Whey protein for weight loss?

gogeter82

I joined a gym . The personal trainer told be to have 90g of protein a day to burn fat. He sold me a whey protein powder grass fed. But at work my coworker a nurse said whey will make me bulk up. I'm trying to lose a good 50lbs. Will whey help or hinder? I'm confused.

Kr15by

if the amount of whey you consume is putting you in a calorie surplus then yes you will put on weight. It all just depends on how many calories you are consuming from your other meals

Kr15by

Also it looks like the trainer was just trying to make a sell. Whey Protein is not necessary, you would be better off getting your protein consumption from solid foods

sijomial

Your trainer and your friend are both wrong.
Substitute "steak" for "whey protein" and do either of their comments make the slightest bit of sense?

Whey protein is just a protein rich food. It may be a convenient way to hit a reasonable protein goal if you aren't getting enough from your regular foods but that's it - nothing special about it

A calorie deficit over time burns fat.

To "bulk up" for a woman takes years of hard training and a whole lot of food. In 40 years of training I've never seen someone accidentally get bulky! If only it was that easy.

tugsandpulls760

i use it as a meal replacment in a pinch

SonyaCele

sounds like a sales pitch. if you haven't opened it, see if you can return it, unless you specifically want that kinda extra protein in your diet. I think for weight loss you are better off eating real whole foods , in a deficit, and getting your protein from foods you chew

BrianSharpe

You got conned......your protein intake has nothing to do with fat burning. There's nothing wrong with using protein powder for the occasional meal replacement (in a smoothie etc) but there's nothing magical about it.

I'm not sure what your co-worker meant by "bulk up", you only bulk up if you're trying to bulk up. You may gain weight though if using this puts you at a caloric surplus.

There are a wide variety of opinions on how much protein we need, Harvard has a calculator here:

health.harvard.edu/blog/how-much-protein-do-you-need-every-day-201506188096

20yearsyounger

really good answers to your question. Hope you read it. Generally, protein helps you to feel a little fuller and the protein powder for many is a good low calorie substitute. Its good that your trainer didnt advise you to overdose on protein but as others have said, it has nothing to do with fat burning and that by itself definitely doesnt make you bulk up.

Adi4Fitness

It will only help when you are doing every thing else correctly.

gogeter82

Thanx you guys. I'll stick to real foods.
I'll still use whey only when I need my calories to add up

jessef593

Your personal trainer does not know a thing about what he's talking about. Protein has absolutely no impact on weight loss or weight gain. It is purely dependant on your calories in vs calories out.

If you want to lose weight, eat at a deficit.
If you want to gain weight, eat at a surplus.

You should only buy protein powder if you have troubles hitting your protein goals or you enjoy the convenience. Other than that you'd be better off with whole foods such as chicken, beef, fish, and pork.