Protein?

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Unchained_Woman
Unchained_Woman Posts: 4
in Food and Nutrition
Last week, I tried a meal replacement shake (Lean Body for Her - Strawberry). It has a high amount of protein in it, which is supposed to be filling, from what I have read and heard. Well, I wasn't very full for long. I even snacked on some fruit in between the shake and lunch. Is protein in fact supposed to be filling? Or is that just a myth like the herbal cleanse thing that I posted about yesterday? I'm really getting frustrated with all of these articles online, different nutritionists claiming different things, etc. It's confusing the heck out of fatty over here. Diet and exercise. Yes, I know, these are the key to getting back into my size 8 jeans again....but I'm getting confused on the right foods to eat, the portion sizes, the exercises to do, etc. It's overwhelming :/

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  • sfbaumgarten
    sfbaumgarten Posts: 912 Member
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    I'm more satisfied when I eat my protein rather than drink it. I'm all for a good protein shake, but I never try to use them as meal replacements.
  • jasonp_ritzert
    jasonp_ritzert Posts: 357 Member
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    I don't think Lean Body touts those shakes as a meal replacement, it's more of a protein shake, which are two different things. A meal replacement should have a good blend of protein, carbs, and quality fats.

    That being said, protein is slight more dense calorically than carbohydrates, which is why it will help keep you full longer. However, protein in the form of food may be a better option. If you drink a protein shake (24 g of protein) compared to eating a chicken breast (3-4 oz = 24 g of protein), the chicken breast will probably keep you full for longer. IMHO, protein shakes work best for supplementation to meet protein deficiencies or post-workout for a quick ingestion of protein to help aid muscle recovery.

    I've found that bodybuilding.com is a great resource for knowledgeable nutritionists/fitness people that provide fairly consistent advice.
  • xmichaelyx
    xmichaelyx Posts: 883 Member
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    Protein and fat tend to be filling. Carbs tend to increase hunger.

    YMMV.

    Eating it will almost certainly fill you longer than drinking it. Drinking calories tend to make me want to eat something.

    edit: Also, I don't know about those shakes, but "meal replacements" tend to be full of carbs, even if they do have protein. This will remove the full feeling (at least, it would for me).
  • demorelli
    demorelli Posts: 508 Member
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    A lot of the 'diet for women protein crap we can sell you' really doesn't fill you up. Try picking up some protein powder maybe, such as Body Fortress, which has 30g of protein at 140 calories (they changed formula semi-recently so calories might be off a bit). Or snack on cheese, nuts, or other healthy snacks with protein and fat. Just make sure you keep track of how much you snack on. Nuts can be really easy to eat 7 servings of. Maybe combine with a piece of fruit, like apples and cheese, banana with peanut butter, etc, to get a good combination to tie you over for longer.
  • levicrouch
    levicrouch Posts: 99
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    To help not be overwhelmed, try doing 1 thing consistently over a period of time.

    You can target calories consumed in a day. Only attempt to hit you calorie goal for 2 weeks consistently. Then, once you have that down you can tackle some other aspect of a healthier lifestyle, like maybe hitting calorie goals and working out consistently.

    Keep doing that until you hit all your goals consistently. Then you can tweak certain aspects once you have developed a consistent pattern.

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