How to use whey to lose weight? Advice from a dietitian and fitness coach

What are the effective ways to lose weight?

Rebalance your diet

The first step in weight loss is to rebalance your diet. Remember one thing: whey alone will not help you lose weight.

It is indeed the context in which it is used that will help you reach your goals. Rebalancing your diet consists of:

1. Consume more raw fruits and vegetables, proteins (meat, fish, eggs, legumes), whole-grain starchy foods, dairy products that are high in protein and low in sugar and fat
2. Reduce your consumption of processed products (cookies, chocolates, cakes, fried or breaded foods…), processed fruits and vegetables (juices, compotes), white starchy foods (white baguette, quick-cook pasta and quick-cooking white rice), very sweet and fatty dairy products (rice pudding, dessert creams) and added fats (butter, cream)

Create a slight, well-calculated calorie deficit

Your body will lose weight if you don’t provide it with enough calories. With an insufficient calorie intake, your body will naturally draw on your fat reserves to provide energy.

So understand that adding a whey shake (about 150 calories) in addition to your usual unbalanced diet will absolutely not help you lose weight, quite the opposite!

Increase and adjust your level of physical activity

To create a calorie deficit, you can also increase your level of physical activity. Without even considering exercise, a simple daily brisk 30-minute walk will burn about 150 calories.

Physical activity should be adapted: that is, the activity you choose should above all be enjoyable and not be a burden. Otherwise, there’s a risk you’ll abandon it as quickly as you started.

What are the benefits of whey?

For athletes

Athletes stimulate their muscle mass daily. Muscle fibers are partially damaged during exertion and rebuild during the recovery phase. Proteins are the main nutrients that help with muscle rebuilding.

Protein requirements for athletes are therefore about 50% higher than those of non-athletes. Whey will help you more easily meet these higher protein needs.

For non-athletes

Non-athletes also have protein needs. However, these needs are lower than for athletes and are about 1 gram per kilogram per day.

A 60 kg woman will therefore need 60 g of protein per day. Whey can also help you reach these amounts, but a balanced diet makes it fairly easy to achieve.

For people who want to lose weight

As you can see, no matter your goal, the benefit of whey remains the same for everyone: a source of protein. So why and how do proteins help with weight loss?

It is indeed the context in which whey is used that will guarantee weight loss, not merely its use.

This study shows that a diet high in protein and low in fat helps with weight loss.

Read also | Best whey: 10 brands tested by a dietitian-nutritionist

How can whey help you lose weight in a healthy way?

Protein intake to preserve muscle mass

When youre trying to lose weight, youre really talking about getting rid of excess fat. The goal isnt to decrease muscle mass. Thats the whole challenge of effective, sustainable weight loss: preserve muscle mass and primarily eliminate body fat.

Whey will specifically help you maintain an adequate protein intake to preserve your muscle mass despite a calorie deficit. This study also shows the link between protein-rich meals and weight loss.

Also read | The most effective high-protein meal replacements

Achieve good satiety and avoid snacking

Proteins, and by extension whey, help you feel full during meals. Indeed, as this study shows, proteins are the nutrient whose digestion takes the longest.

This simply means that a protein-rich diet will help you feel full more quickly… and to limit food overconsumptions during your meals and snacking outside.

Whey is not a miracle

As Ive explained since the introduction, whey will only be effective as part of a healthy lifestyle and a varied, balanced diet.

Using whey to lose weight can be a good solution provided that you adopt new healthy habits.

My tips for an ideally balanced day

☕ Breakfast eaten at 7:00 AM
Quick bowlcake with 40g of whole oat flakes, 1 egg, 1 mashed banana, 2 tablespoons of Skyr and 2 squares of 70% dark chocolate
Coffee or unsweetened green tea

🍽 Lunch eaten at 12:15 PM
Mixed salad with whole-grain pasta, raw vegetables (cucumber, cherry tomatoes, grated carrots), 120g of chicken breast, 20g of parmesan shavings and a drizzle of olive oil
1 Granny Smith apple for dessert
Coffee or unsweetened green tea

🏃 Short 30-minute post-meal walk before going back to work

🏋️‍♀️ Physical activity at 6:00 PM
30 minutes of bodyweight circuit training at home

Consume a whey shake right after the session: it will help you rehydrate, provide protein for muscle recovery, and help you feel satisfied before dinner

🥗 Balanced dinner
Starter of soup or raw vegetables with a light dressing made from fat-free fromage blanc, vegetables and oven-baked white fish with fresh lemon juice, homemade fruit salad and 120g of Skyr

Whey can be a very useful dietary supplement for losing weight, but it is really a change in your lifestyle and habits that will help you reach your goals sustainably!