Protein shakes

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Bgraham20
Bgraham20 Posts: 1 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Advice wanted on protein shakes please? I have a shake after training mid morning as I have been told that I need the extra protein or I will loose the muscle that I have as I do a lot of cardio too. I train for sprint triathlon. Am I wasting my money buying the powders? I find they do fill me up which is good as I am currently trying to loose a few pounds!

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  • huskydoo
    huskydoo Posts: 112 Member
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    Some will say yes. That you can get all the protein you need from your diet. Which is true. But for me I find it hard to meet my protein goals everyday while on a deficit.

  • sschauer513
    sschauer513 Posts: 313 Member
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    They have showed timing of when you have protein is not important after work out, before, or up to 8 hours after all does the same thing with same results. You do need protein for muscle but if you are just doing cardio your muscle "gain" is pretty small if there is some strength training that is when you will get some lean muscle made. So if it helps you hit your target and keeps you full you are doing no harm to yourself just read about excess protein 3 grams per body weight vs .8-1 is recommended and did no harm to men after 2 years and women only tracked for 6 months but also no harm.
  • megbelievesshecan
    megbelievesshecan Posts: 21 Member
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    My dietician has said that I need to hit at least 56 grams of protein a day. I struggle to hit that unless I have a protein shake for a snack. I but the pre-made Premier Proteins. They are fantastic! 30 grams of protein, 1 gram of sugar, and 160 calories!
  • Gngr09
    Gngr09 Posts: 743 Member
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    I was 186, 5' 3" and hoping to get down to at least 160 in the next couple of months. I love the Premier Protein shakes as well. They are easy, taste good and keep you full until your next meal. I have been doing high protein for 2 weeks now but I haven't stepped on the scale (worried I'll be disappointed.) I have been hiking the hills and doing some cardio during the week almost every day. I can tell my clothes fit differently and I have more definition to my face. My coworkers say can tell a huge difference in my weight as well. Fingers crossed this is working well for me!
  • Sparkeysworld
    Sparkeysworld Posts: 107 Member
    edited March 2018
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    1lb of protein per lb of bodyweight is a good rule of thumb to aim for.
    If you can get this during the day from food, then the shakes are not needed, they are really just a handy quick way of getting your daily protein in if you have no time to prep food.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    Sparkeysworld wrote: »
    1lb of protein per lb of bodyweight is a good rule of thumb to aim for.
    If you can get this during the day from food, then the shakes are not needed, they are really just a handy quick way of getting your daily protein in if you have no time to prep food.

    Just to refine that a bit - 1 gram (not pound) of protein per pound of bodyweight isn't a bad target, but that applies to people at a 'normal'/healthy weight. For people with a lot of weight to lose, it's more realistic to set the goal to either 1 gram per pound of lean body mass (if they know their BF%), or 1 gram per pound of goal weight (not current/actual weight).

  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Sparkeysworld wrote: »
    1lb of protein per lb of bodyweight is a good rule of thumb to aim for.
    If you can get this during the day from food, then the shakes are not needed, they are really just a handy quick way of getting your daily protein in if you have no time to prep food.

    Ooops....no.

    .80gm per pound of body weight. No need to supplement fat.
    https://www.livestrong.com/article/263525-daily-protein-intake-for-weight-loss/
  • endermako
    endermako Posts: 785 Member
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    I use a Sascha Fitness protein powder, It's Straight Whey Isolate Protein, 25g of Protein at 110 calories. I have the Cookies and Cream flavor. My average protein is about 115g a day with the powder. I'm 5'4 168lbs
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    Protein powder is just a way to get enough protein if you don't get enough from what you would normally eat. It can be especially helpful if you have a lower calorie goal, as you can get a lot of protein bang for minimal calories if you choose a lower cal one. As others have said, you'll hear recommendations anywhere from 0.6g - 1g per lb of bodyweight. My understanding is that timing really doesn't matter much for the average active individual.

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