High calorie protein shakes?
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ceebrawl2018
Posts: 29 Member
So, I have come here before and I’m here again! I am drinking 2 protein shakes a day, I add stuff in which makes both shakes total about 2,600 calories per day! Plus I’m eating 2 meals a day and snacks on top of it. My question is, do protein shakes just not work for everyone? Is it REAL calories? I just don’t want to keep wasting money and time if they just don’t work for everyone! I always though: a calorie is a calorie.
Side note: taking in over 3,200 calories a day and barely gaining .
Side note: taking in over 3,200 calories a day and barely gaining .
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Replies
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It's "real calories." Make sure you are counting correctly though or else you could be short-changing yourself. What do you put in them?
I'm not sure how much you have to gain, but when I was in the process of regaining weight in anorexia recovery, I was on over 4000 calories a day despite being underweight. Bodies are all different. If you need to add more, add an extra tbsp of peanut butter to each shake. Or, eat more solid foods.6 -
Any calorie you take in is a “real” calorie. Protein powders are made from “real” foods, the calories don’t count any differently than if you drank the milk they were made from, or ate the eggs, peas, soy, beef, etc. that they were made from.
How long have you been eating 3200 calories per day and “barely gaining”? And by “barely gaining”, how much weight are you talking over what time period?3 -
It's "real calories." Make sure you are counting correctly though or else you could be short-changing yourself. What do you put in them?
I'm not sure how much you have to gain, but when I was in the process of regaining weight in anorexia recovery, I was on over 4000 calories a day despite being underweight. Bodies are all different. If you need to add more, add an extra tbsp of peanut butter to each ..”
I put peanut butter, whole milk, and ice cream! I’m trying to gain 20 lbs! Congrats on your journey also.0 -
Any calorie you take in is a “real” calorie. Protein powders are made from “real” foods, the calories don’t count any differently than if you drank the milk they were made from, or ate the eggs, peas, soy, beef, etc. that they were made from.
How long have you been eating 3200 calories per day and “barely gaining”? And by “barely gaining”, how much weight are you talking over what time period?
Good to know! Thank you. I feel like I’m cheating the system by drinking shakes for some reason lol I upped my intake from 2,500 to 3,200 about 2 weeks ago. I’ve been trying to gain for almost 2 months. I started at 103 and I’m barely over 106 most days. With fluctuation sometimes I hit 108 if I’m lucky!2 -
Increase to 3500 and reassess after 2 more weeks. Just make sure you're constantly on an upward trend. Watch your activity level too. I had a habit of increasing my activity level as I ate more which made it even harder to gain.5
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Define work please.ceebrawl2018 wrote: »So, I have come here before and I’m here again! I am drinking 2 protein shakes a day, I add stuff in which makes both shakes total about 2,600 calories per day! Plus I’m eating 2 meals a day and snacks on top of it. My question is, do protein shakes just not work for everyone? Is it REAL calories? I just don’t want to keep wasting money and time if they just don’t work for everyone! I always though: a calorie is a calorie.
Side note: taking in over 3,200 calories a day and barely gaining .
Yes it's real calories and some consider it real food since it can be used as food.
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Define work please.ceebrawl2018 wrote: »So, I have come here before and I’m here again! I am drinking 2 protein shakes a day, I add stuff in which makes both shakes total about 2,600 calories per day! Plus I’m eating 2 meals a day and snacks on top of it. My question is, do protein shakes just not work for everyone? Is it REAL calories? I just don’t want to keep wasting money and time if they just don’t work for everyone! I always though: a calorie is a calorie.
Side note: taking in over 3,200 calories a day and barely gaining .
Yes it's real calories and some consider it real food since it can be used as food.
Thank you!
& work I guess as in help gain weight ?
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Gaining weight is a matter of taking in more calories than you expend, however you choose to accomplish that - and there’s nothing wrong with protein shakes being part of those calories, if you so choose.ceebrawl2018 wrote: »
Define work please.ceebrawl2018 wrote: »So, I have come here before and I’m here again! I am drinking 2 protein shakes a day, I add stuff in which makes both shakes total about 2,600 calories per day! Plus I’m eating 2 meals a day and snacks on top of it. My question is, do protein shakes just not work for everyone? Is it REAL calories? I just don’t want to keep wasting money and time if they just don’t work for everyone! I always though: a calorie is a calorie.
Side note: taking in over 3,200 calories a day and barely gaining .
Yes it's real calories and some consider it real food since it can be used as food.
Thank you!
& work I guess as in help gain weight ?
Protein shakes also can help ensure you’re getting adequate protein intake, which is helpful when trying to preserve/build muscle.
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Calories rarely factor into my decision to eat protein shakes.
I depend on them to help me hit my daily protein targets. Whey powder is a convenient and cost-effective way to add 60 grams on top of my regular meals. If I had extra time, money and room in my stomach for more steak I'd love to go that route.
Protein shakes are not really a cost-effective way to up calorie intake. I vote for whole 3.25% milk. Mmmmmm!0 -
ceebrawl2018 wrote: »Any calorie you take in is a “real” calorie. Protein powders are made from “real” foods, the calories don’t count any differently than if you drank the milk they were made from, or ate the eggs, peas, soy, beef, etc. that they were made from.
How long have you been eating 3200 calories per day and “barely gaining”? And by “barely gaining”, how much weight are you talking over what time period?
Good to know! Thank you. I feel like I’m cheating the system by drinking shakes for some reason lol I upped my intake from 2,500 to 3,200 about 2 weeks ago. I’ve been trying to gain for almost 2 months. I started at 103 and I’m barely over 106 most days. With fluctuation sometimes I hit 108 if I’m lucky!
2 weeks isn't long enough, I'd stay there for now.
What workouts are you doing while you're gaining?0 -
I may have missed this but are you tracking everything. More specifically since you are eating 2 whole food meals per day are you weighing your foods as well. In order for me to really know my caloric intake i had to measure and weigh everything, once I did I realized I wasn’t eating as much as I thought. Another thing that worked for me was to eat 5-6 meals a day starting at 5am.2
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After hitting your protein needs add extra Cal's using fats and carbs0
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If u don’t see any change in weight after a couple of weeks. Add another meal👍 if you feel like ya wasting money, make ya own shakes with oats/ fruit/ peanut butter ect. Get the carbs up and you’ll see a difference for sure0
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ceebrawl2018 wrote: »
Define work please.ceebrawl2018 wrote: »So, I have come here before and I’m here again! I am drinking 2 protein shakes a day, I add stuff in which makes both shakes total about 2,600 calories per day! Plus I’m eating 2 meals a day and snacks on top of it. My question is, do protein shakes just not work for everyone? Is it REAL calories? I just don’t want to keep wasting money and time if they just don’t work for everyone! I always though: a calorie is a calorie.
Side note: taking in over 3,200 calories a day and barely gaining .
Yes it's real calories and some consider it real food since it can be used as food.
Thank you!
& work I guess as in help gain weight ?
It certainly would if it puts you in a caloric surplus along with your other food & drinks.1 -
Honestly, if you have a fast metabolism and body type like me (who struggles to gain weight), you should try dropping a shake and replacing it with a well balanced meal and see what happens. I feel like you're probably having an excess amount of something in those shakes and your body is just throwing it away. Also, make sure your food/shakes aren't "empty calories".4
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AthenaBosi wrote: »Honestly, if you have a fast metabolism and body type like me (who struggles to gain weight), you should try dropping a shake and replacing it with a well balanced meal and see what happens. I feel like you're probably having an excess amount of something in those shakes and your body is just throwing it away. Also, make sure your food/shakes aren't "empty calories".
That’s not how it works... whether the calories come from a shake or a “well balanced meal” doesn’t matter, as long as they put you into a surplus. If your concerned about the nutrition aspect of it then sure, you can avoid empty calories and shakes, but there’s no reason to avoid them as they certainly don’t keep you from gaining weight. In fact I would argue that “empty calories” are better for weight gain as they tend to be made up of lots of sugar, oils and fats which are more calorie dense.
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mkgoodson1007 wrote: »I may have missed this but are you tracking everything. More specifically since you are eating 2 whole food meals per day are you weighing your foods as well. In order for me to really know my caloric intake i had to measure and weigh everything, once I did I realized I wasn’t eating as much as I thought. Another thing that worked for me was to eat 5-6 meals a day starting at 5am.
To this, starting very early in morning has helped me as well, with an additional snack directly before I get ready for bed. It is reverse of standard logic, but two additional snacks are helpful. Focus is on meal times and grazing.0 -
Teabythesea_ wrote: »
That’s not how it works... whether the calories come from a shake or a “well balanced meal” doesn’t matter, as long as they put you into a surplus. If your concerned about the nutrition aspect of it then sure, you can avoid empty calories and shakes, but there’s no reason to avoid them as they certainly don’t keep you from gaining weight. In fact I would argue that “empty calories” are better for weight gain as they tend to be made up of lots of sugar, oils and fats which are more calorie dense.
I agree with you on the calorie surplus. I just feel like drinking 2600 calories of protein shakes is a little excessive with only 600 cals of solid food. I'm merely suggesting to try eating more solid foods and see what happens. Still reach your calories and macros. I might be wrong. Empty calories don't help me, but that's me. Every body is different. It's all about trial and error and seeing what works for you.2 -
AthenaBosi wrote: »Teabythesea_ wrote: »
That’s not how it works... whether the calories come from a shake or a “well balanced meal” doesn’t matter, as long as they put you into a surplus. If your concerned about the nutrition aspect of it then sure, you can avoid empty calories and shakes, but there’s no reason to avoid them as they certainly don’t keep you from gaining weight. In fact I would argue that “empty calories” are better for weight gain as they tend to be made up of lots of sugar, oils and fats which are more calorie dense.
I agree with you on the calorie surplus. I just feel like drinking 2600 calories of protein shakes is a little excessive with only 600 cals of solid food. I'm merely suggesting to try eating more solid foods and see what happens. Still reach your calories and macros. I might be wrong. Empty calories don't help me, but that's me. Every body is different. It's all about trial and error and seeing what works for you.
I get what you’re suggesting, I’m just not understanding the logic behind it. Whether the calories are liquid, solid, or “empty” doesn’t matter. They’re all still calories and if eaten in a surplus, will cause weight gain. There’s no need to overcomplicate things by omitting foods from one’s diet or claiming that the body “throws away” extra stuff, whatever that means.
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Teabythesea_ wrote: »AthenaBosi wrote: »Teabythesea_ wrote: »
That’s not how it works... whether the calories come from a shake or a “well balanced meal” doesn’t matter, as long as they put you into a surplus. If your concerned about the nutrition aspect of it then sure, you can avoid empty calories and shakes, but there’s no reason to avoid them as they certainly don’t keep you from gaining weight. In fact I would argue that “empty calories” are better for weight gain as they tend to be made up of lots of sugar, oils and fats which are more calorie dense.
I agree with you on the calorie surplus. I just feel like drinking 2600 calories of protein shakes is a little excessive with only 600 cals of solid food. I'm merely suggesting to try eating more solid foods and see what happens. Still reach your calories and macros. I might be wrong. Empty calories don't help me, but that's me. Every body is different. It's all about trial and error and seeing what works for you.
I get what you’re suggesting, I’m just not understanding the logic behind it. Whether the calories are liquid, solid, or “empty” doesn’t matter. They’re all still calories and if eaten in a surplus, will cause weight gain. There’s no need to overcomplicate things by omitting foods from one’s diet or claiming that the body “throws away” extra stuff, whatever that means.
I just don't think a calorie is a calorie. This is based off my own experience but there is research on it. Our bodies process different nutrients differently so while she may think she's consuming a certain amount of calories, she might be absorbing less due to digestion. She can easily up her calories even more but changing her resource might be just as effective. It's pretty interesting. There could be research saying otherwise too. I'm not saying you need to omit certain foods so I'm sorry if I worded that badly.6
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