The Truth Behind Protein Shakes and Weight Loss

Many people are under the misconception that if they are trying to lose weight, they can do so by just substituting a few meals with a protein shake. This is actually false information that can lead to weight gain, rather than weight loss. For those looking to lose weight, they really need to know the truth behind protein shakes and weight loss.

Given that there are many meal replacement shakes on the market that can aid in loosing weight, many people are under the belief that all of these shakes can help them shed pounds if they replace a meal or two a day with them. There are certain shakes however, that can actually lead to weight gain rather than loss if they are consumed too frequently.

The whole purpose of these shakes is to supply the body with protein, which is an essential nutrient. This nutrient is beneficial to weight loss in some way because consumption of it helps to make you feel full longer, but it is also higher in calories. Consuming too many of these types of shakes supplies your body with a high dose of calories, which will actually inhibit weight loss and may make you actually put on a few pounds.

On average, an adult only needs to consume about 45-55 grams of protein on a daily basis for optimal health. If you are eating healthy sources of protein in your meals, such as lean meat, dairy items or products made from soy, you are probably getting very close to your daily allotment of the nutrient already, and adding a protein based shake to the menu is likely to not only put you over your daily intake, but put you over your daily calorie intake as well.

Protein shakes are an excellent supplement for those individuals that are in to body building, or for those that are unable to consume food for one reason or the other and need their daily nutrients. But as an aid to weight loss, these shakes often fall short of helping a person to achieve their goals. If you are looking to lose weight and are hoping to do so by replacing a meal or two with a supplement shake, you should opt for a shake that is made specifically for meal replacement that will provide you with essential nutrients in reasonable doses with a lower number of calories as well.