How important is a protein powder for weight loss?

emeralds5668

I have bought it one time and used it all...using it for recovery post workout. I do not know if it was effective or not. I am thinking about buying it again, because I am really dedicated to my workouts andmonitoring my caloric intake so I want to get the max weight loss possible for my effort. Any advice is appreciated.

cacrat

It isn't necessary at all. It is used to supplement your diet with added protein. A chicken breast or any other meat will give you the same benefits as a protein shake. Additionally, protein shakes, by themselves will not cause weight loss. The added protein will add in muscle repair, but it has no direct effect on weight loss.

LabRat529

A protein powder doesn't do anything to help or hinder weight loss. It's a source of protein and calories and that's about it.

I sometimes drink one for convenience sake. I have a hard time hitting my protein goal. But I think they're kinda nasty, so I don't drink one often.

emeralds5668

thanks....its getting hard. I have lost 74 lbs all together.....most of it before joining this site. Its taken a long time and I do fall off the wagon at times. I do not gain back....but I dont lose any either. But I have recommitted myself to winning this war.

fatty_to_fitty

I'm not sure of the science (someone will no doubt jump in)

We eat fat we store fat we exercise and strain our muscles and exesive exercise on low protein can damage muscles. SO weight loss not fatt loss so un healthy.

We eat more protein better diet less fat the body uses that to sustain the muscle and the fat stores are used as your energy source. You lose weight and get leaner.

Any type of protein as above is beneficial to losing fat and being healthy it does not mean you will gain.

I'm going to check back and see what everyone else says

fatty_to_fitty

Bump I wanted someone to correct my bro science? IS there any truth in what I have been told?

fteale

I don't think it is necessary at all.

fteale

I don't think it is necessary at all.

mixedfeelings

Not for weight loss. Do you have plenty of protein in your diet? How hard do you work your muscles? Protein is essential for muscle repair but there are plenty of sources of low fat protein, low fat milk after a session would do. Are you doing serious weight training? Are you wishing to build muscle or just tone?

Lyadeia

I'm not sure of the science (someone will no doubt jump in)

We eat fat we store fat we exercise and strain our muscles and exesive exercise on low protein can damage muscles. SO weight loss not fatt loss so un healthy.

We eat more protein better diet less fat the body uses that to sustain the muscle and the fat stores are used as your energy source. You lose weight and get leaner.

Any type of protein as above is beneficial to losing fat and being healthy it does not mean you will gain.

I'm going to check back and see what everyone else says

Without getting all technical, you are on the right track thinking this. Basically, exercise of any kind causes tiny micro tears in the muscles. We use protein and water (mostly) to repair those muscles, so it's important to get plenty of protein in our diet and be sure to drink water... It's also important that we don't overdo the cardio and under-do the weight training. Weight training preserves the muscle so that we don't lose a lot of lean mass while we are losing total body weight. And if you are weight lifting, you are stressing your muscles even more and need your protein...

Back to the O/P's question...I agree that you don't need protein shakes for weight loss. I personally use them to meet my protein and calorie goals without having to cook another meal. Blending is faster and easier than baking, lol. And after a strenuous workout, I don't want to eat, but I need something...so I drink my meal, lol.

salxtai

I'm not sure of the science (someone will no doubt jump in)

We eat fat we store fat we exercise and strain our muscles and exesive exercise on low protein can damage muscles. SO weight loss not fatt loss so un healthy.

We eat more protein better diet less fat the body uses that to sustain the muscle and the fat stores are used as your energy source. You lose weight and get leaner.

Any type of protein as above is beneficial to losing fat and being healthy it does not mean you will gain.

- your body will store any excess nutrient as fat, it doesn't have to be fat initially although it can have a tendency to get stored more readily as the body has to convert other excess nutrients into fat first before storing

- "We eat more protein better diet less fat the body uses that to sustain the muscle" - having a bit of trouble understanding what you're referring to here, but fat is just used as a source of energy during exercise - protein is the building block of muscle.

- And like others said beforehand, you can get by just fine without protein drinks, unless you're really looking to bulk up (as in, serious competition etc), the only exception is if your diet is really lacking in protein then it can help. Mind you that at the end of the day it all just counts a calories going in

littlemegzz

so what sort of number should we be looking at in our MFP diary for our protein? I'm 5'8", 100kg and starting the 30 day shred tomorrow.

jennsteff

I think it's important to meet your protein goal - my nutritionist has me aim for 90g/day, and I also aim for 90 carbs or less and never worry about the fat - in my 1200/day diet, this all works out great...except...I do usually fall short of my 90g protein unless I add a low-carb protein supplement (which can be a protein shake, or I use some of the Ideal Protein snacks as I did that program a while ago and still use some of their foods to fill this gap).

So to answer your question - no - and to the point above, you can also eat 4 oz. of chicken and get the 20-30g. protein that you would get in the powder, and fundamentally I'm a big fan of whole foods vs. 'fake food' - and that said, for me it's the convenience of a powder or protein snack that gets me to my goals...if I'm home and can eat a couple ounces of deli turkey though, I'll often opt for that.

if you'd rather eat a hunk of meat, do that! If the powder works for you, do that - just aim to meet your protein goals to feed your muscles and your brain!