Protein shakes/supplements or stick with real food

rogerrodgers1991

I eat fish, chicken and steak about twice a week and was wondering if I should take protein shakes after my workouts. I want to avoid them because I want to stay away from all that. Are protein shakes really important to getting big or what do you suggest? I am 180 pounds, 6 feet tall, skinny but I have somewhat of a beer belly. My goal is to get rid of the belly but also get big at the same time. Protein shake or no, let's hear it please!

minijuggernaut

Well, you have to pick a goal. You aren't going to shed the belly and "get big" at the same time.

What does the rest of your diet look like? You should be getting at least 150g-170g protein daily if you're looking to gain muscle mass.

Protein shakes are not NECESSARY - if you're hitting your protein goal with real food, all the better. If you're not, they are a good way to supplement your diet.

Furthermore, the timing of your shake is irrelevant. The notion that you need to take a shake or a post workout meal immediately after a workout has been disproven.

rogerrodgers1991

The rest of my diet is good. I eat eggs every morning and for lunch usually a ham or turkey sandwich. I avoid fast food as much as I can, but will probably eat it 1 time a week. I do not eat sweets. So with that being said, I think my diet is good. I just need to figure out how to get rid of my beer belly. Since I can't lose the belly fat and get "big" at the same time, I was wondering if you knew any tips or suggestions in which I can lose the belly fat besides eating well. Do you suggest running a few times a week or everyday or what? Or just stick with what I am doing and give it some time? Thanks for your help.

AJ_G

Eat solid foods to hit your macro goals if at all possible. If you can't hit the 150g+ protein macro by eating whole food, then you could supplement with powder

stephaniethomas80

In my experience strength training has most effectively changed the way my body looks. I do generally eat a calorie deficit so I'm not going to gain any muscle but strength training will help maintain more of your muscle mass if you are looking to lose some body fat.

j6o4

Eat solid foods to hit your macro goals if at all possible. If you can't hit the 150g+ protein macro by eating whole food, then you could supplement with powder

^ This. Your training should be the same if you were trying to gain muscle or lose fat, only differance is how you eat.

tmarstam

My biggest problem with myself when I joined MFP was my belly! In one month I haven't lost weight so much as inches. I do sit -ups, and side jack-knifes every second day. I will do as many as I can, take a 60 second break, do as many as I can, take a 60 second break, do as many as I can.... 4 or 5 times. I managed to lose 2 full inches off my belly in a month that way. Of course, I also eat a lot better, fruits and nuts for snacks. A berry based smoothy for breakfast every day. Eat two eggs 3x per week and cut way down on the main carbs (bread, potato, pasta and rice). I started replacing main carbs with beans.... cooked lentils and chili made with extra lean ground beef. The days I don't do the sit-ups and side jacks, I run. Treadmill, interval style. walk 5 minutes for warmup then run 4 min @ 4.5 - 6 mph and then walk for 2 min at 3 mph and do this 5 times. It worked for me and I would suggest this method to anyone who wants to lose inches as opposed to weight...