We always get asked whether people should take protein shakes for weight loss and what they really do. In short, protein shakes won’t cause you to lose weight – but they may help. We’ll explain why.

How does weight loss happen?

In short, we lose weight when we eat less calories (food) than our body burns off (through exercise).

We’ve wrote a quick article on working out how many calories you need to eat to lose weight, here.

So why is protein so important?

Protein is basically the body’s building blocks. It helps to build not only muscle, but also our skin and hair. Protein also helps our body build the hormones we use each day.

And why is this important for fat loss?

When we are eating less than our body needs, if we aren’t careful it will start to break down our muscles for energy. Whilst this may reflect weight loss on the scales, it just means we become weaker and actually LESS TONED. Eating enough protein will help us retain muscle and potentially even build new muscle, increasing our toned look.

Not only this, but protein helps to keep us feeling fuller for longer. This allows us to reduce our calories in order to lose weight. But where do protein shakes come in? They’re up soon.

How much protein should I be eating then?

Ideally you should consume around 1g of protein per 1lb of body weight. So if you weigh 150lb you would consume 150g of protein per day. This would ensure you retain muscle whilst keeping you full.

That’s alot of protein, how do I eat so much in one day?

150g of protein may seem like a lot, but it really isn’t. For example, starting the day with a 3 egg omelette could see you at 20g. A mid morning greek yoghurt snack or protein pot will get you another 20g.

Tuna salad for lunch and our tasty Chicken Korma for evening meal gives you another 80g of protein.

Okay so we have 30g of protein left.

Protein shakes ahoy!

This is where a protein shake can come in handy as it will top up your daily protein intake. But it doesn’t do anything extra special – it’s only there to help boost your protein and to keep you feeling full!

If at this point of the day you’ve already reached your protein target for the day, an extra shake would do nothing but increase your calories for the day. They can be helpful but there’s no need to live off of them!

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