Protein shakes and weight loss.

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ah20061962
ah20061962 Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Question: I startnd drinking one protein nutrition shake a day (breakfast) and cutting back on carbs during the day (dinner I usually eat carbs) I haven't been able to do cardio as I have foot issues that are healing. However, my clothing size has gone down but my scale hasn't. Should I be concerned?

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  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    Generally no, but how long have you been doing this? Healing an injury can come with some additional fluid retention.
  • kaizaku
    kaizaku Posts: 1,039 Member
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    It takes time. Be Patient. Sometimes you can feel the change but weight wise on a scale may be the same.
  • nichell88
    nichell88 Posts: 364 Member
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    Is your goal weight/fat loss?
  • Leenizi129
    Leenizi129 Posts: 133 Member
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    I would measure your body fat percentage you do not want to loose muscle.
  • Leenizi129
    Leenizi129 Posts: 133 Member
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    Fat loss!
  • ah20061962
    ah20061962 Posts: 9 Member
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    My goal is fat loss primarily. I would like to lose weight also as I'd like to lighten the load on my feet and be more active.
  • nichell88
    nichell88 Posts: 364 Member
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    ah20061962 wrote: »
    My goal is fat loss primarily. I would like to lose weight also as I'd like to lighten the load on my feet and be more active.

    So as it turns out, you may be losing fat and building more lean muscle, particularly if your clothes are fitting looser and your weight is being maintained. Do you lift weights at all? To answer your question, Im not sure theres any reason to be concerned about any of the info your presented us. I would start to monitor your body fat percentage moving forward
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    nichell88 wrote: »
    ah20061962 wrote: »
    My goal is fat loss primarily. I would like to lose weight also as I'd like to lighten the load on my feet and be more active.

    So as it turns out, you may be losing fat and building more lean muscle, particularly if your clothes are fitting looser and your weight is being maintained. Do you lift weights at all? To answer your question, Im not sure theres any reason to be concerned about any of the info your presented us. I would start to monitor your body fat percentage moving forward

    Not likely, but we don't really have enough information. Building lean muscle mass takes time. Even under the best of circumstances which are: eating at a surplus, progressive strength training, and adequate protein, women add lean muscle mass very slowly.

    Many people here wanting to lose weight - strength train (in part) to help lessen lean muscle mass loss.

    Measuring body fat % is not as easy as stepping on a scale. Body fat scales are very inaccurate. Caliper testing is better when someone knowledgeable is doing the testing.
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
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    You can still do upper body workouts. But hey, our body changes as we age. And fat doesn't come off of the areas that we want it to.
  • ah20061962
    ah20061962 Posts: 9 Member
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    This may help....I've been maintaining a low caloric intake appropriate for my weight ( little exercise due to foot issues as I tore the toe tendons in my right foot- put off treatment , then pulled my achilles in left foot walking to protect the right toes) stupid I know. I've lost 15 pounds in about 8 weeks (Before protein shake). I started the shake 3.5 weeks ago. I noticed the 15 lb difference in my clothes but have noticed even more of a difference since the shake. My feet should be healed soon and I can start walking again. Oh and I work standing on my feet which is why it's taking longer to heal. I'm hoping the fat is shrinking and that's why my clothes have gone down although the scale hasn't changed. Oh and I'm not perfect so some days weren't as good as others but still close in calories.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    How many calories are you eating?


    And you would definitely not gain muscle with such an aggressive deficit. But you probably have some water weight fluctuations.


    Also, when you recover from an injury, you should increade your intake to add more available resources. An almost 1000 calorie deficit is going to slow your recovery down.
  • ah20061962
    ah20061962 Posts: 9 Member
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    Usually between 1000 and 1250. On bad days no more than 1400.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    ah20061962 wrote: »
    This may help....I've been maintaining a low caloric intake appropriate for my weight ( little exercise due to foot issues as I tore the toe tendons in my right foot- put off treatment , then pulled my achilles in left foot walking to protect the right toes) stupid I know. I've lost 15 pounds in about 8 weeks (Before protein shake). I started the shake 3.5 weeks ago. I noticed the 15 lb difference in my clothes but have noticed even more of a difference since the shake. My feet should be healed soon and I can start walking again. Oh and I work standing on my feet which is why it's taking longer to heal. I'm hoping the fat is shrinking and that's why my clothes have gone down although the scale hasn't changed. Oh and I'm not perfect so some days weren't as good as others but still close in calories.

    Calorie deficit is for weight loss. If you are eating fewer calories than your body burns.....you lose weight. It has nothing to do with protein shakes. Protein shakes are supplements (for some people) to help them reach protein goals. They have no weight loss properties.

    However, water weight fluctuations can mask weight loss. Many reasons for water weight - sore muscles hold water, higher sodium = more water, time of month = more water. Also consider waste timing....are you weighing at the same time. If you are in a calorie deficit you are losing weight, the scale may just take some time to catch up.
  • ah20061962
    ah20061962 Posts: 9 Member
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    Ok...I'll keep monitoring. Thank you everyone for your input and guidance.

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