Will whey protein make you Fat? A common misconception in Pakistani’s

Protein powder and other nutrition supplements in Pakistan are considered to be as harmful and the lack of knowledge here makes person easily confused. Whey protein which is actually the most used protein supplement in the world, being used by adults and teenagers, are frowned upon if used in public. We all have been in an awkward position outside the gym while holding our protein shakers while people look at you in an awkward way.

There are many types of protein available in the market. But the important part is the differentiation between these kinds. Most widely used are whey protein and weight gainer proteins. Both have wide range of differences so it’s better to know what your goal is while choosing one. Whey protein which is concentrated or isolated form of protein does not only help you in gaining muscles but also may aid in your goal of losing fat.

Whey protein Diet for Weight loss

So how can adding whey protein in your diet help you lose weight especially when you are living in Pakistan where most of the people opt for desi foods than a balance diet? People complain that they eat less but still gain weight. The reason is simple, you have to burn more calories than you intake them. If you do not work out or don’t have any physical activity yet you consume 200 to 500 calories more than your body requires, at the end of the day you will gain weight even though you are eating cautiously. On the other hand if you consume less calories than your body need you will lose weight. So basically all about balancing calories, fat, protein, carbs and other amino requirements.

So how will adding whey protein in your diet help you lose weight? Whey protein such as Optimum nitration gold standard or other top notch companies, have the right amount of calories and protein. So for example if you skip one meal that has 500 calories and take one scoop of whey protein which has 24 grams of protein(equal to one chicken breast) and 120 calories, you are reducing your calorie intake of 400 calories per meal. Using one scoop of whey will not only ensure that you reduce your calorie intake, but it also gives your body essential protein and amino acids requirements which a junk food diet cant.

Why whey protein over soy protein for a balanced diet?

According to many studies, whey protein is better than other proteins available in the market. One research published in 2011 which was related to obesity and involved experiments on rats, showed that rats who were fed whey protein ate less then rats who were fed with soy protein. At the end of the experiment it was found out that rats who were given a whey protein diet lost more weight than those who were given soy protein. Although animal studies cannot be 100% tied with humans, they show that whey protein may affect your eating habit and consuming less calories.

Losing the right weight is important as well. A good example can be derived from a study published in nutrition and metabolism in 2008. The study was conducted on two groups, one with whey protein based diet while the other with whey-free shake. The 2 groups took same amount of diet each day. Over the 12 week study, researchers found out that not only the group who took whey protein lost more weight, this group also managed to retain more muscles. While some may say that their dieting is not leading to any weight loss, they must understand that if they are retaining or gaining muscles, they will lose less weight but more fat. Why? Because muscles are heavier than fat so if you lose fat which is a size of your palm it will show less on weighing scale than if you lose muscles the same size.

Retaining muscles is important as muscles are active than fat and having more muscle increases your calorie burn which in turns boosts your metabolism.

Combining Exercise with Whey protein to Lose Weight

Whey protein has been scientifically proven to increase your strength and muscles size. As protein feeds your muscles and help you in muscle recovery, adding whey protein in your diet will increase your muscle mass and hence decrease your fat. The explanation of this has been given above.

Take Whey responsibly
Although whey protein is a health supplement, anything done over dose might serve as a problem for you. Those suffering from a medical condition such as weak kidney or any disease, adding too much whey may be harmful for you. Once you resolve your kidney or any other medical issues, you can start using and adjusting whey protein to your diet. When and how you use whey protein is up to you. You can add whey protein in a glass of water, making it lean, or in a glass of skimmed milk. The choice is yours.