Should You Be Eating More Protein To Lose Body Fat? We all know protein is the most preferred macro nutrient among bodybuilders and people looking to build a muscular physique. But did you know that protein is also effective for fat loss? Yes it is! If your fitness and health goals are to lose weight and maintain a healthy body weight thereafter, the amount and quality of protein foods you are eating would determine how fast you would achieve those goals (or if you would achieve it or not).
In a few minutes you would understand why eating more protein is an effective way to lose your excess body fat and maintain a healthy body weight. You would also find out how to increase the amount of protein you consume daily. How Protein Helps In Shedding Off Excess Body Fat 1.) Protein Requires More Calories To Get Digested: Protein has a much higher thermic effect than dietary fats and carbohydrates. Thermic effect means the amount of calories that the body uses to digest food. Some studies (check this) have found out that the body uses as much as 25% of the calories in protein to be able to get it digested. So in other words if you eat 100 calories of protein, your body is going to use 25 calories just to break down the food and you body gets 75 calories. So, by eating more protein for fat loss, you are automatically putting your body in a calorie deficit which is what you need if you are going to shed off your excess body fat. 2.) Protein Keeps You Full For Longer Periods Of Time: In other words, protein suppresses your hunger. The more protein in your diet, the less hungry you would feel every day. This is because of the fact that protein is the slowest of the macro nutrients to get digested, so it remains in your stomach for longer periods than carbohydrates and dietary fats. Automatically less food cravings would mean reduced calorie intake which is what is necessary to lose body fat. 3 Ways To Add More Protein To Your Daily Meals The typical diet is usually structured around carbohydrates and because of this most people are consuming way less protein that recommended. It is very easy for you to adjust your diet to include more protein without going overboard (yes there is something like too much protein). Here are 3 ways to increase your protein intake without affecting your regular meals: 1.) Add Enough Protein To Your Breakfast Most people’s breakfast are basically carbohydrates and dietary fats with not enough quality protein foods. Instead of eating just the typical toast, cereal and pancakes alone, add some Greek yogurt, some boiled eggs (omelette or scrambled eggs would do also) or if you are in a hurry, add some protein shake. 2.) Snack On Seeds And Nuts While At Work When people think snack, their minds go to sugary candy, cookies, chocolate bars and chips. These choices of snacks are loaded with sugar (and carbohydrates) with very little or no protein... eating too much of them would lead to weight gain. A healthier option is snacking on seeds and nuts which contain adequate protein. Try eating some walnuts, almond nuts, sesame seeds and cashew nuts while you are at work. 3.) Always Have At Least One Serving Of Lean Fish, Poultry Or Meat In Your Meals Lean fish, poultry and meats are a good source of animal protein. And eating a serving of them would give your body at least 30g of protein. Doing this doesn’t take too much effort; just ensure that you eat your lunch or dinner with a least one serving of them. You can have them already cooked (boiled, fried or roasted) in your fridge (or freezer) and whenever you want to eat, you heat them up. Conclusion By now you already realise how essential protein is if you are trying to lose excess body fat. Have you have been trying to lose body fat for a while now? Increasing how much protein you are consuming could put your body in a higher fat burning gear to burn the stubborn belly fat that has refused to come off. Read this post again and immediately start using the tips to add extra protein to your daily diet and you would be amazed at how the fat starts coming off.
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