Question about post workout protein shake for women

lml1042

Hi all! I work out twice a day and burn around 800 calories a day through exercise. I currently drink a double scoop of protein after each workout with water. I plan on taking my shakes down to two a day starting tomorrow because I'm trying to get more protein from whole foods rather than shakes.

My question is, a friend of my husbands said that women shouldn't take in a lot of protein because it will make them gain weight rather than lose weight, is this true? I've been trying to eat 1gr per lb I weigh but now I'm thinking that's too much and I'm scared of gaining weight rather than losing.

Any insight would be great :-)

Ariana_75

The weight that you will gain is from the muscle that the protein helps to build. The more muscle to build, the more fat you will burn throughout the day. I've been consuming the same amount as you and have noticed overall improvement not only in my weight, but muscle tone as well

Sidesteal

My question is, a friend of my husbands said that women shouldn't take in a lot of protein because it will make them gain weight rather than lose weight, is this true?

I would suggest you stop listening to your husbands friend.

Excess calories cause weight gain. If you consume a high protein diet but still land in a caloric deficit you will not gain weight.

bahacca

That guy is not very well versed in nutrition. Your body needs protein to rebuild muscle especially if you are strength training and need that muscle protein to rebuild. I'm actually a bit confused on the science of cardio and burning calories, but from what I understand, because cardio is a quick burn, it pulls from both fat AND muscle to feed the body. So if you are merely running or doing cardio, it will probably benefit you much more in the long run to add strength training so you keep what lean muscle mass you have and build some as well.
Now, as you gain muscle, you may see the scale rise, but your size and shape should remain the same or get SMALLER as muscle takes up less VOLUME than fat.

lml1042

Well my husbands friend is in incredible shape, but I was very skeptical because it goes against everything I've read. He said that if I'm trying to lose weight (which I am), then I shouldn't consume that amount of protein. When my husband told me that I immediately doubted, but wanted to ask all my MFP experts before I made my final decision.

DannyMussels

I would suggest you stop listening to your husbands friend.

Excess calories cause weight gain. If you consume a high protein diet but still land in a caloric deficit you will not gain weight.

This.

And I have a feeling a lot of uneducated people confuse whey protein with weight gainer. Similar containers, one's higher protein and in the 100-200 calorie range (per scoop) and the other is usually in the 1000+ calorie range (usually 4 or 5 scoops). In ads and magazines, they all look similar, til you realize they're different things.

carrie_eggo

Excess calories cause weight gain. If you consume a high protein diet but still land in a caloric deficit you will not gain weight.

^This

melvac

Not true women need protein too I have to take between 90 to 100 grams per day. I am a woman and I have not retained any excess water. I don't know where he got his info from...

tannjam

you need protein, dont beleive that to be true. I drink Eas Myoplex lite after my work outs and also as a snack . I beleive the protein helps with muscle recovery after workouts. Im not expert but that is what I have read

lml1042

I would suggest you stop listening to your husbands friend.

Excess calories cause weight gain. If you consume a high protein diet but still land in a caloric deficit you will not gain weight.

This.

And I have a feeling a lot of uneducated people confuse whey protein with weight gainer. Similar containers, one's higher protein and in the 100-200 calorie range (per scoop) and the other is usually in the 1000+ calorie range (usually 4 or 5 scoops). In ads and magazines, they all look similar, til you realize they're different things.

Interesting. I didn't realize they had powders with that many calories. My scoop is 130 per scoop (EAS protein).

I'm just glad I have MFP to get several peoples opinions rather than just one person who obviously doesn't know what he's talking about.

HeidiMightyRawr

Not true. Excess calories make you gain weight, not extra protein.

What he is probably thinking of is that a lot of men (and women) who want to gain weight / muscle used protein shakes to help them build muscle while they're strength training. This is usually combined with at least maintenance for calories though to help them build the muscle so of course they will gain weight.
If you're on a deficit, chances are you will not even gain muscle, just strength (you have to be new to lifting / obese to gain muscle on a deficit)

I have also lost weight before taking in lots of protein, at least 100g in the past, now it's more like 150g (1g per lb body weight)

jfluchere

No one has ever gotten fat working out and eating protein. You'll get smaller. Now, are you adding banannas, milk and peanut butter to your protein? That's a different story right now.

lml1042

No one has ever gotten fat working out and eating protein. You'll get smaller. Now, are you adding banannas, milk and peanut butter to your protein? That's a different story right now.

Not adding any of those..should I be?

yalisa0424

Not true at all! I added a lean protein powder to my routine and LOST weight!! Go for it. Just look for a lean powder. Something like Muscle Milk or a Special K shake IS NOT the way to go! Good luck!!

HeidiMightyRawr

No one has ever gotten fat working out and eating protein. You'll get smaller. Now, are you adding banannas, milk and peanut butter to your protein? That's a different story right now.

Not adding any of those..should I be?

I think what she's trying to say is that if you add those things (they're good for you, but high calorie) you'll turn at regular 120 cal protein shake into like 500 cals. - possibly making you gain weight.

If you add those things and are still under calories for the day you will be fine and still lose weight. It's personal preference, and all comes down to whether you're under or over at the end of each day.