Do Protein Shakes Make You Fat If You Don't Workout?

Do Protein Shakes Make You Fat If You Don't Workout?

If you are looking for a way to increase your protein intake, protein shakes can be a great resource. Protein is needed for a healthy body, but it contains calories. Consuming too many protein shakes without exercising - and not making changes to your diet - can lead to weight gain rather than weight loss. There are several key points to consider when it comes to balancing a healthy weight when consuming protein shakes.

Lack of Exercise

Those pesky calories that are packed into protein can become an obstacle if you are looking to lose weight. This becomes even more of an issue if you aren’t getting in enough exercise. If you are using protein shakes in place of meals, this can help with that calorie reduction, but you cannot live on shakes alone. You need to eat solid food, so maintaining a protein-shake-only diet is not going to work. Relying on shakes too much is also going to be detrimental to your nutrition and health. The essential way to make sure you don’t put on too much weight while consuming protein shakes is to keep up with regular exercise and indulge in a diet of healthy foods - such as vegetables and fruits - alongside your chosen protein shake. Think of a shake as a supplement rather than a replacement for your diet, and make sure to engage in physical activity.

Too Much Protein Powder in Your Shake

Protein shakes are made up of a protein powder that is mixed with either water or milk to create a drink rich in protein. There are usually specific instructions regarding how much powder you should be using when making your shake, like with these Plant Based Protein Shakes, and it is vital that you stick to these instructions to ensure that you gain the maximum effect. Adding in too many scoops of powder can lead to an overload of protein. This doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to suddenly start packing on the pounds, but if you are not maintaining a delicate balance between your diet, your exercise and your protein shakes, it can become a problem. You might find yourself consuming much more protein than you intended - along with the calories and sugars that can be found in these powders - which can lead to unwanted weight gain whether you work out or not. Make sure to be careful when measuring out your protein powder to avoid weight gain if that isn’t what you are trying to achieve.

Too Much Protein in Your Diet

Another way that protein shakes can lead to weight gain, especially if you are not working out, is too much protein in your general diet. Protein is definitely an important element in any healthy diet, with foods such as fish, meat and eggs containing a significant amount of protein. However, it is chock full of calories, which, if consumed in excess without the appropriate exercise, can lead to weight gain. Throw a protein shake into the mix and that heavy protein-based diet can most definitely lead to the pounds piling on. Try to maintain a balance between your protein shakes, the protein that you consume in your meals and regular exercise to keep that excess weight at bay.

Too Much Protein After A Workout

Again, this point emphasizes the importance of balance when it comes to the protein in your diet and your consumption of protein shakes. It isn’t necessary to consume a lot of protein after your workout, and it can even become a detriment. Around 25 grams of protein is all that your body needs after working out to stimulate muscle protein synthesis, a process that occurs naturally after exercise and helps to repair muscle damage and stimulate muscle growth. 25 grams isn’t a huge amount, but it can be easy to overindulge and take in far more than this following exercise via protein shakes or protein bars. This can then lead to weight gain as the body will convert the excess protein into fat. Always check the labels on your shakes or protein bars to see just how much protein you are taking and try to stay within the 25-gram limit post-workout.

These are just a few essential points to remember when considering the relationship between workouts, protein shakes and weight gain. If you make sure to maintain that balance and include solid food in your diet, you are likely to see positive results!