Hi everyone! I always thought that whey makes you bulkier, but yesterday came across an article that read that whey could also aid in weight loss by building lean muscle. I'm weight training twice a week. But, I'm very skeptical about trying it. Has anyone taken these protein supplements? Did they indeed speed up weight loss?
(You can see my current & goal weight below. I just have a lot of fat in my thighs and my belly. Just saying, I still have a huge fat reserve haha)
I take whey protein on a daily basis. It helps me get enough protein which definitely builds muscle. My body is burning fat while building muscle. I lift heavy three days a week.
If you're a female, it's not going to make you bulky. It'll help you build muscle, which will help with fat loss. Whey is the most popular protein supplement because it gets absorbed quickly, so it's especially good to have right after a workout. Some people recommend casein (another type of protein) before sleeping because that one absorbs more slowly.
If you find it difficult to get enough protein in your diet from whole foods, a supplement might be a good idea, but you probably won't notice a huge difference between whey protein and other types of protein. Recently I've been having 40g whey protein per day, but sometimes I use vegan protein supplements instead (e.g. pea protein).
Location: Home of the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins
Posts: 12,474
S/C/G: 217/179/142
Height: 5'2
From what I've read/heard about protein shakes, the body builders use them in addition to their meals, to help build muscle and bulk up. I believe that most people who use it for weight loss use it as a meal replacement...maybe at breakfast or lunch.... and that it gives you more protein to help retail muscle mass while losing body fat.
Thank you for all your replies. Yes I'm a female. I've also read that whey is best when had as a meal replacement. But I often think about how it'll fill me up? I can try to do a whey shake for lunch but will that fill me up like my big salad? I also see that 1 scoop of whey is a 100 calories as is and I plan to drink it with water not milk. Wondering if those additional calories will do much damage?
Thank you for all your replies. Yes I'm a female. I've also read that whey is best when had as a meal replacement. But I often think about how it'll fill me up? I can try to do a whey shake for lunch but will that fill me up like my big salad? I also see that 1 scoop of whey is a 100 calories as is and I plan to drink it with water not milk. Wondering if those additional calories will do much damage?
I'm not sure what you mean by damage, but you do need to include those 100 calories when you count your calories for the day (if you count calories). I don't think 100 calories is enough for a meal, but it could be part of a meal, or it could be a post-workout snack. Whether you're trying to gain weight or lose weight, it's important to eat a balanced diet each day.
Foods that are high in protein, fiber, or water tend to be filling (salad is filling because it's high in fiber and water). So yes, protein supplements are filling, but it's only 100 calories, so it's not going to fill you up completely.
Ah got it! Thanks for that explanation. I ordered the MissFit Delight protein supplement because Amazon had really good ratings for it. It's not whey protein though I believe, plant based protein. I'm just a little apprehensive because I've never taken supplements before. Heard from a few friends of the side effects, but definitely eager to give it a try to see if it can help me get off the plateau I'm on right now
You already eat protein every day, so as long as you don't eat too much of it, it should be fine. I would be more concerned about the other ingredients. I looked up MissFit Delight, and I see that it has carrageenan, acesulfame potassium, and sucralose, which are somewhat controversial (I've seen multiple conflicting articles, some say they're safe, some say they're not, so I'm not sure).
Oh! Thanks for pointing that out. I'm guessing this will need more research that I thought. What company product would you suggest for this use?
I use Tera's Whey. It's sweetened with stevia, which some people think is safer, but not a lot of studies have been done, so it's hard to know for sure how safe it is. Sometimes I use Garden of Life Protein & Greens (plant proteins, also sweetened with stevia). If you can tolerate the taste, an unsweetened protein would be better.
I haven't spent much time researching it, so there might be better ones out there. If you want more recommendations, here's an article that I found by googling: http://www.eatthis.com/protein-powders
Whey Protein for Weight Loss??
