Protein drinks.

[veggiemomma]

Hello,as I've started doing more exercise( and actually enjoying it!),

I've been looking at all these supplements and wondering if they actually do what they promise. Ones promise to build muscle,burn fat etc. Has anyone had any success with these products?

Would love to know,before I waste my money!

Thank you!

[OlsBean]

Personally I think the golden rule when it comes to Vitamins and Macro Nutrient supplements is that it's always better to obtain them through eating real food if you can.

Having said that a few years ago I was using a so called "Lean Burn" protein shake product myself, at the time I was doing what could only be described as an insane level of activity. Did it work, it possibly helped build muscle at the time but I am sure now that I could have achieved the same results via a good quality diet.

As for burning fat, I am sceptical, most contain things like Green Tea Extract for example that claim to speed up your metabolism, which technically it does but clinically the increase in minuscule and an almost similar increase is just as obtainable through drinking regular black tea or even coffee. So you have to be a little sceptical as the manufacturers are in business and are there to make a profit and some, not all, can be a little creative with the wording and nutritional facts on their products.

I think they have a place though for some people, maybe those that are unable to obtain the correct amount of nutrients through diet alone, perhaps due to having a restrictive diet, like a vegetarian for example.

One important fact to remember though, if you are trying to lose weight then ideally you do not want an excess of protein, ideally you want just the right amount. Excess protein is either converted to glucose via a process known as gluconeogenesis or fatty acids for storage if you're energy sufficient at the time. This means it can be quite insulinogenic helping drive Fat Storage not burning it.

HTH

[Windswept1]

Some natural protein after exercise is good. Unless you are trying to be a body builder and get that sort of muscle then stick to food. Full fat natural yoghurt is good.

[Hidden]

Energy drinks and protein shakes do nothing at all on their own. Bear in mind they ALL contain a caloric value which you would need to take into account as well.

Avoid anything and everything that claims to burn fat - that's an outright lie.

Protein supplements can be useful if you're weight training and want to maintain or gain lean muscle mass. If you count macros it can be difficult to get your protein intake up with just meat, fish, eggs dairy etc. But unless you are doing that kind of training AND are focusing on your macronutrient breakdown don't bother.