How to Use Whey Protein for Weight Loss

Is whey protein a regular staple in your weight loss plan? If not, it should be.

Losing weight is hard. We all know that. The key to making it easier is having the proper tools, healthy tips, and advice in your arsenal to make things easier.

When the right kind of whey protein is taken at the right times, you’ll find that losing weight is much easier.

A lot of people think whey protein is only for bodybuilders and bros.

So not true.

While whey protein can be even more beneficial when you are actively working out and building muscle, it’s still great even if you don’t hit the gym or exercise much.

Also, the added protein helps to preserve lean muscle tissue, which keeps you burning more calories, more fat, and losing less muscle when dieting.

Here are some of our best tips to use whey protein for weight loss.

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1. Understand What Whey Protein Is

Whey is the liquid part of milk that gets separated when cheese is made.  If you’ve ever opened a yogurt container and have seen a watery substance at the top, do not be afraid! This is whey protein.

This liquid substance is what is turned into powder form to create whey protein.

Just in case you’re wondering, this process also cuts out the 95% of the lactose.  So if you’re allergic to dairy, you have nothing to fear.

There are also plenty of plant-based protein powders out there if you want one without whey.

2. Know the Different Types of Whey Protein

There are three main forms of protein powder: whey concentrate, isolate, and hydrolysate.

• The concentrate is about 70-80% protein, with some milk sugar and fat.
• Isolate is 90% protein and has a little less sugar and fat.
• Hydrolysate is also known as hydrolyzed whey, has virtually 0 sugar and fat, and is mixed with enzymes for the faster digestion into the bloodstream.

So, you may be wondering, does the type of protein matter?

Not really.

The minute differences between the two are not enough that it should cause you any stress or concern.  Leave that worrying for your overall diet and exercise routine.

For what it’s worth, most of the studies are done using whey isolate, and it’s what we use as well.

3. Understand How It Aids in Weight Loss

There are three reasons that are particularly compelling…

1. It will keep you full. Protein can cut down sugar cravings by as much as 60%.
2. It’s convenient. As long as you have a blender bottle on hand, all you need to do is add water. This is great to have on the go or at work where eating healthy is more difficult.
3. It preserves lean muscle tissue when dropping weight. This ensures that when you do lose weight, the majority of it is fat.

We talk a lot about protein on this blog, and this is just the short list of reasons why.

Whey protein has lots of other proven health benefits, which helps the body function better and makes weight loss easier.

Including:

• Lowers blood pressure
• Reduces symptoms of stress
• Helps you get in more water naturally
• And contains a small number of antioxidants.

These are all additional reasons why whey protein is important and helpful for weight loss.

4. Consider When You Take It

In order of importance:

Take 30 minutes before or after your workouts. This has been shown to help with muscle development and recovery after a workout.

Take 30 minutes before meals or dining out. This will help you keep you from binge eating and give you more control over what you eat when out with friends or family members.

Finally, you can use it as a healthy snack. Whenever my chocolate cravings hit midday, I use it to get my chocolate fix without all the sugar.

5. Know What to Mix It With

Water or unsweetened nut milk like cashew, almond, and coconut work best. Try to avoid using dairy milk as it usually contains sugar.

Other great places to add protein include oatmeal, Greek yogurt, and smoothies for a flavor boost.  Try adding a little cinnamon as well.

This adds a great taste to the otherwise bland, healthy foods.

6. Know How Much to Consume

The most common dosage is 25-50 grams a day, which will be 1-2 scoops depending on the brand.

There’s no limit on the amount you can take, but since you should be getting protein from a variety of sources, any more than two servings a day is a bit gratuitous.

Lastly, I recommend Dymatize ISO 100.  It tastes delicious and is low in sugar and carbs!

Make sure to also check out our article on Delicious Whey Protein Recipes for more ideas on how to get it into your diet!

if you liked this article on how to use protein powder for weight loss or have any questions, please leave them in the comment section below.