Lean whey protein - meal replacement
Discussion
I need to lose some weight as well as getting fit.
I am relatively active - gym once a week, a couple of moderate runs (5km) and active time with the kids - swimming, cycling, football.
But my diet is crap! Long hours at work - lunch is provided so no choice as to what I eat (sandwiches 2-3 times a week, hot meal 2-3 times a week plus a huge bowl of fruit to choose from).
I was thinking that I might try just having a whey protein shake in the evening instead of an evening meal. Has anyone tried this? Is it sustainable or even a good idea for the short/medium term? Since I cannot plan for what I eat at lunch, this seems a possible solution.
My job involves sitting behind a desk for 10 hours a day so diet is far more important than exercise in managing my weight.
I am relatively active - gym once a week, a couple of moderate runs (5km) and active time with the kids - swimming, cycling, football.
But my diet is crap! Long hours at work - lunch is provided so no choice as to what I eat (sandwiches 2-3 times a week, hot meal 2-3 times a week plus a huge bowl of fruit to choose from).
I was thinking that I might try just having a whey protein shake in the evening instead of an evening meal. Has anyone tried this? Is it sustainable or even a good idea for the short/medium term? Since I cannot plan for what I eat at lunch, this seems a possible solution.
My job involves sitting behind a desk for 10 hours a day so diet is far more important than exercise in managing my weight.
Personally i would look at all your meals, you have the exercise part covered by the look of it, loosing weight is 80% diet and 20% exercise as a rough rule of thumb.
Whats your usual breakfast?
lunch being offered at work i guess means its not possible/practical to take your own in? white or brown bread in the sandwiches? What sort of cooked food is on offer on cooked days? could you just grab a few bits of fruit instead?
A Protein shake as a meal replacement in my mind is a bad idea, a typical 30g of whey powder mixed with 250mls of semi skimmed equates to roughly only 240kcals 28g of protein 14g of carbs and only 7g of fat, clean eating on the other hand (google it if you haven't heard of it) is the way to go and coupled with using myfitnespal and knowing your body type to work out what percentages of macros and calories per day, you will loose weight steadily and permanently.
eta: macro nutrient calculator here
Whats your usual breakfast?
lunch being offered at work i guess means its not possible/practical to take your own in? white or brown bread in the sandwiches? What sort of cooked food is on offer on cooked days? could you just grab a few bits of fruit instead?
A Protein shake as a meal replacement in my mind is a bad idea, a typical 30g of whey powder mixed with 250mls of semi skimmed equates to roughly only 240kcals 28g of protein 14g of carbs and only 7g of fat, clean eating on the other hand (google it if you haven't heard of it) is the way to go and coupled with using myfitnespal and knowing your body type to work out what percentages of macros and calories per day, you will loose weight steadily and permanently.
eta: macro nutrient calculator here
Edited by x 7usc on Sunday 24th August 10:43
Thanks for the advice - I have downloaded the Myfitnesspal app and will give that a go - at least it should highlight how many calories I am really eating.
I don't tend to eat breakfast during the week - never have done since teenage years.
Lunches are a problem - hot meal can be anything from a full roast, steak, pasta through to a healthier meal such as salmon fillet. The problem is that there is no choice and we are not told in advance what we will have. I could just have fruit but I struggle to get through the day when I have tried that in the past.
I guess it is just a matter of being more disciplined and making sure that I don't also have a full meal in the evening if I get a hot lunch - some willpower needed for the days when I get home and my wife has already cooked a meal - can be a bit awkward when I tell her I have already eaten at lunchtime!
I don't tend to eat breakfast during the week - never have done since teenage years.
Lunches are a problem - hot meal can be anything from a full roast, steak, pasta through to a healthier meal such as salmon fillet. The problem is that there is no choice and we are not told in advance what we will have. I could just have fruit but I struggle to get through the day when I have tried that in the past.
I guess it is just a matter of being more disciplined and making sure that I don't also have a full meal in the evening if I get a hot lunch - some willpower needed for the days when I get home and my wife has already cooked a meal - can be a bit awkward when I tell her I have already eaten at lunchtime!
Don't see the point in having it as a replacement. I know you see people who look amazing having protein shakes but from your perspective it makes as much sense to me as putting on an Austrian accent because I want to build muscle.
If you want to increase protein intake then fine, but if you want to lose weight I'd eat stuff that makes you feel fuller ie not drink my calories.
If you want to increase protein intake then fine, but if you want to lose weight I'd eat stuff that makes you feel fuller ie not drink my calories.
Too much beer (which is obviously easy to fix), regular takeaways (again easy to fix) plus I am sure that my meal sizes are too big. I eat a lot of red meat - I much prefer red meat to chicken or fish.
Maybe my thoughts about protein shakes as meal replacements were a quick fix to the underlying problem that I need to change my diet - I did a bit of reading about "clean eating" which is really just common sense. It just means a different attitude to food I guess - easy in theory but will be quite a major change in practice.
Maybe my thoughts about protein shakes as meal replacements were a quick fix to the underlying problem that I need to change my diet - I did a bit of reading about "clean eating" which is really just common sense. It just means a different attitude to food I guess - easy in theory but will be quite a major change in practice.
Yeah, the OP wasn't really adding up to be honest.
It's not usually breakfast, lunch and dinner that's the problem. Especially if the food at each meal isn't complete junk.
Usual suspects = lack of exercise, snacking between meals and alcohol. It sounds like you exercise enough so just back off on the crap and reduce alcohol intake.
Good luck
I started weight training and dieting over three months ago now, and whatever I am doing, it seems to be working well - I have lost most of my belly and gaining muscle (even getting stretch marks!)
I still have two or three cups of coffee per day with sugar (but cut down to one spoon instead of two), but my diet has radically changed.
In the day, and a couple of hours before training, I have "Maximuscle Promax Lean Strawberry Weight Loss and Definition Shake Powder"
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000OC0EFK/ref=...
Two scoops with 400ml of water, together with cod liver oil capsules, kelp and B15.
I have another after training. Sometimes, that's enough for the day, but usually, I have a bowl of soup with wholegrain bread.
So, even though I have massively changed/reduced my diet and increased training from doing nothing but sitting at a PC all day, I can honestly say that I feel so much better, both physically and mentally.
I can only conclude that these protein shakes do help massively, based on my experience over the past three months.
I still have two or three cups of coffee per day with sugar (but cut down to one spoon instead of two), but my diet has radically changed.
In the day, and a couple of hours before training, I have "Maximuscle Promax Lean Strawberry Weight Loss and Definition Shake Powder"
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000OC0EFK/ref=...
Two scoops with 400ml of water, together with cod liver oil capsules, kelp and B15.
I have another after training. Sometimes, that's enough for the day, but usually, I have a bowl of soup with wholegrain bread.
So, even though I have massively changed/reduced my diet and increased training from doing nothing but sitting at a PC all day, I can honestly say that I feel so much better, both physically and mentally.
I can only conclude that these protein shakes do help massively, based on my experience over the past three months.
I do this and it appears to have worked for me. My diet is generally low in protein and I often miss breakfast or eat garbage. Neither or which I felt was appropriate for doing more exercise and general health. So I replaced some meals with these protein shakes (although not sure they're lean).
I've not lost any weight, presumably because the weights are working, but I'm looking a s
t load better.
I must admit though I'm getting sick of the milkshakes now though. It's become like drinking flavoured snot.
I've not lost any weight, presumably because the weights are working, but I'm looking a s
t load better. I must admit though I'm getting sick of the milkshakes now though. It's become like drinking flavoured snot.
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