Protein shake to lose weight? I could use some info here please.

[Adventureless_Hero]

My girlfriend has been consuming these protein shakes under the belief that they will help her lose weight. The thing I continue to hear her say is, "I can eat anything I want as long as I drink this protein shake. It is supposed to clean out my system."

My immediate thought, "Bull-fucking-shit." I am very worried about this shake of hers. It contains 5 tablespoons of Whey protein, 5 tbsp of soy protein, 2 tbsp of safflower oil, 2 tbsp of apple cider, a teaspoon of some other powder that doesn't really raise any flags in my head, and then a banana and some ice cubes and orange juice.

To me, that seems like a fuck ton of protein! I thought protein was for body building and gaining muscle mass, not purging your insides of a binge meal. I have always supported her in any endeavors she has, but this seems like it could be hurting her physically in the long and even short term. A quick Google search said she could develop kidney stones.

Is anyone here into nutrition and willing to offer some free advice? She wants to drink two of these a day, on top of whatever meals she eats, and my girl is a hearty eater, so naturally I'm worried she is over doing it on protein, as well as whatever other calories she is ingesting.

[yarri]

application of kcals on top of kcals equals a weight gain.. if she were using the shake to replace a meal then yes I could see weight loss.

[Eviebae]

I did a protein shake-only diet and lost weight. It was physician monitored. There are risks if all she is eating is the shake--I had to take extra potassium and vitamins and watch my exercise. They did a blood test every week and I had to stop because my liver enzymes were rising.

When I did it, they didn't know if it was the lack of calories, or the large amount of protein. They were trying to figure out if you could just eat lots of protein and have the same effect. It's like the Adkins Diet in that regard.

There was a woman who had so much to lose, she was going to be on the diet for a long time and she was allowed as many vegetables as she wanted--steamed and no butter or sauce though. Personally, I felt really weak for a long time after I stopped, but I found out I had lots of food allergies when I started to eat again so it was good in that regard
.

[looney]

Nothing makes sense about that diet. It would either be the shakes or a meal, not both. Just tell her calories in, calories out. That's how I cut weight or gain when I need to.

[reaper239]

skraight up yo, cut back how much you eat, ramp up how much you exercise. that's the simplest and safest way to effect weight loss

[Adventureless_Hero]

Yeah, I was able to convince her that wherever she got the idea that this was some miracle shake she was misinformed. I showed her the risks associated with that particular concoction and that it was supposed to be done in conjunction with a routine of exercise and in was intended to be a meal replacement.

Hopefully I can get her to portion her meals more reasonably and exercise with me. Just fyi, I am very happy with the way she looks but she is not. So because I don't like seeing her depressed, I am doing what I can to help her achieve her ideal vision of herself. Plus the health benefits will be good for her too. :D
What I could use now, is info on how to speed up her metabolism.

[Hellbringer]

skraight up yo, cut back how much you eat, ramp up how much you exercise. that's the simplest and safest way to effect weight loss

I'm with Reaper (which is a weird thought to me because I'm still playing Mass Effect 3.... if you play, you'll get it) all the way on this.

When I was younger, I ate whatever was in front of me, but I exercised a lot and had the added benefit of a high metabolism to boot. Now that I'm older, I still exercise, but I watch how many calories I eat. But not as close as I should, apparently.

Diet and exercise is the best way. Just drinking protein shakes isn't going to do it.

[reaper239]

check this (http://skinnygeneproject.dreamhosters.com/boost-your-metabolism-2/) out. some good info, plus the free email newsletter has good tips in it.

[reaper239]

everyone talks about eating right and exercise, but what is eating right? "eating right" is different for every perso, but the overall concept is this: balanced meals, good portions. let's start with balance: i used to know a man who would not eat anything green. true story. he didn't like vegetables, so he never ate them, and as a result he was overweight and rather unhealthy. on the flip side i know a vegitarian who is pale, unenergetic, and also strangely unhealthy. both extremes are not good for your health. so where is the right balance? i eat a wide range of foods, not for health reasons, but for taste. i love how you can combine certain foods to enhance the flavors of other. as a result i tend to eat a good balance of meats, veggies, grains, and fruits. for me the right balance is meat, with vegetables to add taste and to help as filler, bread to soak up room and flavor, and fruit as a dessert (i'm not a big sweets guy, but i love the natural sweetness of fruit). my problem is portion control. i tend to over eat, and so i am working on portion control. a good judge of portions is one night, halfway through dinner, stop eating and wait 20 minutes. if you are not hungry, you have found a good portion size, if you are, eat half of what's left, then wait ten. if you are still hungry, eat the rest. what i've found to work well is to make, say, a chicken breast, two vegetables, a piece of fruit, and a roll. the chicken breast and one scoop of each veggie, along side the roll and top it off with the fruit. if i take my time i can't finish it all. if i don't i wind up stuffed. hope that helps.

[yarri]

Yeah, I was able to convince her that wherever she got the idea that this was some miracle shake she was misinformed. I showed her the risks associated with that particular concoction and that it was supposed to be done in conjunction with a routine of exercise and in was intended to be a meal replacement.

Hopefully I can get her to portion her meals more reasonably and exercise with me. Just fyi, I am very happy with the way she looks but she is not. So because I don't like seeing her depressed, I am doing what I can to help her achieve her ideal vision of herself. Plus the health benefits will be good for her too. :D
What I could use now, is info on how to speed up her metabolism.


exercise and portion control seriously its simple sounding but its best. If she's having trouble with understanding portion control there are lots of web sites to learn from or weight watchers was helpful to me.

[Adventureless_Hero]

Awesome, thanks for the link Reaper!

And thank you every for offering your knowledge and advice on the subject. I want her to be happy but I don't want her to go harming her body to do it. This protein shake was like using a chainsaw to break up concrete; crazy powerful tool for the wrong job.

[HaveCrowBarWillTravel]

Hero,

Keep us in the loop. I'm curious how this works out. I won't give my 2 cents on it other than it should only be a replacement for one meal and for pre or post workout.

[Adventureless_Hero]

Well so far she agrees that she shouldn't be eating on top of having the shake. I suggested that perhaps she could have it for breakfast when she knows she won't have time for lunch and maybe take a...