Protein Powder and Calories

The first time I shopped for protein powder I was shocked at how many calories a scoop has since many people want to lose weight. Protein powder contains added calories so that’s a conundrum for some. A scoop of protein powder typically contains 100 calories and 20 grams of protein.

Numerous thoughts went through my head before deciding if I wanted to spend my money on this expensive product. Is this a waste of money? I didn’t want to add more calories but I needed to up my protein intake. Would the protein powder make me gain weight or lose weight? Protein and carbohydrates post workout aid in muscle repair and glycogen replacement so I decided to get the protein powder the female fitness competitor recommended who worked at that vitamin store. That girl had biceps! I wanted to be strong too.

Even though I was adding additional calories I ended up losing inches and pounds. At that time my smoothies were made with fruit, protein powder, soy milk and ice. I still wanted to reduce my calories by 100. My one cup of soy milk was 100 calories, but I loved the flavor and creaminess of my favorite unsweetened soy milk. Not wanting to give up the soy milk, I reluctantly sought out alternatives. I tried other vanilla flavored protein powders which I liked and had fewer calories. I also found an unsweetened coconut milk that’s only 45 calories for a cup. Depending on the fruit, I could also substitute flavored iced teas that were calorie free. This enabled me to lose even more pounds. Yeah!

What the media says is true: protein is great for weight loss. Just make sure the protein isn’t from a cheese burger.