subject: Whey Protein And Weight Loss [print this page] I dont know why but a lot of people are always asking what is the best protein powder for weight loss or can I do protein shakes to lose weight. For some reason they think that supplementing their diet with protein shakes is the magic answer to their belly fat problems. I think it all has to do with the rise and popularity of the Aitkins diet and all of these different and gimmicky weight loss programs on television using supplements and other methods to help people drop the pounds. And then you have the popularly of whey protein and weight loss. Its like whey protein is the only type of protein out there that can magically help you lose weight. The truth though that its not the best type of protein powder to get the job done. This is what we are going to talk about today.
Now dont get me wrong but whey protein is a great way to supplement your daily protein intake needs. Its one of the best and cheapest forms of protein powder out on the market today and it has many uses. Whey protein is the simplest form of protein powder and it gets digested the quickest once inside the body. However, there are different types of whey protein and their names are based on how they are processed. For example, the cheapest and least pure is whey protein concentrate. This is what you find in a lot of protein powders in health food stores and pharmacies. Its the cheapest but least pure. And by pure, I mean you will still find some traces of fat and carbohydrates in each serving. This type of powder can take up to around 2 hours to be fully digested. Now the other types are whey protein isolate, ion exchanged, micro filtration, and hydrosolate. These are the more pure forms of whey protein with hydrosolate being the most pure. This is because it is actually pre digested and already broken down into di and tri peptides. So when you drink this type it can be digested and assimilated by the body in as little as 15 minutes. Pretty neat stuff, however since its already partially broken down, it tastes really bad. In fact it kind of tastes like vomit, extremely bitter. Now with regards to weight loss, the best way to ensure you stick to your diet and not fall of the wagon is to limit your cravings and to increase your feelings of being full. This is one of the biggest reasons for your success, that and just cause youre determined and motivated. But the problem with whey protein and weight loss is that since whey gets digested really quickly, this leaves you feeling really hungry really fast, which is the opposite of what you want when youre trying to lose weight. Now if you had your protein shakes with some other foods such as an apple and organic peanut butter that can slow down the digestion process somewhat.
Now my personal recommendation when it comes to using this stuff in the most ideal way is to have a whey protein shake after you workout. This ensures that your body gets the necessary nutrients and extra spike in amino acids to it can start the rebuilding process and increase the anabolic environment inside of your body. I would also have a shake right before your cardio workout to make sure there is no muscle catabolism going on. The only time this will happen is if you are fasting during that day, which I strongly recommend if youre trying to lose belly fat at the fastest rate possible.
Now in my opinion the best protein powder for weight is a casein based protein powder. Casein based protein powder is the exact opposite of whey. Its much slower in digestion time and much thicker when you make a shake. This ensures that you stay full for a much longer period of time. Again, something that you want to have when trying to lose weight. With whey, there are different forms of casein protein powder, my favorite being micellar casein. It takes the longest to digest in the body between 4-8 hours and has the highest amount of growth factors. What you can also do is blend the two protein powders together. You can have a half of scoop of whey and a half of scoop of casein to mix it up. An easy way to lose weight if you dont like cooking or really want to get rid of the excess fat as quick as possible is to supplement with 2-3 shakes a day and only have 2 solid meals a day. If you use the casein protein powder and add in some healthy fats, I guarantee you wont be feeling hungry. In fact youll probably be feeling quite full throughout the day which would be fantastic.
All in all, whey protein and weight loss is not the best option in my opinion. You can go that route, but whey protein will leave you feeling hungry a lot faster as compared to casein protein powder. But if you have some whey in your possession then by all means use it up. Just make sure you have something with it like an apple or anything of that nature to help slow down digestion to keep cravings at bay.
