Do Protein Shakes help Weight Loss??

Posted on September 13, 2007 in Latest News

Do Protein Shakes help weight loss?
Perhaps yes. At least this is what the manufacturer and the advertisement says.

Is there any evidence for this?
No.

Are they really effective?
Lets analyze.

What exactly are Protein Shakes?
Protein Shakes are protein supplements. They come packaged in a powder form. It is to be mixed with milk/water in combination with a fruit. It tastes a bit like your fruit smoothie or milkshake.

What type of Protein do they consist?
Most protein shakes are based on Soy Protein. Some shakes may also use Egg Protein or Dairy protein.

How are they expected to help Weight Loss?
Protein Shakes follow the Meal Replacement policy. You are supposed to replace any two of your meals in a day with the protein shake. You have to be careful about what you eat. Avoid the usual fried fatty fast foods, reduce your intake of desserts and ice creams and avoid colas and fizzy drinks. In addition to this, you are expected to drink 8-10 glasses of water every day and spend a minimum of 30 minutes a day exercising or walking. The idea is that if you replace your calorie packed imbalanced meal with a balanced and healthy option you can lose weight.

But what has Protein to do with weight-loss?
The average adult needs 45 to 60 grams of protein a day. A diet balanced with adequate protein and carbohydrates can help build up your muscle mass. An imbalanced diet with less than required protein and more fat and carbohydrates can cause an increase in fat deposition and decrease in muscle mass.

Well, do we have other sources of Protein than Protein shakes?
We do. Milk, Yogurt, Cheese, Eggs, Chicken, Fish, Beef, Lamb, Tofu, Soy and Lentils are excellent sources of Protein.

These are the things we commonly have in our diets. Don’t We?
Precisely. These things meet your daily protein requirements if you consume them in right quantities.

Then why do I need Protein Shakes?
You don’t. You need a balanced diet not Protein Shakes to lose weight. Besides, in addition to this, if you do all that you would have done while taking Protein shakes (avoiding high calorie fattening foods, sweets, desserts and colas, drinking 8-10 glasses of water every day and 30 minutes of exercise daily) you can lose weight.

But people have lost weight using Protein Shakes, haven’t they?
Yes they did. When you cut down on your sumptuous breakfast and limit it to a Protein Shake and when you cut down on your lavish supper and limit it to a Protein Shake, you cannot but lose weight. And you also avoid high calorie foods and exercise daily. All this together, helps you to lose weight.

How much weight do people lose using Protein Shakes?
Protein Shakes claim to reduce your weight by 4-6 pounds a month.

What if I take Protein Shakes to lose weight too?
You can try. They cost you any where between $19-25 per pack. It lasts you for about 20 days. If you wish to invest on Protein Shakes. There’s no harm.

After reaching my target weight, what if I stop taking Protein Shakes?
Losing weight is not about one magic pill or a protein shake or aerobics classes. You’ve got to bring in a huge change in your lifestyle and food habits. You can take the protein shake to lose weight, but your lifestyle may always be in conflict with your weight loss program. If you are an active party goer or a fast food junkie you might have problem keeping up your Protein Shake diet. Even if you manage to keep your lifestyle on hold while you achieve your desired weight target. What after that? You cannot really keep taking Protein shakes all your life, can you? After losing weight, there would be no reason for you to continue. Result? You will be back to your old lifestyle, old eating habits, no exercise and no watching your food anymore.

So that means I may gain weight back again if I stop taking Protein Shakes?
Indeed. If you have a huge weight loss target to achieve, like 30-60 pounds, then forget Protein Shakes, they wont be able to keep your motivation up for long. You are likely to discontinue midway through. If you have a small weight loss target to achieve well within 20-25 pounds. You can give it a shot. But remember, if you quit do not immediately get back to your old habits and old lifestyle. Even if you stop taking protein shakes, do not stop exercising daily and watching your food. Remember weight loss is all about changing lifestyle and food habits.

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