!!!!!!Help me understand shakes, protein, recovery drinks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

kristinalupp

Hey, I have been trying to understand for a while now - some say you need it, some say you don't etc. Maybe I need to tell you what my goal is first:
- I am 30 years old (gosh, just turned 30 - need to get used to this big number), 222 lbs and 67.5 tall. My goal is to be 165 lb. I have done Jillian Michaels for 5 weeks, then decided to go for Insanity - today was day 1 of recovery week (week 5 into insanity). What I need to know - what do I drink or not drink to loose the most weight?? I do not care about muscles , just want to look normal. Protein shake??? shakeology? Body for V or whatever it is called? or is this all money making? Pls no consultants trying to sell this on me. Thank you so so much in advance!!!

kristinalupp

Oh and I have been drinking whey protein shakes so far after each workout. But am scared they will slow down my weight loss?????

BombshellPhoenix

You should care about muscles, it what helps keep you looking leaner at goal weight.

That being said you don't neeeed protein drinks or any special thing for "weight loss". Getting a good amount of protein throughout the day will help maintain lean body mass in a deficit. As will picking a weight loss ideal for the amount of weight you have to lose.

Focus on overall intake and not timing. Eat in a way that makes you feel best. You'll be better off for adhering to your calories and better off for after if you fin foods you enjoy to fit into your day while still being mindful of nutrients for health.


Don't worry about protein drinks causing weight loss stalls. The only thing that stalls weight loss is eating at maintenance or above it.

Weight loss will never be linear. It is normal to fluctuate as much as 4-5 lbs in a single day a few lbs from one day to the next. You're looking at the weight loss trend over several weeks.

If you do stall, I'd look at logging accuracy first.

NoelFigart1

Only if you're taking in more calories than you're burning. There's nothing magical in those drinks to make you lose weight, I promise.

Some weight lifters might need more protein than they can consume naturally for muscle growth, so the shakes might be useful to them.

I tend to get my protein from meat and eggs simply because I am terribly suspicious that a lot of the so-called sports nutrition is more about selling product. I could see using some of that stuff as a competitive athlete, but that's not what I am personally doing. My personal preference is to eat a lot of fresh veggies and a little fruit along with the animal protein and I feel good doing it, so I run with it.

Again, other people have other goals than I do, so their needs would be different.

darylwbaker

From my personal experience and what I've learned from Tony Horton (Completed p90x classic and lost almost 50lbs now) Protein is a fat burner and for recovery after them heavy workouts. I didn't bother with all them protein shakes that they offer I just got a normal whey Isolate so its consumed faster to help speed up recovery. I would personally not worry about gaining any weight unless you're having tons of it and overeating then it may cause a problem but like I said if your doing a heavy fitness program and burning calories a shake will only help you!

Listen to your body it will let you know when it needs fuel, I had many times when I was worried also about having extra shakes etc and I ended up some days having 2 shakes on top of my meals but I'm also 6'5 / 238lbs now so I pig out if needed and still watched the pounds fall off me! Just keep doing what you're doing!

Best of luck,
D

aleism

I'm no expert - but I think what you drink/take for supplements would depend on what you are wanting to do.

Personally, I am on a shake program (2x shakes per day, 2 snacks, 1 meal) for weight loss. My goals are roughly the same as yours.

A friend of mine drinks a pre-workout supplement to boost energy while working out.
Recovery drinks, as far as I understand, are good for if you are doing any kind of strength training as it will help your muscles rebuild themselves and help your body bounce back from dehydration from sweat, etc.

I find that the shakes/supplements I'm on give me enough energy, so I don't feel I need pre-workout stuff, but I've started looking into the recovery drinks my company sells as well for post workout.

I'm just starting to look into strength training, supplements, etc as well. But I know that building muscle will help burn fat faster as well.

Unknown

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GauchoMark

Bottom line - you don't need them.

Do I use them? Sometimes.

So, a quick nutrition lesson - there are certain essential nutrients that your body can't make on its own. These are mostly proteins, but also a few fats. As long as you are getting an ample amount of these proteins and fats, you really don't need anything else. That is why it is so important to eat plenty of protein.

The supplement industry would like you to believe that if you don't use their stuff that you are just never going to be fit. It is a lie to make money! The truth is, the BEST QUALITY protein you can get is from real, whole foods - meat, fish, poultry, dairy, legumes, etc.

You need to eat before and after a workout, but it timing isn't as important as the supplement industry wants you to think. If you are getting your protein from whole foods, the amino acids (broken down from proteins and why you REALLY want to eat protein) will be in your blood for some period of time - usually a few hours depending on the protein source. So, if you eat within a couple of hours before a workout and within a couple of hours after, you will be fine.

So why do people use supplements? I use them for convenience and practicality. Sometimes it is just easier to grab a shake. Sometimes it is more practical, like how much you have to eat to equal the protein in a shake - maybe I don't have that many calories left or am not that hungry but still want the protein. There are many reasons why you might use them, but they will never replace a good meal as far as quality goes.

At 222 lbs, my advice to you is to just keep it simple. You still have a ways to go. Focus on making proper nutrition and portion choices, go exercise, lift weights, and practice logging food and exercises. You just need to keep a caloric deficit and get enough protein in your diet. The supplements are kind of a waste of money for now.

dopeysmelly

I don't use shakes, or supplements or anything, although I understand the convenience. I prefer chewing my food.

Maybe just focus on making sure you are getting enough protein etc. in your regular day, and then switch snacks/meals around to fit how you feel? Instead of going for 3 meals, when I go to the gym, I have 3 smaller meals and fit in 3 snacks, so my calories are more spaced out. One of those snacks is greek yogurt mid-afternoon, and another one is 10g almonds and a banana after my workout (protein and carbs right there). This has made a big difference to how I feel both the day of and the day after workouts.

If shakes, smoothies etc. help you meet your macro goals, then, sure, go for it. If you want to.

Liftng4Lis

First, you should care about muscles (keeping them), while you're losing. You don't need to worry about shakes and supplements, eat food.

kristinalupp

thank you for your fast replies!!! How do I know how much protein I need to consume in one day? Not sure if this is relevant at all, but I also nurse. The insanity booklet tells me I can consume close to 3500 calories a day if I want to lose weight, not including the fact that I nurse. Does this make sense? People look at me funny when I tell them the number.

Scarecrowsama

The range of 80-120 gr of protein a day is usually enough to keep or gain some muscle for almost any human being, there is a book called "How much protein" which explains, with scientific studies, all of the myth about protein consumption, there is too much hype about protein, and there are also so many companies that sell them, what a coincidence.

leggup

I'm 71 tall and have gone from 215 to 165. I do not use recovery drinks/protein drinks/shakes. I tried muscle milk shakes to see what the hype was when they were on sale. Meh. I eat food. I lose weight because I eat less food than I used to, not because I do or don't drink certain things.

The makers of Insanity are the makers of BeachBody shake products. They will be pushing their products in all of their materials.

Wheelhouse15

"Recovery" drink is a marketing gimmick. Unless you are working out hard for prolonged periods of time (think half marathon or so) the only thing you need after a workout will be water. The idea of a 30 minute post workout window has some validity but you need to have the protein in your system before you finish your workout to really take advantage and it's really not that great of a difference unless you are a pro athlete or BB who needs every little advantage.

Concentrate on your diet and suppliment if you are having problems meeting your needs but you shouldn't really need them if you are just looking to lose weight.

GauchoMark

Here is a good guide to help figure out your macros (aka how much protein)
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981

3500 calories seems high at first glance, but go here, enter your stats, take a look at your BMR and TDEE. To lose weight you want to eat under your TDEE. To stay healthy (long term - you can eat less than BMR and be ok in for short periods of time, but not a good idea for more than maybe a week) you want to eat more than your BMR.
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

3500 might be spot on depending on your stats and how active you are. Just be careful not to overestimate your activity level. Get a fitbit or similar if you really want it to be close - you start learning a lot about your activity levels!

dopeysmelly

The general guideline I've seen for protein consumption is 1g of protein per lb of lean body mass, but honestly the 80-120g quoted above is going to cover most people if you can't be bothered to figure out your body fat.

I found it tough to get that when I first started looking at macros, but a bit of thought, reading of nutrition labels and switching foods around and it's actually pretty easy after some practice. My diary is open if you want to look at how I get about 90-100g per day (I'm 5" shorter than you).

I recommend going into the sexypants posting right at the top of the Getting Started forum. It has a LOAD of great advice.

TimothyFish

The theory behind a protein drink is that your body needs protein to rebuild muscle after a workout and your body processes protein best in the first thirty minutes after a workout. If you are away from home, you may have to travel for several minutes before you can purchase or prepare a meal. The protein drink gives you something that you can consume within the window, because you can carry it with you. But keep in mind that they are typically high in carbs, so unless you are working out a lot (more than 2 hours) they are likely to have a negative affect on weight loss and you are probably getting enough protein from other things anyway.

rgauthier20420

I use the protein shakes for convenience for the most part. For my day to day, it's simpler for me to get 25g of protein from a shake rather than a meal. It's going to vary person by person, but I personally enjoy the taste and it provides a good nutritional snack.

BTW, to the above poster, most "protein" shakes are going to be on the lower side in carbs. A meal replacement shake will be higher, but that's a different beast. Here's a link to the ones I'm drinking and have only 4g of carbs, 2 of those grams are dietary fiber. http://www.swansonvitamins.com/dymatize-nutrition-elite-whey-protein-rich-chocolate-2-lbs-pwdr

skullshank

OP here are some useful links that might get you off to the right start!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1346163-change-your-mindset

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here?hl=so+you're+new+here

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think