To Use Protein or Not use Protein,Thats the ????

I am starting a version of Ideal Protein - and it is all geared towards protein. I am using shakes that are less than 120 cals, less than 7g of carb and at least 15g of protein. I went to a meeting about Ideal Protein but I just can't afford it so I am starting my own version. According to their website:

Learn to live off of the body's own fat reserves. The body employs energy from three reserves: glycogen (carbohydrate), protein and fats. First from it’s simple and complex carbohydrate reserves and when depleted, turns simultaneously to its protein and fat reserves for energy. A person not in need of weight loss typically has approximately 1-2% of their body's reserves from carbs, approximately 19% from their muscle mass and 79% of their body reserves from fat.


Simple and complex carbohydrates can prevent weight loss. The body stores approximately three days worth of carbohydrates. Because of this, the Ideal Protein Weight Loss Method has a beginning and an end. Until 100% of the weight loss goal is achieved, we restrict sugars (simple and complex). Why? Because, as long as sugar is being consumed, the body is not burning fat. It's as simple as that. Remember, the first source of energy is derived from glycogen (carbohydrate) reserves. The main principle is to deplete the glycogen (carbohydrate) reserves completely in order to compel the body to turn to its fat reserve to burn calories.

How do we get the body to burn its fat reserves and not its muscle mass reserves, if both are depleted simultaneously? First, by providing the body with foods that have a high protein value, complete with 8 essential amino acids, 97% absorbable, which make them biologically-complete proteins.

Secondly, by supplementing with nutrient-rich supplements such as Natura Multi-Vita, Natura Calcium & Magnesium and Natura Potassium, key ingredients in muscle building and electrolytes to replace those normally found in foods restricted on the Ideal Protein protocol.

I am starting my plan tomorrow - we will see how it goes! Good luck on your weight loss journey!

MOST protein powders contain as much sugar as they do protein.

Your muscles need the protein after a workout to build muscle. Even if you don't want to be muscly, the most muscle you have, the more calories your body will burn during the day because it needs to keep that muscle active. It's great if you need a quick snack after a workout but personally, I'd rather cook up a couple of eggs.

You would not be a body builder from using protein powder. In fact- its one of the hardest things for women to do!! Protein powder will also not cause you to gain weight- too many calories from crap food and not enough exercise will cause you to gain weight. I have a protein shake after my workouts with a fast digesting carb source. Protein feeds the muscles after working out- which is what you want because its the muscle that will burn more calories after you are working out-for the next 24-48 hours I believe. Look for one that has the lowest cholesterol/carbs/sugar. If you aren't comfortable with drinking them though, then don't.

I bought some protein powder today to have on days when I don't naturally get enough protein. But I've also been trying to work it in naturally protein rich foods. You should do what your doctor says.

there is no need for people to use protein powder while on diets or as part of a 'healthy' diet. if you are a meat eater you get plenty if not too much already.

if you are a vegetarian like myself, i get plenty naturally anyways..

you only need 40-60 grams of protein a day...if you go over it just get stored as fat..

ps...unless you are a noob to working out or extremely obese you CAN NOT gain muscle on a calorie deficit..to gain muscle you need to eat calories..its NOT all about the protein, but a good mix of all the macros. studies have shown that excessive protein does NOTHING to build muscle while body building. men and women gain muscle at the same rate..men just gain more of it because they have testosterone. even if you do lift weights, you wont gain muscle unless you are eating a lot and eating healthy.

That's just a huge load of crap. Sorry to be so blunt. What would you rather do, stand in front of a stove for 10mins, cooking protein and or making a shake in 1 minute? Don't forget the dishes.

How are they going to make you gain weight??? Makes no sense AT ALL. Protein is PROTEIN. 1 gram of protein is 4 calories, it's not going to change just cause it's in liquid form. I use a unusual diet, with a protien shake everyday, 2 actually. Helped me lose 10lbs in 5 days, we will see what next week holds. Liquid Protien is easier to digest, you know what this means?? MOre energy for you, not for digestion. Just upsets me when people are fed inaccurate information from a "SO CALLED AUTHORITY" when they shouldn't be an authority to begin with.

Whey protein is an excellent protein choice for individuals of all ages who value the role of a healthy diet in helping to maintain and improve their health. Whey protein isolate, the purest form available, is unsurpassed as a source of the essential amino acids required in the daily diet. Essential amino acids are the building blocks for healthy muscles, skin, nails and other body tissue.

The body requires more energy to digest protein than other foods (thermic effect) and as a result you burn more calories after a protein meal.
Whey protein isolate is pure protein with little to no fat or carbohydrates. It is a perfect complement to any low carbohydrate or low glycemic index diet plan.
Recent studies by Dr. Donald Layman, a professor at the University of Illinois, have highlighted the role of the essential amino acid leucine in improving body composition. High quality whey protein is rich in leucine to help preserve lean muscle tissue while promoting fat loss. Whey protein contains more leucine than milk protein, egg protein and soy protein.
Protein helps to stabilize blood glucose levels by slowing the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream. This in turn reduces hunger by lowering insulin levels and making it easier for the body to burn fat.
Whey protein contains bioactive components that help stimulate the release of two appetite-suppressing hormones: cholecystokinin (CCK) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). In support of this, a new study found that whey protein had a greater impact on satiety than casein, the other protein in milk. Adding whey protein to a mid-day snack or beverage provides healthy energy and may help control food intake at the next meal.

The benefits of whey protein for women are many, beginning with the fact that it is recommended as a supplement for women in weight loss programs. This is because whey protein can:

■increase metabolic rates
■increase satiety
■increase lean muscle mass
■help to prevent osteoporosis
■create natural energy

WOW......Thanks for all the info and advice on this. i see alot of people have opinions on this topic.

1st off I don't have any Kidney/Medical Issues and I seem to get enough Protein at least according to the numbers on MFP

MFP number's are for the average person. if you do strength exercises they are very low.

and I was told that drinking Protein Powder turns to fat and adds on weight as opposed to helping me lose the fat.

well.. that's complete and total BS... it would only turn into fat if you eat more calories than you lose.

I have been trying to find a brand that the local stores carry such as Kroger,Walmart etc and didn't want to waste my money on it If its really NOT needed. At Kroger and Walmart I know they have the Whey Protein in huge containers.
I do eat the Protein bars but not everyday and I watch my calories everyday and on the weekends just depends on what I am doing.

be careful with the protein bars. They usually have too many carbs than you need. YOu'd be better of getting carbs from fruits and veggies than protein bars. As much as i support protein powder, i try to stay away from those bars at all costs.

I exercise everyday by either doing Aerobics,Treadmill,Indoor Walking Dvd's etc and I also go to the gym 2x a week to work on weight machines.

how intensive are your weight machines exercises? if you only do it moderately, then you probably don't need extra protein.
I'd suggest dump the machines and do free weights only 3 times a week 40 to 60 minutes intensive workouts... in such case, the powder protein would be quite beneficial for you.

If it will benefit me in my weight loss then I would be happy to buy it and use. I know nothing about it or how it tastes etc etc
but I try not to waste money and in most cases I have seen the price is kind of exspensive in my opinion. I usually drink
a smoothie 1-2x a week for breakfast and adding Protein powder would be easy to do.

it might or might not benefit you... again, it all depends how much you are trying to build up the lean muscle.
protein powder can be beneficial for the weight loss, but only if you have the rest of your diet and exercises setup in a way that would benefit from the extra protein. It also depends where you are in your weight loss, what's your body fat percentage to choose the best combination of exercise and diet. This is where a good and knowledgable personal trainer comes handy.

slow is the healthy way to go...

use protein powder after exercise... try to use natural protein sources for breakfast.

I usually get my breakfast protein from sandwich meat - chicken, turkey or lean ham, eggs and sprouted bread.

there are so many theories behind when to use protein... i won't even go there... at the end it's an experiment and you should experiment until you find what works for you.

BTW... If you do use protein powders (or any powdered supplement for that matter), use water. It sometimes takes some getting used to but you can save a ton of calories by eliminating juices or whatever type of milk you may use.

Check out Jay Robb WHEY protein powder Zero Fat, 110 calories, ZERO sugar and 25 Grams of protein.

I did what the guy said about protien turning to fat. total bs. Things in life don't mutate to other molecular structure.

I've been drinking WHEY protein for well over a year and haven't had a headach. I can't see why WHEY would give you a headach, it's drived from cheese.
Not that I don't believe you, but from my experence I've never had ANY troubles and I drink at least three if not four whey shakes a day. Mostly for medical reason's(Healing a wound).

Now for exercise reasons.

If you're Lactose intolerance I can understand.

I use Jay Robb WHEY protein powder, and I really like the vanilla protein shakes, kind of idicting. Ha, there are worse things by far(110 calories zero fat).

Know that the body can only absorb 20-30grams of protein at one time. Any more consume is wasted.
The smaller the meals and frequency at which you consume them a day, the faster your metabolism will be. Example, eat every 1 1/2 - 2 hrs then you can go 2-3 hrs. Graze..... Casine protein powder should be consumed before bed. Not the best of taste kinda chaulk like but feeds your muscles while you sleep. Protein is very important you dont want your body to take from your muscles. Remember, eat to survie, not everything has to taste great.
Im a big fan of the AMP 60 protein from gnc. its 60 grams in 3 scoops so you just mix up 1 scoop, which is 85 calories three times a day. You can get vanilla and mix a small amount of fruit with crush ice and 6 oz water. Get a stick blender makes a world of difference. Easy to clean and makes the shake more enjoyable.
All women should drink 90 to 120 oz af water a day.
Try eating clean like a professional boxer. Its called EATING CLEAN.This is something to research. Try this, "If man made it do not eat it".
Fresh veggies, fresh fruits clean protein example egg whites, organic chicken breast, wild fish not farm raise.
3500 calories equal 1 pound. To lose weight is simple math. The out put has to be more than the input. The input must be clean fresh healthy foods. You can input all foods on this fitness pal and it will tell you how many carb, protein & fats each food has. Great tool.
Fats, olive oil but not to much either.
Sweet potato with cinnamon is great. An organic white sweet potato is even better. Pre making foods for the next day makes eating simple. Get a bunch of small tuperware and make them up. Heres an example of one of my days.
Gala apple 90cal
1 cucumber/ 1 plum tomato in balsalmic vinegar (1/2 now 1/2 later on) 75 cal
amp 60 1 scoop "vanilla" 90 cal
2 cups raw baby spinach then lightly steamed/ organic chicken breast 3oz covered w/ minced gala apple &cinnamon 200 cal
Sweet potato w/ cinnamon 80 cal
2 hard boiled egg whites "no yolk" 35 cal Stawberries aprox 6- 65 cal
ELITE casein powder "chocolate" 100 cal
64oz water w/ two thin sliced lemons 2 organic stevia as sweetner in a bottle (2 bottles consumed 128oz total)
Thats with no excercise just daily brisk walking.
no hunger pains no head aches
Still hungry you may add any of these foods and still be fine.
Remember craving pizza and desires for certain foods is different then being hungry. Getting off fast fods, high frutose cornsyurp, salt, msg excetra is like a smoker starting to quite smoking. You will have withdrawls, headaches ect. just have strong will power, keep looking ahead and focus on a goal youll get there. Make small goals and onced reached take them higher.
Kind Regards,
Patricia

I've heard that one needs 60grams of protein a day (average) although this website told me I need 42. The thing about protein powder is that they are *NOT* all created equal. Your protein powder should not read like a chemistry project. The ingredients should not be all chemicals. There are many powders out there that are, my advice would be to stay away from them. I've read that the more natural powders are better for you (makes sense) such as pea and hemp powders. That being said, i tried a brand called garden greens that is made of soy, pea and spirulina and i couldn't stomach it. I'd suggest the 365 brand whey protein powder. It contains 80 calories and 16grams of protein. Mix with non-fat milk or make a smoothie!
Protein helps build muscle, the more muscle you have the easier it is to burn calories. Protein powder will not actually cause someone to gain weight. One scoop of something that is 80 calories is not going to make your weight go up a significant amount or at all.