lean,I'd say 10 lbs over weight, I work out 4-5 times a week. twice lifting weights and some cardio, and 2-3 times boxing.

I have a personal trainer, but he's all into the supplements. He's the type of person that has like 7 big jugs of supplements to help him gain muscle, and prevent him from loosing his.. well.. 5% body fat. And he tells me to drink a shake with every meal, or to sub for a meal. But I'm worried that it'll do damage to me by either 'shit' they put in it, or 'to much of good stuff is bad for you.'

I eat healthy. Ok, I lied. I don't really have breakfast often because I don't feel like eating anything. My lunch.. at school.. sucks. Then when I get home, I make usually a cup and a half of pasta before working out. And then I get home and chill, and then eat a big dinner (my mom makes good food?).

So, I want to ask someone who seems to know about supplements, and if they are unhealthy or not; because I've asked a bunch of people 'are weight lifting supplements good,' I get a 'yes, they're very healthy!!' But I ask other people, and I get 'they have excess protein and don't help you loose fat, plus they have rBG (or something like that), and other unhealthy preservatives/unhealthy 'stuff.''

So, since my school lunch just sucks, and I can't really take anything from home because there is like nothing, is it ok to take a protein shake, and of course mix it up at school, and drink it?

My questions are:

1. Are protein shakes unhealthy? (By unhealthy I mean do they do damage to your body by unnecessary 'stuff' they put in it, or excess protein (kidney damage?), short/long term, even if you drink one a day?)
2. Does 'Whey' have any 'bad stuff' that could affect your body?
3. Do protein shakes, considering that they have a lot of calories, help you loose fat/stay the same/build muscle, but not burn fat? (I forgot to mention that I've been working out and boxing for about 1 1/2 years, and I've lost some, some, some fat, but gained a lot of muscle mass; but I blame that on unhealthy eating before, when I didn't care; and I feel like by now I should have lost all my excess fat, but to me it seems like it's the same.)
4. What's your favorite ice cream flavor?

And also, I'll just throw this out there, is L-Carnitine bad to help loose weight?

And what if I said the doctor said he found excess protein in my urine? Would this affect the answers to any question above?

Alright, I'm sorry for this long question, but I really hope you answer.

Thanks a lot,
Carlos L.

Answer
1) In your case, protein shakes would be healthy.  It seems that you don't get much protein in your daily diet from your description. The ingredients are listed on the packages so it is easy to select something without lots of 'added junk.'  The body can process the excess protein without kidney damage although it does make them work harder.  Vegetable protein lessens that strain as opposed to meat.

2) Whey protein contains high levels of both essential and non-essential amino acids.  In fact, pregnant mothers are sometimes advised by their obstetricians to supplement their diets with whey protein to ensure that their developing babies get all the basic amino acids they might need. More than other protein supplements, whey protein powder is commonly used by bodybuilders and other athletes to accelerate muscle development and aid in recovery.

3) Increased protein intake will lead to a greater percentage of lean muscle mass when combining with a weight training program.  Muscle tissue burns more calories than fat, even while you're sleeping.  Fat loss is typical but weight loss may be more deceiving.  Muscle weighs more than fat so you might actually gain weight while losing fat.

4) Baskin-Robbins' Gold Medal Ribbon, though I haven't had any in several years.

5) L-Carnitine supplementation, with doses above and beyond that which the body requires, does not result in increased fat oxidation at rest or during exercise in well-nourished individuals.

6) A doctor's diagnosis of excessive protein in the urine would only change answer one.  Obviously, if your urine protein level was excessive, taking in additional protein wouldn't be advised.

Thank you for your questions, Carlos.  I hope that my answers were helpful.

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