Protein shakes consumed any other time aside from the post-workout window and maybe during carb refeeds can often be the source of unwanted fat gain... Mostly because of how people use them.

It is a fact that the usable calories from a meal increases with the amount of processing done to the food. Protein shakes are designed to offer no resistance to absorption. Thus even while on paper, a protein shake may have the same calories as (say) a handful of almonds, the actual energetic intake as well as the endocrinological effects of the almonds will be less than the shake.

So yeah, protein shakes consumed at the wrong times -- I.e. treated as "food" interchangeably with proper meals -- can definitely make you fat.

From personal Experience, I do not think that they do. I have been taken a Myofusion protein drink every day after my workouts and have gotten noticeably leaner. I was not overweight to being with, but I have managed to gain around 8-10lbs and lose body fat while drinking protein shakes, so the blanket statement that they make you fat is not true.

Well comparing your gains to other people is really not the best idea, because you might not know the intensity they put in their workouts diet. How are the gains you've been achieving if there was nobody to compare to?

And no protein drinks do not make you "fat". Although it's not the best option for a post workout meal. Personally i don't like eating after a heavy lifting session, so my post workout is raw milk, egg yolks and berries/banana, almonds and maybe some coconut oil. Raw milk is a great source of protein, i would recommend trying it out and see if it works for you.

Whey protein will help you bulk up, and as long as you are training properly, you will put on muscle. Milk proteins have a relatively simple purpose- turn the cute little calf into a big cow. The question among paleo circles is, is this a good idea in humans? I suspect it can be a good idea assuming it is a temporary thing. Part of the underlying problem with the standard American diet/lifestyle is that we are always getting growth signals. Most likely, such a growth cycle would have have happened during summer.

Then there are those who want to live forever. Currently the big idea is to reduce protein to under 20g a serving so that you don't trigger MTOR. This worked in worms. The paleo response to that is the same as any proposition to a steady state- we seem to thrive with variation, which means there probably ought to be some growth, some triggering of MTOR (milk proteins do trigger MTOR), ostensibly followed by some period of not triggering growth so that the body can focus on clean up and repair.

So, essentially, I look at it like it is a drug. If you want to use it, get the cleanest product you can find (so many of these things have soy, artificial sweeteners, and other crap you don't want), and use it for two months or so. Most of the advantage should be gained during that time, with adequate exercise. Then get off of it and focus of keeping what you've got with real food and training.

Let me add something else to the equation- creatine. If folks are drinking whey, they are probably taking creatine too. If you aren't taking creatine- well, it actually seems safer than milk proteins, and it is pretty cheap (just get plain old creatine monohydrate).

too much of anything will make you fat. too much meat, too many carbs, too much fat, too many beers...

protein powder also often contains BCAAs and creatine- the latter of the two makes you retain water and bloat a bit.

i take a protein powder if i am short on time and notice that it does help me recover faster between my crossfit workouts, but i don't try to base my meals around it. if you are going to take one i would look for the cleanest protein that doesn't contain additives. progenex is the one my gym pushes, but i use jay robb egg or whey because i have a hookup on it :)

protein shakes wont make you fat, unless you are already in a caloric surplus

I think that the real problem is that the shakes are so concentrated and people think they need 150 grams of protein a day. If you are having 60 gram protein shakes after your workout, yea, that might make you fat to have a days worth of protein in 20 minutes.