[crazychu]

does protein help you burn fat faster?

i've always been under the impression that you dont have to take protein if you have mass to convert to muscle..

my brother used to be pretty skinny, he ate protein and worked out

im 210 lbs..5' 11

i started working out seriously last week, im wondering if i should drink protein shakes (my brother has a lot left over)...

If i drink protein shakes and work out, will i loose my fat faster ( i know that i will build muscle faster)?

last question: is it healthy to drink protein shakes?

[Sean]

Sorry I didn't see this sooner. I would have responded much sooner.

Originally Posted by crazychu

does protein help you burn fat faster?

Directly no. Indirectly yes.


Protein itself doesn't cause your body to burn fat faster. However, protein is required to build muscle. If you have a high protein diet, you should gain muscle. Since muscle is active tissue, the more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism will be. So it's not having a scoop of protein powder everyday will cause you to drop a pound every couple weeks. Protein powder is a convient way to up your protein intake.

Instead you need to change your diet so that it's high protein, low carb, and moderate/low healthy fats, AND you need to think long term. At first you might not lose weight, but that's because you're losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time.


One of the reason most crash diets fail is that they involve extreme calorie cutting or some other form of extreme dieting. The person may drop large amounts of weight in a short period of time, but most of the weight lost is muscle instead of fat. This causes the person's metabolism to slow down. So once the person ends the crash diet they immediate gain the weight back plus extra pounds.

i've always been under the impression that you dont have to take protein if you have mass to convert to muscle..

Mass doesn't convert to muscle. Fat can't turn to muscle and muscle can't turn into fat. They're two different things. Turning fat into muscle is the biological equivalent of turning a brick into a gold bar.

Everyone needs protein, and most Americans need way more protein. On average, we're over-eating bad carbs and under-eating protein.

i started working out seriously last week, im wondering if i should drink protein shakes (my brother has a lot left over)...

If you don't get enough protein from food, then yes.

If i drink protein shakes and work out, will i loose my fat faster ( i know that i will build muscle faster)?

Building muscle will help you burn fat faster.

last question: is it healthy to drink protein shakes?

Yes. When I'm dieting (for mass or fat loss), I drink one in the morning, one at night, one before and after working out, and sometimes I'll have an extra mid-day.