protein for weight loss

"The Truth About Protein and Weight Loss" Week 1 Compiled by James FlagerdeBenavente BS ES CPT

Protein for Weight Loss The amount of quality protein in your diet is the single most important calorie that influences your metabolic rate, favorably influencing weight loss. Quality protein also helps you sustain muscle during weight loss, improve muscle fitness, improve immunity, improve antioxidant function, build HDL cholesterol, and enhance insulin and leptin function – all of which contribute toward optimal weight management efforts over time.

A significant body of scientific evidence indicates that protein levels far higher than our government’s suggested levels of intake are optimal for weight loss, as long as you simultaneously decrease carbohydrate intake. A minimal target amount is three-fourths of your ideal body weight in grams of protein per day, ranging up to three-fourths of your actual weight in grams of protein per day.

For example, if you should weigh 160 pounds and you do weigh 200 pounds, then your goal for protein intake is in the range of 120 to 150 grams of protein per day. Since each gram of protein is four calories, this means 480 to 600 calories per day from protein. This is around thirty percent of your calories from protein (based on a 2000 calorie diet).

The FDA says you need 50 grams of protein per day (200 calories), based on a 2000 calorie diet, or ten percent of your calories from protein. The FDA bases its guidelines on only one aspect of protein need, nitrogen balance. Nitrogen, found only in protein, is a fundamental molecule required for building body structure and DNA synthesis.

The FDA’s goal is to make sure you have enough dietary protein so you don’t wither away. That’s nice, but nitrogen balance as the only criteria for protein intake ignores the role of protein as a signaling molecule in metabolism, especially in regard to how your muscles function. It ignores the amount of protein needed to preserve muscle during weight loss and facilitate fat burning. In fact, the FDA gives no guidelines to explain how much quality protein you need for exercise, stress, blood sugar support, or to help stabilize muscle and blood sugar as you age.

Q: What is protein and why is it crucial to make sure I get enough?

A: Protein comprises 20 building blocks called amino acids. Of those 20, the body makes 11 called nonessential amino acids. The other nine, called essential amino acids, must be supplied by food, or dietary protein, explains Julie Burns, M.S., R.D.

There are two kinds of dietary protein -- complete and incomplete, Burns says. Animal and soy proteins are called "complete" proteins because they contain all nine essential amino acids. Plant products, including vegetables, nuts and legumes, are called "incomplete" proteins because they lack one or more essential amino acids, she says.

As a macronutrient, protein helps curb your appetite, which may help you lose weight. Compared to carbs and fats -- which are primarily energy sources -- proteins play crucial roles in

SOURCES: Journal of Nutrition, July 05. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2005; 82:41-8. Lancet 2004; 364:897-9. Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein and Amino Acids, Institute of Medicine, Sept 02. USDA Nutrient database release 18, January 05. D. Layman, PhD, R. Reeves, DrPH, RD, Behavioral Medicine Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine; president, American Dietetic Association. K. Tallmadge, MA, RD, American Dietetic Association; author, Diet Simple.


the body. They provide structural features of body tissue and serve as immune-system antibodies/signaling molecules. In the form of enzymes and hormones, proteins help regulate sleep, digestion and ovulation.

For these functions and others, your body requires complete proteins. If you're a vegetarian or vegan, eat combinations of plant proteins that complement each other, such as rice and beans, peanut butter and bread, or hummus and pita.

Q: I've heard some forms of protein are "superior." Is that true?

A: Just because animal protein is complete doesn't mean it's healthier than incomplete plant proteins, Burns says. Sources of animal protein are usually higher in fat, particularly saturated fat, and lower in fiber than plant-based sources, although there are plenty of lean complete proteins: seafood, lean beef, pork tenderloin, the breast meat of poultry, nonfat milk and egg whites are a few examples, says Burns. Plant sources of protein, on the other hand, don't contain saturated fat, are always cholesterol-free and have lots of disease-fighting phytochemicals.

Q: Is it a problem if my protein intake is higher than the RDA?

A: If you consume more protein than you really need, you risk several negative consequences. First, you could gain weight. Consuming more calories than you need in a day, even if they're protein calories, will cause your body to store the extra calories as fat.

In addition, eating protein at the expense of vegetables, grains and other healthy foods can deprive your body of essential nutrients. Plus, it can cause dehydration because it takes a lot of water to eliminate extra protein. Excess protein also has been linked to bone loss because the more protein you eat, the more calcium you excrete, for reasons scientists don't fully understand.

A study conducted in 1998 at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., concluded, however, that people who eat excess protein can prevent bone loss by consuming adequate calcium -- or 20 milligrams for every gram of protein. Since bone health depends on a balance of adequate levels of protein and calcium, the best way to avoid bone loss is to eat the right amount of protein for your weight and consume at least 1,000 milligrams of calcium daily.

Q: What happens if I'm not getting enough protein?

A: Eating too little protein means your body can't perform all the functions for which protein is required, at least not at peak levels. Over time, you may feel tired and sluggish, be more susceptible to illness, and fail to build muscle or improve your athletic performance at the rate you otherwise would. You also may lose bone. At highest risk are women on low-calorie diets (less than 1,200 calories a day), competitive athletes who restrict calories and burn protein instead of fat, and vegans and macrobiotic diners who don't get enough of the amino-acid building blocks needed to synthesize complete proteins.



8 Ways to Pump Up the Protein

Take yogurt with you to the gym and enjoy it as a post-workout booster.

Make your breakfast oatmeal with milk instead of water.

Snack on fat-free mozzarella cheese.

Use a whole cup of milk on your cereal.

Try smoked salmon or one of the new lean sausages for breakfast.

Take along a hard-boiled egg for an easy snack.

Munch on edamame beans at meals and snacks.

Choose round or tenderloin cuts of meat.

Participants in a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported greater satisfaction, less hunger, and weight loss when fat was reduced to 20% of the total calories in their diets, protein was increased to 30%, and carbs accounted for 50%. The study participants ate some 441 fewer calories a day when they followed this high-protein diet and regulated their own calorie intake.

Another study, reported in the Journal of Nutrition, showed that a high-protein diet combined with exercise enhanced weight and fat loss and improved blood fat levels. Researchers suggest that higher-protein diets help people better control their appetites and calorie intake.

Diets higher in protein and moderate in carbs, along with a lifestyle of regular exercise are often purported by experts to reduce blood fats and maintain lean tissue while burning fat for fuel without dieters being sidetracked with constant hunger.

Researchers don't understand exactly how protein works to turn down appetite. They surmise that it may be because a high-protein diet causes the brain to receive lower levels of appetite-stimulating hormones. It may be due to eating fewer carbs and/or the specific protein effect on hunger hormones and brain chemistry.

More research is needed before experts can make sweeping recommendations that people boost the protein in their diets, according to the American Dietetic Association.

How Much Do You Need?We need protein at all stages of life, for a variety of bodily functions. It's the major component of all cells, including muscle and bone. It's needed for growth, development, and immunity to fight off infections and protect the body.

The Institute of Health's Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) recommendations allow for a wide range of protein intake - anywhere from 10% to 35% of total calories - for normal, healthy



adults. For example, on an 1,800 calorie diet, you could safely consume anywhere from 45 grams (that's 10% of calories) to 218 grams (35%) of protein per day.

However, the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is 56 grams a day for men and 46 grams a day for women. Most Americans have no problem getting this much, but would struggle to take in enough protein to make up 35% of their calories.

That said, is it possible to eat too much protein? There are no dangers associated with higher intakes of protein - unless you have kidney disease. To get the potential weight loss benefit, experts advise aiming for around 120 grams of protein a day. If you want to increase your protein intake, do it slowly over the course of a week. To be on the safe side, check with your doctor before adding large amounts of protein to your diet.


protein for weight loss

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