Should you use protein shakes if your goal is to lose weight

If it will help you meet your protein goals, why not?

Some people prefer to get their protein from food they chew, other people like protein shakes.

As long as you log the calories, they're fine for people trying to lose weight.

I use protein shakes daily and to date have lost 67 pounds. They are all very different, so read the labels. Some have high calories and are geared towards post workouts. I use EAS shakes ( 5 carbs) as a meal supplement and have had very good results.

Lifting weights and building muscle isn't just for men See The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess which was available through my library system, so perhaps yours as well.

As a 46 yo old women, you're in no danger of getting "bulky."

A higher ratio of muscle has many advantages, from looking better naked to being able to stay independent longer when you're older. This probably isn't on many posters' minds, but it is on mine, as my OH just had to put his mother in a nursing home as she no longer has the strength to go to the bathroom unassisted, etc.

But to answer your actual question, I do use protein powder for my breakfast smoothie. I don't look for lowest calorie foods per se, I look for ones that fill me up the most for the lowest amount of calories. Rice cakes don't have many calories, but they don't satiate me either. Protein powder generally has insignificant fat, so I always add fat, as without it I'm not satiated.



I add a pinch of salt and use about 1.5 cups of tea for the liquid.

The first time I used MFP, in 2012, I just used the default macros: 50% from carbohydrates, 20% from protein and 30% from fat.. This time around, I reduced my carbs and upped my protein and found this combo fills me up better, thus making it easier for me to stick to a calorie deficit. Protein powder helps with this.

I have 1-3 protein shakes every day because I hate to cook or prepare food and I don't care if I eat actual food. (Gained weight drinking.) I'm losing on schedule. As long as you're staying within your calorie goal it's purely personal preference.

I use Garden of Life, Raw Meal daily. One scoop contains 20 grams Protein, 8 grams carbs (1 gram sugar), 1 gram fat. It's a vegan meal replacement so it tastes pretty earthy. I used to just mix it with water, and although it was earthy and gritty, strangely enough, I would crave it. I would eat it here and there, between meals to boost my protein since my diet is mainly vegetarian (I eat chicken once a week.) and I do rely on it to bring up my daily protein intake. I just recently pulled out my blender and started making smoothies with it. OMG. It has now become my morning breakfast meal. So good. I still use water and ice to blend it, but now I add any combo of strawberries, lettuce, radishes, bananas, cucumbers, spinach, basically anything healthy that I hate actually chewing. (The bananas and/or strawberries usually cover up the taste of the veggies) The serving ends up being huge, satisfying and under 300 calories. Definitely a meal. It does lack fat, but I usually have some sorta fat shortly before or after having it depending on the day. Oh, and yes, I have been losing weight while using this, 35 lbs over the last 5 months. Log everything.

I only use protein shakes and bars if I am low on protein for the day. Protein has no affect on weight loss other than to keep you full.

I have one every morning for breakfast! I've never been a big breakfast eater at all, but when my lunch hour changed an hour later this year, my stomach was growling. So a protein shake in the morning holds me over until lunch.

It depends.

It's dietary protein.
It's generally sweet tasting.
It's generally reasonably priced when you compare cost per gram of protein.
It's very convenient.
It's versatile.

In my opinion it's generally a bit less satiating than other whole food sources of protein likely because most forms of whey protein are consumed as a liquid.

But, it's just protein.

Your calorie deficit is primarily going to drive changes in weight. Protein helps spare muscle and helps promote satiety while you diet, making it easier to maintain a calorie deficit.

Whether you get all of that protein from whole food sources or get some from whey is up to you.

Okay no one has explained the importance of protein, which looks like it needs to be addressed based on your question.

The body needs protein to maintain muscle. When you lose weight, you are not just losing fat. Muscle goes with it, and there's nothing that can be done about it except two things: ensuring you are meeting protein goals and heavy lifting. Both things help keep the muscle you have while in a calorie deficit. You will not get bulky lifting weights unless you are trying to, which includes eating at a surplus and intensive training.

So to answer your question, if you are not meeting protein goals, probably the only macro that is incredibly important, figure out a way to get there, even if it means shakes. If you don't, you may lose more muscle mass than necessary and look skinny fat.

143tobe wrote: »

I use Garden of Life, Raw Meal daily. One scoop contains 20 grams Protein, 8 grams carbs (1 gram sugar), 1 gram fat. It's a vegan meal replacement so it tastes pretty earthy. I used to just mix it with water, and although it was earthy and gritty, strangely enough, I would crave it. I would eat it here and there, between meals to boost my protein since my diet is mainly vegetarian (I eat chicken once a week.) and I do rely on it to bring up my daily protein intake. I just recently pulled out my blender and started making smoothies with it. OMG. It has now become my morning breakfast meal. So good. I still use water and ice to blend it, but now I add any combo of strawberries, lettuce, radishes, bananas, cucumbers, spinach, basically anything healthy that I hate actually chewing. (The bananas and/or strawberries usually cover up the taste of the veggies) The serving ends up being huge, satisfying and under 300 calories. Definitely a meal. It does lack fat, but I usually have some sorta fat shortly before or after having it depending on the day. Oh, and yes, I have been losing weight while using this, 35 lbs over the last 5 months. Log everything.

Try to put some peanut butter in it for a delicious flavor and fat.