Has anyone used protein shakes to loose weight?

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  • juicynsweet
    juicynsweet Posts: 21 Member
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    Eat soup! Soup can have lots of nutrients in it and can be low in calories ;)
  • successgal1
    successgal1 Posts: 996 Member
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    The protein supplement I found at Costco is orgain. http://m.costco.com/Orgain-Organic-Protein-Powder---2.74-lbs.product.100121465.html

    Plant based, organic, not a meal replacement. But still 150 calories so for me it operates well as a post workout "meal", or when I didn't have time to eat and am starving. It helps to have it on hand so I don't make an otherwise unwise food choice to stem the hunger. I'm on 1200 calories unless I workout so... girls gotta do what she can. Even 1 scoop in water takes the edge off so I can make it to my next meal. It really helped as we were just doing some DIY kitchen renovation and all I could get to was that jar and a banana.

  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    sugom2 wrote: »
    I tried everything, but until I started using shakeology, I did not start loosing the weight. I have lost 20 pounds since October and have never felt better. I am not hungry, nor do I get the "shakes" or feel like I am on speed.

    Then you weren't in a calorie deficit before. There's nothing whatsoever "magical" about snakeoilogy that makes people lose weight. It's poor-quality protein mixed with bogus "superfoods" (which don't exist except in advertising hype). You lose weight by eating less calories than you expend and if you're not doing that, snakeoilogy will be of no help whatsoever.
  • Verdenal
    Verdenal Posts: 625 Member
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    psulemon wrote: »
    anisxoxo wrote: »
    any one has used protein shakes as a meal replacement to loose weight? Did It work?

    It's all about total calories. Personally, I could never use a protein shake as a meal replace because they never keep me full. Many of them are lacking in vital nutrients (outside of protein). But if you need some convenience, then make a smoothy. But at the end of the day, if you calories are equal, weight loss would be too.

    I prefer to eat some real food, but protein shakes help me reach my protein goal on a PSMF. I place ice in the blender and add more water than average to make my shake thick. I recently learned that another way to thicken them is with a couple of grams of guar gum. I've ordered some. For nutrients I'm missing I take a multivitamin capsule, fish oil, and sometimes other supplements.

    I also don't go on a PSMF for than two weeks. Even one week is tough. But it helps get me going.
  • AlphaCajun
    AlphaCajun Posts: 290 Member
    edited January 2016
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    dubird wrote: »
    TeaBea wrote: »
    anisxoxo wrote: »
    any one has used protein shakes as a meal replacement to loose weight? Did It work?

    A protein shake is a protein supplement. This is not the same thing as a meal replacement shake. Meals have fat, fiber, carbs, micronutrients.....so much is missing from a protein supplement.

    If you like to drink your calories, if you don't want to be bothered with measuring portions....then a meal replacement shake can help you with a calorie deficit. You will lose weight because you are in a deficit.

    The problem with a short cut is you don't learn anything about the food you actually eat. Measuring & logging portions gives you tools for maintenance. You learn what needs to be changed to keep the weight off.

    #TRUTH

    I am curios about this part I guess: "The problem with a short cut is you don't learn anything about the food you actually eat. Measuring & logging portions gives you tools for maintenance. You learn what needs to be changed to keep the weight off.
    "

    Why can't you use shakes AND learn how to measure and log foods better??? It worked for me, I must have been very lucky :wink: [/quote]

    Same here.

    I drink a meal replacement for meal 1 and 5, protein shake as snack half way through the day. Cook and log everything else I eat. Just more convenient and has worked for the last twelve months and 81 pounds.
  • jonathanwarecd34
    jonathanwarecd34 Posts: 1 Member
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    You don't use them to lose weight, exactly. You use shakes for different reasons. Just like people, shakes are different. Personally I use The Arnold Series Iron Whey Vanilla. It has a lot of amino acids to help your muscles absorb the protein. It also aids in losing weight. The purpose of that shake is to lose weight(fat) and gain muscle. It tastes great, and if you look, you can find it at a fair price.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
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    You don't use them to lose weight, exactly. You use shakes for different reasons. Just like people, shakes are different. Personally I use The Arnold Series Iron Whey Vanilla. It has a lot of amino acids to help your muscles absorb the protein. It also aids in losing weight. The purpose of that shake is to lose weight(fat) and gain muscle. It tastes great, and if you look, you can find it at a fair price.

    Just a quick point, the only amino acid your skeletal muscles need is leucine and they also use glutamine but can synthsize that from leucine when needed. The other amino acids are used by your body for other reasons but often they are used in protein powders to "protein/amino spike" them to show more protein content than they actually have. Unless the added amino acids are the BCAA's (leucine, isoleucine and valine) it's likely that they are cheap aminos such as taurine and that's considered cheating.

    There are reasons to take protein other than building skeletal muscles; of course, but if that is your main goal I would look for something that is pure whey, soy, pea or whatever other type of protein you are looking for and avoid any that have added amino acids.
  • bionicrooster
    bionicrooster Posts: 353 Member
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    AlphaCajun wrote: »
    dubird wrote: »
    TeaBea wrote: »
    anisxoxo wrote: »
    any one has used protein shakes as a meal replacement to loose weight? Did It work?

    A protein shake is a protein supplement. This is not the same thing as a meal replacement shake. Meals have fat, fiber, carbs, micronutrients.....so much is missing from a protein supplement.

    If you like to drink your calories, if you don't want to be bothered with measuring portions....then a meal replacement shake can help you with a calorie deficit. You will lose weight because you are in a deficit.

    The problem with a short cut is you don't learn anything about the food you actually eat. Measuring & logging portions gives you tools for maintenance. You learn what needs to be changed to keep the weight off.

    #TRUTH

    I am curios about this part I guess: "The problem with a short cut is you don't learn anything about the food you actually eat. Measuring & logging portions gives you tools for maintenance. You learn what needs to be changed to keep the weight off.
    "

    Why can't you use shakes AND learn how to measure and log foods better??? It worked for me, I must have been very lucky :wink:

    Same here.

    I drink a meal replacement for meal 1 and 5, protein shake as snack half way through the day. Cook and log everything else I eat. Just more convenient and has worked for the last twelve months and 81 pounds.
    [/quote]

    Thats a great loss! congrats.
  • MommyL2015
    MommyL2015 Posts: 1,411 Member
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    I have a protein smoothie for lunch every day because they work, and I'm most hungry in the evenings, so I save most of my calories for then. I find they keep me satisfied better than anything else for a lot less calories. I would not use them if they left me hungry after.

    You can absolutely use them and still learn how to log foods accurately. I weigh out all my ingredients for my smoothie, I don't just dump a bunch of stuff in the blender. I used to do that and I'll bet those suckers were 600+ calories each. I weigh out one serving of protein mix, not just fill the scoop, and I weigh out everything else that goes in it, and I keep them below 300 calories. This leaves me 900 for the remainder of the day and it works for me. I don't eat breakfast.

    I do not use them for weight loss. I use them to help me maintain a calorie deficit, which in turn causes weight loss. There's a subtle difference there. :)
  • MommyL2015
    MommyL2015 Posts: 1,411 Member
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    You can use anything to lose weight. Pizza and wings is a popular choice. So perhaps try that out?

    I do that on Fridays. And leftovers on Saturdays. ;)
  • ShellyBell999
    ShellyBell999 Posts: 1,482 Member
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    I use protein shakes as a means to get extra protein.
    I use exercise and proper calorie management to lose weight.
  • BigAnnieG
    BigAnnieG Posts: 89 Member
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    I use a half portion of MyProtein Diet Whey for breakfast after a workout, but I also mix it with a Linwood's flax/co-enzyme q10 milled mix and about 1.5tsp of psyllium husk, with about 250-300mls water. After mixing I leave it to stand for a few minutes and the psyllium takes on some water to really thicken the shake. I find this, along with a boiled egg (not mixed in! ha) a very satisfying breakfast. While it might not have the full 'meal' vitamns etc of a meal replacement shake, I eat a very balanced diet with lots of vegetables etc through the rest of the day.

    I've lost 15lbs in a month doing this, with at least 4 workouts a week (cardio and weights), but I don't attribute that to just the protein shake. The shake helps me meet protein requirements, and fills me up, and forces me (a non breakfaster) to have something to eat in the morning. I count it into my daily calorie goal, as calories are still calories. It keeps me more full than a meal replacement shake, thanks to the psyllium, and I only have a half portion (one scoop) because a full portion is just too sweet for me.
  • hmacks52
    hmacks52 Posts: 4 Member
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    Yes, optimum gold, 24 g protein and only 120 calories!
  • Joanna2012B
    Joanna2012B Posts: 1,448 Member
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    erinc5 wrote: »
    I've tried quite a few protein shakes as I thought the same as others - it'd be a good convenient breakfast or something. I haven't tasted one that I'd like to drink again. They are all nasty. So, no, I stray away from them and eat real food that I can actually enjoy. They are also quite expensive.

    I don't like them either. However, I do make my own shake and use Greek Yogurt as my protein! I love my shakes for breakfast. I add Chia seeds and ground flax seed to fill me up!!
  • Jozzmenia
    Jozzmenia Posts: 252 Member
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    I don't use like "all protein shakes all day" to lose weight, but I do drink a protein shake if I don't have time for breakfast or lunch or am generally in a hurry...
  • sugom2
    sugom2 Posts: 93 Member
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    I tried everything, but until I started using shakeology, I did not start loosing the weight. I have lost 20 pounds since October and have never felt better. I am not hungry, nor do I get the "shakes" or feel like I am on speed.

    "Then you weren't in a calorie deficit before. There's nothing whatsoever "magical" about snakeoilogy that makes people lose weight. It's poor-quality protein mixed with bogus "superfoods" (which don't exist except in advertising hype). You lose weight by eating less calories than you expend and if you're not doing that, snakeoilogy will be of no help whatsoever."

    Actually, I was in a calorie deficit before using Shakeology and I was always hungry before lunch and around 3pm--and not losing weight. Shakeology works for me--to each his own.