What does protein powder do?

quellybelly
quellybelly Posts: 827 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm starting to get into the habit of making fruit smoothies (not adding any sugar - just fruits, water, and ice!) to try and consume more fruits each day. Someone suggested adding a scoop of protein powder into my smoothies. Apparently it's supposed to help with burning fat in addition to building lean muscle. It can also act as a meal supplement instead of breakfast or dinner. The breakfast thing is pretty appealing to me since I am guilty of not waking up early enough to eat a proper morning meal!

Right now I am not doing any weight training. I do workout videos at home (mostly Jillian Michaels videos and the odd P90x cardio vid), and have just started to do the Insanity program.

Any tips on what exactly protein powder helps with or your experiences with it are much appreciated! Thanks all.

Replies

  • SuperSexyDork
    SuperSexyDork Posts: 1,669 Member
    Protein powder does exactly what you think it would do, it adds protein to your smoothies.

    Protein helps you feel more satiated (fuller) and helps you stay that way for longer (as compared to simple carbs- which is what fruits mostly contain). It also helps you to retain more of your lean body mass while you are in a calorie deficit as without adequate dietary protein, your body will start to break down your muscles to access it.

    If you're getting a sufficient amount of protein (1g protein per pound of lean body mass is a good starting point) elsewhere, you shouldn't bother with it. However, if eating this amount of fruit smoothies significantly impacts the amount of protein you're getting, it's a good idea to start adding it to your diet.
  • quellybelly
    quellybelly Posts: 827 Member
    Protein powder does exactly what you think it would do, it adds protein to your smoothies.

    Protein helps you feel more satiated (fuller) and helps you stay that way for longer (as compared to simple carbs- which is what fruits mostly contain). It also helps you to retain more of your lean body mass while you are in a calorie deficit as without adequate dietary protein, your body will start to break down your muscles to access it.

    If you're getting a sufficient amount of protein (1g protein per pound of lean body mass is a good starting point) elsewhere, you shouldn't bother with it. However, if eating this amount of fruit smoothies significantly impacts the amount of protein you're getting, it's a good idea to start adding it to your diet.

    Thanks that was really helpful! How do I know how much lean body mass I already have? My protein goal was set to 49 grams when I set my calorie goal to 1300 here on MFP. How do I know if this is enough?
  • charismanoodles
    charismanoodles Posts: 343 Member
    I have protein powder every day. I use it as a snack between meals to keep me full. I use WPC whey protein concentrate.

    There is also pea, soy and rice protein and I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting right now.

    It's really handy if you are under your protein and want to bump it up because it's very low cal and carb.

    Seriously, I love this stuff haha!
  • RumpusP
    RumpusP Posts: 163 Member
    Yup, it just ups your protein. If you're not getting enough it can be a handy help.

    Personally, my nutritionists have always told me I should get a minimum of 60g of protein a day and add more based on my activity level/exercise regimen. I'm 5'3" and have always been prone to muscle and fairly large framed... at my fittest in the military I was 135-140lbs - dropping below 130 made me bony and prone to illness.

    So that might be a help on a general feel of what you need, but as bodies vary so greatly you might wanna try several of the online calculators out there for lean body mass and protein requirements. Use a few and see what rough average they give you, as you will get a variety of results from them.
  • jennychandra1
    jennychandra1 Posts: 9
    I always check out this website before buying any protein products - www.pro-proteinshake.com - My personal favourite is the Labrada Lean Body Hi-Protein shake because of the high protein:carb ratio.
  • 4pears
    4pears Posts: 5
    Protein powder does exactly what you think it would do, it adds protein to your smoothies.

    Protein helps you feel more satiated (fuller) and helps you stay that way for longer (as compared to simple carbs- which is what fruits mostly contain). It also helps you to retain more of your lean body mass while you are in a calorie deficit as without adequate dietary protein, your body will start to break down your muscles to access it.

    If you're getting a sufficient amount of protein (1g protein per pound of lean body mass is a good starting point) elsewhere, you shouldn't bother with it. However, if eating this amount of fruit smoothies significantly impacts the amount of protein you're getting, it's a good idea to start adding it to your diet.

    I agree that you need 1g protein per lb of lean body mass..............so why is fitness pal so LOW in required daily proteins ???

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