Is it a good idea to take Whey Protein while cutting weight? Basicly I want to drop about 50lbs over time, but I also want to keep or increase muscle mass. From what I read you cant cut and gain muscle, but I was thinking about taking whey, but I'm not sure if that will help me much while cutting

Whey = Protein
Protein = Muscle Development
Muscle Development = Fastened Metabolism
Fastened Metabolism = More Weight Lost

You be the judge.

I guess that makes sense. Is there any difference between brands?

Personally, I tend to swap in casein protein (other than PWO) during my cuts for the sake of keeping my appetite at bay.

uhhhhm Protein = Muscle Development lol?, i think that gives the wrong idea, you can't just eat proteint and develop muscle you need to train as well, as well as having the rest of your nutrition in check.

The body uses more energy to digest protein then it does to digest fat or carbohyrate. Protein slows the movement of food from the stomach to the intestine, which means you will feel fuller longer and be less hungry. So in that sense yes it's very beneficial for someone who is cutting.

And getting protein from natrual soruces like chicken, beef, fish, beans, eggs is a better way of getting protein.

P.S. to keep your muscle which you have now lift harder and with lower reps, however it will be hard(impossible?) to gain muscle while you are cutting.

Yeah I kind of figured it would be like that, but right now I just want to be back to the way I was 5 years ago AKA No gut or love handles , injury and depression are EEEVVIILL. So I have decided to cut for the rest of the summer up until Oct-Nov then start to rebuild.

I dont understand, why the lower reps? For example right now I'm curling 75lbs (free weight) 3x10 3 days a week. With 75lbs I breeze through the first 2 sets and I dont start to struggle until the last 3 or so on the final set, but its nothing major. So should I raise my weight to 80-85lbs and do something 3x6?

Man I just wish I could build and get rid of the gut, that would be ideal

Whey is natural.

I think Friendly_Giant meant it is better because there are other nutritional sources that come with those meat products other than protein.

PS. Friendly_Giant, I meant you have to work to get the muscle development. I should of said increased muscle mass instead of muscle development.

Yes, you should raise your weight and lower the reps, if you keep doing 3*10 while cutting you will get weaker, very slowly but it will happen.

edit: thats IF your actually cutting

Well I have gone from about 3200 calories to 2300 a day and eating as clean as I can.

All you have to do is show to your body that you MUST keep that muscle around. I'm not sure, but I think that after 30-40 hours, your muscles start to slowly decrease. It's not a lot, but if you don't do it for months, then you will definitely notice a difference, especially if you're cutting.

And I hope you're not just doing curls for a workout....you should be doing more compound, multi-muscle exercises, like Bench Press, dead lifts, etc.

If you're looking to save some time, you can do the 3x3 method. 3 sets of 3 reps. Only do those though if you are properly warmed up, or you will tear muscles (and not in the good way). You could also use the 5x5 which would be a little easier if you're not too experienced.

Be sure to mix-and-match the set to rep ratio every week. ie: do the 3x3 on monday, and 5x5 on wednesday and like..4x6 on friday, then switch them all around the next week.

And if you're cutting, you should be doing some kind of cardio on your off days.

LOL no I was just using that an example, I only work on my arms once a week, which I do last on last on Thursday, other than that I do 4 days of full body works outs, 2 days of cardio and Sunday is off.

When you say 'cutting' how many calories are you eating/day?

I would definitely go for a low calorie whey protein, and since you are trying to lose weight, no sugar and low carb. I have been using Jay Robbs Whey Protein @ 110 calories/serving, 25g of protein/serving, NO Sugar or Gluten, and only 3 carbs. I can only find it at Whole Foods(GNC and other places like that don't carry it for some reason), and you can get it online: www.jayrobbs.com
Before I tried this, I was using Isopure, which is ok if you like concrete..haha
This is the best tasting whey protein I have ever tried!...strawberry is my favorite.

You spend $110 for 5lbs of whey protein??

To the OP: I have never tried Jay Robb's whey protein so I cannot comment on its taste, but I can tell you that you can get 5lbs of ON 100% Whey Protein on the internet for about 35-40 bucks. it has 110 calories, 1g of fat, 2g of carbs and 24g of protein.

There are a lot of good flavors in the 5lb size (banana creme is my favorite). If you want a 10lb bag, which saves you a buck or two, you can only get vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry (which still aren't bad options).