Think About Protein Supplements For Weight Lose

I've posted a lot lately about the importance of protein in the diet. In my last post I talked about getting 60 grams minimum and that if your working out regularly you should probably up that to 80 or 90 grams a day. It's also recommended by trainers that you get as much protein as possible from the food you eat. I'm also going to add that most restaurant food might contain protein, but animal protein at restaurants may not be the healthiest way to get protein. Be careful what type of meat or fish you get at a restaurant. Grilled meat or fish salted is the best and safest way to eat animal protein in restaurants.  The only reason I'm even mentioning restaurants is because most of us eat out everyday, even if it's only one meal. Eating out also means it may be very hard to calculate your protein intake. If that's a problem you might want to think about protein supplements.

You might be thinking, "How would I know if I was getting enough?" Okay, If your working out and you're not getting better or increasing your routine (walking fast than before), and it seems like your aways soar, then you might need more protein. Protein helps your muscles build back take after your last workout. What does that mean, you might ask? When you workout your tearing down muscle tissue and before you can work that same muscle the tissue has to rebuild. This process makes the muscle stronger and it's the protein in your diet that rebuilds the muscle. Your muscle should be good to go in about 48 hours. If you're not getting enough protein it take longer to rebuild the muscle. Seniors can have this problem. Ordinarily seniors will try not to eat much animal protein because of the cholesterol, so plant protein becomes very important and that harder to get with your normal diet. 

I like protein shakes, especially for breakfast. You can use protein powders in your shake along with yogurt and fruit to make a healthy breakfast and most of the prep work can be done the night before so you can just turn on the blender, pour it and go; 5 minutes and your out the door. Read this next article from WebMD if your interested in giving it a try.

When it comes to protein, some of us don’t need supplemental help and can easily meet our needs from a well-balanced diet, but if you have above-average protein needs and have a hard time getting enough from your diet, supplementation may be appropriate. You can sneak in additional protein with whole foods but, from a lifestyle perspective, there are a few reasons why protein supplements, in bar or powder form, may make sense:

1. CONVENIENCE: Protein powder and bars can provide a high-quality snack with approximately 20-30 grams of protein for refueling after a tough workout, or eating on the go.

2. COST: Depending on the protein supplement you buy, it may actually be more cost effective to use a supplement than purchase more pricey foods like meat and fish. Whey protein powder is about $10-15/pound but also has a longer shelf life than fresh, protein-rich foods.

3. FEASIBILITY: Vegan diets rely on plant sources to supply protein and require eating a variety of foods since plant sources rarely contain all of the essential amino acids. For vegans who exercise intensely or strength train, protein supplements may be a useful.

PROTEIN POWDER BASICS

When it comes to protein, quality matters. This is why scientists came up with the “protein digestibility corrected amino acid score” (PDCAAS)–yes, it’s a mouthful! This score tells you protein quality as measured by: 1) how “complete” the protein is and, 2) how easily digestible it is.

The PDCAAS scores protein sources from 0-1 with 1 being the highest. A score of 1 is assigned to egg white, which contains all 9 essential amino acids and is easily digested and absorbed. Ideally, your protein powder supplement should score as close to 1 as possible, but this depends on the source of protein it’s made from. Here are the 3 most common sources of protein that powers your powder:

1. Whey and casein (PDCAAS=1) are proteins extracted from milk that are “complete” proteins, easily absorbed by the body and relatively inexpensive. Plus, these milk proteins contain branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) to encourage muscle building during strength training. The downside is that this protein source is unsuitable for vegans and people with lactose intolerance or milk protein allergies.

2. Soy protein (PDCAAS= 1) is plant-based, contains all 9 essential amino acids and is inexpensive. Soy protein powder is a great alternative for vegans who can’t take whey or casein, but wouldn’t be ideal for those with soy allergies.

3. Other plant-based proteins: Pea (PDCAAS=0.69), rice (PDCAAS=0.47) and hemp (PDCAAS= 0.46) proteins score low on the PDCAAS because they don’t provide all 9 essential amino acids when taken as a stand-alone source, and the rice and hemp proteins are not readily digestible. For this reason, they are usually found together in a plant-based protein powder supplement mix. While these mixes can be hypoallergenic, we’d still suggest whey, casein and soy if you can stomach them.

3 Tips for Fueling with Protein Powder

1. Choose whey when possible. If you’re considering a protein supplement to increase muscle size and strength, whey is the way to go–as long as you don’t have milk intolerance. It’s an inexpensive, high-quality protein that is quickly usable by your muscles.

2. Log your protein supplements. Don’t forget that supplements (and the milk you mix it with) have calories, too, and can contribute to excess weight gain if you aren’t mindful.

3. Supplement with exercise in mind. Consuming protein powder alone won’t get you a lean, mean physique–you’ll still need to shape up with some push-up, squatting, and burpie fun.

Tip2

PROTEIN BAR BASICS

Like protein powder, bar supplements use the same sources listed above to add protein into a portable snack. Unlike powder, bars generally contain more calories, carbs, fat, and sodium for any given amount of protein. However, this is because you’re expected to mix powder supplements with milk to add in more of the other macros.! Bars provide a quick,mindless, no-mix way of getting post-workout nutrition. This table will help you visualize the basic nutritional differences (but really read the label):

Cal Pro(g) Carb(g) Sugar(g) Fat(g)
Bars 200-300 15-30 15-40 5-20 5-10
Powder* 80-200 15-30 <10 1-5 <5
*Before mixing with milk.

3 Tips for Fueling with Protein Bars

1. Read the ingredients. This is usually not a pretty place, but if you’re going to eat it, then read it. Protein bars can hide processed fibers, sugar alcohols and artificial sweeteners. Make sure you’re okay with these before biting.

2. Log your bar supplements. Some bars are meant to replace a whole meal, and they have the calories to do it. Logging bars helps you stay the course for your calorie goals.

3. Supplement with exercise in mind. Bars vary widely in the amount of carbs they contain. Choose higher-carb bars (20+ grams per serving) when you engaged in vigorous aerobic activities (running, swimming, biking), and lower-carb bars (<20 grams per serving) for non-aerobic activities.

No matter what source you choose to meet your protein goals, remember these 3 tips to help you get the most out of protein:

1. Spread protein out over all your meals. Protein-rich foods don’t come cheap, but you can maximize your body’s ability to digest, absorb and use protein by distributing it evenly throughout your meals and snacks. Just take the total grams of protein you need daily and divide it into the total number of meals and snacks you eat daily.

2. Eat protein immediately after a bout of exercise. Having a high-protein snack soon after exercise (ideally before the 1-hour mark) is best because this is when muscles are sensitive to nutrients that it can use to repair and grow.

3. Pair protein with carbs. This is especially important when you’re refueling after aerobic exercise (like running) since protein is needed for muscle repair and carbs are needed to restock your muscles’ energy stores. Remember, the macros like to work together.

Losing body fat should be your goal. Read up on weight loss and losing body fat. It doesn’t cost money to lose weightier fat. The internet is full of free information. But the quickest way and cheapest way is to buy an ebook online and get everything you need in one short read. I have two ebooks on Amazon:

How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight

Getting To A Healthy Weight

Check out one of them, I think you can find all the info you need and plenty of tips on how I lost my body fat.