Should I NOT be drinking protein shakes??
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southrnchic479
Posts: 136 Member
Ok, so hubby is adamantly telling me I need to lay off the protein shakes because he says I’m not going to lose any of this fat that I have, and that I need to do more cardio. Yes, I do need to do more cardio - I’m not doing any right now until we move in a couple weeks and I can get to a gym and get my treadmill at home. It’s too freaking cold outside to do anything right now lol.
Here’s what’s happening at the moment, and a little about me. Currently 147 lb, 5’5” and a medium boned type gal, pretty balanced hourglass shape, just with quite a bit of fat on my body. I have a desk job and am very sedentary. The past 2.5 weeks I have been on 1269 calories a day, and my macros are set to 25/35/40. As I said, no cardio at the moment, but I’ve been doing some light calisthenics - squats, extended leg kickbacks, fire hydrants, dumbbell overhead tricep extensions, lunges, girly pushups, sit ups etc.
From my understanding, 1200 calories is 1200 calories is 1200 calories. The number on the scale will eventually go down regardless of what macros you’re putting into your body (though I don’t advocate eating 1200 calories a day of crap). Body composition however, is something entirely different. My theory was feed my body protein so I feed what little muscles I do have and keep them from being metabolized away as I eat in this lower calorie bracket. I have been supplementing my meals with a protein shake snack, otherwise I find it near impossible to meet my protein goals. And, the reasoning behind the high protein is because from what I have learned, muscle mass helps to burn fat. Please do correct me if I’m wrong and point me to a reputable source of information if I’m off track.
And disclaimer for those naysayers that want to start this BS about what business is it of my husbands bla bla bla - save your keystrokes. I’ll just give you an eye roll and ignore you anyway. I realize that nutrition and fitness is highly personal, I’m simply trying to further investigate his comments...Whether he agrees with what I’m doing or not is irrelevant. Best way to prove him wrong (if indeed he is wrong) is to kick @ss and get hot drinking my protein shakes
Here’s what’s happening at the moment, and a little about me. Currently 147 lb, 5’5” and a medium boned type gal, pretty balanced hourglass shape, just with quite a bit of fat on my body. I have a desk job and am very sedentary. The past 2.5 weeks I have been on 1269 calories a day, and my macros are set to 25/35/40. As I said, no cardio at the moment, but I’ve been doing some light calisthenics - squats, extended leg kickbacks, fire hydrants, dumbbell overhead tricep extensions, lunges, girly pushups, sit ups etc.
From my understanding, 1200 calories is 1200 calories is 1200 calories. The number on the scale will eventually go down regardless of what macros you’re putting into your body (though I don’t advocate eating 1200 calories a day of crap). Body composition however, is something entirely different. My theory was feed my body protein so I feed what little muscles I do have and keep them from being metabolized away as I eat in this lower calorie bracket. I have been supplementing my meals with a protein shake snack, otherwise I find it near impossible to meet my protein goals. And, the reasoning behind the high protein is because from what I have learned, muscle mass helps to burn fat. Please do correct me if I’m wrong and point me to a reputable source of information if I’m off track.
And disclaimer for those naysayers that want to start this BS about what business is it of my husbands bla bla bla - save your keystrokes. I’ll just give you an eye roll and ignore you anyway. I realize that nutrition and fitness is highly personal, I’m simply trying to further investigate his comments...Whether he agrees with what I’m doing or not is irrelevant. Best way to prove him wrong (if indeed he is wrong) is to kick @ss and get hot drinking my protein shakes
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Replies
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All you need is a calorie deficit, and there's no harm in excess protein consumption (again, assuming you're in a deficit). If anything, consumption of protein and fiber has a slight advantage due to the thermal effect of food.3
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This is the first I've heard someone alleging that consuming protein will stall weight loss, usually carbs and fat are the ones blamed.
you're correct about the 1200 is 1200 is 1200, and it is important to get sufficient protein to maintain muscle mass, though there are people on here far more competent than me to explain it..2 -
I’m going to be honest. I think you are under eating. Protein is everything! If your not doing a lot of exercise you want a higher fat diet. The lowest range of protein you need to be eating to preserve and add muscle is no less than 105 grams of protein, I based this off your current weight. Resistance training will be the most bang for you buck in losing fat and gaining muscle. If you just do cardio you’ll get some results but not as much as you would like.9
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Rahelgirma wrote: »I’m going to be honest. I think you are under eating. Protein is everything! If your not doing a lot of exercise you want a higher fat diet. The lowest range of protein you need to be eating to preserve and add muscle is no less than 105 grams of protein, I based this off your current weight. Resistance training will be the most bang for you buck in losing fat and gaining muscle. If you just do cardio you’ll get some results but not as much as you would like.
OP, please pay no attention to the schill.
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Alatariel75 wrote: »This is the first I've heard someone alleging that consuming protein will stall weight loss, usually carbs and fat are the ones blamed.
you're correct about the 1200 is 1200 is 1200, and it is important to get sufficient protein to maintain muscle mass, though there are people on here far more competent than me to explain it..
Well what’s crazy is I asked him yesterday - “I should be doing cardio AND strength training right?” And he said yes and agreed that muscles helps to burn fat. So idk why he thinks that I shouldn’t be having protein shakes *shrug* He also doesn’t think that anyone will lose weight eating 1200 calories of McDonald’s but I told him yes they would. I think maybe that’s where he’s off. Maybe he thinks I’m gonna bulk up on it - I don’t know.0 -
Lots and lots of people believe that you can't lose weight eating 'junk', even if you're under your calories. But it's simple physics. Staying healthy while eating nothing but 'junk' is a whole other bag of rabbits.3
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As long as you're around 0.8g of protein/kg of your weight (53.34g total) - you're fine!!!2
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Sambo_fitness wrote: »As long as you're around 0.8g of protein/kg of your weight (53.34g total) - you're fine!!!
I’m at 127g of protein a day. Are you suggesting that that is too much? If so, why?
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Eating protein itself will not build muscles. You eat the protein to aid your body in repairing muscles.
So....strength training is going to require your muscles to rebuild in an attempt to keep up with the demand you are placing on them. You really should reach your protein goals for this. Any extra protein will be converted to fat. The body prefers not to use protein as a fuel source. If you are logging your food accurately AND are not reaching your protein goal...drink the shake (or be sure to eat more protein rich foods).
Nutrition is big business, so plenty of people buy these products because they believe there is some edge. There isn’t. I will sometimes drink a shake because I don’t always eat a chunk of meat every day. I also stay away from “protein enriched” foods because 1. They taste like garbage, and 2. It’s just more protein powder in the mix. Whole Foods when I can...a shake if I need it.
PS. Cardio is good for....your heart. Your best bet is to mix up all of your exercise with cardio, strength, and stretch.1 -
Eating protein itself will not build muscles. You eat the protein to aid your body in repairing muscles.
So....strength training is going to require your muscles to rebuild in an attempt to keep up with the demand you are placing on them. You really should reach your protein goals for this. Any extra protein will be converted to fat. The body prefers not to use protein as a fuel source. If you are logging your food accurately AND are not reaching your protein goal...drink the shake (or be sure to eat more protein rich foods).
Nutrition is big business, so plenty of people buy these products because they believe there is some edge. There isn’t. I will sometimes drink a shake because I don’t always eat a chunk of meat every day. I also stay away from “protein enriched” foods because 1. They taste like garbage, and 2. It’s just more protein powder in the mix. Whole Foods when I can...a shake if I need it.
PS. Cardio is good for....your heart. Your best bet is to mix up all of your exercise with cardio, strength, and stretch.
Any “extra protein?” Define extra. Are we talking over my calorie goal? I am on 127g of protein a day and usually come within less than 10 g. On a good day I’ll have homemade egg quiche with feta and parmesan for breakfast (busy days, no breakfast), and for lunch I’ll have tuna or chicken or leftovers from dinner the night before (usually something low carb, high protein, moderate fat). I’ll snack on cheese, Greek yogurt, beef jerky, carrots... I keep my dinner low carb and high protein. Rest of the family will enjoy carbs and I’ll just have the main course with some veggies, occasionally if theres room I’ll use some calories toward rice/potatoes/pasta. Without the protein shake (which for me consists of cottage cheese, protein powder and peanut butter), it would be very difficult for me to meet my goals AND stay within my calorie deficit without chowing down on chicken breasts all day haha.0 -
Do you do resistance training? Considering your height and weight, it sounds like toning and changing that fat into muscle is more up your alley. Yes, cardio is great for fat loss and more importantly, for your heart health. But if you do cardio a couple of times a week and replace the rest with weights/resistance training, you'll be amazed. The additional lean muscle will increase your metabolism and have you burning more calories while at rest, plus you'll look and FEEL amazing. The protein shakes are great after the lifting because they help rebuild the muscles.2
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southrnchic479 wrote: »Sambo_fitness wrote: »As long as you're around 0.8g of protein/kg of your weight (53.34g total) - you're fine!!!
I’m at 127g of protein a day. Are you suggesting that that is too much? If so, why?
Recommended Dietary Allowance states 0.8g per day is the recommended minimum to prevent deficiency.
American College of Sports Medicine and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends 1.2g to 1.7g/kg for strength athletes, and 1.2 to 1.4 for endurance athletes.
My current protein intake for myself is 123 grams. I'm currently focusing on building muscle. My macros are 45% carbs, 20% fat, 35% protein.
You're probably on track if your goal is building, but I don't know your weight so you'll have to calculate for yourself!
Just trying to help and provide information.1 -
I'll try and keep this as concise as possible - but the good news is you're definitely on the right track.
First, to lose weight, you must be in a caloric deficit. Second, you must consume an adequate amount of protein when in a deficit. Not only is the protein necessary for muscle repair after damage (ie resistance/weight training), it is muscle 'sparing', has a higher TEF (your body burns more calories processing and digesting protein) and is more satiating for most people.
The minimum protein standard for the general population is 0.8g per kg of body weight, but this is less than optimal for those resistance training and/or in a caloric deficit. 0.8g per lb (1.8g per kg) is a better number to aim for. There is even plenty of evidence that it is safe to eat at more than twice this intake.
That said, you must not over eat protein at the expense of a reasonable amount of good fats (sounds like you're doing fine there) and the amount of carbs you have will depend on your individual dietary preferences, your own metabolism, sensitivity to insulin etc etc, so play with that to see what works for you personally.
As for the shakes specifically, many people find them to not be filling, and can lead to excessive cravings and/or calorie consumption. Bottom line is though, there is nothing inherently bad about them, and as long as the overall profile of your diet (vitamins, minerals etc) does not suffer - you can continue to safely have shakes every day if it works for you.
As for a good resource, I think checking out Eric Helms' (3DMJ) Muscle and Strength Pyramid series on YouTube - particularly the first couple, would be a great place to start.2 -
Eating protein itself will not build muscles. You eat the protein to aid your body in repairing muscles.
So....strength training is going to require your muscles to rebuild in an attempt to keep up with the demand you are placing on them. You really should reach your protein goals for this. Any extra protein will be converted to fat. The body prefers not to use protein as a fuel source. If you are logging your food accurately AND are not reaching your protein goal...drink the shake (or be sure to eat more protein rich foods).
Nutrition is big business, so plenty of people buy these products because they believe there is some edge. There isn’t. I will sometimes drink a shake because I don’t always eat a chunk of meat every day. I also stay away from “protein enriched” foods because 1. They taste like garbage, and 2. It’s just more protein powder in the mix. Whole Foods when I can...a shake if I need it.
PS. Cardio is good for....your heart. Your best bet is to mix up all of your exercise with cardio, strength, and stretch.
Excess calories will be converted to fat, regardless of what macro it comes from.
OP, all you need is a calorie deficit. The protein from drinking a 150 cal protein shake is no different than the protein from eating a 150 calorie serving of chicken. For some reason some people think there is something magic in protein shakes that makes you bulk, I think it's a bro-science thing.
You didn't ask, and please feel free to ignore this if you want, but 1200 cals is really low. You don't have much weight to lose, so if you are set to lose more than 1 lb a week, you might want to dial it back. When you don't have much to lose, losing fast often means losing more muscle than you need to. Just something to think about
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Good luck!5 -
Eating protein itself will not build muscles. You eat the protein to aid your body in repairing muscles.
So....strength training is going to require your muscles to rebuild in an attempt to keep up with the demand you are placing on them. You really should reach your protein goals for this. Any extra protein will be converted to fat. The body prefers not to use protein as a fuel source. If you are logging your food accurately AND are not reaching your protein goal...drink the shake (or be sure to eat more protein rich foods).
Nutrition is big business, so plenty of people buy these products because they believe there is some edge. There isn’t. I will sometimes drink a shake because I don’t always eat a chunk of meat every day. I also stay away from “protein enriched” foods because 1. They taste like garbage, and 2. It’s just more protein powder in the mix. Whole Foods when I can...a shake if I need it.
PS. Cardio is good for....your heart. Your best bet is to mix up all of your exercise with cardio, strength, and stretch.
Excess calories will be converted to fat, regardless of what macro it comes from.
OP, all you need is a calorie deficit. The protein from drinking a 150 cal protein shake is no different than the protein from eating a 150 calorie serving of chicken. For some reason some people think there is something magic in protein shakes that makes you bulk, I think it's a bro-science thing.
You didn't ask, and please feel free to ignore this if you want, but 1200 cals is really low. You don't have much weight to lose, so if you are set to lose more than 1 lb a week, you might want to dial it back. When you don't have much to lose, losing fast often means losing more muscle than you need to. Just something to think about.
Good luck!
Lol I feel like I always have to defend my 1200 calories. I want to get down to 130-135. At 1 lb a week and a sedentary lifestyle MFP put me at 1200. I am not petite but rather a medium boned girl (thumb and middle finger around wrist touch if I squeeze hard enough lol) so it’s possible that 130-135 is too low, but I’ve been down to 140 and wasn’t where I wanted to be. It’s hard to know for sure since body composition can make a huge difference what you look like vs what you weigh (idk if that makes sense but hopefully you know what I mean).1 -
The TEF of protein is close to 30%. This means that a protein shake of 150 calories is going to actually deliver to your use only about 105 calories. That's quite a benefit to you as you are trying to lose a little weight.
You've already been told all the facts about muscles and lifting. Getting plenty of protein is necessary in that. And you can dazzle your hubs with technogeek talk.1 -
southrnchic479 wrote: »Eating protein itself will not build muscles. You eat the protein to aid your body in repairing muscles.
So....strength training is going to require your muscles to rebuild in an attempt to keep up with the demand you are placing on them. You really should reach your protein goals for this. Any extra protein will be converted to fat. The body prefers not to use protein as a fuel source. If you are logging your food accurately AND are not reaching your protein goal...drink the shake (or be sure to eat more protein rich foods).
Nutrition is big business, so plenty of people buy these products because they believe there is some edge. There isn’t. I will sometimes drink a shake because I don’t always eat a chunk of meat every day. I also stay away from “protein enriched” foods because 1. They taste like garbage, and 2. It’s just more protein powder in the mix. Whole Foods when I can...a shake if I need it.
PS. Cardio is good for....your heart. Your best bet is to mix up all of your exercise with cardio, strength, and stretch.
Excess calories will be converted to fat, regardless of what macro it comes from.
OP, all you need is a calorie deficit. The protein from drinking a 150 cal protein shake is no different than the protein from eating a 150 calorie serving of chicken. For some reason some people think there is something magic in protein shakes that makes you bulk, I think it's a bro-science thing.
You didn't ask, and please feel free to ignore this if you want, but 1200 cals is really low. You don't have much weight to lose, so if you are set to lose more than 1 lb a week, you might want to dial it back. When you don't have much to lose, losing fast often means losing more muscle than you need to. Just something to think about.
Good luck!
Lol I feel like I always have to defend my 1200 calories. I want to get down to 130-135. At 1 lb a week and a sedentary lifestyle MFP put me at 1200. I am not petite but rather a medium boned girl (thumb and middle finger around wrist touch if I squeeze hard enough lol) so it’s possible that 130-135 is too low, but I’ve been down to 140 and wasn’t where I wanted to be. It’s hard to know for sure since body composition can make a huge difference what you look like vs what you weigh (idk if that makes sense but hopefully you know what I mean).
You don't have to defend it! I've just seen too many women who ate 1200 to lose weight gain it all back, so I can't help but say something. I would have punched a baby in the face if I tried to eat 1200 for more than like 2 days lol.
I'm 5'5 125-130 and lightly active. I think your goal weight sounds fine, I just know how hard it can be to peel off those vanity lbs. It took me a year to lose 15 lbs so I'm definitely more patient than most. I just couldn't swing the low cals needed to lose 1 lb per week. I like pizza and beer too much
But I also do jumping jacks and run in place while watching TV to get my calories up too. Good luck with your move! 2 -
Left photo: 1200 calories
Right photo: 2200 calories
You aren't eating enough. I'm 59 years old, my macros are 2200 cal (150gP/60gF/264gC) and I'm only 5'0". You are literally starving yourself! I was in the same boat and stayed pretty much on a 1200 calorie diet for an entire year and it did some serious damage to my metabolism. Nearly a year later and my metabolism is ALMOST back to normal. Eating protein will burn more calories than eating carbs and fats. Add strength training and you will start adding muscle mass which will help you burn more calories too. I don't do protein shakes but I eat protein bars if my protein consumption is short for the day. I've put some serious amount of muscle on me and I'm OLD lol
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PowerliftingMom wrote: »
Left photo: 1200 calories
Right photo: 2200 calories
You aren't eating enough. I'm 59 years old, my macros are 2200 cal (150gP/60gF/264gC) and I'm only 5'0". You are literally starving yourself! I was in the same boat and stayed pretty much on a 1200 calorie diet for an entire year and it did some serious damage to my metabolism. Nearly a year later and my metabolism is ALMOST back to normal. Eating protein will burn more calories than eating carbs and fats. Add strength training and you will start adding muscle mass which will help you burn more calories too. I don't do protein shakes but I eat protein bars if my protein consumption is short for the day. I've put some serious amount of muscle on me and I'm OLD lol
That’s awesome that you’re able to do that. But I think we both have different goals. I am trying to shed weight, not pack any more on. Even if I replaced most of the fat I have on my body with muscle, I would NOT be happy. I think that would be too bulky for my liking. Besides, as I said before, I’m very sedentary. Perhaps when I’m able to start incorporating more movement as part of my daily life I’ll change up my daily allotment, but for how far from my goal I am (19 lb) and the amount of activity I get, I’m right on target. I appreciate your input though!2 -
PowerliftingMom wrote: »
Left photo: 1200 calories
Right photo: 2200 calories
You aren't eating enough. I'm 59 years old, my macros are 2200 cal (150gP/60gF/264gC) and I'm only 5'0". You are literally starving yourself! I was in the same boat and stayed pretty much on a 1200 calorie diet for an entire year and it did some serious damage to my metabolism. Nearly a year later and my metabolism is ALMOST back to normal. Eating protein will burn more calories than eating carbs and fats. Add strength training and you will start adding muscle mass which will help you burn more calories too. I don't do protein shakes but I eat protein bars if my protein consumption is short for the day. I've put some serious amount of muscle on me and I'm OLD lol
Eating protein doesn't burn any more calories than carbs or fat unless it is really overcooked chicken that you have to use a lot of energy chewing. Your activity throughout the day burns the same amount of calories regardless if it came from protein, carbs or fat. Muscle does burn calories, but you aren't going to add that kind of muscle mass in a caloric deficit, which is what you need if you really want to drop weight. That's why bodybuilders do bulking and cutting phases alternately.1
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