Other than Santa Claus, no one wants their belly to resemble a bowl full of jelly. Well maybe if you’re an NFL offensive lineman or sumo wrestler. But the list is pretty small. If you’re on this list, this article is a better choice.
Since you’re still reading you must want to lose the excess body fat that’s covering up your abs. That’s awesome! The great news is that whey protein can help you lose belly fat. It doesn’t matter how much, or little you have to lose, this special protein works.
Why It’s Important To Lose Excess Belly Fat
Looks and Santa jokes, aside excess fat around your stomach isn’t good. When you gain fat here it wraps itself around and gets into the organs of your body. This is super unhealthy and all but guarantees problems if not now, in the near future.
I’ve been there myself. I once tipped the scales at 265 pounds and about 35% body fat. I still have to work every day to keep myself from having a big ‘ol belly.
One of the best things I’ve found to help myself stay lean is to get some of my daily protein from shakes made with whey. I learned they can be helpful several years ago while doing research on PubMed. It was also recommended to me by people I know who stay learn all the time.
In this article I’ll show you how and why whey protein shakes can help you lose excess belly fat faster.
What You’ll Learn About Whey And Fat Loss:
- How much you need to drink
- Which type of exercise is best to do for belly fat loss
- Which type of whey protein powder tastes and works the best
- When you should drink whey for the best results
- Whey whey is good for pretty much everybody
Whey And Belly Fat Loss – What The Research Says
Several studies find whey protein to be effective for losing body fat. Especially visceral (belly) fat.
The fact that more than one study finds the same results is very important. It’s a good indicator that whey will help us lose belly fat in the real world too.
Some of the ways whey protein can help includes:
- Keeps you full longer. People who drink whey report that they’re less hungry than when they didn’t. Whey most likely keeps you full by decreasing the release of hormones that send a signal to your brain to tell you that you’re hungry
- Helps balance insulin and blood sugar levels. By lowering and stabilizing these two, your body is less likely to store nutrients as fat and better able to burn off excess calories and help you lose weight.
- High BCAA content. These amino acids, especially leucine help your body hold onto and even build muscle. Even when your cutting calories to lose excess fat. Keeping this muscle helps you burn more calories, even at rest.
- Protein requires more calories to digest. When your body breaks down the protein (whey, beef, chicken, fish, etc.) you eat it requires more energy than carbohydrates or fat. Over time this adds up to more weight lost.
Want To Lose More Fat, Faster?
While drinking whey protein helps you lose more belly fat, there’s something you can do to get better results. Study after study shows the same results. Lifting weights doubles the fat you’ll lose.
That’s right. Resistance training and whey shakes can help you lose twice as much body fat. In the same amount of time.
Lifting 3 or more times a week works the best for belly fat loss. Focus on exercises that target major muscles like your chest, back, shoulders, and legs.
Sets of 5-10 repetitions are a good place to start.
If you’re new to resistance training, check out this page for workouts and tips.
Why Is Whey So Great?
Why is whey so awesome for fat loss? Let us count the ways in the list below.
- It’s easily digested and assimilated by your body. This means that your body is able to use up almost every gram of whey protein you drink. Compare that to X and you’re looking at % or less being utilized.
- Every amino acid your muscles need. Including BCAAs the building blocks of muscle.
- It’s easily digested. Research. Choose a brand that uses whey protein isolate. It’s low in lactose and least likely to upset your stomach if you’re lactose intolerant.
- Backed by scientific research. There are over X studies that find whey is great for losing body weight and excess fat. X find conclusive results with whey protein and belly fat loss.
- Very Convenient. Since you can mix it with a spoon, fork, shaker bottle and pretty much anything else that mixes or blend you drink these shakes anywhere.
- Easier To Consume. Sometimes you’re just too full to eat more food. Especially when I’m fat adapted and really sticking to my diet. When this happens and you still need to eat more protein, nothing beats a whey protein shake.
How Much Body Fat Can I Lose Drinking Whey?
Based on the results of the latest research, people tend to lose between 4 – 9 lbs. This is really awesome! Check out the picture on the right to see what a 5 pounds loss of body fat represents. It’s enough for anyone to notice. You’ll feel better too.
The weight loss occurred a period of 2-12 weeks. The more strict the diet and workout plan, the better your results will be.
Here are a few guidelines to follow.
- Eat less than 100 grams of carbohydrates daily.
- Eat 1 gram of protein per pound of your goal weight.
- Don’t avoid fat but don’t gulp it down either.
- Experiment with Intermittent FastIng, skipping 1-2 meals occasionally can help.
- Don’t worry about 6 meals a day. 2-3 a day is better, especially for fat loss.
- Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and full.
Can’t I Just Take BCAAs?
You can but I think doing so leaves out a piece of the puzzle.
When you take a BCAA supplement all you get are 3 amino acids (leucine, valine, and isoleucine). With whey protein you get the same BCAAs and all the other amino acids your body needs to recover, grow, and be its best.
All of the research I found on BCAAs and fat loss used whey protein too. BCAAs alone don’t seem to work as well. When I learn why, I’ll write about it on this blog.
When Should I Drink Whey Protein?
You can drink it any time you like. With meals, between meals, post-workout, it doesn’t seem to matter too much.
What counts the most is that you drink at least 1 serving (24 grams or so) every day. Drinking 2-3 servings a day is what products the best results in terms of fat loss.
Which Whey Protein Is Best For Losing Belly Fat?
When you’re shopping for a whey protein powder I recommend picking one that meets a few criteria.
They are:
- There are at least 24 grams of whey per serving.
- It should use whey protein isolate.
- There shouldn’t be any added sugars.
- No fillers are added (glutamine, Creatine) to falsely inflate its protein content.
- It doesn’t contain any artificial sweeteners, colors, or flavors .
- It mixes easily and tastes great!
The whey protein that I use and recommend it Better Whey all natural protein powder.
Conclusion
You now know how drinking a whey protein shake – or two – every day can help you lose belly fat faster. Sometimes twice as much when you follow the right steps. Give it and the tips in this post a chance and let us know what you think after a few weeks.
Sources
Arciero PJ, Baur D, Connelly S, Ormsbee MJ. Timed-daily ingestion of whey protein and exercise training reduces visceral adipose tissue mass and improves insulin resistance: the PRISE study. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2014;117(1):1-10.
Batista A, Monteiro CP, Borrego R, et al. Association between whey protein, regional fat mass, and strength in resistance-trained men: a cross-sectional study. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2019;44(1):7-12.
Dudgeon WD, Kelley EP, Scheett TP. Effect of Whey Protein in Conjunction With a Caloric-Restricted Diet and Resistance Training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(5):1353-1361.
Hulmi JJ, Laakso M, Mero AA, Häkkinen K, Ahtiainen JP, Peltonen H. The effects of whey protein with or without carbohydrates on resistance training adaptations. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015;12:48.
Layman DK. The role of leucine in weight loss diets and glucose homeostasis. J Nutr. 2003;133(1):261S-267S.
Li M , Liu F . Effect of whey protein supplementation during resistance training sessions on body mass and muscular strength: a meta-analysis. Food Funct. 2019;10(5):2766-2773.
Miller PE, Alexander DD, Perez V. Effects of whey protein and resistance exercise on body composition: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Am Coll Nutr.
Mourier A, Bigard AX, de Kerviler E, Roger B, Legrand H, Guezennec CY. Combined effects of caloric restriction and branched-chain amino acid supplementation on body composition and exercise performance in elite wrestlers. Int J Sports Med. 1997;18(1):47-55.
Volek JS, Volk BM, Gómez AL, et al. Whey protein supplementation during resistance training augments lean body mass. J Am Coll Nutr. 2013;32(2):122-135.
Wirunsawanya K, Upala S, Jaruvongvanich V, Sanguankeo A. Whey Protein Supplementation Improves Body Composition and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Overweight and Obese Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Am Coll Nutr. 2018;37(1):60-70.
- The Best Creatine For Women - March 8, 2023
- Kettlebell Ladder Workouts For Your Best Body - March 7, 2023
- Whey Protein With Stevia – Why It’s The Best - March 6, 2023