Since protein has calories, consuming too much can make it harder to lose weight. This can happen if you drink protein shakes along with your usual diet and you're not eating less calories or exercising. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans state that an average adult needs about 46 to 56 grams of protein a day.
It is safe to drink protein shakes every day, but be sure to obtain the majority of your protein and other foods from whole food sources. Without whole food sources, you'll be missing out on other valuable nutrients that are vital for health and supporting your workout performance and recovery.
There can be health consequences if you drink protein shakes without exercising are: (1) less muscle gain, (2) unwanted weight gain, (3) increased risk of kidney-related problems, and (4) abnormal spike in blood glucose level.
If you're of average build and go to the gym regularly, two protein shakes a day is enough to maintain your body mass. But if you're seriously involved in athletic sports, fitness practices and strength exercises, you may need to drink three to four protein shakes daily to sustain your physique and performance.
Following a protein shake diet encourages weight loss by curbing appetite and reducing the total calories a person consumes in a day. Although these diets can be effective in the short term, healthcare professionals do not recommend living solely or primarily on meal replacement shakes.
It's All About Calories
Eating more protein, while remaining in a calorie deficit, will not lead to belly fat gain. If you do start to gain fat, you're eating too many calories, be it from protein, carbs or fat.
Women use protein powder for a variety of reasons, including muscle growth, speeding recovery after workouts and stimulating weight loss. These supplements provide a concentrated source of high-quality protein in a versatile and easy-to-use powder, which can be added to shakes, smoothies and many more recipes.
Protein shakes promote muscle gain and improve performance and recovery. They also prevent muscle loss and may even help increase muscle mass during weight loss.
Protein shakes do offer an immediate post-training boost, and this intake of protein will help build muscle after exercise. Only use protein shakes as a compliment to your diet. And remember – in order to see any benefit from protein shakes, you must be exercising regularly as well.
When building mass and muscle, mixing your protein with milk will yield better results. For lean builders, trimmers and toners, water is the way to go. It comes down to nutrition, as that's exactly why you are drinking protein shakes in the first place.
In short, if you drink a protein shake on a rest day, or a day when you're doing less than you might usually do, there's no need to worry about any adverse effects. However, if you're drinking high protein shakes on their own and not to supplement your protein intake when working out, this could cause weight gain.
Protein supplements — in the form of shakes and bars — are no exception. They work best when used as part of a training program since they fuel your muscles into growth and increase fat burning. The doctors say that incorporating protein supplements in your diet with no workout at all is not recommended.
"Protein has calories, so if you eat a little too much, and don't exercise, it can get stored as fat." ...
High doses can cause some side effects such as increased bowel movements, acne, nausea, thirst, bloating, reduced appetite, tiredness, and headache.
How much protein do you need? Anywhere from 10% to 35% of your calories should come from protein. So if your needs are 2,000 calories, that's 200–700 calories from protein, or 50–175 grams. The recommended dietary allowance to prevent deficiency for an average sedentary adult is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight.
There's no known safety limit for protein powder. Most research shows healthy people can tolerate up to 1.5 grams of protein per pound (3.3 grams per kg) of body weight per day from both food and protein supplements with no side effects.
By drinking your protein shake more slowly, you can avoid the discomfort and pain which comes with bloating and trapped gas, and give your digestion an easier job!
Protein is the building block of your muscles. Therefore, eating adequate amounts of protein helps you maintain your muscle mass and promotes muscle growth when you do strength training. Numerous studies show that eating plenty of protein can help increase muscle mass and strength ( 8 , 9 ).
Usually, it takes up to 6 weeks for whey protein to show results.
General Health and Wellness
Replacing meals with protein shakes may help you reduce your daily calories, which can help you lose weight. But eventually, you will need to start eating solid food again, which may cause excess weight to return if you don't choose wisely.
Replacing meals with high protein shakes eliminates excess calories and fat from your diet and leads to weight loss. When you reduce calories and remove the option of food, you can expect to lose three to four pounds a week.
Can protein shakes be used as meal replacements? No, protein shakes cannot be used as meal replacements. Protein shakes lack the variety of vitamins and minerals required to make them a valuable food source. Protein shakes supplement the amino acid intake of a person.
Unlike other nutrients like carbohydrates, which get digested quickly, proteins take much longer to break down. Protein plays a critical role in reducing belly fat.
Protein shakes are an effective way to gain weight if you're unable to do so through your diet alone. As well as gaining weight, adding protein shakes to your daily diet can also increase muscle mass.