PROTEIN AND WEIGHT LOSS
NASM-WLS
THE SCIENCE
BeHinD eFFeCtIVe
WEIGHT LOSS
"NAST
PROTEIN AND WEIGHT LOSS
NASM-WLS
HOW MUCH PROTEIN SHOULD You eAt tO LoSe WeIGHt?
Decades of scientific research on nutrition and weight loss has uncovered a few key pieces of information on what helps people successfully win the battle of the bulge.
First, we know that while exercise is important, a person's healthy eating habits likely matters more for weight loss than the hours they spend in the gym. Second, when it comes to dieting, there is no single best one for losing weight; many diets can work quite well as long as total calorie balance is accounted for. Third, dietary protein is one of the key "levers" in a diet that increases the likelihood of someone's ability to lose weight.
This article is going to cut through a lot of the noise surrounding protein and tell you how much protein you should be eating to lose weight and some of the things you should consider when planning your diet.
WHAt iS PRoteiN?
Protein is an important macronutrient that is involved in nearly all bodily functions and processes. It plays a key role in exercise recovery and is an essential dietary nutrient for healthy living. The elements carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen combine to form amino acids, the building blocks of protein. Protein and amino acids are primarily use to create bodily tissues, form enzymes and cellular transporters, maintain fluid balance, and more.
HOW MUCH PROTEIN PER DAY TO LOSE WEIGHT?
If you want to lose weight, aim for a daily protein intake between 1.6 and 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram (.73 and 1 grams per pound). Athletes and heavy exercisers should consume 2.2-3.4 grams of protein per kilogram (1-1.5 grams per pound) if aiming for weight loss.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF PROTEIN IN
WEIGHT LOSS?
Dietary protein can be an important part of a diet that is intended for weight loss.
While there are many benefits to dietary protein, there are four main areas that have direct effects on weight loss:
1. Satiety 2. Lean mass 3. Thermic effect of food 4. Storage as body fat
Let us take a deeper dive into each of these topics.
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PROTEIN AND WEIGHT LOSS
NASM-WLS
PROTEIN HELPS YOU FEEL FULL LONGER
One of the biggest things that impedes weight loss is hunger.
People are far less likely to stick with a nutrition or diet plan if they experience high Ievels of hunger.
CPT TIP!
Incorporating high-protein snacks, whether they are advertised as such or not, may be an effective strategy as part of a weight-loss plan.
Several different lines of research have all pointed to the same thing: higher protein intakes tend to provide more satiety and less hunger.
For example, in one study, high protein snacks allowed people to go longer between eating and alsc caused them to eat less at subsequent meals (2).
Another study showed that including protein into a glass of water decreas