protein for girls??? :)

Obviously girls need protein just as much as boys, but I don't think protein drinks are necessary or desirable. They are just extra calories.

Eat sensibly, and exercise and you'll be fine. That's all there is to it, really.

I use protein shakes. Gold standard 100% whey has been my favourite. Lot's of flavours and tastes nice with just water. Also fairly low in calories with 110-130 cals per scoop and 24g of protein!

I'm of the opinion that strength training is important wherever you are in your weight loss. Losing weight through diet and cardio alone you will lose some lean mass (muscle) whereas getting enough protein and having a solid lifting program will help you to maintain the muscle you have, giving you a more toned look afterwards.
It is also great for your bones and you can improve strength while you're at it

I drink protein shakes on a daily basis .....

AND as for the toning, you should be doing weight training 2-3 days a week -- Reason being - when you lose weight, something like 30% of what you lose is MUSCLE! NOT a good thing -- so if you do strength training you can minimize your muscle loss..... Addiitonally, (as one of my trainer friends at the gym put it) you want to be doing strength training so when you do lose the weight you want, it is muscle under there! *added bonus, muscle burns more calories (even at rest) than fat does. - don't worry you're not giong to bulk up.... not possible unless you're taking testosterone or something.

Good luck!

I don't know what classes your local gym might have but I go to a kettlebells class that is great for toning up PLUS cardio. Depending on the day and what we do I burn around 350-360 cal/per 30 min class. I also drink Jillian Michaels whey protein shakes with coconut or almond milk after workouts in the evening.

Hey all,

START LIFTING NOW. You will thank myself and anyone else giving you that information right now in the long run.

So this is not my account but, my fiance always talks about the females on your site asking questions about "toning" and how much protein they should get and if its okay if they use protein supplements (bars/powders) to reach these goals.

In the first part of those issues there is no such thing as toning, you are either building muscle or loosing fat you have to eat a caloric surplus for the former and a caloric deficit for the later. (In the case of a person new to lifting there is a short time frame where they can do both but this is short lived and does not go on for long).

In the second area of issue there is no magic number that everyone should shoot for. There are general guidelines to follow to make sure that the weight your loosing is not muscle and is fat. Such as keeping 30-40% of your daily calories coming from protein sources. This can be any type of meat/whey powder/bar. Any way you can get your protein then go for it, just be careful to realize that getting 30g from a whole food source (meat and cheese) will make you fuller and keep you fuller longer than any drink or bar will.

That may seem to be alot of protein but i promise it can happen if you try (my fiance is a pescetarian and she hits her protein macro on the regular).

So just to sum it up.
1. Start Lifting (not little pink dumbells they keep in the corner of the gym) Look up a solid lifting plan or ask for help from someone to point you toward a good routine.

2. Get plenty of protein (30-40% of your calories from it. This can be changed in the goals menu of your mfp account.)
Protein also burns more calories by the body during digestion than carbs or fat so you burn more cals!

3. Using protein powders and bars are just fine. (As long as you realize they are for SUPPLEMENTATION and not meant to be your only sources of protein)

Source - Myself (ISSA certified Personal fitness trainer) (lost over 100lbs) (TONS of personal research)