Protein Pancakes for Weight Loss vs Muscle Gain

Protein Pancakes for Weight Loss vs Muscle Gain No food is off limits!  It is just a matter of making it work for you and your goals.  Pancakes are a perfect example of this.  Pancakes typically are low in protein, not making it a great breakfast choice for those trying to gain muscle or lose weight! Overall they are not a well balanced breakfast.  Below we breakdown a pancake recipe for weight loss and another for muscle gain. Fat Loss Peanut Butter Protein PancakesWhen trying to lose body fat you need to focus on getting enough protein.  Consuming enough protein will help your body spare burning muscle for energy and go more for fat and carb sources more, leading to a more successful fat loss phase.  This is particularly important in the morning.  After fasting overnight you need to give your body protein it needs if not it will most likely start tearing muscle apart for protein.  It is then very important that you get enough protein for your body to work with.  The next point to remember when making food appropriate for fat loss is total calories.  Weight loss comes from being in a calorie deficit, so those 800 calories from IHOP which lack protein won’t make that easy.  High calorie, low protein pancakes will use up a being part of your calories for the day and leave you hunger!  This just risks you going over your calorie goal and potentially gaining weight! Next time you are going through a weight loss phase and craving pancakes give the recipe below a try!  It has high quality protein from whey protein and greek yogurt, just the right amount of whole grain, high fiber carbs from oats, and healthy fats from a bit of optional peanut butter! Fat Loss Pancakes ½ scoop SHREDZ Protein powder1 TBSP Peanut Butter (optional)1 Large Egg¼ Banana1 tsp baking powder½ cup Almond Milk½ cup Plain Greek Yogurt¼ cup oatsBlend all the ingredients together to create your perfect pancake mix, and make on your favorite non stick skillet. Nutrition information (including peanut butter): 429 calories, 34 grams protein, 44 grams carbs, 13 grams fat Protein Berry Pancakes for Muscle GainJust because you may be trying to gain muscle does not mean you can endlessly eat whatever you want.  To gain muscle you need to eat more than your body is burning as well as train for hypertrophy (muscle building).  You need to make sure you still get enough protein and do not over do your carbs and fat.  You are eating more but if you eat too much you are more likely to gain more body fat than muscle.Next time you are trying to gain some muscle and craving some macro balanced pancakes give the recipe below a try.  These pancakes are hefty!  If your macros don’t fit the carbs try switching the flour to more protein powder, switch the sugar to splenda or stevia, and don’t add the berries.  If the fat is too high for you, switch out the eggs for egg whites. The key is to make the recipe work for your macros! Muscle Gain Protein Pancakes1 scoop SHREDZ Protein powder3 Eggs ¼ Flour2 tsp Sugar (or splenda or stevia)¾ cup Oats1 cup Milk1 cup Mixed Berries (optional)Blend all the ingredients together to create your perfect pancake mix, and make on your favorite non stick skillet. Nutrition information (including sugar and berries):  886 calories, 60 gram protein, 103 grams carbs, 26 grams proteinIf you try a protien pancake recipe tag us on instagram or facebook!