Benefits of Whey Protein??

nichi123
nichi123 Posts: 244
edited September 29 in Health and Weight Loss
Okay, so I have heard that Whey protein helps to promote weight loss? Is this true? I thought that it was mainly for people who wanted to build their muscles?! I have no idea what it does. Does anybody know? Cheers :)

Replies

  • gnalani
    gnalani Posts: 126
    After a workout, if you eat more protein your muscles will built up more quickly.

    Muscle uses fat as its main source of energy. So the more muscle you have the more fat your body will naturally burn, even at rest.

    Fat burn = weight loss, of course!
  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
    Whey protein is a supplemental source of protein. It is a complete protein with all of the essential amino acids. Use it to supplement your dietary protein intake from whole foods.
  • SuperMoniMonk
    SuperMoniMonk Posts: 467 Member
    bump
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    Not necessarily. Like others said, it helps rebuild your muscles after a workout which in turns helps you BUILD muscle and get stronger. Make sure you log it 'cause it does have calories so as long as you include it in your day & count the calories, stay within your calorie limit, you'll still lose weight. It's great for helping you hit your protein goal (which most people don't know they need MORE of).
  • sunnygal1
    sunnygal1 Posts: 39
    Not only is protein essential for your body, protein helps you stay feeling full longer so it's easier to stay within your calorie goals. So whether you are supplementing with whey protein or getting your protein from food sources, protein is an important part of everyone's diet. I personally eat Pure Protein bars or I'll blend Cytosport whey protein powder with frozen berries and water for a great snack. :)
  • stanvoodoo
    stanvoodoo Posts: 1,023 Member
    Protein along with fiber and water are keys to a healthy lifestyle. Whey protein is most often recommended by nutritionists.

    This combo helps burn fat and build lean muscle, we all want that. Lifters will exceed our protein limits to build even bigger muscles but we all need it.

    Protein shakes should be under 200 calories, more than 25 grams of protein and watch the fat and sugar. Shoud have protein at all meals but mostly importantly after a workout. Protein bars are available, more calories for less protein but look for around 200 calories, no less than 17 grams of protein and bars also have more fat, carbs and sugar than the shakes.

    Best of Luck!


    PS Looked at dairy, you cannot continue being below 1200 calories unless under Doctors orders, this is not good for you. You must give the body fuel to burn. You also need to up the water. Protein looked ok, especially on the days where you are closer to 1200 calories.
  • Pronoiac
    Pronoiac Posts: 304
    It's a complete protein and it also burns fairly slow in your system, thus helping to curb hunger. When I mix a liquid meal with it I also add some brown rice protein powder. The two are a powerful combination.

    On a lighter note whey protein has also been shown to boost the immune system. The less sick you are the more days you have to work out, that clearly contribute to more weight loss! : )
  • RangerSteve
    RangerSteve Posts: 437
    It's a complete protein and it also burns fairly slow in your system, thus helping to curb hunger. When I mix a liquid meal with it I also add some brown rice protein powder. The two are a powerful combination.

    On a lighter note whey protein has also been shown to boost the immune system. The less sick you are the more days you have to work out, that clearly contribute to more weight loss! : )

    Whey protein is a fast digesting protein. You might be thinking of casein protein as a slow digesting protein. Also, when you mix two types of proteins together, it slows the digestion process down regardless. This is the same reason the GI scale doesn't really matter.
  • RangerSteve
    RangerSteve Posts: 437


    Protein shakes should be under 200 calories, more than 25 grams of protein and watch the fat and sugar. Shoud have protein at all meals but mostly importantly after a workout. Protein bars are available, more calories for less protein but look for around 200 calories, no less than 17 grams of protein and bars also have more fat, carbs and sugar than the shakes.


    There is no specific number of calories that a protein shake needs to be just like there is no specific amount of grams of protein a shake should have. There is also no reason to watch the fat and sugar when taking a protein shake. As long as you account for the calories over the course of your day, you will be fine.
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    Whey Protein does not burn fat or promote weight loss. It is used to supplement your protein intake to meet the minimum requirements you need to hit your protein macro each day. This is of course if you can't fit it with regular whole foods. Some whey protein shakes may supress your hunger which causes you to not be as hungry which may be what you're thinking of in terms of weight loss.

    However, weight loss still boils down to calories in vs calories out.
  • smithak2
    smithak2 Posts: 12
    Whey protein should only be used if you can not ingest natural sources of protein. Whey protein comes from milk. milk protein consists of about 20% whey and 80% casein, or it might be the other way around i can't remember off the top of my head lol. When you work out your muscles are going to use glycogen stores they have, and when you are done working out your body will want to restock these stores. You really shouldn't take whey protein unless you are doing some kind of resistance workout. If you are just walking or jogging, most of the protein you take in from your whey supplement is going to be (A) converted and stored as fat (B) used to create other enzymes/hormones in the body, or (C) just filtered out of the blood. People who tell you after you work out that you need to take huge amounts of protein to create muscle are saying based on the misconception that increased protein will automatically lead to an increase in muscle, which is wrong. When you are done working it, it is very likely your blood glucose levels will be low since you have been burning energy. That means cortisol levels, glucagon levels, and other hyperglycemic hormones (hormones that raise blood sugar) will be elevated in your blood. Most of these hormones promote gluconeogenisis, or the production of glucose from non-carbohydrate sources, such as fat (which is good if you want to burn fat) and amino acids. IF these hyperglycemic hormones are not lowered, the whey protein you put into your body is going to most likey be used for energy. You need to take in some carbs to initate an insulin response, which will inhibit cortisol, glucagon and other hyperglycemic hormones. Insulin is needed anyways to get glucose into your muscles to refuel them, and it is also needed to get amino acids into your muscles to build muscle, not to mention it plays an important role in protein synthesis, building proteins to be used for muscle tissue. If you only come away from all this with one notion, remember that as a rule your body takes care of energy needs FIRST before doing any repair or maintenance. If you work out, and only give yourself whey protein, you aren't gonig to build muscle. If you put whey protein into your body during the day when you get hungry and think, hey i'm building muscle, you are fooling yourself since your body will use most of the amino acids to make glucose for energy. Bottom line, Whey protein helps but you need to take care of those energy needs first if you want your body to use it for muscle growth.
  • nichi123
    nichi123 Posts: 244
    Haha! I know! I'm not normally under 1200. I will make sure I eat more!! Thanks for the info :)
  • elly0001
    elly0001 Posts: 191
    i just bought a container of pure whey nothing else added whatsoever from a health food store, it only has ingredients (100%whey protein) listed on it but not how many calories/100g, does anyone know how many calories it would be?????
  • smithak2
    smithak2 Posts: 12
    I gram of protein equals 4 calories
  • elly0001
    elly0001 Posts: 191
    cheers
  • beharville
    beharville Posts: 1
    I like to drink a protein shake after I do a strenuous weights exercise, which I do about once a week. Here's a formula that makes for an eggnog-like shake that I think tastes great with almost no fat and under 20 grams carbs (almost all sugar). I put a half cup of egg substitute (which is 98% egg whites) in a blender and beat on high until fluffy. Then I add 3/4 cup of 1% milk, 1 scoop of Bluebonnet whey protein isolate (expensive but the best tasting whey I've found and, unlike many others, blends completely with any liquid), 1 teaspoon sugar (without it, it just tastes too bland), and 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla (again for a little extra taste) and mix it in the blender with the beaten egg substitute - it won't take long to mix. I sprinkle it with nutmeg and I think it tastes great - goes down very easy after a big workout. And - it's almost all protein - 44 grams - with a total calorie count of about 265, which is much less than the exercise credit you get for an hour of weight training. I've tried several whey powders and various combinations of ingredients trying to find a good post-workout shake, and this is by far the best.
  • TK421NotAtPost
    TK421NotAtPost Posts: 512 Member
    Whey protein should only be used if you can not ingest natural sources of protein. Whey protein comes from milk. milk protein consists of about 20% whey and 80% casein, or it might be the other way around i can't remember off the top of my head lol. When you work out your muscles are going to use glycogen stores they have, and when you are done working out your body will want to restock these stores. You really shouldn't take whey protein unless you are doing some kind of resistance workout. If you are just walking or jogging, most of the protein you take in from your whey supplement is going to be (A) converted and stored as fat (B) used to create other enzymes/hormones in the body, or (C) just filtered out of the blood. People who tell you after you work out that you need to take huge amounts of protein to create muscle are saying based on the misconception that increased protein will automatically lead to an increase in muscle, which is wrong. When you are done working it, it is very likely your blood glucose levels will be low since you have been burning energy. That means cortisol levels, glucagon levels, and other hyperglycemic hormones (hormones that raise blood sugar) will be elevated in your blood. Most of these hormones promote gluconeogenisis, or the production of glucose from non-carbohydrate sources, such as fat (which is good if you want to burn fat) and amino acids. IF these hyperglycemic hormones are not lowered, the whey protein you put into your body is going to most likey be used for energy. You need to take in some carbs to initate an insulin response, which will inhibit cortisol, glucagon and other hyperglycemic hormones. Insulin is needed anyways to get glucose into your muscles to refuel them, and it is also needed to get amino acids into your muscles to build muscle, not to mention it plays an important role in protein synthesis, building proteins to be used for muscle tissue. If you only come away from all this with one notion, remember that as a rule your body takes care of energy needs FIRST before doing any repair or maintenance. If you work out, and only give yourself whey protein, you aren't gonig to build muscle. If you put whey protein into your body during the day when you get hungry and think, hey i'm building muscle, you are fooling yourself since your body will use most of the amino acids to make glucose for energy. Bottom line, Whey protein helps but you need to take care of those energy needs first if you want your body to use it for muscle growth.

    Good post.

    Following a heavy workout, your body is undergoing two processes. Protein synthesis and protein breakdown. Certainly, an insulin response following training will reverse the post-workout catabolic state that your body is in. Hence, an ideal post-workout shake would include both carbs AND protein to help direct these two processes in directions consistent with our objectives, which presumable is to maximize muscle growth.

    To the OP, whey protein will help you lose weight but only in an indirect fashion.
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