So I started going to the gym, I'm going to stop being fat and get so jacked, but ChatGPT says I should be eating like 200g+ of protein over the day. I ordered some protein powder but that's only like 20g post workout. What are the cheapest forms of protein I can eat over the day? My YouTube algorithm is all young guys working out by now and they all eat like millionaires. I need to eat as cheap as possible. What should I buy and where from?
Cheap Protein to Eat over The Day
AustriaBargain on 30/03/2025 - 15:42
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1 scoop wouldn't even weigh 30g, so not sure where 80g is coming from.
8g would be more likely..
yeah, my bad - I was reading the 100g NI.
1 scoop is 25grams weight - 20 grams protein
mate, how do you consume this in a smoothie (or anything else for that matter). I find this product absolutely disgusting. I can taste it in anything i put it in.
i find it fine. the taste doesn't bother me.
Unless you’re bodybuilding, ignore 200g of protein. 120-150 more than enough for your everyday gym rat.
TOFOOOOO
I used to drink smoothies with uncooked silken tofu, frozen banana, frozen berries, almond milk, unflavoured protein powder, and sugar free chocolate powder. I should have stuck with gym back then, I'd be jacked already by now :(
People have given you lots of good options and advice.
My suggestion is Colesworths cooked chickens that cost ~$12.50 each. Eat one per day (in whatever serving sizes you want) and youve got your ~200g of protein. The rest of your diet and be any mix of veggies (raw or cooked), some rice/bread, whatever you want really.. it will cost you $15 to $20 a day to eat well.
Protein powder is the cheapest per gram of protein. Try the plant protein from pure product too its good. Yes other foods may be cheaper but not per gram of protein. Consider also you don't want food that is high in calories per gram or protein either. Things like beans are cheap protein but also high in calories if you eat tonnes of them.
Protein is good but you certainly don't need that much. 1g per kg of bodyweight is more than enough to have some serious muscle.
Interestingly when I was younger I aimed for 100g of protein per day ( I weight 60kg) . Now I have a lot less but overall I look the most ripped now.
Additionally if weight loss is your goal, the most important thing is having a caloric deficient. Work out how many calories your body burns on the daily, then ensure you eat less calories than that. This is what makes your body burn fat. It is physics, conservation of energy. Exercise does burn some extra energy, but not that much compared to the amount your body needs purely to exist. As a result controlling your diet is the most effective way to lose weight. Exercise is great to build muscle and generally be healthy.
Energy in < Energy Out = Fat Burn
Energy in > Energy Out = Energy stored as fat
You don't need to create a crazy diet or anything like that, the best weight loss strategy is a diet which does not feel like a "diet". Something that is actually sustainable for you. I suggest find a way to cut out unnecessary calories, and keep some of your calorie "budget" so you can still eat the foods you enjoy. Just make sure it all fits into the overall budget you set for yourself.
going by the $39/kg unflavoured WPC at bulk nutrient (76.8g protein per 100g), and $11/kg chicken breast (22g protein per 100g), chicken breast comes out about 2% cheaper per gram.
That's why i wait for the amino z's unflavoured WPI to go on sale lol
$39/kg is expensive. I'd always buy the WPC in packs of 10, its only about $35 then. Or buy pure product from amazon or their own store, that is also cheaper.
Consider chicken also requires energy to cook, and is higher calories per gram of protein. This is quite relevant for someone who wants to lose weight.
Additionally I suspect that is caged chicken you're referring to. Do what you want but pretty shitty to put animals through that just to look swole. If you're eating meat at least get the free range so they can enjoy the life they do have.
all good points, but forcefully impregnating cows to milk them doesnt sound too fun either.
@KiKH: Indeed I agree the whole milk industry is pretty crap when you think about it too. I've been trying to reduce my dairy and go for more plant based things myself. Still trying to find a good plant based protein to be honest
@Boioioioi: I'm going through amino z's pea protein atm.
It's quite thick and grainy compared to their WPI, but I dont really care for taste/texture of protein drinks, so i dont mind it at all. mixes in water well too.
@KiKH: Interesting, do you know where they source the ingredients for that one from?
I've chosen a different brand for the WPC because sadly Amino's whey is not Australian or grass fed. A shame because I like how they use thautamin rather than stevia. They do have an unflavoured grass fed one but I want that nice vanilla taste haha
A high-protein, healthy diet is never going to be truly 'cheap', so it's best to accept that some extra expense is simply part of your new lifestyle. Just like your gym membership, it's an investment in your health and well-being.
Eggs, beef, and chicken are all excellent protein sources that you can eat daily without getting bored. Breakfast eggs, lunch steak, dinner mix it up.
There is normally no advantage to consuming more protein than 0.82g/lb (1.8g/kg) of total bodyweight per day to preserve or build muscle for natural trainees. This already includes a mark-up, since most research finds no more benefits after 0.64g/lb (1.4g/kg).
from The myth of 1 g/lb: Optimal protein intake for bodybuilders | Menno Henselmans
Found this 5 years ago, it used peer-reviewed journals (e.g., J of Applied Physiology) — happy to know if newer studies have changed the numbers much.
In all honesty, I'd suggest investing in a few sessions with a dietician (please don't confuse them with a "nutritionist"). I've read half the comments in this thread and according to 3 different people you need either 1g, 1.2g or 2.2g of protein per kg of body weight per day. Personally I thought it was about 1.6g, however I also accept I have zero expertise in the topic, but it does go to show the majority of people on the internet don't know what they're talking about.
Long story short, see a dietician who knows what they're talking about, there's more to it than just protein and carbs.
Part of the issue is that both exercise science and nutrition are very much not exact sciences - different people have different needs and it's hard to do rigorous studies. I believe the latest thinking is that around 1.5g is a good amount to aim for to build muscle, but going higher isn't problematic, within reason.
If anything that reinforces the point of going to see a specialist. You see a specialist, they look at your individual needs and what works best for you. Alternatively, you read a few things online and make an OB thread, take information from 10 different sources and just hope for the best.
That's certainly an option, though the individual needs only become evident after several years. Alternatively, noobs will have initial results doing almost anything, and hopefully after a few months they've found some legitimate sources of advice online.
To get to high levels you probably do need professional help, but not sure that describes OPs needs.
The toughest part is probably sticking to a routine and diet, and in that respect, paying for some accountability may not hurt.
FWIW, I did a simple protein per dollar comparison of a few things I've had / might try — see table.
Turns out Colesworth full cream milk 3L is brilliant value at 21.9 g per dollar if you don't mind the calories and lactose (or take lactase). BN proteins are next.
Shout out to Complete Dairy with 60g protein in a 1L bottle.
Is BN bulknutrients.com.au ? or BNhealthy.com.au ?
Sorry, should've been clearer — Bulk Nutrients.
Tried 10+ other brands, but my family and I like BN because they're usually cheaper than Musashi etc at half price, and because of their frequent independent lab testing.
Can you add woolies or coles skim milk powder to the table?
Go to Hungry Jacks and ask for JUST a pattie. According to my meat-headed friend, this is the best and cheapest way to get protein
i personally eat protein pasta and mince of choice.
You can get 30-40g of protein per meal.
About $10 for 5 meals.You can also have the option to buy protein greek yoghurt. Quite affordable
QOTA have their Moroccan cous cous sampler pack on sale (formerly aussielent) and their standard ones aren't a bad price.
It's more expensive than straight protein, at either $2.25 (sale sampler) or $3.40 (low carb) per 30g of protein. However you get a whole meal without needing to eat anything else (although you need to add oil to the low carb ones to get the calories up)
I quite like the cous cous one too, I tend to throw in whatever other leftovers are around or some siracha and it's actually pretty tasty.
Although protein powder is probably your cheapest form of protein I would recommend getting as much protein as you can from real food and then supplementing the remainder with protein powder. Im currently on 180g protein a day which usually consists of a protein shake in morning, 250g extra lean beef mince for lunch, around 250-300g chicken breast for dinner and this usually leaves me with some low fat greek yoghurt for dessert. You could easily hit 200g protein per day using the above meals and having 2x scoops of protein powder instead.
I did pick up some low fat greek yogurt from Aldi today. It has more protein than the full fat version. It's quite sour which might help stop me overeating if I eat that when hungry. I put some muesli in it for texture.
try mix in about 50g of blueberries and some strawberries - amazing dessert that is low in fat, high protein and moderate carbs
Stock up on this pasta: https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/528208/la-…
Currently half price this week (ends tomorrow)
That cooks up so well. I like the Fusilli too
My day for 180gr protein, you can adjust a bit to make it 200gr.
1 scoop of protein gives me 30gr
1 cup of coffee with soy milk 8gr
Breakfast with multi gran toast and tuna can - easy 20gr
Lunch (usually leftovers dinner) beef mince pasta or chook easy give you 30gr, or someone above mentions Costco chook and portion up.
Afternoon tea another cup of coffee 8gr (can replace with milk/milo/ decaf…)
Mixed nuts or multi grains weat / corn thin with avocado 10-15gr
Dinner 25gr
Dessert with greek yogurt and frozen fruits 10-20gr
Finish your day with another scoop of protein 30grbuy from Aldi, Costco and in bulk or 1/2 price stock up, add loyalty like flybuys and end of day discount items.
Good Luck !!
I think chicken is cheaper per gram of potein than powder these days. Obviously not as easy to just add to diet though.
I normally target 140g protein per day. I resistance train 4 times per week plus one cardio day. I also watch my caloric intake.
My diet will include - some type of higher protein cereal with light milk (e.g. weet bix, oats). Coffee with light milk x 3. Lunch will include high amounts of high protein natural/Greek Yoghurt with fruit. I will supplement with a WPI protein shake (where I combine with my creatine) and maybe some nuts (cashews or almonds). Then dinner will be a meat based meal (chicken, fish, beef/pork mince) with pasta, rice and plenty of veggies. If calories allow, I might finish the day with a protein pudding or frozen dessert.
Just remember to use a variety of protein sources.
Because if you use the same protein every single day you will get sick of it and potentially lose motivation.
Find say at least 3 protein options not based solely on price its got to taste okay too.
Eggs, Chicken, a protein powder, greek yogurt with berries. Then once or twice a week have a red meat protein meal for a change treat it like a treat day. Most important but hard is setting a total calorie count to cant go over but not too low or you will end up breaking the diet.
Variety is important as a diet to work best is not a short term one but a diet that can work the rest of your life.
Only 200? I'm sure you could triple it.
Didn't say anything about doing it all in conjunction with tren?Triple it? Your joking i presume.
Most body builders aim for 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.
But lets say a 90 kg bodybuilder, using 2.5 grams per kilogram of bodyweight, would aim for around 225 grams of protein per day (90 kg x 2.5 gm/kg = 225 gm).
Darudes "joking I presume" what is that?
Here's my favourite go to as a base for meat and veggie sauce. If you wish to limit ingredients to limit less optimal ingredients, I would remove ingredients in this order until it meets your needs pasta sauce, carrots, canned tomatos, onions, zucchini.
Bolognese (if you're trying to limit carbs, just trade onions and carrots for zucchinis either half or all of them)
Cook 2 onions (just brown them off)
Mushrooms (these are basically just the vegetable equivalent of protein)
Cook a kilo of mince (brown off until you're happy with it, stir as much as you can while grating the vegies so it doesn't stick)
Grate 2 carrots and throw it in, mix it around
Grate 2 zucchini's and throw them in, mix them around
Add a can of diced tomatos
Add a woolies bottle of chunky pasta saue (https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/326/essent…)
Add salt and pepper at the end, stir until it's the thickness you desireYou can eat it out of a bowl by itself. It's very filling and contains minimal carbs (less than 5g per 100).
You can eat it with spaghetti or prepare spaghetti for the others eating.
You can separate out a quarter of it and just throw some mashed potatos on top of it for a cottage pie.
You can separate out a quarter of it and prepare it for yourself or others as nachos:
https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/88192/old-…You can separate out a quarter of it and prepare it for yourself or others as tacos:
https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/29767/wool…You can separate out a quarter of it and prepare it for yourself or others as burritos:
https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/98778/old-…If you have kids, they can help to make sausage rolls with puff pastry, it's dead easy:
https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/18366/wool…
Just leave out a sheet of puff pastry until it can be rolled, add a thin filling, brush with a mixed up egg, cook for 15-20mins at 180-200 C.Don't try to limit fat. If you limit fat, your body will force you into taking on carbs instead, either now or within the next year.
You don't need 200g of protein. You need 1.8g/kg of lean mass.
So 150 will be PLENTY unless you're already quite muscular or unusually tall.
If you want to do this, protein powder is your friend and if you find cheapies (eg, Bulk Nutrients) it's not that expensive.
Chicken breast is the stereotype but I find that gets old.
'I'm going to stop being fat'
and asks what to eat More of … ?
my first thought was lentils - cheap, filling, and a main benefit for losing weight is the fibre
my takeaway from the gym -
"we can swallow in seconds more calories than we can work off in hours at the gym"the best way to lose weight is to stop eating low fibre crap, and start eating high fibre fresh vegs.
and quickest way to lose weight is to not eat at all … for some time … days, weeks … etc.
My weight yo-yos a bit, I'm sure I can lose weight. But I'm getting so old now that just being thin again isn't good enough. I think I need muscles now as well to attract a quality husband.
How picky are you with flavours and textures?
You can get used to chickpeas, or hummus with steamed veg. I'm talking three good dollops of hommus with your fav spices, mixed in with a cup of ALDI mixed frozen veg that you'll have nuked in Chef Mike. It's a staple that lets you have a cooked protein whenever you like, and you'll enjoy that more because you're not having that all the time.
Also look into WPI instead of WPC, unflavoured if you can find it. And, don't forget your dietary fiber - psylium husk, and chia seeds with a glass of water with each low fiber meal. Don't strain on the toilet hey
Some ideas.
1 WPI shakes per day = 25g protein (3 shakes per day will get you to 200g easy, 1 for breakfast, 1 after workout and 1 at another time)
250g chicken breast = 78g
2 eggs = 12g
250ml milk = 9g
150g Greek yogurt = 15g
Tuna can = 15gI dont comment often but due to the comments i thought I should based on the comments. Im a body builder (not professional though) of 9 years and spent that time researching as well. Easiest way is to start at 150g protein based on ur BW. Keep it simple intitially on total calories and protein amount. Maximum calories id recommend is 2000 which would still have plenty of weight loss until you plateau (varies per person). When that happens you take off 100 calories and readjust when you plateau again.
Begin intermittent fasting initially at a 8 hour window but try to make it 6.
I do not recommend vegan based protein as they are not as bioavailable as other forms (unless you require these for dietary reasons). Eggs are your best friend for food (one meal a day go for 4-6). Egg whites can be found in the frozen section which is great (and cheaper but id still recommend whole eggs if economically feasible). One person mentioned amino z. I second fhis as their sweetener is probably one of the best used in the market without giving digestive issues.
Just begin and dont look back. Take body pictures every month in the same conditions. Scales are good initially but are less important later. 4-5 times a week at the gym and try to incorporate a steady state cardio at end of session every day (30min incline treadmill at 12-15 speed and 3.5-4 incline.
Gym folk are generally friend especially the experienced ones so dont feel shy to reach out to someone at the gym.
Good luck and welcome to being a better version of yourself than you were yesterday.Eggs are one of the best sources but more expensive.
Tuna is easily some of the best protein out there. 70g protein and 300 calories in one big Woolworths tin for $3.30.
200g of protein per day is absolutely wild, especially when you're just starting out. I feel sorry for the people around you who have to deal with your protein farts lol. I'm jacked, pretty advanced with my training, weigh 77kg and I do 120g-150g protein per day.
absolutely wild
ChatGPT also said the moon was the reason life started on earth. It helps with cell division. Wild but most be true! (sarcasm)
ChatGPT says I should be eating like 200g+ of protein over the day
23g protein per 100g of Peanut butter. So you'll probably need 800g. That is 2 big jars. About $4 ea when on special. Just spoon it out with your hands. Try to get it in before midday so you have rest of the day to pack it into your muscles.
You need to adjust it for digestibility. Same with other plant proteins.
800g of peanut butter. So roughly 400g of daily fat.. OP will be rolling into the gym
Maths don't always compute to practicality but it is good laughs!
Substitute with peanut butter powder in smoothies for same taste with a fraction of the fat. Widely available at supermarkets and 50% protein.
One of the cheapest protein is eggs - and don't believe in the Coles and Woolies BS about eggs shortage - ALDI has plenty.
That's been my experience as well. My local grocer always has plenty, as did the farmers market on the weekend.
If OP owns an airfryer, I've found the timings here work just fine for 'boiled' style eggs:
https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/air-fryer-boiled-eggs-recip…Get creative with some dipping sauce or marinades if you get bored: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=b40KKzm1wHo
OP, the necessity for 200 grams of protein is just absurd. It's far beyond what's needed. In fact, most studies now conclude that one gram per kilogram of body weight is more than enough for even significant growth. It might not sound like much, but it's true. The idea of two grams for every pound of body weight is an old school mentality, and is far too much. You're looking for about one gram to one and half grams of protein per kilogram of body weight at most. You'd be fine with just one gram.
Protein isn't everything when it comes to building muscle, you want to make sure you're eating enough, you need to be in a surplus to gain muscle, but you don't need to be in a HUGE surplus. I'm not sure why Chat GPT is suggesting 200 grams. It's just an absurd amount.
Have Tuna and cottage cheese every day and expand on that, very high in protein
I think I prefer greek yogurt over cottage cheese. It's looking like cottage cheese/greek yogurt and canned tuna are some of the cheapest proteins you can get from real food that you can eat every day. I think I could handle eating both daily for years.
Surprised you didn't follow up ChatGPT's protein instructions with "how do I do that" and then the rest of your post here @op
Costco rotisserie chicken: I purchase 2x costco chicken's ($8 each) which will feed me approx. 8 meals. These are much larger than your Coles/Woolie chickens and are my goto meal. I usually take off all of the skin and separate the meat only.
Tuna: Purchase in bulk when they are special from any of the supermarkets.
Additional protein: When I am 'lazy' I just buy the up&go ones which helps quash some of the sugar cravings. They arent that expensive when they are on special. Otherwise, protein powder in bulk when I see a deal on ozbargain.
Remember that the 80% is food / 20% is exercise when it comes to losing weight. No matter how you do it, 7700kcal in deficit from your BMI = 1kg lost in weight. Its way easier to do this with food than exercise. Best of luck!
pancakes by blending socked mung beans sprouts.
Soaked*
Hate my keyboard when swipe doesn't work as expend
200g+ protein a day sounds unsustainable economically and environmentally, and I'm sure your own tastebuds will get sick of it, but if you can hit it go for it I guess.
Just try to avoid being maximal on everything (i.e. on diet, on fitness routine), especially if your body hasn't adjusted as the chances of crashing (i.e. reverting to normal diet, motivation, or simply injury) is greater otherwise.
I tried being maximal on the leg press last night and regretted it. The other guys a the gym make it look so easy even with heavier weights. I guess I have been living like a corpse for a while now…
Eggs, would probably be the cheapest.
Buy pea protein from Coles. Add some of that to other protein like Musashi. On it's own it is really awful.
Buy protein when on sale. Unfortunately, there is no super cheap option for it.
I really like vanilla 'profee' which is just protein powder in coffee (a bit extra milk or water)
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Huh that's even cheaper than Bulk Nutrients per gram. But it doesn't look like Coles sell rice protein powder to mix with it, and it's not choc honeycomb flavoured.