With thanks to a good deal of research and marketing, there are now many different protein shakes on the market. These shakes are not only high in muscle-building proteins, they are also rich in essential vitamins and minerals, and can contain a large number of calories that can add fuel to a workout and make it even more intense and efficient. It is no wonder that protein shakes are popular among body builders and fitness enthusiasts.
Protein shakes are also known to fill up the body and take away hunger pangs, and there are several protein shake diets out on the market that promise to help people lose weight. What exactly is a protein shake diet, and can it be effective for losing weight?
What Is It?
In general, a protein shake will require purchase of the powder, which can then be blended in water, low-fat milk, or low-fat yogurt. This shake supposedly contains enough calories and nutrients to substitute for an entire meal. A protein shake is a powdered form of nutrients, which will often have ingredients such as antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, energy-giving extracts, whey protein, and calorie-laden nutrients. A protein shake is meant to add power to a workout while helping build muscles.
Protein shake diets, at their most extreme, will completely substitute whole meals for a single glass of protein shake. Some protein shake diets will substitute one or two meals during the day for one glass of protein shake, but the rest of the meals have to be strictly controlled in terms of their quality and calories.
How To Do It
There are many different forms of the Protein Shake Diet. The most popular one is the 5-Day Protein Shake Diet, where a dieter can choose between two plans. In one, they can replace some meals with the shake, and then stop their diet routine after five days. They can also choose the plan where they nearly completely substitute all food and drink with only five protein shakes daily, a routine that is stopped only until the dieter has reached their weight loss goal.
A protein shake diet is always paired with an exercise routine. This is to make use of the calories in the protein shake, which also promises high energy for a more intense workout.
Is It Effective For Weight Loss?
Many protein shakes are made up of sugar, so dieters should be careful when selecting which protein shakes to buy. They should look for protein shakes that have a lot of high quality whey protein, as well as many natural ingredients. Dieters should also add more sources of nutrients to their shake, such as fruit, nut butters, or flax oil, to fortify the drink. This can make the protein shake more nutritious.
As for its effectiveness for weight loss, protein shakes do have a logic to their
being used in a weight loss diet. They provide calories enough for exercise, but
only enough so that the body does not overload on sugars and ends up storing sugars as fat. However, the protein shake must be of high quality, and exercise must be regular and intense enough. Protein shakes should not be simply taken on their own.
Side Effects
Not all protein shakes will have enough nutrients for the body, so using protein
shakes in the long term could also deprive the body of essential vitamins and minerals that it would otherwise get from vegetables and fruits in the diet. Moreover, too much protein in a protein shake can be harmful to the body in the long term. Overuse of protein shakes could lead to liver and kidney problems, heart disease, or even cancer.
Results
Users of the protein shake diet have reported increased workout intensity and more energy. This increased intensity led them to lose more weight because their exercise routines became more efficient at burning their excess calories.
Other Reviews
Not all protein shakes are delicious, so many reviewers often stop the diet altogether. Some protein shakes might also make people more jittery, especially if the person is not used to receiving a jolt of energy and is not used to exercise.
