Fitness enthusiasts understand the importance of protein in muscle repair and protein synthesis. Protein fuels the healing of injured muscle, in layman’s words.
If you want to gain weight, you’ll need to increase your protein consumption. But what if you aren’t exercising? On a rest day, is it safe or beneficial to drink protein shakes? Conversely, is it dangerous to drink protein shakes if you don’t exercise regularly? Let’s take a look at why protein shakes are such a popular pre-and post-workout drink.
Why Do People Drink Protein Shakes In The First Place?
Protein shakes and powder are a simple, portable, and economical alternative to high-protein meals like eggs, almonds, oats, and yogurt, staples in any healthy, balanced diet and assist in recovery. It’s especially vital to be convenient since, for most active people, drinking a protein shake is a daily routine. It’s an essential aspect of their muscular development, and it’s just as crucial to their advancement as exercise and food.
While a salad with grilled chicken, avocado, and egg might provide 15-25 grams of protein, you may not have the time to prepare it. In addition, active lifestyles require flexibility and ease of use. It’s simply easier (and more practical!) to consume a protein shake rather than prepare and consume a high-protein meal.
Is It Safe To Drink Whey Protein Shakes Without Working Out To Gain Weight?
Yes, you may gain weight while consuming protein shakes and without exercising if you consume more calories than you expend daily. You will acquire predominantly fat weight; however you will acquire some muscle to assist support the increased weight you are carrying. However, because protein is more difficult to digest than carbs and fats, consuming a high protein diet would not be the most efficient way to gain weight.
Now, to get a bit more serious, protein is an excellent source of muscle growth. If you want to gain muscle, you must exercise and do something to put your muscles to work and stimulate them to expand. When combined with a healthy diet and regular exercise, protein shakes can help you achieve those goals.
If you aim to gain weight in general and you don’t mind a lot of it being fat (I’m not going to criticize, but as someone who has spent the more significant part of three decades trying to lose weight, I don’t get it), Then all you have to do is focus on consuming more calories than you burn. That may be easier said than done, depending on your age. I couldn’t gain weight (muscle or fat) to save my life when I was a teenager. That all altered substantially at the age of 25, but it’s still an issue to consider.
How Much Whey Protein Do You Need?
So, even if you don’t exercise, increasing your protein consumption may help you lose weight. But how big of an increase will there be?
The Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academies of Medicine recommends 46 grams of protein per day for women and 56 grams per day for men daily. That isn’t a lot. If you consume three square meals, each meal will contain roughly 15 to 19 grams.
Some experts, however, believe the protein RDI is too low. As a result, over 60 nutrition specialists gathered in Washington, D.C., in October 2013 for the Protein Summit 2.0 to explore protein research and its impacts on human health. According to a review published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in June 2015, the overall conclusion was that consuming more protein would assist not just weight management but also metabolic health and aging.
In the 2017 Obesity Facts research, the standard protein group consumed about 1 gram per kilogram per day, which is similar to the RDI. Each day, the high-protein group ingested 1.34 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. Therefore, a 150-pound individual on a standard-protein diet would require 54 grams of protein per day, but a 150-pound person on a high-protein diet would need 91 grams per day.
Conclusion
Shakes with additional sugar and other harmful additives should be avoided. Otherwise, you should just refer to that protein smoothie as a dessert. Only drink one 8-ounce portion and fill it with fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fats.
When you’re done, consider starting an exercise regimen that will allow you to enjoy an extra protein shake now and again while also assisting you in losing weight and improving your general health.