Benefits of Protein

The diet I promote is very flexible. You can basically eat what you want, when you want as long your weekly calories are below maintenance level. For example, if you need 14,000 calories a week to maintain your weight (2000/day), eating 12,000 per week will result in sustainable weight loss. Cycling your calories can also make this more mentally practicable, and in combination with a lower meal frequency it enables us to enjoy larger meal sizes whilst losing weight. 

There is something I do highly recommend within my approach; a higher level of protein intake.

Increase your protein, just watch your calories at the same time

Protein is a macronutrient, like carbohydrates and fats. It is generally recognised as having 4 calories per gram, placing it on an even keel with carbohydrates. But there is more to protein than meets the macro’s. It has several benefits which can aid us not only in our weight loss, but making sure that more of that weight loss comes from fat stores and not muscle. This results in a tighter, more toned physique.

Protein and muscle loss and satiety

Muscle loss is almost inevitable during weight loss. However, higher intakes of protein have been shown to decrease the amount of muscle loss whilst dieting. This is because muscle is made of protein, and when our diet is low in this macronutrient our bodies will catabolise (eat) some of the tissue to release amino acids. However, by supplying the body with enough amino acids through a higher protein intake in our diet, we can minimise the muscle loss. If the body is catabolising less muscle for fuel, it is more likely to get the extra energy from fat stores, resulting in less fat, better lean muscle maintenance and a better physique.

Look how happy this toned couple are. Must be all that protein.

On top of the added fat loss, protein tends to increase satiety (gets rid of hunger) for longer. Studies have shown that people who eat higher protein tend to eat less calories in total, therefore they lose more weight through this. Add to this the psychological advantage of feeling fuller during dieting and you have a recipe for sustainable long term weight loss.

Protein and metabolism

Protein doesn’t really contain 4 calories per gram. The process of converting protein into fat is very difficult for the body to do. During this ‘energy expensive’ process, protein essentially loses almost 20% of its energy value. This is called the ‘thermogenic effect of food’, and whilst not a massive contributor to weight loss, it certainly helps.

On top of the essentially lower calorie count of protein, the extra muscle retained during the diet will have a long term effect on your metabolism. Muscle uses more energy than fat stores during rest. If two people who are 200 pounds are sitting on a couch, the one with more muscle mass will be burning more calories. This will help keep the weight off after you have finished your dieting.

Both of these guys are 200 pounds in weight, but the guy on the left is going to be burning a lot more calories, as he has a higher level of lean body mass

Where can I get protein

You don’t have to go out and buy a top notch protein shake to get your protein needs. In fact, I recommend eating your protein in the form of food, as it tends to produce better satiation. Protein shakes are a pretty good source of quality protein though, and Whey protein has been shown to blunt hunger effectively.

There are many sources of quality protein. Below is a list of low calorie sources for you to choose from.

Chicken breast

Turkey breast

Lean beef

Tuna

Salmon

Low fat milk

Low fat cottage cheese

Whey protein shake

Low fat yoghurt

Low fat Ham

 

There are several other sources of protein – eggs, beef, cheeses, pork,fish etc, although they tend to be higher in fat and hence calories (not that fat is bad for you, but too many calories will slow fat loss), so use sparingly, or on your higher calorie days. Non animal sources can be acquired from beans, soy, lentils, nuts etc, although the amino acid profile is not as good quality as from animal sources.

How much protein should I eat

Whilst there is a debate over this, general consensus says that more than 0.8 grams per pound of bodyweight, but no more than 1.2 grams per pound of bodyweight is acceptable. This means, for a 150 pound person, eating between 120 and 180 grams per day would produce optimal results. 

Since 100 grams of chicken supplies around 20 grams of protein, this means quite a lot of chicken breast (600 grams in fact). Imagine eating that amount of chicken and still being hungry, it is unlikely to happen. Obviously you don’t have to have all chicken, try to get different sources of protein so you ensure a fuller amino acid profile in your diet.

A pound of chicken - like this - is only 450 calories and a whopping 100 grams of protein. Imagine eating this and feeling hungry afterwards. Whip up a nice sauce to go with it with the rest of your calories.

If we take the middle ground number – 150 grams – this means an intake of 600 calories (150 grams times 4 calories per gram). If your diet allows 1,600 calories in the day, this means you have 1,000 calories to ‘spend’ how you wish on a mixture of fats and carbs. Use that calorie allotment to add some nutritious veggies, or some nice sauces to put with the meat. Hell, why not even add a bun with that burger, or have some sweet dessert for afters. Just make sure you don't exceed your calorie allotment for the day.

Take home message

Increase your protein intake for better control of hunger, better body shape, increased fat loss, increased metabolism (both long and short term), and better blood sugar control. Try to get around 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. Feel free to fill the rest of your calorie allowance with foods of your choice, although favour healthier, nutrition rich foods.

As a side note, lots of people go on low carbohydrate diets, where they eat nothing but protein an fat. I am not a fan of these. Whilst they work, they are often not the healthiest of plans, and people often have issues with rebound weight gain after they have gotten over the initial short term success. Keep carbohydrates in your diet, fats too, just increase your overall proportion of calories from protein sources. 

Like my page www.facebook.com/theflexiblediet  for more updates, and like the twitter account @theflexiblediet