Calories VS Protein shakes

LatinActive503
LatinActive503 Posts: 198 Member
edited November 25 in Health and Weight Loss
Calories ~ Protein shakes

Since I started counting my calories it has been a big part of my weight loss , But as time goes on Im having problems meeting the calorie intake to remain at a healthy level of eating.

It seems like im eating more often but not as much and Im not hungry as often either.

Ive been drinking protein shakes every day sometimes 3 or 4 times a day ... Is there ever a point where protein shakes are to much of your everyday diet ?

Replies

  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    Calories ~ Protein shakes

    Since I started counting my calories it has been a big part of my weight loss , But as time goes on Im having problems meeting the calorie intake to remain at a healthy level of eating.

    It seems like im eating more often but not as much and Im not hungry as often either.

    Ive been drinking protein shakes every day sometimes 3 or 4 times a day ... Is there ever a point where protein shakes are to much of your everyday diet ?

    I would say 3-4 a day is too much. One, or maybe rarely two per day would be the most I would recommend.

  • LatinActive503
    LatinActive503 Posts: 198 Member
    Calories ~ Protein shakes

    Since I started counting my calories it has been a big part of my weight loss , But as time goes on Im having problems meeting the calorie intake to remain at a healthy level of eating.

    It seems like im eating more often but not as much and Im not hungry as often either.

    Ive been drinking protein shakes every day sometimes 3 or 4 times a day ... Is there ever a point where protein shakes are to much of your everyday diet ?

    I would say 3-4 a day is too much. One, or maybe rarely two per day would be the most I would recommend.

    I know they have been taking over most of my meals through out the day ~ Thank you
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Eat more food and less of the shakes.
  • GregRamz
    GregRamz Posts: 13 Member
    I would say as long are you are eating other foods too, you're fine. If you choose to get all of your protein from whey, make sure you eat vegetables to get your carbs and micronutrients too.

    Basically, if you are counting your calories correctly, it would be impossible to only live off of protein shakes because you would be lacking carbs and fats. I hope this makes sense.
  • LatinActive503
    LatinActive503 Posts: 198 Member
    GregRamz wrote: »
    I would say as long are you are eating other foods too, you're fine. If you choose to get all of your protein from whey, make sure you eat vegetables to get your carbs and micronutrients too.

    Basically, if you are counting your calories correctly, it would be impossible to only live off of protein shakes because you would be lacking carbs and fats. I hope this makes sense.

    It makes perfect sense... Im eating big dinners (some what ) and Im counting my calories doing my best
  • LatinActive503
    LatinActive503 Posts: 198 Member
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    Eat more food and less of the shakes.

    Break fast and Lunch is basically what im doing and one or two in between but I just wanted to make sure Im not gonna hurt my health over this
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    IF (and that's a big if) you're able to meet your overall calorie and other macro (primarily fat would be my concern) goals, then no, you're not going to substantially impact your health.

    The bigger issue in my opinion, is whether you see this as a long-term (ie "for life") type of diet change.

    Unless you do, at some point you'll be changing your diet to an "all food" (for lack of a better term) diet, and may find it a difficult transition, as you've not learned how to properly fuel your body without resorting to the shakes.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    Protein shakes are not meant to be meal replacements, and so, as previously mentioned, they are missing a lot of nutrients. If you are getting a large percentage of your calories from protein shakes, you're going to be missing out on fats and micronutrients required for your diet.

    How many calories are you eating daily and how many of those calories are from protein shakes?

    Are you eating protein shakes because it's easier or because you aren't hungry?

    You mentioned that you started eating more frequently; why? Are you trying to keep yourself feeling full, or is there another reason you started eating more frequently?
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    Eat more food and less of the shakes.

    Break fast and Lunch is basically what im doing and one or two in between but I just wanted to make sure Im not gonna hurt my health over this

    Can you open your diary?
  • tayloralanj
    tayloralanj Posts: 137 Member
    Concur. Some say protein shakes/bars, what have you, are not supplements, which I suppose they are not; however, I supplement my protein for the day sometimes,,,,with a protein/creatine/banana/chia/flax/etc shake after dinner/before bed. Whatever works for you, but 3-4 might be pushing it IMO. Eat a chicken breast! Yum!
  • LatinActive503
    LatinActive503 Posts: 198 Member
    auddii wrote: »
    Protein shakes are not meant to be meal replacements, and so, as previously mentioned, they are missing a lot of nutrients. If you are getting a large percentage of your calories from protein shakes, you're going to be missing out on fats and micronutrients required for your diet.

    How many calories are you eating daily and how many of those calories are from protein shakes?

    Are you eating protein shakes because it's easier or because you aren't hungry?

    You mentioned that you started eating more frequently; why? Are you trying to keep yourself feeling full, or is there another reason you started eating more frequently?

    I eat fruit and vegetables , snacking through out the day , Rice and meat on lunch sometimes, I eat more often so that im not as hungry at dinner time.

    Im not a big water drinker but I try , and the shakes help with the calories ... My intake is between 1500-2000 a day about 900-1000 of that is shakes
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    If you are having trouble eating enough why are you trying not to be as hungry at dinner time?
  • LatinActive503
    LatinActive503 Posts: 198 Member
    Thank you all for the help . I really do appreciate the feed back. Im still very new at this and ive lost 15 lbs cardio and counting my calories. Now I just want to eat better but the scary part is gaining it back .
  • shadow4478
    shadow4478 Posts: 37 Member
    I use them a replacement at work. I would say overall I average to one shake per day. If there is nothing else at work and I don't have time to get lunch. I also use casein instead of whey its supposed to curb the hunger more takes longer to brake down and supposed to fill you longer. Could be just mental but it really helps me, and keeps me not thinking about food for 2 to 3 hours (when busy only) at night time when bored nothing seems to help ;)

  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member

    I eat fruit and vegetables , snacking through out the day , Rice and meat on lunch sometimes, I eat more often so that im not as hungry at dinner time.

    Im not a big water drinker but I try , and the shakes help with the calories ... My intake is between 1500-2000 a day about 900-1000 of that is shakes

    Why don't you try giving up one of those shakes at a time and add some nutrient dense foods. Remember, you want to be able to keep the way off and the way to do that is to learn something sustainable long term.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    Thank you all for the help . I really do appreciate the feed back. Im still very new at this and ive lost 15 lbs cardio and counting my calories. Now I just want to eat better but the scary part is gaining it back .

    As long as you stay within your calorie goal, you'll continue losing. And at 3-4 shakes a day, that's going to cost you a fortune in the long run! Whole, nutritious foods and some calorie dense foods for treats if you want can all be a part of your overall diet. I have no problem with protein shakes in general (I have one daily), but I do think it's better to have a more well rounded diet.
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