To Shake or Not to Shake....

By Jordana Haspel

You've probably heard all about how important protein is when you're trying to lose weight and build muscles—the more protein the more muscles. So protein shakes are becoming increasingly popular as people search for shortcuts to success. Protein shakes can, in fact, help you tremendously as you strive towards physical fitness, but not necessarily in the way you think.

It is very important to get enough protein when you're exercising; protein is the key component of the body's ability to grow, adapt, and perform. When you work out, you're taxing your body, so you need to make sure you're taking in what you need to keep your strength. If you're not getting enough protein, you will have trouble reaching your peak performance. Protein shakes can help avoid this.

This doesn't mean, however, that the more protein the better. Too much of anything is never a good thing—even if that thing is something as essential as protein. Unless you want to join the WWF or become the world's top bodybuilder, you won't need an excessive amount of protein (most women can't digest more than about 25 grams per serving). Products with more than that are trying to grab you with marketing ploys instead of results (in contrast, our Beachbody brand Whey Protein Powder and Protein Bars have 18 g).

So why a whey shake? Protein shakes are often helpful because many foods with a lot of protein also have a lot of fat. You can exercise all you want, but if you get all your protein from bacon, you might not lose too much weight. If you replace the bacon with a shake, the amount of protein would stay roughly the same, but the fat content would take a nose dive. And while ideally you'd be getting your protein mostly from properly-prepared skinless chicken breasts, turkey, and fish, in today's world many people don't have the time, discipline, or know-how to do it right every meal. If that's the case, you're much better off going for the blender instead of McDonald's. In other words, protein shakes are a great way to supplement your diet to make sure you're getting enough protein. So shake it up!

Great Results e-course 8

Doc's Great Results E-Course8

----------------------
Pre-lesson notice: You should be nearing day 60. Don't forget those progress pictures, and if you need a hand, your coach is just an email away!


Lesson 8: No Whey? No Way!
Protein: The Secret Fat Blaster!

You are reading this lesson so I KNOW that you are working hard on your fitness and diet plan. With the next few lessons I want to make sure all your hard work doesn't go to waste. I want to help you work smart, as well as hard!

Today we'll talk about protein and why it is essential for fat-blasting. Next week we'll get into protein for muscle-building.

Protein for fat loss.

We all know people, maybe even you, who have lost weight on a diet, only to have it come back a few months later it all comes with interest!

A big reason is that your body's metabolism slows after weight loss unless you do certain things to keep it humming.

You need to build or maintain your muscle mass in order to lose fat faster and keep it far far away from you belly (or backside, thighs, or wherever your trouble spot may be.)

Working out with weights or bands (resistance training) is an important tool to help you maintain your muscle mass.

On top of that, however, is new evidence about the benefits of high protein of fat loss. Click to see a short video for some background, then come back to learn why!

As the study in the video shows, it is also vitally important to get enough high quality protein in your diet.

High protein meals help you lose weight in 3 ways.

They are more satisfying than meals high in protein and fat. The effect even lasts to the following meal! People eating high protein have been shown to eat less at the next meal compared to people who ate a high fat or high carb first meal. Protein stimulates the release of hormones in your gut that keep you feeling satisfied.

Not only that, protein increases your metabolism after a meal. When eat food, some calories are burned in processing, digesting, and storing the food. When you eat carbs or fat, about 10% of the calories you are burned in processing. When you eat protein, on the other hand, up to 25% of the calories in the food are burned in processing. The reason is that while we can store extra carbs or fat in the body, we have no way to store extra protein. Your body has to convert it to something else, and that burns energy. This "thermogenic effect" of protein can help you burn an extra 160 calories every day before you ever do one lunge, kick, or plyometric pushup!!

The third way protein burns fat is by building muscle. As Chalene tells us, "Muscle burns fat." Dieting without weights or with low protein causes you to lose muscle along with fat, slowing your metabolism. Adding protein and resistance training to your diet keeps your muscles strong, revs your metabolism, and turns your body into a 24/7 Calorie burning furnace!

According to a recent review in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, "Evidence is accumulating that diets with reduced carbohydrates and increased levels of high quality protein are effective for weight loss. These diets (target) increased loss of body fat while reducing loss of lean tissue".

So, yes, Virginia, you can build muscle at the same time you lose fat!

How much do you need?

Current research suggests we get about 0.8 gm/pound of body weight per day with at least 30 grams at breakfast because a key protein levels are lowest after going without food all night. A typical American breakfast has only about 12 gm protein.

Weight (pounds) Optimal daily protein (0.8 g/lb/day)
140 112
160 128
180 144
200 160
225 180
250 200


Protein has one problem- the company it keeps. Many dietary sources of protein keep fat and cholesterol in their posse. Make sure that you are choosing lean sources like low-fat dairy, lean meats, and egg whites.

I also recommend whey powder to make sure you are getting your protein without it's little buddies. Adding chocolate whey powder to my to my shredded wheat every morning tastes great and gives me 32 grams of muscle building, fat shredding protein* to power through my morning workout! Be careful with the whey you choose. Some can have pretty high levels of cholesterol. A scoop of Beachbody's Whey Protein Powder has 18 grams high quality protein with just 10% of the RDA for cholesterol.

*whey 18 gm, shredded wheat 6 gm, fat-free milk 8 gm. I also have a glass of low sodium V-8 with 2 more grams protein.

Since whey is naturally found in dairy foods, it has few side effects. If you have liver or kidney disease, check with your physician before increasing your protein intake. Taking more than recommended can stress these organs if they are not functioning normally.

Your homework:

1. Make sure you are getting adequate protein in your diet, especially at breakfast. Design a breakfast with at least 30 grams protein that is low in fat.

Consider whey protein to get quality protein without much added sugar, fat, cholesterol, or extra calories. It can be added to your cereal, alone as a drink, as a protein smoothie, or as a complete meal replacement using Beachbody's meal replacement shake.

If you need help deciding on whey protein or meal replacement, drop your coach an email.

2. Keep pushing play!



To YOUR Great Results,

-Doc


Kevin Kane MD, and The Fit Doc LLC, are independent Beachbody coaches not employed by Beachbody. This e-course and all contents are for informational and motivational purposes only. This is not medical advice. Consult with your physician with medical questions and before starting this or any exercise program.