Protein shakes? Need them or lose them?

Krissi72

I am borderline diabetic right now and consuming 1,200 calories per day plus exercise everyday. I still feel hungry most of the time and I slam at least 9-10 8 oz. glasses of water in a day. I'm doing everything my nutritionist told me to do and I still feel weak and crappy with not much balance. Will protein shakes help me at all to feel full and satisfied and increase my energy? I just got some protein powder at the store to put in my drinks and I'm just wondering if it will help me that much. Any feedback would be super! Thanks!

crobinson0923

Did your nutritionist say anything about upping your calories on the days you exercise? Maybe you aren't eating enough

labrennan

sounds like you are not eating enough

PrincessLou71186

Are you eating back your calories from your workout?

I don't know much about protein shakes or any supplements to be honest but I don know that you need to eat back burnt calories, if that means you eat 2000 calories a day (don't know how much you burn) then that's what you need to eat.

Basically, eat you 1200 + burned calories. That should, in theory, mean you don't feel crappy.

I'm no specialist but this is what I was told by fitness experts/body builders etc.

Good luck. X

amonkey9

Well I don't know with you being diabetic and all, but I think they are great. Probably because I am vegetarian and it's almost a neccessary for me to get protein

tigersword

Protein isn't used for energy, so, not really. Might help with feeling full, but all eating excessive protein does is prevent the body from efficiently burning fat, since the liver is responsible for both protein and fat processing, and can't do both at the same time.

So, unless you aren't getting enough protein, I wouldn't bother.

I think eating 1200 calories a day while exercising a lot is why you feel crappy. Eat more. You need to fuel your body. Remember, calories you burn while exercising essentially erase calories you've eaten, as far as nutrition is concerned. If you eat 500 calories, and then burn 500 calories, your body doesn't have anything to run on. As much as people wish it would happen, your body is not designed to burn large amounts of fat at a time, so it won't, it will burn a little bit of fat, and then turn around and start making adjustments to your metabolism and breaking down muscle tissue to make up the difference. This leaves you feeling lethargic and crappy.

Krissi72

I usually only eat the 1,200, but on certain days when I can't handle how I feel I grab something with a little bit of carbs to get my sugar going again. I was just wondering if protein gives you that boost also without adding the carbs to my diet which got me in trouble with borderline diabetes in the first place.

maureenB7

I like the EAS AdvantEdge Shakes, low carb(4 grams-no sugar) and high protein(17 grams) and only 110 calories for 11 oz. I drink them before I work out and it seems to really control my hunger.

Krissi72

Thanks for letting me know. My nutritionist/personal trainer told me to go "gung ho" on the protein. I just needed another opinion before I go ahead with it.

Krissi72

That sounds like it would help my workouts too! Especially my strength training. Thanks!

chachita7

how many meals are you eating a day? If you could break down your meals into smaller more often meals that might help. As far as the protein shakes, yes those will give you a good full feeling, but watch out for the carb counts...

LynneGG

I sometimes use Glucerna HungerSmart shakes. They seem to last and keep my blood sugars pretty stable. This week I'm trying the EAS Carbadvantage shakes and so far so good. I have one with a serving of oatmeal in the morning and I'm good until lunch. It takes trial and error to find something that works. BTW both shakes are not bad tasting. The EAS strawberry taste like Nestle Quik strawberry.

treehugginpam

It looks like you have over 60 pounds to lose? If that's the case, 1200 calories is WAY low. Check out this calculator to get a good estimate of how many calories you should be eating:

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

Once you start eating enough, you should feel much better! Protein shakes aren't a necessity, but they do help get more protein if you're coming up short. I like them for extra protein myself since I don't eat meat.

Hope this helps!

jo_marnes

I have been trying to increase the protein in my diet since startting P90X on the 1st Jan. So not long. But I have noticed that I'm not so hungry since I have been eating more meat etc. My diet before was pretty much all carbs, mostly healthy carbs, but carbs none the less. I have been wondering to myself if that simple change has stopped me feeling weak/ tired/ vacant - I used to feel that way a lot in the afternoons. I don't have shakes though, I've been eating meats/ cottage cheese/ tofu etc - I'm not the biggest fan of any of these but they seem to be making a difference already..... I like cottage cheese with fruit (berries or an apple) and then it's a sweet treat rather than savoury.

Krissi72

:happy: You all have great insight into this protein deal. Thanks for your replies! I'm going to work on eating some more calories especially on the days I work out over an hour. I would definetly like to feel full every once in a while.

stanochic2012

The protein shake will help add some fat free milk but watch the sugar.

Krissi72

I would like to try out the EAS carbadvantage shakes a few of you are talking about. They seem to do the trick for the hunger pangs and last throughout a workout. Also, the eating every few hours would probably be better then the small 3 meals I usually eat.

christieclarke

I'm now doing my second round of P90X, which requires massive amounts of protein. I live and die by the Atkins Advantage Milk Chocolate Delight shakes. I have tried half-dozen different shakes, powdered and premixed, and these are by far the best tasting I've come across. They do help fill you up, and as one previous poster mentioned, they are pretty lean on fat and calories. Good luck!!!

Krissi72

I'll give that one a try too. I guess I'll decide based on the decent taste and low carbs and sugar. Thanks for posting!