Do you want to lose weight in a healthy and effective way? Then protein powder and meal replacement can help you. A healthy diet consists of food prepared from scratch with lots of vegetables, beans, lentils, nuts and whole grains. For that, a reduced calorie intake and a protein-rich diet are needed to enable weight loss and at the same time maintain muscle mass. This is where both meal replacement and protein powder can simplify your everyday life.
Most people do not have the knowledge or time required to plan healthy meals with the correct calorie content. By replacing 1-2 meals per day with a meal replacement, you gain control over your energy intake while supplying your body with important vitamins and minerals. Each portion contains 205 kcal, which is a suitable energy content for a smaller meal, such as a breakfast or snack. Feel free to take two portions if the meal replacement is taken instead of a lunch or dinner. The meal replacement is easy to mix with water, milk or soy drink and is good to have with you in your bag on a day when you are out on the go or when there is no time to prepare lunch.
Meal replacement effective for weight loss
We recommend that you replace 1-2 meals per day with meal replacement if your goal is to lose weight in a simple and effective way. Research shows that those who combine meal replacement with a healthy diet are more successful in their weight loss than those who only change their diet (1).
The protein powder then?
When losing weight, you want to reduce fat mass while preserving muscle mass. With a calorie restriction, it is therefore important to eat enough protein to build up the muscles and combine it with strength training for the best effect. Feel free to eat 2-3 grams of protein per kg of body weight per day if you eat fewer calories than you burn off (2). This corresponds to 120-180 grams of protein daily and you weigh 60 kg. After a training session, the muscles are extra receptive to absorb the protein and a protein drink within 30 minutes is an easy way to get the protein you need. It is of course just as well to eat a protein-rich lunch or dinner immediately after training, but if for some reason the meal is not ready on the table when you get home, the protein drink immediately after the training session is
adequate alternative. After you drink the protein drink, you can take a shower and prepare a light meal in peace and quiet. Of course, it is also possible to replace the meal with a meal replacement for a more complete meal containing more vitamins and minerals. Remember to combine the protein powder and meal replacement with a varied diet containing lots of vegetables, beans, lentils, nuts and whole grain products.
References:
1. Astbury NM, Piernas C, Hartmann-Boyce J, Lapworth S, Aveyard P, Jebb SA. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of meal replacements for weight loss. Obese Rev. 2019;20(4):569–87. DOI: 10.1111/obr.12816
2. Jäger R, Kerksick CM, Campbell BI, Cribb PJ, Wells SD, Skwiat TM, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Protein and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14(1):1–25. DOI: 10.1186/s12970-017-0177-8