Eat More Protein, Lose More Weight
Eating an adequate amount of good quality protein is essential for general health, it’s also a great way to support weight loss efforts.
Proteins are the main building blocks of the body. They’re used to make muscles, tissues, bones, organs and blood, plus maintain healthy hair, joints and fingernails. Proteins are necessary to produce hormones, transport fat and transmit messages to our cells. So having an adequate protein intake is pretty important.
Eating protein supports weight loss efforts in several ways. It speeds metabolic rate at mealtimes. When we eat the body expends calories breaking the food down into usable energy and nutrients. Protein is more difficult to digest than fat or carbohydrates and the body burns more calories as you eat.
Another way eating protein helps with metabolic rate is by helping build lean muscle mass. Muscles are made largely of protein and like most tissues in the body, are dynamic and constantly being broken down and rebuilt. To gain muscle, the body must be synthesizing more muscle protein than it is breaking down. In other words, there needs to be a net positive protein balance which is gained by eating protein-rich foods.
On top of helping with metabolic rate, eating protein reduces the appetite. Protein is much more satisfying than both fat and carbohydrates because it has a slow, steady release into the bloodstream. Stable blood sugar reduces the risk of crazy cravings, making it much easier to adhere to a healthy eating regime.
There’s a lot of conflicting evidence about what is an appropriate amount of protein. General recommendations relate to the sedentary population who are not doing regular resistance training. But protein requirement will vary greatly depending on your biotype. I generally recommend my weight training clients aim for 1.5 to 2 grams of protein per kilo of body weight per day. So a 70kg woman would need approximately 100 to 140 grams of protein per day.
If you aren’t sure if you’re getting that then you may benefit from keeping a food diary for a week. Myfitnesspal will tell you how many grams of protein are in all your favourite sources and how your nutrients are stacking up across the day. Of course it’s not just about quantity of protein, quality is important too. Check out my article on eating protein effectively for more details.
Proteins are the main building blocks of the body. They’re used to make muscles, tissues, bones, organs and blood, plus maintain healthy hair, joints and fingernails. Proteins are necessary to produce hormones, transport fat and transmit messages to our cells. So having an adequate protein intake is pretty important.
Eating protein supports weight loss efforts in several ways. It speeds metabolic rate at mealtimes. When we eat the body expends calories breaking the food down into usable energy and nutrients. Protein is more difficult to digest than fat or carbohydrates and the body burns more calories as you eat.
Another way eating protein helps with metabolic rate is by helping build lean muscle mass. Muscles are made largely of protein and like most tissues in the body, are dynamic and constantly being broken down and rebuilt. To gain muscle, the body must be synthesizing more muscle protein than it is breaking down. In other words, there needs to be a net positive protein balance which is gained by eating protein-rich foods.
On top of helping with metabolic rate, eating protein reduces the appetite. Protein is much more satisfying than both fat and carbohydrates because it has a slow, steady release into the bloodstream. Stable blood sugar reduces the risk of crazy cravings, making it much easier to adhere to a healthy eating regime.
There’s a lot of conflicting evidence about what is an appropriate amount of protein. General recommendations relate to the sedentary population who are not doing regular resistance training. But protein requirement will vary greatly depending on your biotype. I generally recommend my weight training clients aim for 1.5 to 2 grams of protein per kilo of body weight per day. So a 70kg woman would need approximately 100 to 140 grams of protein per day.
If you aren’t sure if you’re getting that then you may benefit from keeping a food diary for a week. Myfitnesspal will tell you how many grams of protein are in all your favourite sources and how your nutrients are stacking up across the day. Of course it’s not just about quantity of protein, quality is important too. Check out my article on eating protein effectively for more details.