[Dannichick]

Hi Everyone!!

I know protein is essential for any diet, especially when you're vegan... so I was wondering what type of impact a protein shake would have on me.

I work out at least 4-5 times per week and I'm usually at the gym for at least 1.5-2 hours. I do cardio (I usually run or do a class such as zumba, kickboxing) and then weights. I started out at 192 and I'm now down to 169 and definitely feel the muscle in my arms and legs when I flex...(it's just covered by fluffiness lol). So my dad was telling me to eat 5-6 small meals a day, which I started doing. Today was day one of smaller meals AND the protein shake.. I'm taking the vitamin shoppe's soy-free vegetable protein (it tastes awful btw) and I was wondering if I'd lose weight faster if I took it twice a day (for breakfast and dinner) or just once (for breakfast). I blend it with 1 cup of almond milk or soymilk and a banana.

I don't want to bulk up like a bodybuilder but I would like to continue toning..especially my arms (batwings)... and I'm also trying to limit my bad carb intake since I know too many carbs and extra protein won't do me any good.

So I guess what I'm wondering is if taking two protein shakes a day will make my weight loss faster (I did recently hit a plateau) and if the type of protein I'm taking will help me tone my muscles even more. I know its not healthy to lose more than 2 pounds per week and that I won't see results overnight in terms of muscle but I was doing really well and hit a plateau... I increased my cardio and tried counting calories but i'm still stuck and it's been a few weeks.

Thanks!!

[odonnela]

The one thing I do know is that "they" say women need a minimum of 60 grams of protein a day - thats not factoring in if you exercise, weight train, ect.
I am not vegan, I do whey isolate so I do not know if you need more of the vegetable protein to have the same effect on your body, I just happened to know that bit of info about the amount of protein.

[nelie]

Protein isn't going to bulk you up. I'd recommend hemp protein if you want to do a protein shake. Will a protein shake help you lose weight? No. A calorie deficit will help you lose weight. If a protein shake helps in that endeavor then you'd lose weight.