If you decide to cut whey protein out of your diet, this will mean that you're consuming fewer calories each day, which could lead to a decrease in weight gain or even weight loss. But will you lose muscle if you stop taking whey protein? The answer is no, as it doesn't stimulate muscle growth. Whether or not you lose muscle mass when you stop taking whey protein will depend on eating maintenance calories or above them and training with high intensity. There are many myths about supplementation, particularly regarding Whey Protein.
To make sure you can reach your daily protein intake, it's important to create a reference sheet with some of your favorite protein-rich foods and the typical amount of protein per serving. When deciding to stop taking a whey protein supplement, it's essential to maintain your overall caloric intake, daily protein intake, and a strength training program to ensure that muscle mass is preserved. Additionally, protein-rich foods provide a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, healthy fats and carbohydrates, in addition to high-quality protein. If you consume more than approximately 0.8 grams per pound of body weight through diet alone, it's unlikely that you'll need the protein powder you're taking.
While you may not experience digestive discomfort at first, this could be the case when taking whey protein, especially if you start to rely heavily on it for your daily protein intake (that is, while you may get enough protein from other sources, individual lifestyle factors can influence your ability to prepare meals on a consistent basis, such as busy work or school schedules, or family commitments). If you're looking to reduce your supplement budget, stopping taking a whey protein supplement could be beneficial considering that you can still consume protein from whole foods. By calculating the amount of protein you need at each meal, you can plan ahead to ensure that you consume adequate amounts of protein throughout the day to maintain muscle mass and overall calories. The key is to consume the right proteins to meet your daily needs to build and maintain muscle mass.
If you want to stop taking whey protein supplements, make sure that you maintain a regular strength training program and schedule to at least maintain the muscle mass you've developed so far. You should consume 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight through whole foods to build muscle mass. For example, if you replace 50 g of whey protein with 50 g of salmon protein, you'll also get an additional 12 to 14 g of fat. With a daily caloric intake of 2500 calories, consuming 220 g of protein to reach the 35% macronutrient ratio will ensure that you can get enough protein each day to maintain muscle mass.
