Are you at a point where you've cut out the junk food from your diet and you are eating smaller portions, but progress isn't coming as quickly as you’d like? Or perhaps you are at a plateau and aren't seeing results as fast as you were ...
The answer to seeing better results could be as simple as eating more protein.
When it comes to fat loss, protein is the single most important macronutrient. In fact, just by increasing protein intake you can increase the number of calories that you burn by roughly 20-30% (Westerterp, 2004), which will put you at a huge advantage for weight loss.
Another reason protein is so important, is because increasing protein will reduce your appetite and cravings (Soene & Westerterp-Planteng, 2008), mainly by stabilizing your blood sugar levels. This makes it much easier to stay on track with a nutrition plan, and avoid overeating. For many people, this can make a BIG difference in overall results.
Furthermore, when people lose weight it's often times a combination of fat, and muscle. This also leads to a decrease in calories burned each day. By keeping protein intake high, you are increasing your metabolic rate, which significantly lowers your chance to regain the weight you lost. (Westerterp-Plantenga, Lejeune, Nijs, Van Oojjien & Kovacs, 2003).
Whether you have a major weight loss goal, or are just trying to tighten up ... protein is king. You should set daily protein intake to 1 gram per pound of body weight (Mettler, Mitchell & Tipton. 2010). By doing this one simple thing you can increase metabolism, decrease cravings, and increase lean body mass.
If you are struggling with getting enough protein through your day, head into your local Supplement Superstores and one of our Certified Sports Nutrition Specialists can help you work more into your plan.
*This post was written by John Taylor. He is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer, and NASM Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist.
Sources:
Mettler S, Mitchell N, Tipton KD. (2010) Increased protein intake reduces lean body mass loss during weight loss in athletes. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19927027/
Soenen S, Westerterp-Plantenga MS. (2008) Proteins and satiety: implications for weight management. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18827579
Westerterp K. R. (2004). Diet induced thermogenesis. Nutrition & metabolism, 1(1), 5. doi:10.1186/1743-7075-1-5
Westerterp-Plantenga MS, Lejeune MP, Nijis I, Van Ooijen M, Kovacs EM. (2003) High protein intake sustains weight maintenance after body weight loss in humans. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14710168
