Do protein shakes really help you build muscle?

Question

My doctor told me those weight loss supplements do NOT work, but I've never asked him about those protein powders/shakes. I was thinking If I eat one regular meal per day and replace another meal with the shake, then I should be well over 50 grams of protein per day. I want to build muscle and cut fat. So if anyone knows whether they really work o rwhether they are just "junk science" please let me know.

TIA.

D_Bone_Steak · Accepted Answer

It helps to get past a meal. The body won't consume all the whey protein at once so I consume half before I lift and half after... which saves my anus from getting blown out and provides all the BCAA's, so don't bother buying that crap. You got to be really selective in what you buy as well... products like 'muscle milk' dehydrate the shit out of me and gives me a headache. Not all the weight loss stuff is bullshit, but if you walk into a GNC, that really nice salesman is going to try to get you to buy some bullshit... It's best to do your own research with. gov sites, because the web is filled with trying to sell you product as well. I've read too many articles that sound like they're trying to give legit advice or science... and then comes the sales pitch. (I don't like sales bullshit)

Once you find out what you want, I would suggest you buy just that in pure form all by itself. Like if you go into a GNC and start reading labels on stuff, you'll see shit like "sport perforance blend, sport energy blend, or proprietary blend." Basically they tell you what's in it but not the exact ammounts you need... and that's how they give you less of what works and more bullshit (sales trickery). Take a brand like C4 for instance... it's cheaper to just take a high in B vitamin multivitamin, drink some coffee, and then take Pure Beta-Alanine so you get the itchy skin... or spend way more money on their flavored water koolaid rip off.

Also don't take direct advice of what and how much of what to buy or take... do your own research with. gov or. edu sites, NOT. com (which is short for commercial... more sales bullshit). Also you might find certain products are removed from our market place to make room for funny business like C4... The same product is usually made with different companies with different names... that's when the. edu stuff is really helpful. You'll find the generic version that's cheaper and places like Amazon won't even realize they're still selling off limit stuff to you.

TL;DR Your doctor is basically right and most of the bullshit out there is bullshit. You have to reserch shit on your own.

sensible27 · Accepted Answer

Yes. The general reccommended amount is 1g per lb, you could go into more detailed methods calculating according to lean body mass specifically. Of course you don't need 500 grams of protein if you a lot of your 500 pound weight is fat, and it doesn't really help a lot maybe if you don't exercise.

Shy80sgirl · Accepted Answer

I’m not a female bodybuilder or anything of that nature, but in our household my husband seems to stay ridiculously fit and defined without the use of supplements. He’s not massively muscular, but his definition has always impressed me. He prefers to eat healthy food with good sources of protein because he feels like ingesting calories from solid foods (eggs, fresh/raw vegetables and fruit, and nuts) help keep the beneficial gut bacteria happy. This in turn aids in the breakdown of fats and sugars which can block efforts to stay defined snd fit

thepsychologystudent · Accepted Answer

Yeah, protein shakes help build muscle but you shouldn't swap out meals with shakes. As soon as you start eating like you would regularly you will gain everything back and it is just not a sustainable way to live on shakes. You need to eat and fill and nourish your body.
You can go to a nutritionist who helps you build a new meal plan which is healthy, filled with all the nutrients you need, filling and sustainable.
Stop the dieting and start changing up your life style. That is the only way.

zeitgeist057 · Answer

Ok, time for basic Nutrition 101.
There are 3 macronutrients that make up everything you eat. Protein, Carbohydrates (carbs) , and Fat. Protein and carbs give you 4 kcal/gram, and fats give you 9 kcal/gram. One kilocalorie (1 kcal or 1000 calories) is the amount of heat (energy) needed to raise the temperature of one kg of water by one degree Celsius (°C).

So basically, energy. These three different forms of energy are in different molecules that your body breaks down for energy or matter. Matter would be things like cells of muscle, fat, organs, etc. Energy would be for pumping the heart, lungs, raising your body temperature, movement.

Do protein shakes really help you build muscle?

If you eat a bunch of food, then don't do any movement (exercise), then the food will mostly turn into matter (fat, muscle, organs), mostly in the form of fat. If you are exercising, then there will be a certain amount allocated to creating more muscle to sustain the movement. Your body is an amazing machine that adapts to what you require of it. If you are lifting 100 lb bags of cement 1,000 times a day, your body is going to be sore, then it will adapt and create more muscle to make the job easier if you keep doing that same work. If you do it for 5 years, then stop, then the muscle will start to go away. Weightlifting in a gym is just tricking your body into building muscle by doing these exercises, so it thinks it needs to create muscle for the work to be done.

The other part about these three macronutrients (macros) is they are used by the body differently. Fat and carbs are best used for energy, protein is best used to build tissue.

Bottom line: yes, protein shakes HELP you build muscle, in that they provide the building blocks that you need to make muscle. But you still won't build muscle unless you show your body that it needs to build it.

JustiReno · Answer

BB tell you only get like 10%-20% your protein from that
you need to change your eating habits for life it will be good for you
swap out that protein shake and make a kefir smoothie with beets and kale and your choice of fruit
BB tell you 1g of protein per day per lb of body weight so you should meal plan if you never done this before and you serious

RawIronhide · Answer

Well, kinda both. Don't get me wrong protein shakes are great.. if your low on proteins and the other macronutrients in the stuff. but people go crazy, slamming pre workout and protein shakes can give you an excess of carbs and sugars and if you're over you protein absorbtion threshold, taking more just stores as fat as well to my knowledge (not a nutritionist) I find if you want to add those into your diet it might be a good idea to also incorporate intermittent fasting simply because all that workout shake along with a full diet or 3 squares a day is overkill unless your working out like a jailed monkey.

Levin · Answer

They're just full of shit.

I eat like a rhinoceros, and I'm 11% body fat.

I eat proper meals, four big meals a day. Mostly plant based. Cooked whole grains such as brown rice, beans and legumes, and anti oxidant rich salads and vegetables is where it's at. They're full of fiber, so are naturally filling, and are naturally low fat.

Now add activity to your regime. Work out from home with calisthenics. And walk a lot. And you'll be sorted.

Sod the gimmicks and the chemicals.
Come on lad, you can do it!

Miristheiss · Answer

Well, they have protein. Protein is a component to building muscle.

Diet... eating good calories at a high enough level to add muscle and size (protein is part of that)

Exercise/weight training... to stimulate the muscles and overload them to force the body to adapt and grow.

Sleep... all of the building of muscle and body repair happens when you are sleeping so you need to get enough sleep.

Taking shakes can help supplement your diet and help you get enough protein to gain weight.

This_Is_My_Opinion8 · Answer

Let's address one thing at a time...
1. Your doctor is right. Fat lost supplements don't work.
2. To lose weight you need to be at a caloric deficit. No more no less. You can get to that deficit by what you eat and exercise.
3. About muscle gain. You need two things. Protein and calories.

If that sounds contradictory... more a less.
Again for topics.
1. Protein shakes do help you get the protein intake that you need for your muscles to grow. That way you don't have to eat 3 massive steaks, you just need to eat one and a protein shake.
2. Yes you need a caloric deficit to lose fat and a caloric surplus to gain muscle.
3. You balance this eating the right things, training hard and yes eating enough protein.

MuddyMole · Answer

Not on their own obviously - you still need to exercise.
The thing is, you'd be amazed by just *how much* protein you need to take in, in order to gain significant muscle mass (1g per pound of body weight, per day - with an 8oz steak containing about 40g), and the foods which are naturally rich in protein (meat, nuts, etc) tend to also be quite expensive. Most of us couldn't afford to eat steak every day, and wouldn't want to make shakes from raw eggs, so that's where protein shakes come in.

Amy10223 · Answer

I believe they help you lose weight, but they do not add body muscle. The only way you’ll build muscle is to exercise them and make them work, as in workouts.
If you want to lose weight fast and help your brain as well, try intermittent fasting. You can workout and do that too. Men supposedly get faster results and lose more than women do. I have tried it and am still doing it, and I feel great.

Sour-rose · Answer

So i'm not doctor and I ain't fat either soooo i can probably only help a little. But protien shakes or drinks like that can help you build muscle. But to see results, you gotta drink it like before your workout and some at lunch. As long as you just make sure to have water and stuff like fiber foods with protien and take breaks, you will be good.

I kknow because i've had like protien chocolate milk glasses and I'm slowly starting to see results. <3

sunflower00 · Answer

Yeah they can, it’s just another source of getting protein (quick and easy) but I’d recommend eating foods with high protein too, and don’t swap out meals for protein shakes. You need to be eating more than 50g of protein a day to see significant muscle growth - I’d say probably at least 100g

Astarlessnightsky · Answer

They do help, if you are not having enough protein in your regular diet. So if you are building muscles and lacking protein its an easy way to get the missing building blocks. But you need to put in some serious efforts into your training before reaching that point.

admles · Answer

Protein shakes are just a convenient method of delivery of calories and protein.

If you are meeting your protein requirements in other methods, you don't need them.

If you aren't getting in enough protein, then a shake will of course help.

Subarugirl · Answer

Protein only helps if you are doing exercises that build muscle. I would highly recommends getting a referral to a nutritionist or talking to a personal trainer that can teach you about exercise and nutrition in a healthy way.

TylerDamon01 · Answer

Yes, protein shakes can help you build muscles as protein is digested into amino acids, which are the building blocks of muscles in our body. It is essential to consume the appropriate amount and work out regularly.

lrina · Answer

they will provide you with the protein that is needed to build muscle, however you still have to work out.

Anonymous · Answer

I'll tell you what a football player that was really muscular once told me. He said most supplements your body just excretes anyhow. To make matters worse the supplement market isn't really regulated the the FDA. So the stuff you buy can actually be very harmful to you.

DanaeAdam5 · Answer

Depends on the shake but for the most part yes they do work. However a shake isn't gonna do the work for you, to get results, you will have to work out regularly

Alyssa_11 · Answer

Yes because they have a lot of protein in them. You don’t have to have protein shakes if you’re already eating enough protein though. For a lot of us it helps us boost our protein intake in an easy way.

Adam1978 · Answer

No you can't eat or drink yourself to muscles. That all up to training. And if you eat a normal diet you will get what you need to build muscles through training. So no extra is needed.

exitseven · Answer

I know several serious bodybuilders and they all use whey protein powder. I have used it for years. It is a good source of protein and it is very filling. If I just have a bowl of cereal in the morning I am hungry again by ten oclock/

On_cloud_wine · Answer

protein shakes make me gain weight but help with muscle growth and recovery when I’m actually lifting

genericname85 · Answer

no they don't. they make you stop losing weight and keep you fat. that's what they do. nobody that has a "normal diet" needs any more proteine than they are already consuming.

dustybiker · Answer

If you are rotating weight exercises each day, yes.

DeepPassionateLover · Answer

Count calories, take in enough for what you do, and keep up nutrition.

Anonymous · Answer

If you don’t get enough protein in your diet, yeah. If you’re pissing out protein and massively overloading like a lot of people do, especially when they barely even work out, they don’t do much. It’s like trying to get gas with a full tank.

ManHater · Answer

No... the body can only use up so much protein. Unless you are lifting hard then yes. But really all those juicers don't understand taking 4 shakes a day it helps.

Babygirl_S · Answer

I don't think so. I have been drinking protein shakes with no muscle gain. I am still skinny.

JamesRandiDebates · Answer

Of course they "work." But you need to get some extra calories if you want to get bigger. Just make sure the calories are nutritious and not junk.

Twalli · Answer

The shakes don't create muscle, they make it easier to do so. You still need to lift.

Waldoe · Answer

exercise is what builds muscle, protein shakes just give you energy, it doesn't build anything

cloud9vortex1234 · Answer

It makes it easier to get all the protein you need to build and maintain muscle.

Anonymous · Answer

your doctor is full of shit and protein shakes repair muscle at the amino acid cellular level

Anonymous · Answer

Yes, protein shakes do help. You need a daily intake of protein. If you're not getting it from your foods, it helps make it up

CJT13 · Answer

Casein protein shakes before bed are good.

Iron_Man · Answer

Believe it or not they do

Mediterraneansoul · Answer

They do more damage than help

Darine123 · Answer

Yes.

Do protein shakes really help you build muscle?

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