Protein drinks and bodybuilders are frequently intertwined; thus many people may equate protein drinks with bulking up and “getting those gains.” This may lead to the question of whether protein drinks will make you fat or bulky. To be honest, you can eat too much of anything.
You will acquire weight if you consume more calories than your body requires. When consumed as part of a healthy, well-balanced diet, protein shakes will not make you fat.
In reality, increasing your protein consumption can help you lose weight and achieve your goals, such as increasing lean muscle mass. Here are some suggestions for using protein shakes to help you achieve your objectives in a handy and frequently pleasant manner.
How Do Protein Shakes Help You Gain Weight?
Are you often consuming protein shakes and noticing an increase in your weight? “As with most foods,” Melissa Morris, Ed.D., a nutrition professor at the University of Tampa, adds, “it’s absolutely easy to go overboard.” “If it happens, you could gain weight as a result.”
That’s fantastic if that’s your objective. However, if you don’t want to gain weight, keep two things in mind: what’s in your smoothie and how many calories you’re taking in total.
1. Your smoothie has an excessive amount of additional ingredients.
Is there a lot of sugar in your protein shake? While some additional sugar in a protein shake might help replenish glycogen levels after a workout, too much of it may be detrimental, especially if you don’t use it afterward.
Are you include any additional ingredients in your shake? You may be ingesting more calories than you realize if you eat high-calorie items like nut butters, dried fruit, and avocado. (These may be fantastic additions to a shake; just keep track of how much you put in!)
2. It’s a part of a diet that isn’t well-balanced.
Rather of asking if your protein shake is causing you to gain weight, you could inquire about your whole diet. You might drink the healthiest, cleanest smoothie on the globe, but if you combine it with an excessively caloric diet, you’ll gain weight.
However, if you drink a protein shake as part of a well-balanced meal, you’ll be better able to stick to your weight-loss goals.
Do You Need A Protein Shake If You Don’t Exercise?
Protein drinks aren’t just for frequent exercisers, adds Morris, because protein may assist muscles to recover after a workout. Protein is a macronutrient, which means that it is required for your body to operate. So, regardless of your degree of exercise, you require protein.
However, this does not need the use of a protein shake. Other protein sources include poultry and shellfish, as well as tofu and buckwheat. Even with so many protein sources available, it’s not always possible to achieve your daily protein requirements only via meals and snacks.
That’s where a protein shake may help, according to Morris, because it’s a quick and easy method to complement the protein you’re receiving from entire meals. You can rapidly make a shake (without using a blender!) and carry it with you on the move, making it ideal for even the busiest of individuals.
You may receive nutritional components that will help feed your body by picking a balanced, sugar-free protein powder (like Openfit’s Plant-Based Protein Shake). In every case, this is ideal.
How Many Calories Should You Get From Protein?
Rather of attempting to figure out how many calories you should consume, look at how many grams you should consume. Protein is required by adults in the amount of 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. (Divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 to get your kilogram weight.)
According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition, if you exercise frequently, that quantity rises to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.
Does Whey Protein Powder Cause Weight Gain?
The answer to this question is dependent on the mix you’re drinking and how frequently you’re drinking it. We manufacture protein powder mixes at Gainful for those who are seeking to gain weight – usually, they want to increase muscle, retain strength, or endurance. Those mixes are designed to contain more carbohydrates and calories than some of our other mixes.
On the other hand, we also make protein powder blends containing substances that help you lose weight. The time and amount of protein consumed are just as crucial as the nutrients in both circumstances.
At the end of the day, calorie intake determines whether you lose or gain weight. If you consume too much protein powder each day – or any other type of food or whey protein supplements – your overall calorie consumption may increase, leading to weight gain. Stick to the suggested daily serving for your mix if you’re trying to maintain or lose weight.
Most significantly, the quantity and quality of entire foods you eat throughout the day, as well as your high-quality protein, determine your weight. According to studies, eating too much-processed foods and eating at inconvenient times might contribute to weight increase. You may guarantee you’re receiving enough protein grams to aid with muscle gain without adding excessive body fat by carefully monitoring your daily meal plan.
Does Whey Protein Increase Belly Fat?
Unless supplement practices surpass total daily calorie demands, whey protein, whether ingested in meals or in a healthy protein powder mix, will not promote an increase in weight or fat. As previously stated, your body will retain excess energy if you ingest more calories than you burn, whether those calories come from whey protein drinks or any other source of whey protein.
When you gain weight, the distribution of fat in your body is influenced by a number of factors, including your age, gender, and heredity. The majority of people lose weight last and gain it on their stomach initially.
Do Protein Shakes Cause You To Gain Weight Even If You Don’t Exercise?
Working out, whether through resistance training or aerobic activity, is an essential element of weight management. Resistance training not only helps you burn calories, but it also has a number of health advantages, including increased endurance, strength, and muscle growth.
We recommend that everyone engage in some type of regular exercise due to the importance of working out for lean muscle building and general wellness. However, just because you’re drinking protein shakes and not exercising doesn’t imply you’ll gain weight. It’s obviously more likely because you’ll be burning less calories and consuming more, but as previously said, weight reduction is just a question of burning more calories than you consume each day.
Should I Take Weight Gainer Or Whey Protein?
Simply said, to gain weight, you must consume more calories than your body burns. Gaining weight safely necessitates an increase in both muscle mass and fat mass. Excess fat, on the other hand, can be harmful to one’s health. This is why selecting high-quality protein sources is critical.
It is advised that you acquire 1-2 pounds each month by eating no more than 500 additional calories each day for weight growth. It is entirely up to you whether you ingest those calories through a weight gain meal replacement smoothie or a high-quality whey protein isolate supplement.
Whey Protein Side Effects And Advantages
Protein is an important component of any weight-gain plan since it is the most important nutrient for muscle growth. For muscle protein synthesis, your body need branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), which are the building blocks of protein. It’s crucial to look for complete protein sources that include key amino acids that your body can’t produce on its own.
Increased protein consumption has the potential to improve satiety (feeling full), which may make it difficult for certain people to meet their daily calorie targets. Protein consumption should be roughly 0.7 grams per pound of body weight for weight growth, however you can go higher based on your entire daily calorie diet. This might feel like you’re eating or drinking a lot more than usual if you’re not used to it.
Bloating and cramping are other typical adverse effects of a high-protein diet, especially for people who are sensitive to dairy products and drink whey. If you’re new to protein powder, try a variety of various protein sources, such as soy or pea protein, until you discover one that feels right for you.
Final Thoughts
It’s critical to keep your protein consumption under control if you want to achieve your fitness objectives. A high protein diet is often followed by bodybuilders, athletes, and fitness enthusiasts from all walks of life who wish to gain muscle. On the other hand, if you’re trying to lose weight, a well-timed meal replacement protein shake can help you feel full throughout the day and avoid overeating.
However, taking protein alone, whether from whey powder shakes or entire meals, will not cause you to gain or lose weight. Your daily calorie intake is the single factor that controls whether you gain weight in the form of muscle or fat on your body. You will gain weight if you consume more calories than you burn. You will lose weight if you burn more calories than you consume.
Although weight reduction is a straightforward formula, you’ll still need to eat high-quality protein sources to stay energized and fuel your body throughout the day. Whether you’re searching for a great post-workout smoothie or a powerful breakfast to get you started in the morning, be sure you’re getting high-quality protein from reputable brands that are transparent about their contents. Protein supplements can assist you in making exercising a simple and fun part of your life.