Protein Drink after Workout

Meggers003 wrote: »

So with that in mind is it really "worth" spending the calories on the protein drink ?

Possibly so, unless doing so leaves you hungry without spare calories later in the day. If it doesn't, why not?

protein builds muscle, the more muscle you build, the more calories your body will naturally burn each day at rest. So in a round about way, it will aid in your weight loss. I aim to get at least 100 grams of protein in everyday in both supplements and real food. My go to shake is the 100 calorie premade muscle milk shake. Its sugar free and I get 15grams of protein. Its only an 8.2 oz drink which I prefer to those huge shakes. If you want to try a bar, Quest bars are very tasty and have a good protein/calorie ratio, plus low sugar

I can't speak to the protein shake post work out. I can tell you that I find a bigger breakfast really helps me out the rest of the day. High protein(an egg, and some lean ham), a little fat(extra thin sliced sharp cheddar cheese) and whole wheat carb(muffin) and some coffee keeps me super full until lunch. and the cals(about 270-300) are worth it. sets my day up for success.

Meggers003 wrote: »

Hey all, So recently my trainer and I started discussing working on my eating habits. She told me she wanted me to drink a protein drink ( with at least 25 grams of protein) within an hour after working out.

Now maybe this is just me but does this actually help with weight loss? I want to trust that my trainer knows what she's talking about but doing that and she's also having me eat a significantly larger breakfast than I'm used to I feel like the actions will be counter-productive.

So my question is will this actually help me lose weight? And has anyone had these similar feelings?

Most trainers are following nutritional advice they read from fitness magazines. They have little to no training at all on nutrition.

You DON'T need a protein shake within an hour after working out. You also don't need to eat more than you comfortable need to (as long as you're meeting reasonable daily calorie goals).

Next thing she'll be telling you is not to eat after 7pm and doing fasted cardio in the morning to burn more fat.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ninav1980 wrote: »

protein builds muscle, the more muscle you build, the more calories your body will naturally burn each day at rest. So in a round about way, it will aid in your weight loss. I aim to get at least 100 grams of protein in everyday in both supplements and real food. My go to shake is the 100 calorie premade muscle milk shake. Its sugar free and I get 15grams of protein. Its only an 8.2 oz drink which I prefer to those huge shakes. If you want to try a bar, Quest bars are very tasty and have a good protein/calorie ratio, plus low sugar

Yes protein builds muscle, but it doesn't happen within an hour after working out.
If protein goal is met at the end of the day, then you're good. Timing has little relevance.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

dieselbyte wrote: »

ninav1980 wrote: »

protein builds muscle, the more muscle you build, the more calories your body will naturally burn each day at rest. So in a round about way, it will aid in your weight loss. I aim to get at least 100 grams of protein in everyday in both supplements and real food. My go to shake is the 100 calorie premade muscle milk shake. Its sugar free and I get 15grams of protein. Its only an 8.2 oz drink which I prefer to those huge shakes. If you want to try a bar, Quest bars are very tasty and have a good protein/calorie ratio, plus low sugar

You would have to put on considerable muscle to connect those dots. Since the Op is in a deficit, she isn't putting on any muscle, unless they are newbie gains.

OP specifically asked if protein will aid in weight loss. The answer is no. Calories in vs out will determine weight loss/gain.

There is no need to drink protein within an hour of training. Overall protein intake for the day should be considered. Weight training isn't a magical tool to eat whatever you want. Will 100 calories from protein alone make you gain significant weight? No, but when you include everything else you eat for the day (including any added fats or carbs in the protein shake), if you are at a surplus you will gain weight, or at maintenance you will stall. Your trainer is probably a broscientist, and believes that if you don't pound protein directly after training you will ruin any muscle gain.

With that said, there is nothing wrong with replacing some calories with a shake. If you don't want to drink your calories, whole foods will do as well. Just make anything you change fit your overall macro and caloric goals.

The Op is in a deficit? Didnt see her mention that anywhere in the post.

I drink a protein shake after I work out, but it is just my afternoon snack and way of meeting my protein macro for the day.

I used to drink a 30g of whey isolate protein shake litterally minutes after finishing a workout. For a while i slacked on working out and eating and gained a little weight. When i started back up again i stopped taking protein right after my workout but ate food with protein when i got home. I have not noticed a difference between taking the protein shake right after the workout and getting home and eating a protein rich meal. I dont think protein timing is that important especially if your not at competition level.

If you just run a scoop of whey/alternatives with water, that'll be 120 calories (assuming you are taking a popular brand, ON). Don't make your protein a big event with sweetener/milk/etc if you are worried about the calories. You can also down a can of tuna which has similar stats but a bit more calories. IMO the protein powder is more pleasant.
Sometimes I time it so my protein shake is my meal, so I lift before lunch, then I make my shake 300 calories with milk/extras.

But yeah I would say the protein will help you not get mega hungry afterward. After I lift and during recovery the next day - if I do not have my protein and casein at night, I can get so hungry, my usual meals + huge amounts of veg could not stop it

ldeoprecor wrote: »

There are tons of studies to indicate the benefits of post workout protein supplements. Haynes Cribb posted a study in 2006 "Effects of supplement timing and resistance exercise on skeletal muscle hypertrophy". The study lasted 22 weeks and followed two groups. One group took their protein in the morning and evening, and the other took the exact same amount post and pre workout. Those who took protein blends post work out saw increased LBM and decreased body fat. Both groups saw increased gains, but the post workout group demonstrated significantly greater gains.

There are numerous studies (sourced below) that show the effects that milk can have a post workout drink in terms of increasing LBM, strength, , muscle hypertrophy and decreases in body fat.

Wlkinson S, Tarnopolsky M- Consumption of fluid skim milk promotes greater muscle protein accretion after resistance exercise than does consumption of a isonitrogenous and isoenergectic soy-protein beverage. Am J Clin Nutr 2007

Rankin J, Goldman L- Effect of post exercise supplement consumption on adaptations to resistance training. AM J Clin Nutr- 2007

Josse A, Tang J- Body composition and strength changes in women with milk and resistance exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2010

There are definite benefits to what your trainer is talking about. That's not to say that you take everything that they say as the truth, but what possible reason could they have for misleading a client?

And for those that bash the trainer (or trainers in general) as not knowing anything about nutrition....really? You're making this claim on MFP forums? With what credentials? And with what backing? I'll take a controlled study over what people claim to "know" on this forum any day.

What? Do you honestly believe that trainers are all knowing? Misleading a client because you don't know or understand the first thing about nutrition is still misleading, whether you proactively do it or not. Are all trainers idiots? No. But I've seen numerous friends in competition, mostly women, receive "meal plans" from trainers and coaches - all protein, little to no fat and no carbs - a recipe for disaster. Just because they call themselves a trainer and paid money for an online "certificate course", doesn't mean they know the first thing about nutrition.

And anyone can post research articles to prove or deny a claim. Perhaps you should read "Nutrient Timing Revisited" - Aragon and Schoenfeld. (Nice strawman argument, right?) The fact is it is widely agreed that nutrient timing, other than for athletic performance, has nothing to do with weight loss/gain, and little to do with muscle gain/loss. MPS isn't confined to an hour window. With that said, if you train fasted, it also probably isn't ideal to go 8-10 hours without a meal. But there is no need or reason to consume protein within an hour of training. And to claim significantly greater gains by meal timing is erroneous.

As above.

http://www.jissn.com/content/10/1/5

Nutrient timing revisited: is there a post-exercise anabolic window?
Alan Aragon and Brad Schoenfeld

No expert on anything, but I'm currently trying to lose weight through cardio and strength training...

I eat a large breakfast, high protein but also the most carbs I'll eat all day, then workout, then down a shake as I leave the gym.

For me the routine has helped me lose weight because I get enough calories to push through my workout (two hours) and then the shake helps me fill up right away and prevents me from developing cravings and blowing my calories for the rest of the day.I feel like in terms of weight loss, making sure you have fuel to do the workout then staying full, the recommendation could definitely help some people.

ldeoprecor wrote: »

dieselbyte wrote: »

ldeoprecor wrote: »

There are tons of studies to indicate the benefits of post workout protein supplements. Haynes Cribb posted a study in 2006 "Effects of supplement timing and resistance exercise on skeletal muscle hypertrophy". The study lasted 22 weeks and followed two groups. One group took their protein in the morning and evening, and the other took the exact same amount post and pre workout. Those who took protein blends post work out saw increased LBM and decreased body fat. Both groups saw increased gains, but the post workout group demonstrated significantly greater gains.

There are numerous studies (sourced below) that show the effects that milk can have a post workout drink in terms of increasing LBM, strength, , muscle hypertrophy and decreases in body fat.

Wlkinson S, Tarnopolsky M- Consumption of fluid skim milk promotes greater muscle protein accretion after resistance exercise than does consumption of a isonitrogenous and isoenergectic soy-protein beverage. Am J Clin Nutr 2007

Rankin J, Goldman L- Effect of post exercise supplement consumption on adaptations to resistance training. AM J Clin Nutr- 2007

Josse A, Tang J- Body composition and strength changes in women with milk and resistance exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2010

There are definite benefits to what your trainer is talking about. That's not to say that you take everything that they say as the truth, but what possible reason could they have for misleading a client?

And for those that bash the trainer (or trainers in general) as not knowing anything about nutrition....really? You're making this claim on MFP forums? With what credentials? And with what backing? I'll take a controlled study over what people claim to "know" on this forum any day.

What? Do you honestly believe that trainers are all knowing? Misleading a client because you don't know or understand the first thing about nutrition is still misleading, whether you proactively do it or not. Are all trainers idiots? No. But I've seen numerous friends in competition, mostly women, receive "meal plans" from trainers and coaches - all protein, little to no fat and no carbs - a recipe for disaster. Just because they call themselves a trainer and paid money for an online "certificate course", doesn't mean they know the first thing about nutrition.

And anyone can post research articles to prove or deny a claim. Perhaps you should read "Nutrient Timing Revisited" - Aragon and Schoenfeld. (Nice strawman argument, right?) The fact is it is widely agreed that nutrient timing, other than for athletic performance, has nothing to do with weight loss/gain, and little to do with muscle gain/loss. MPS isn't confined to an hour window. With that said, if you train fasted, it also probably isn't ideal to go 8-10 hours without a meal. But there is no need or reason to consume protein within an hour of training. And to claim significantly greater gains by meal timing is erroneous.

I find it curious that you would admit to making that exact fallacy. I haven't misrepresented anyone's side. But, I don't recall EVER saying that if you don't drink x within y minutes then you won't see anything. But, you claim that I do and then blow away that straw man argument. And, I clearly stated that not all trainers are all knowing. But those that claim that one should listen to the "wisdom" of an online forum have just as much (and usually less) credibility than a lot of trainers....

At best, your sourced article simply says "We don't know enough to say one way or the other". Which is hardly a conclusion at all. In fact, most of their concerns are about the fact that most of the studies included both pre and post workout supplementation, which doesn't aid credence to the "anabolic window" theory. That being said, even in that article, those studies that either compare pre and post to morn and evening show that there are benefits to those who take the supplements within a closer time frame.

You are the one that has assigned ridiculous time frames to this. I mean, if you consume your protein at 61 minutes instead of 60 minutes then you don't get the same affect.....yeah....sure. This isn't about nitpicking times.

What I, the trainer, and studies suggest is that there is reason to believe that taking protein supplements as a post workout can have benefits. Other people here are claiming that it does nothing (and there isn't much out there to support that claim).

But, to answer the OP's question, taking a protein supplement can aid in increased LBM and decreased body fat. We can argue till we are blue in the face about the timing, but the bottom line is that there is credence to the idea that a protein supplement when combined with resistance work can aid in body fat reduction.

You clearly don't understand my argument, nor did you read the part where OP stated her trainer said to have a protein shake within an hour. I wasn't the one who assigned a ridiculous time frame to anything, nor did I "nitpick" times. The fact that you call out other's for questioning the trainers advice is the issue. How do you know what credentials someone has. And not having credentials automatically disqualifies someone and their arguments? It seems you are suggesting that posting on the MFP forum somehow discredits or lessens someone's knowledge. Than what does that mean for you and your posts? And your last line? Protein and resistance training alone do not aid in body fat reduction. One needs to be in a caloric deficit first and foremost, and that's the bottom line.

To clarify for you. The point I'm making is the argument of optimal vs needed (and optimal can be argued from here to eternity, as you know). Pre, post and intra workout feedings all have to be taken into account. Example - I changed my schedule and now train fasted at 5am (my last meal is right before bed, usually around 9pm). I don't eat a normal "meal" with protein until around 12pm the next day. Is it "optimal" for me to go 15 hours without consuming protein? Maybe not. Will I still build muscle, if my protein needs are met throughout the days, weeks and months, and I'm in a caloric surplus? Yes. So I'd argue that for me a protein shake after my workout is the more optimal solution, due to my time constraints at work and other factors, factors including the attempt to put on as much muscle as possible given my training, genetics, caloric surplus etc.

When it comes to the OP, her question was about protein after training for the sole purpose of losing weight. That is her goal. Her trainer stated she should have a shake within an hour. The answer to her question is no. Protein alone after training will not help her lose weight. It isn't a magical macronutrient. CICO first and foremost.