When it comes to weight loss, everybody is looking for tricks and techniques to lose the weight and keep it off. There are diet pills, fad diets, expensive programs, and more.

So how do protein shakes fit in the picture? Can protein shakes help you lose weight?

In order to understand if protein shakes can help you lose weight, it is important to first understand how and why the body stores fat and how it releases fat.

Why do we get fat in the first place?

Our bodies are designed for survival. In the past, people were often faced with times of food abundance and times of food scarcity. In order to survive, our bodies developed the ability to store fat during times of abundance so it would have the energy to make it through the times of scarcity.

This ability to store fat helped the human race survive through difficult times in the past. However, in the modern world we don’t face the same challenges that we used to. We are, essentially, always in a time of abundance. Easy, high calorie food is all around us and always available. Not only that, it is all so tasty and hard to resist!

No wonder we all struggle to lose weight and keep it off!

Adapting to the modern world

So how do we manage weight in the modern world? I don’t think any of us would like to go through food scarcity on a regular basis. Even though fasting and intermittent fasting are options, they are challenging and can make it difficult to function during the day from fatigue and hunger.

Fortunately, there are solutions and they don’t all require us to starve every so often.

Regardless of your weight goals, it is important to be mindful of your nutrition. It has been said that in the modern world people are over fed and under nourished. This is because unhealthy, high calorie, low nutrition food is designed to be cheap, easily available, and taste good. Not only that, our bodies are looking for nutrition and can keep you feeling hungry until you eat enough to get the nutrition your body needs.

A modern solution to weight loss

If your body is getting the right nutrition you will be less hungry throughout the day. You may already know that a high protein breakfast will keep you feeling satisfied and energetic until lunch time – without the need to snack or consume extra calories.

This is all well and good, but most of us don’t have the time to make and eat a healthy, high protein breakfast before we rush off to work.

This is how protein shakes can help you lose weight. They are high in protein, low in calories, and can help you avoid unnecessary snacking during the day. Not only that but they are convenient – quick and easy to make, and quick to drink.

Another approach is to replace your lunch with a protein shake. This can give you a much needed boost in the middle of the day. Shakes are easy and convenient so are well designed to be consumed at work. Furthermore, they are less likely to make you feel sleepy in the afternoon. A good shake can help you make it through until dinner without the need for unhealthy snacks.

Enhancing your protein shake results

Just adding a protein shake to your daily routine may help you lose weight but without other changes to your lifestyle, you may not get the results you want. In fact, you may just slow down the rate you gain weight, or it may have no effect at all.

Personally, I use my morning protein shake to get a good boost of protein first thing in the day as well as get a variety of nutrients. Not all protein shakes have added nutrition and I believe that this is an important component of a protein shake – especially if you are using it to replace a meal.

Speaking of improving nutrition, I think it goes without saying that this should be a goal for everything you eat. Avoid processed foods that are high in “empty calories” – foods that are high in calories but offer no nutritional value (pretty much all “junk food”). The more you eat whole, unprocessed foods, the more nutrition you will be getting. The more nutrition you get, the better you feel and the less you need to eat.

In addition to improving your nutritional intake, it is equally important to get some amount of physical activity as well. If you currently don’t do much physical activity, I always say that a little bit is a lot better than nothing. Just walking is already a huge improvement if you don’t move around too much.

Summary

While the path to weight loss can be complicated, in my opinion, the answer to “Do protein shakes help you lose weight” is yes! If you incorporate it into your day in an appropriate way by offsetting lower quality food choices. Bonus if it has added nutrition.

If you are not sure what protein shake to get, I recommend the Isagenix whole blend IsaLean shake. It provides high quality protein and is packed with extra nutrition from whole fruits and vegetables. I look forward to my daily shake and find it a great way to start the day.

What are you waiting for? Grab a protein shake and Shake Your Health Up!