Whey Protein - Does it help promote weight loss?

Andrea_Bassett

I am curious if Whey Protein helps with weight loss. I do not want a "miracle", but I am always on the go and I think these shakes would be better than my normal Slim Fast shakes. I read that if the Whey Protein is natural, it is best. I found Designer Whey Protein and it looks like a good pick. Can anyone shine some light on this? Can I have too much protein in my diet?
Does it help promote weight loss with a healthy diet?


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erickirb

No, but what it does do is help you get more protein, which when losing weight is important, because if you don't get enough protein while losing weight (in a caloric deficit) you risk burning a large % of lean muscle instead of just fat. Protein combined with strength training helps you maintain as much muscle as you can while losing fat.

as for the amount of protein, I am a big proponent of a balanced diet, and a balanced diet can consist of protein up to 30% of total calories (MFP defaults to 15%), but others like an even higher protein diet.

conchita962

I make a whey protein shake every morning now. 1 scoop with 1 cup water, a banana, some blueberries or strawberries. I figure it this way....If I have that for breakfast then I'm not gonna eat crap. 1 scoop has 25 grams of protein!! That's a good thing!!! I googled homemade protein shakes and I got alll kinds of ideas AND it's a helluva lot cheaper than the other stuff. Go for it !!!

melmck2011

As far as I have read protein helps promote muscle gain which will in turn help with weight loss. I recently switched to a 40-40-20 diet which is 40% carbs, 40% protein and 20% fat. To be able to do this you need to eat lots of meat, fish, things with high protein in them. I also use protein powder in shakes to help get enough protein. The brand I use is bodylogix for women. It has 20g of protein and 117 calories per scoop so it's also low cal. There are many brands out there to try out! I hope this helps

scubagirl319

I had weight loss surgery in Dec and I drink 2 protein shakes a day to get in my required protein. I am supposed to have between 80-100 grams a day. I like the Designer Whey, I also use EAS and Syntrax Nectar, The Nectar ones come in a bunch of different flavors like lemonade, cherry, peach, and taste more like a juice drink than a thick shake. Just make sure the ones you drink do not have alot of carbs in them. All of the above have over 20 grams of protein and less than 5 carbs per scoop,

AdAstra47

1. It is very difficult to get "too much protein" in your diet. As long as your kidneys and liver are healthy (if you don't have some pre-existing damage or disease), then you can eat a LOT more protein than the recommended amount. For example, my doctor told me to eat 50g protein every 3 hrs as long as I'm awake, which works out to about 350g a day. I know people who have been on diets like this for over a decade and it hasn't hurt them a bit; in fact, many Type II diabetics have been more-or-less "cured" by eating like this. So you shouldn't worry at all about going over! :-)

2. Protein promotes weight loss when it replaces carbs as your source of energy. Your body can get quick bursts of energy from carbs, or it can get steady, slow-burning energy from burning a combination of fat and protein. I won't bore you with the chemistry, but it's roughly one part protein to three parts fat. So if you eat plenty of protein, this will help in burning off your fat (without losing muscle).

3. Protein promotes weight loss when it fills you up & keeps you from getting hungry. Like I said, carbs provide a quick burst of energy, but when it's gone you're hungry again. Protein digests more slowly and provides longer-lasting energy, so it will keep you feeling full & satisfied for longer & help you resist the temptation to overeat.

I haven't found that the kind of protein makes much difference to me. Some people swear by soy, some by whey. Just see what your body likes. And find a powder without a lot of carbs and/or sugars.
Good luck to you!

ArroganceInStep

Depends on how it's used. It's not really setup as a weight loss tool, but rather as a protein supplement. Most times it's to help rebuild torn muscles after a workout, or to help meet daily protein goals. That being said, having more muscle causes your body to burn more calories, and diets high in protein and fat tend to cause more satiety and helps with blood sugar. For those reasons, I have a shake every morning with slow release protein (syntha 6 if it matters) and quick release (pro complex) as well as a banana and peanut butter. It's high in calories (about 670) but it keeps me full until well past 2pm, thus allowing me to eat lunch late and generally skip dinner or have a very small dinner. This ultimately keeps me below my 2k calorie limit generally.

That's my perspective though, good luck!

Chainsaw_Flowerchild

Protein also keep you from getting hungry as often, which could help you loose weight.

liftingbro

http://www.jacn.org/content/23/5/373.full.pdf+html

The above link is to a summary of 15 studies compiled by to people with Ph.ds in Nutrition. The summary shows that in every longterm study done , people with a higher protein intake lose more weight than people that are not.

Of course, you have to eat less than you burn, no matter how much protein you eat.

However, the TEF of protein is 15-30%, that means it can require upto 30% of the calories to digest protein. So, if you eat 100 calories of protein, it may take as much as 30 calories to digest it or as little as 15. The TEF of Carbs and Fat is closer to 7-8%, so increasing your protein intake actually boosts metabolism.

A person eating a typical diet of 12-15% protein could switch to 40% protein. Figuring 2000 calorie diet:

@ 12% protein:
Burn due to TEF from carbs and fat would be around 140 calories.
Burn due to TEF rom protein would be ~60 calories
Net calories= 1800

Switch the diet to 40% protein
Burn due to TEF from carbs and fat= 96 calories
Burn due to TEF from protein= 200 calories
Net calories= 1704

Seems like a small change but over a course of 6 months that's an extra 6 pounds or so.

sweebum

http://www.jacn.org/content/23/5/373.full.pdf+html

The above link is to a summary of 15 studies compiled by to people with Ph.ds in Nutrition. The summary shows that in every longterm study done , people with a higher protein intake lose more weight than people that are not.

Of course, you have to eat less than you burn, no matter how much protein you eat.

However, the TEF of protein is 15-30%, that means it can require upto 30% of the calories to digest protein. So, if you eat 100 calories of protein, it may take as much as 30 calories to digest it or as little as 15. The TEF of Carbs and Fat is closer to 7-8%, so increasing your protein intake actually boosts metabolism.

A person eating a typical diet of 12-15% protein could switch to 40% protein. Figuring 2000 calorie diet:

@ 12% protein:
Burn due to TEF from carbs and fat would be around 140 calories.
Burn due to TEF rom protein would be ~60 calories
Net calories= 1800

Switch the diet to 40% protein
Burn due to TEF from carbs and fat= 96 calories
Burn due to TEF from protein= 200 calories
Net calories= 1704

Seems like a small change but over a course of 6 months that's an extra 6 pounds or so.

Helpful broken down like that, thanks! :flowerforyou: