Just got a message, where a friend is asking me why do I take post workout shakes?
She was under the impression that protein shakes are for those who intent to gain weight, and since I am on a diet to lose weight she was wondering the reason behind it.
Well, she is not totally wrong. I take a protein shake (low on carbs and fat) post workout because the muscle are tired and hungry after you workout. So if you replenish them with a shake, you will avoid muscle mass loss. So the post workout shake, will help us maintain the muscle mass (if that is what you want) by raising our insulin levels. To lose weight we need to maintain our insulin levels low if possible all the time, but after a workout we feed our muscles if we want to maintain them or grow them.
I personally, like to look very toned and a bit muscular. But if your intention is too look thin and slim, then skipping the post workout meal will do that for you. As your muscle will use fat as energy and you will also lose your muscle mass and some of the strength. You will notice the difference on your strength when you try lifting the same amount of weights on the next few days. Some people like to skip the post workout snack and they wait 2 hours. These type of people usually look slimmer but less toned then the post workout taker. This is considering that the post workout shake or meal is also accompanied by a healthy and clean diet all day long, not just after a workout and that we do not over do it with the amount of calories a day. Because in reality, losing weight has not secret; if we eat more calories a day than what we burn we will gain weight, even if it's only protein. If we burn more then what we eat, we will lose weight even if it's only carbs. The difference will be on our energy levels, our well being feeling, and our health.
Also, keep in mind that there are protein shakes to gain weight, meal replacements, and post or pre workout shakes. The difference is on the amount of calories, fat, carbs...etc. So if you are looking to lose weight and need a post workout or snacking shake, I suggest that you look into a low carb/low fat shake that has no more then 150 calories per scoop.
so, bottom line the choice is yours.
On another note, someone asked why I looked lighter then what I really weight on my old pics (143lbs) and it all goes back to the way I ate, I ate lean protein and clean whole carbs, so I maintained most of my muscle mass, making me look toned up and muscular but I still weight a lot on the scale.
She was under the impression that protein shakes are for those who intent to gain weight, and since I am on a diet to lose weight she was wondering the reason behind it.
Well, she is not totally wrong. I take a protein shake (low on carbs and fat) post workout because the muscle are tired and hungry after you workout. So if you replenish them with a shake, you will avoid muscle mass loss. So the post workout shake, will help us maintain the muscle mass (if that is what you want) by raising our insulin levels. To lose weight we need to maintain our insulin levels low if possible all the time, but after a workout we feed our muscles if we want to maintain them or grow them.
I personally, like to look very toned and a bit muscular. But if your intention is too look thin and slim, then skipping the post workout meal will do that for you. As your muscle will use fat as energy and you will also lose your muscle mass and some of the strength. You will notice the difference on your strength when you try lifting the same amount of weights on the next few days. Some people like to skip the post workout snack and they wait 2 hours. These type of people usually look slimmer but less toned then the post workout taker. This is considering that the post workout shake or meal is also accompanied by a healthy and clean diet all day long, not just after a workout and that we do not over do it with the amount of calories a day. Because in reality, losing weight has not secret; if we eat more calories a day than what we burn we will gain weight, even if it's only protein. If we burn more then what we eat, we will lose weight even if it's only carbs. The difference will be on our energy levels, our well being feeling, and our health.
Also, keep in mind that there are protein shakes to gain weight, meal replacements, and post or pre workout shakes. The difference is on the amount of calories, fat, carbs...etc. So if you are looking to lose weight and need a post workout or snacking shake, I suggest that you look into a low carb/low fat shake that has no more then 150 calories per scoop.
so, bottom line the choice is yours.
On another note, someone asked why I looked lighter then what I really weight on my old pics (143lbs) and it all goes back to the way I ate, I ate lean protein and clean whole carbs, so I maintained most of my muscle mass, making me look toned up and muscular but I still weight a lot on the scale.
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