Whey Supplements Weight Loss
A lot of people I come across stay away from whey when they are dieting and trying to lose weight because they feel that it is full of calories that their body doesn't need. I like to think that most people don't believe in this myth and use whey to supplement their weight loss, but unfortunately this isn't the case. The fact of the matter is if you are not supplementing your diet with whey, you most likely are not getting enough protein.
The image to the right is the nutrition label from one of my favorite whey flavors. As you'll be able to see, one serving contains 120 calories with 24g of protein. 24 grams of protein in only 120 calories is something that you shouldn't skip on. This is especially true on days that you workout. The main trick to weight loss is training your body into burning fat when it is starving and not muscle. They weigh you do this is to never make yourself hungry. You need to take in calories gradually throughout the day rather than in 2 or 3 sittings. One of the best ways to train your body to burn fat first is you supplement whey within 15 minutes of your workouts.
After a good workout, your body needs to quickly replace a few of the calories that you burned. If you don't take in calories within 15 to 30 minutes your body could be trying to get its energy from your muscles rather than the stored fat. The best calories that you can take in after a hard workout is from whey. Most of the calories from whey is from the protein, so by taking whey after a workout, you give your body the calories it needs to burn and also the protein to help build the muscles that have been broken down during the workout.
So YES, use whey even when you are trying to lose weight. A few of the most well known whey brands used to help supplement weight loss are Optimum Nutrition, Designer and Ultimate Nutrition. I say this with the understanding that you are also exercising. Remember, losing weight is 20% exercise and 80% diet. Learning when to taking in calories and what kind of calories and you will not have a problem losing weight at all.
If you are trying to lose weight without working out at all then I would recommend not using whey. If you are trying to lose weight, you will be fighting an up-hill battle though if you aren't exercising in some way. Losing weight isn't easy. There isn't a magical pill to make you drop pounds with healthy progress. With a steady workout routine and balanced diet that is being supplemented with whey, you will be on the right track to losing weight the right way.
If you are trying to maintain your current muscle, try to take in at least half your weight in protein (grams). So if you are a person that weighs 150lbs, focus on at least getting at least 75 grams of protein.
Also keep in mind that research indicates that the more muscle you have, the more calories you are burning when you aren't doing anything. That's true. Muscle burns more calories than fat to maintain itself. So the average 200 lbs man that is made up of lean muscle burns THREE times the calories sleeping than a 200 lbs fat man.
I mention this because when you are trying to lose weight, it is important also that you try to build muscle while you do it. In the long run, it will make your weight loss efforts stay! You will essentially be re-creating yourself into a fat shredding machine. So when you are trying to drop the pounds, supplement your diet with a whey protein shake after your workouts. Give your body the healthy calories and protein it craves after a hard workout.
Whey protein isn't a new kind of supplement. It has been around for a long time and it is here to stay. So if you can take anything away from this article, make sure you are getting the whey protein your body needs to rebuild it's muscles. By doing that, you will be burning calories around the clock and not just while you are on the treadmill.
Be sure to check out the other articles on the site regarding whey. We want to make this your one stop shop for all your whey protein needs. If you have any questions regarding whey and weight loss that was not covered in the articles, please be sure you contact us and let us know what whey questions you have.