Weightlifting Without Protein

[Forum Guy]

Hi,

I am trying to lose fat, I have about 15% Bf and my main concern is not getting any bigger because I am not very tall and I dont like the very bulky look, im aiming towards the "fit" look. I understand that the best way to lose fat is by combining cardio and weight training, however since i absolutely do NOT wanna get bigger, I was thinging about weightlifting without taking my usual protein shake...Is that a good idea or does that make no sense?

Any help would be greatly appreciated,
Thanks!

[Stand Ablaze]

Bad idea. You need those amino acids regardless if you lift or not. You won't get bigger anyway, to gain proper mass with weight lifting you need a lot more calories than you do for cutting. You might gain a pound here or there, but it is few and far between when cutting unless your almost religious on how much calories you take in.

You need protein, no buts or excuses about it.

[panjt]

Hi,

I am trying to lose fat, I have about 15% Bf and my main concern is not getting any bigger because I am not very tall and I dont like the very bulky look, im aiming towards the "fit" look. I understand that the best way to lose fat is by combining cardio and weight training, however since i absolutely do NOT wanna get bigger, I was thinging about weightlifting without taking my usual protein shake...Is that a good idea or does that make no sense?

Any help would be greatly appreciated,
Thanks!

No disrespect to you and please don't take it offensive, I am sick of people saying that I want to lift but don't want to get bigger like it was easy. Do you know the insane amount of work behind these looks. God luck go to the gym and when you will work your ass off and gain 2 pounds of muscles in 2 months, maybe you will have a better appreciation of these bulked guys.
One advice for you, go to the gym, lift as hard as possible, take your protein shake and u will be ok.

[stahlhart]

Growth isn't governed by protein consumption, but by caloric intake in general, and then only if you're genetically predisposed to it (i.e. mesomorph) or you start using "gear".

"I'm afraid I'll get too big" is a myth that refuses to die, and should be one of the things you spend the least amount of time worrying about. If it were that simple, the multi-billion dollar supplement industry would never have existed.

C.K.

[tfg]

Yeah, you don't just walk into the gym and start lifting and get big. It takes dedication and proper eating. However, one way to make sure that your not getting any bigger is to not eat enough. You shouldn't cut out protein. Continue to lift, have protein and just do more cardio and shave off a few calories. It sounds to me like you just want to maintain and lost fat.

[jpelc]

i have to agree with everything said above. in order to get "too big" you've got to be designed that way, and, even with that, you've got to work like hell to get there. i, personally, am not what anyone would consider a hard gainer, but i've been lifting for more than three years, and i'm no where near "too big".
you've got to continue to lift hard and heavy, and couple that with some pretty intense cardio work to cut that body fat. the two of them, with a respectable diet, which there is no shortage of help with on the boards, will melt it off, and you'll be good to go. good luck.

[KingOfChaos]

Weight lifting without protein = skinny fat

[Forum Guy]

First of all no offense taken and I appreciate the input. Actually....I do agree with what you are saying, I am not completely ignorant in this matter. I do think that my concept of big is not nearly what you must be talking about. Also, since I have started lifting about a year and so ago I have gotten significantly bigger without too much effort, keep in mind that there are different metabolisms out there, like mine which can allow my body to gain 10 pounds in 2 weeks very easely. The problem with people like me is that when I take a protein shake, I feel as if my body cannot proces it entirely and some ands up as fat!

[stahlhart]

First of all no offense taken and I appreciate the input. Actually....I do agree with what you are saying, I am not completely ignorant in this matter. I do think that my concept of big is not nearly what you must be talking about. Also, since I have started lifting about a year and so ago I have gotten significantly bigger without too much effort, keep in mind that there are different metabolisms out there, like mine which can allow my body to gain 10 pounds in 2 weeks very easely. The problem with people like me is that when I take a protein shake, I feel as if my body cannot proces it entirely and some ands up as fat!

Right; this was why I mentioned "mesomorph" in my last post. Some of us are more predispositioned to put weight on than others. I'm more of a hard gainer, and usually take in at least 125-150g of protein daily.

But a protein shake is not 100% protein, unless you're just mixing whey with water -- anything else and you've added carbohydrates to it.

I think that you just need to adjust your caloric intake to your needs and to keep the macronutrient ratios where they seem to work best for nearly all of us, that 40/40/20 spread you see mentioned here often.

C.K.

[GTv8]

If you don't want to use a protein shake than don't, just make sure your diet is good. Geez, people have managed to stay in shape and build muscle for thousands of years without their "ON 100% whey shakes" so I think you can too.

[HatesFat]

If you don't want to use a protein shake than don't, just make sure your diet is good. Geez, people have managed to stay in shape and build muscle for thousands of years without their "ON 100% whey shakes" so I think you can too.

WHATTT?????? NO!

[lifequest]

Please post a picture of a guy that you would like to look like, and a picture of what you currently look like, this will provide us with all the info we need to tell you what to do.

[David77]

You say you want a fit look right?

Well I wouldn't call anybody fit who doesn't lift weights. You will just look skinny and out of shape without strength training.

Also, protein doesn't turn to fat easily, and on a hypocaloric diet you will need a lot of protein just to keep your body from using your muscles as food. It's all about calories in/calories out in the end.

[beerman_420]

well actually it says on some of the protein powders "DO NOT USE FOR WEIGHT REDUCTION" so you could maybe drop the protein powder and just eat regular protein like egg whites and tuna (just lower your total protein intake as well as calories and increase fiber)

[Stand Ablaze]

It says that on some of them to keep the companies safe from idiots who will drink 5 protein shakes a day and eat nothing more (like another member here).

[stahlhart]

It says that on some of them to keep the companies safe from idiots who will drink 5 protein shakes a day and eat nothing more (like another member here).

I think also that there was a brief rage about a "liquid protein diet" back in the '70s that some people ended up dying from, and this legalese is probably a reaction to that.

Edit: here's a link that briefly mentions it:

http://www.weight-loss-guru.com/rapi...fad-diets.html

C.K.

[eLOT]

Also, since I have started lifting about a year and so ago I have gotten significantly bigger without too much effort, keep in mind that there are different metabolisms out there, like mine which can allow my body to gain 10 pounds in 2 weeks very easely.

Oh man, 10 pounds in 2 weeks, lucky for Ronnie Coleman that your not trying to get big.

[Forum Guy]

Ok, I dont have any pictures of myself at the moment so as gay as it may seem - here are some pictures of brad pitt to illustrate my point of fit and big: not that either one is good or bad, just that I prefer the first.

[Forum Guy]

Also, when I go to the gym I KILL myself because I know I am burning calories. If I was to eat correctly I can easely put on muscle but that is not my concern right now, so that is why I am asking about the protein shake. simply put, I want my effort to result in weight loss but not necessarily muscle growth. My question is; which is the key ingredient for my fitness goals? Is it changing my workout (less weight, more repetitions, more cardio) or changing my diet (same exercise - consume less calories).....?

Thanks guys!

[lifequest]

Ok, I dont have any pictures of myself at the moment so as gay as it may seem - here are some pictures of brad pitt to illustrate my point of fit and big: not that either one is good or bad, just that I prefer the first.

I knew you were going to do that...I KNEW IT…

How the hell do you think brad pitt got like that? Magic? No he lifts weights and does cardio and eats clean like all the rest of us.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/attach...hmentid=216508

there’s me, I wouldn’t say I’m huge by any means. And that’s flexing really hard. When relaxed I would say I appear very similar to that picture, little lower bf%.

Most would describe me as athletic looking. Not big/bulky/muscular or whatever

Now if when I started Feb.1 all I did was lose fat I would look like twig boy. Honestly I’d say your are rather foolish if you think muscle grows on you like weeds.

I lift hard, heavy weight low reps, lots of cardio, very structured nutrition

Don’t kid yourself and think you’ll look good at a low bf without a least some muscle

If you took the current you at 8% bf and a you with 10 lbs more muscle at 8% bf and asked a girl to choose which she’d prefer I would argue every single one would chose the more muscular one. I just think this is silly and felt like arguing, do what you’d like.--LQ

[sonick]

You need a certain ammount of protein intake for essential amino acids or else your body will break up existing proteins to ensure sufficient essential amino acids.
You could get by without protein supplements, but cutting protein out of your diet is a terrible idea. Keep in mind that protein makes up various structures in your body (not just for muscle bulking) such as hair and skin and cellular functions, and amino acids are needed for protein synthesis (including repair and regeneration of various structures) and other functions. Cutting these out will deliver a pretty harsh blow to your health and create more problems than just being overweight.

[Killazer]

no way.. dont take protein.. i mean if you eat protein you will become a freakin MONSTER in fairly short order.... so stay away from it and just do cardio, who bother even lifting.

[Rumrunner]

Forum Guy, I see what kind of build your looking for...Are you underestimating the amout of mass that brad pitt has? By looking at the guy, he looks like he could bench about 315 lbs, if you can achieve that easily, then more power to you, but if not, you may need to add some lean mass...

[ak1m3]

i hear brad pitt smokes cigs and drinks beer all day...what a lucky guy

[jpelc]

no way.. dont take protein.. i mean if you eat protein you will become a freakin MONSTER in fairly short order.... so stay away from it and just do cardio, who bother even lifting.

what planet are you from? you're making no sense whatsoever. you tell the guy not to "take" protein, but to eat protein. then you immediately tell him to stay away from it? i'm not even going to do it. i'll just let someone else take care of this one... fellaz?

[2BShredded]

what planet are you from? you're making no sense whatsoever. you tell the guy not to "take" protein, but to eat protein. then you immediately tell him to stay away from it? i'm not even going to do it. i'll just let someone else take care of this one... fellaz?

I think he was being sarcastic.

[jpelc]

if that was the case, then i apologize.

[krustster]

what planet are you from? you're making no sense whatsoever. you tell the guy not to "take" protein, but to eat protein. then you immediately tell him to stay away from it? i'm not even going to do it. i'll just let someone else take care of this one... fellaz?

Aside from it being an obvious joke, he didn't do that... if you look, he said DON'T take protein--IF you eat protein--SO DON'T or else.

[2BShredded]

Something else just got my attention. Most(probably all) of the women bbers on here take protein after lifting/excercising. Most of them are not big but "fit".

Take that for whatever it is worth.

[jpelc]

Aside from it being an obvious joke, he didn't do that... if you look, he said DON'T take protein--IF you eat protein--SO DON'T or else.

once again, i apologize. i misread the intention of the statement.