I started weight lifting when I was 15 years old. I was 5' 8" and weighed a whopping 160 pounds.
I hit the gym with a vengeance, but made little gains during my first 3 months. Frankly, I didn't know what I was doing. That's when I decided to hire a personal trainer. Fortunately my gym membership included some sessions with a trainer. I took the gym up on that offer and it was one of the best fitness decisions I ever made.
The trainer I met with was ripped. He sat down with me for about 1 hour. He pinpointed my 2 main problems, which were my workout routine and my diet.
He quickly provided a great routine for me and then set me straight about my diet. I had to radically increase the amount of protein or else I was wasting my time with respect to building some muscle mass.
Always looking for the path of least resistance, I asked him how I could easily increase my protein intake. He suggested whey protein powder. I had a part time job at the time so I could afford it. He recommended a local health food store and I was off to the races.
Fast forward 1 year; I packed on 50 pounds, much of it muscle. I was far stronger and far more built in not a lot of time. Yes, I worked out like a maniac, but I also put a lot of effort into improving my diet. I became a protein shake fanatic along the way.
Let's fast forward 7 years to post-college. Somewhere along the way I stopped working out and my diet was garbage. I had gained 35 pounds above my ideal weight. I was bloated and soft. I needed to lose weight.
Again, I got serious about my fitness (and have remained serious since then). I radically improved my diet, and yes, I started taking whey protein for fat loss - http://www.wheyin.com/ again. I found that one whey shake a day curbed my cravings for junk food and provided that "satiated" feeling. It also provided me much-needed protein. Yes, I needed to increase my protein despite on a mission to lose weight. Whey protein gave me the edge resulting in losing 34 pounds in 3 months.
While my workouts have changed quite a bit over the years (now I incorporate yoga and cardio into my weightlifting regimen), my consumption of whey every day hasn't changed. It's a staple supplement that has served me very well, whether I'm building muscle or losing weight.