Protein shakes.....when and how?

jadeyq1
jadeyq1 Posts: 178 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I'm thinking about introducing a daily protein shake into my diet regime as I currently don't feel that I get enough protein in my diet.

I'm a bit clueless as to when the best time to drink a shake is but mainly what I would like to know is whether I would still benefit from the shakes if I'm not necessarily doing strength training. I was doing the 30DS but slowly slipped out of the routine and now the majority of my exercise comes from cardio exercises such as walking and swimming, which I do at least 4 days out of 7 every week.

I do plan to get some strength training back in to my routine but for now will the shakes still be beneficial to me, in terms of boosting my protein intake, if the majority of my exercise continues to come from cardio? Or is the purpose of them solely to help with building and repairing muscle after strength training?

Thank you in advance for responses :)

Replies

  • KCPT17
    KCPT17 Posts: 15 Member
    I drink mine right after a workout. I just use the protein powder and water (good for muscle recovery) OR If I am looking to up calories I will blend a scoop of protein powder, a banana, 1 tbsp of natural peanut butter, and a cup of almond milk as a meal replacement or a snack. Super yummy!
  • lurcstet
    lurcstet Posts: 77
    Protein shakes will boost your protein, but remember they will also boost you calorie intake.

    Most people use them as meal supplements throughout the day, particularly post and/or pre workout. Even if you are only doing cardio they will help post workout with recovery.

    However, my question would be if your not strength training, then why do you want to use them and up your protein? If you do want to up your protein, maybe you can do this naturally by revisiting your diet. I take one shake a day and that adds about 50g of protein to my diet, which is fine because I strength train. But if I probably wouldn't bother if I was just doing cardio.
  • jadeyq1
    jadeyq1 Posts: 178 Member
    That sounds delish!

    What I don't want to do though is buy the whey protein solely as a way to up calories or to snack on if you get me. Ideally I want to know that the benefits are going to outweigh the costs for me :) ie. the benefits being that ideally I will be able to up my protein intake as well as aid fat loss and build/retain muscle.

    Thank you very much for your suggestion though :) Greatly appreciated!
  • amruden
    amruden Posts: 228 Member
    I like mine mid morning. Cold coffee, mocha protein powder over ice. Yummys.
    Gives me a little perk. :-)



    My son like chocolate protein powder with PB2 and frozen yogurt mixed with chocolate milk. Hehehe ohhh to have a teenage boys metabolism
  • mumtoonegirl
    mumtoonegirl Posts: 586 Member
    I have them only post workout, never as a meal replacement but as a strong protein to recover from a good workout.
  • jadeyq1
    jadeyq1 Posts: 178 Member
    Protein shakes will boost your protein, but remember they will also boost you calorie intake.

    Most people use them as meal supplements throughout the day, particularly post and/or pre workout. Even if you are only doing cardio they will help post workout with recovery.

    However, my question would be if your not strength training, then why do you want to use them and up your protein? If you do want to up your protein, maybe you can do this naturally by revisiting your diet. I take one shake a day and that adds about 50g of protein to my diet, which is fine because I strength train. But if I probably wouldn't bother if I was just doing cardio.

    I probably should have written a bit more in my initial post! Haha I want to add more protein as currently my diet consists more of carbs and fat than of protein. I would prefer a bigger percentage of my daily intake of calories to be coming from protein as from what I've read I assume that would be better for my body and for fat loss?

    I especially like the idea of being able to get a good chunk of it from a daily shake as opposed to having to buy things such as nuts and meat every week. Those kind of products tend to be really expensive here in the UK.

    Thank you for your response :)
  • iarelarry
    iarelarry Posts: 201 Member
    If i didn't weight train as vigorously, I would probably just limit it to 2 shakes a day - preferably 1 when i wake and another right after the gym.

    GL
  • Raddichio
    Raddichio Posts: 162 Member
    I find I sometimes enjoy a protein smoothie after exercise, although I don't do any heavy lifting. Sometimes I don't eat enough in the morning and when I exercise I feel a bit shaky afterward and the protein shake definitely helps. I also like it becuase I don't eat much fruit. I usually make mine with whey powder, a little OJ, 1/2 a banana, a few berries, some ice, and sometimes 1/2 tsp of agave. My smoothies aren't really high in protein, so it might not be what you are looking for. I don't eat a lot of protein, so it's a way of inserting a bit more, along with the fruit, into my day. I find it refreshing.
  • Sqeekyjojo
    Sqeekyjojo Posts: 704 Member
    I use them for times when I don't feel I could manage to prepare and eat a meal. Mostly breakfast time, but as being unwell is a fairly common occurrence for me, for reasons unconnected to my food intake, whenever I can.

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