Protein shakes/supplements or stick with real food

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rogerrodgers1991
rogerrodgers1991 Posts: 5
in Food and Nutrition
I eat fish, chicken and steak about twice a week and was wondering if I should take protein shakes after my workouts. I want to avoid them because I want to stay away from all that. Are protein shakes really important to getting big or what do you suggest? I am 180 pounds, 6 feet tall, skinny but I have somewhat of a beer belly. My goal is to get rid of the belly but also get big at the same time. Protein shake or no, let's hear it please!

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  • minijuggernaut
    minijuggernaut Posts: 98 Member
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    Well, you have to pick a goal. You aren't going to shed the belly and "get big" at the same time.

    What does the rest of your diet look like? You should be getting at least 150g-170g protein daily if you're looking to gain muscle mass.

    Protein shakes are not NECESSARY - if you're hitting your protein goal with real food, all the better. If you're not, they are a good way to supplement your diet.

    Furthermore, the timing of your shake is irrelevant. The notion that you need to take a shake or a post workout meal immediately after a workout has been disproven.
  • rogerrodgers1991
    rogerrodgers1991 Posts: 5
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    The rest of my diet is good. I eat eggs every morning and for lunch usually a ham or turkey sandwich. I avoid fast food as much as I can, but will probably eat it 1 time a week. I do not eat sweets. So with that being said, I think my diet is good. I just need to figure out how to get rid of my beer belly. Since I can't lose the belly fat and get "big" at the same time, I was wondering if you knew any tips or suggestions in which I can lose the belly fat besides eating well. Do you suggest running a few times a week or everyday or what? Or just stick with what I am doing and give it some time? Thanks for your help.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
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    Eat solid foods to hit your macro goals if at all possible. If you can't hit the 150g+ protein macro by eating whole food, then you could supplement with powder
  • stephaniethomas80
    stephaniethomas80 Posts: 190 Member
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    In my experience strength training has most effectively changed the way my body looks. I do generally eat a calorie deficit so I'm not going to gain any muscle but strength training will help maintain more of your muscle mass if you are looking to lose some body fat.
  • j6o4
    j6o4 Posts: 871 Member
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    Eat solid foods to hit your macro goals if at all possible. If you can't hit the 150g+ protein macro by eating whole food, then you could supplement with powder

    ^ This. Your training should be the same if you were trying to gain muscle or lose fat, only differance is how you eat.
  • tmarstam
    tmarstam Posts: 5 Member
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    My biggest problem with myself when I joined MFP was my belly! In one month I haven't lost weight so much as inches. I do sit -ups, and side jack-knifes every second day. I will do as many as I can, take a 60 second break, do as many as I can, take a 60 second break, do as many as I can.... 4 or 5 times. I managed to lose 2 full inches off my belly in a month that way. Of course, I also eat a lot better, fruits and nuts for snacks. A berry based smoothy for breakfast every day. Eat two eggs 3x per week and cut way down on the main carbs (bread, potato, pasta and rice). I started replacing main carbs with beans.... cooked lentils and chili made with extra lean ground beef. The days I don't do the sit-ups and side jacks, I run. Treadmill, interval style. walk 5 minutes for warmup then run 4 min @ 4.5 - 6 mph and then walk for 2 min at 3 mph and do this 5 times. It worked for me and I would suggest this method to anyone who wants to lose inches as opposed to weight...

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