Protein shakes: good or bad?

Hong Kong Yanpep International

Hawk_Wine

Active member
Been on tirz for around a month and a half. Dropped 15lbs in the first month but now I'm stuck. Scale moves a little up or down but mostly stays put. I'm barely eating, not really hungry til late afternoon then I just eat a little. Started having a protein shake every day, is that helping or hurting? Not getting much nausea unless I overeat. The protein shake takes me a while to finish. Still on the second dose level, and also taking MOTS-c.
 
Plateaus are really common around that 6-8 week mark. Your body is catching up after that initial loss, so don't freak out. Adding a protein shake is a good call, especially if you're not eating much earlier in the day. You might need to kinda force yourself to eat a bit more actual food though. Sounds weird, but not eating enough for too long can make things slow down, especially your metabolism. Doesn't have to be huge meals, but try for some more nutrients from things like yogurt or bone broth or even a handful of nuts.

Since you're still not super hungry, I don't think you need to increase your dose yet. Give it a week or two of getting more protein and nutrients, drinking more water, and maybe some light exercise and see what happens. Congrats on the initial loss!
 
Super common to stall. I personally bloat from protein shakes, hold water weight. Plus most are full of junk. I'd stick to real food, real protein, and see what happens after a few weeks. If you have appetite suppression, I agree to not up the dose. Wait until you actually *need* it. It's not always about the scale. Sometimes your body is adjusting internally. Take measurements too, sometimes you won't see the scale change but your measurements will. Be patient.
 
I found some bone broth-based ones and pea/oat protein powders, haven't tried the bone broth yet but the reviews are good. I agree most protein powders are junk. I try to get organic, real ingredients. I'm going to try overnight oats again too. And Greek yogurt is a good idea. Thanks.
 
Thanks, that's great advice. I'm picky about protein when I get it, sticking to organic and pea or oat protein. Found a bone broth one I'm going to try. I did intermittent fasting for a couple years, lost weight but couldn't stay disciplined, lasted about 5 months. Thanks for the response and advice.
 
When your appetite is cut way down by GLP1s (like mine was) a protein shake helps make sure you get enough protein to keep your muscle mass, which is often lost when using GLP1s.

Not all protein shakes are equal. Look for quality protein like Casein or Whey protein isolate. Some shakes use cheaper protein which turns into glucose easily, spiking blood sugar. Casein digests slower than whey isolate, like 6-8 hours vs 2-3, keeping you full longer. Also, the slow release of glucose from casein doesn't spike blood sugar as fast.

Both come from milk, which has lactose. If you're lactose intolerant this can cause bloating. Just take a lactaid.
 
Good info from Trail_05. I hit a stall around that same time. Weight loss started again. Down almost 70 pounds since December. Keep going. I aimed for 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. Still do. Shakes or real food. I prioritize protein. Eventually I added about 150g of carbs a day. Being in a deficit and limiting carbs made me feel awful. Good luck!
 
I had zero appetite on Tirz so I basically lived on protein shakes - 2-3 scoops of unflavored Isopure, coffee, and a splash of creamer, twice a day, every day.
 
They even have 100g protein shakes (my mother-in-law got one daily in the hospital). I haven't found where to buy those yet. Protein shakes are invaluable when your appetite is down - easier to drink a shake than try to eat a hamburger or steak.
 
Yeah, I still drink diet soda too. As long as you aren't eating past the point you're full, you should be good. Overeating is what makes me feel sick, not specific foods or drinks.
 
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