Do you drink protein/ take supplements?

Any macro will make you gain weight if you eat beyond your maintenance calories. If you want to incorporate more protein, it should be within your calorie goal, not in addition to it. Protein is very filling for me, if I don't have a significant portion of protein in my meals, I'm just hungry and grouchy two hours later. I supplemented more when I was powerlifting and feel like it was useful then. Now I just use use powders to boost protein in other things I eat.

I eat food that includes very adequate amounts of protein. I don't think there's anything wrong with protein supplements if a person needs them to hit an adequate level, but suspect protein from food may have an edge (in that food usually has other nutrients, tastes good if one picks well, has been time-tested by natural selection, etc.). I'd rather eat than drink a highly-processed concoction to get my protein.

With body composition goals (like lose fat, gain muscle), overall good nutrition is a positive contributor to success. That means getting enough protein, but we also need some fats, fiber, and a whole bunch of micronutrients.

The fat loss happens when we eat fewer calories than we burn. The muscle gain is more a function of an adequate strength program than slavish attention to protein supplementation, as long as overall nutrition is decent-ish. (Optimal would be better than decent-ish, of course.)

This is useful, if getting adequate protein is a problem:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also

IMO, it shouldn't be demonically hard for someone to get adequate protein from food, unless they've cut calories much harder than sensible, or are quire picky in what foods they enjoy eating. It does seem anecdotally like a lot of people fall short, though. If you need to supplement, sure, do it. But it's not some kind of magical or essential thing to do.

Using protein shakes/supplementation is just a way to get more protein in one’s diet. For fat loss and to minimize muscle loss I have found that eating at a deficit while keeping my protein at around 30% of my macro calories is best. It’s the calorie deficit that causes the weight loss-the higher protein just helps you maintain the muscle you have. You could do this through high protein foods-doesn’t have to be a protein supplement. Protein supplements have calories so you need to budget for them like any other food you are logging. If you add protein shakes and it puts you over your maintenance calorie goal you will gain weight. If your overall calories are under your maintenance calories you will lose weight.
I find protein shakes to be useful because I’m a short middle aged woman and in order to eat at a deficit but keep my protein higher I need supplementation.

I'm not sure why you would think a protein supplement in and of itself would cause you to gain weight...it's just a protein supplement. It's just a source of protein like chicken or fish or anything else. Calories in excess of what your body requires causes you to gain weight, not any particular food.

DannySavage05 wrote: »

I take protein on days I'm going big workouts protein is there to help repair muscles so it's only gonna help u if u stretch the muscle out and work it if not ur just putting on excess protein which causes weight gain over muscle gain (DO NOT TAKE CREATINE THO)

Why not creatine? Yes, it can add a little water weight, but not much for most people, and it's water, not fat - NBD.

Well studied, reasonably safe, appears beneficial.

https://examine.com/supplements/creatine/