If social media posts on all things weight loss and fat loss, are to go by, it seems like we spend a LOT more time arguing over what we shouldn’t eat, rather than focussing on what we should be eating. Look – we’re sorry to report — weight loss is always going to be governed by the laws of physics, meaning that in order to burn body fat you have to expend more calories than you consume, but let’s not throw the protein bagels out with bathwater… paying attention to the types of calories you’re eating can make balancing that equation in your favour a lot easier, and fat loss a lot more sustainable. One of your most powerful allies on your weight loss journey? Protein.
Let’s take a look at the science behind protein, how effective this macronutrient is for weight loss, and how it can help you to manage your appetite, build more metabolism-boosting muscle, burn more calories at rest and help you recover from your workouts.
What is protein?
Protein is one of several ‘macronutrients’ alongside carbohydrates and fats. Made up of individual amino acids, the body requires protein to build, repair and maintain most of our vital systems, including muscle, bone and skin, as well as to create hormones and enzymes. Protein is absolutely vital to our health.
In relation to calories and weight loss, protein contains 4 calories per gram, the same amount as carbohydrates, with fat containing 9 calories per gram. Although this isn’t quite as cut and dry as seems, as we’ll find out later.
Is a high protein diet good for weight loss?
Protein can be extremely important when it comes to weight loss.
Research has shown that consuming more than the recommended daily allowance of protein can contribute massively to losing weight. In fact, some studies have demonstrated that by focussing on nothing other than increasing the amount of protein in the participants’ diet, fat loss was easily achieved.
It’s important to note that this doesn’t mean that wolfing down protein acts as a workaround for the ‘calories in vs. calories out’ rule we spoke about earlier, only that increasing daily protein intake had a direct effect on the total number of calories the study participants consumed, even if they weren’t asked to track or. restrict calories.
So why is protein so effective for weight loss? Let’s take a look.
Protein increases satiety
‘Satiety’, or the feeling of being full, signals your body to stop its hunger cues. Studies suggest this could be due to a rise in satiety hormones such as glucagon-like peptide- 1 and cholecystokinin, as well as a reduction in the hunger hormone, ghrelin, all derived from consuming protein. How pronounced is this effect? Well, one study demonstrated that by simply upping their protein intake by 15%, participants consumed over 400 fewer calories each day, leading to around 5kg in weight loss over 12 weeks, with no other conscious changes to their diet.
Your body burns more calories digesting protein
It might sound counterintuitive, but consuming calories actually burns calories. It’s a costly process for your body to turn the foods you eat into the energy you burn. Scientists call this cost ‘the thermic effect of food’ or TEF for short.
Of the three main macronutrients, protein has the highest TEF, with up to 30% of protein calories being burned during digestion. This means calorie for calorie, your body is able to derive less energy from protein when compared to carbs and fats. This also means there are fewer calories to store as body fat, if you’re consuming more calories than you’re burning on average.
Protein can ‘boost’ your metabolism
TEF also means that if you were to directly swap a portion of your carbohydrate or fat calories for protein, you would burn more calories on average each day – effectively boosting your metabolism – without altering calorie intake. Some studies have demonstrated that high protein diets can increase calorie burn by up to 200 calories each day.
Protein helps to promote and maintain muscle mass
It’s important when discussing weight loss to understand the difference between weight loss and fat loss. When losing weight, especially over prolonged periods of time, it’s inevitable that some muscle loss will occur. However, keeping this to a bare minimum and maintaining ‘fat free mass’ (FFM) is an important factor in healthy, successful weight loss. Not only because muscle mass is more metabolically active, meaning it burns more calories at rest, but also because studies have linked low muscle mass with higher risks of all-cause mortality. Basically, having a bit more muscle is very, very good for you.
Research has shown that a high protein diet, alongside resistance training, can help to prevent muscle loss, even during periods of calorie restriction and weight loss.
Protein may help to stop weight regain
A 2004 study demonstrated that patients on a weight loss programme who were administered a higher protein diet after their initial weight loss had a much lower chance of weight regain versus a group on a lower protein diet, possibly due to all the above listed benefits of consuming more protein.
It should be noted however, that this study demonstrates the importance of maintaining a higher protein approach to eating, even after weight loss. It can’t be stressed enough that habit and lifestyle changes are one of the most important factors in sustainable and sustained weight loss.
How much protein should I eat?
Although recommendations vary, even in the studies we’ve cited above, one factor seems to remain consistent for successful weight loss: eating more protein than the daily recommended amount. The current recommendation for adults is to consume 0.75g per kg of bodyweight – this equates on average to 56g per day for men and 45g for women. For men this is around the equivalent of a single chicken breast.
If the above research is anything to go by, you should be eating more than this, regardless of your goals. Between 1.6-2g per kilogram of bodyweight is a figure often cited by nutritionists and coaches.
You can read more about the research and debate on how much protein you should be consuming, including guidelines on how much protein to consume for fat loss and muscle gain, by clicking the link below.
Are high protein diets dangerous?
Despite persistent rumours that eating too much protein can be unhealthy or cause kidney damage, the latest research seems to suggest that in otherwise healthy individuals, consuming amounts of protein greater than the currently suggested recommendations does not have an adverse effect. However, it is important to note that any one of us may have underlying health issues that we are unaware of, and that all major changes in diet and lifestyle should be closely monitored, with health professionals being consulted, where necessary.
Are protein shakes good for weight loss?
Common wisdom and professional advice both dictate that you should aim to hit your daily protein goals through solid, whole food sources. However, if you struggle to reach these targets, research indicates that there is nothing inherently unhealthy about protein supplementation, and some studies even demonstrate increases in weight loss, as well as improvements in several markers of health and wellbeing through protein supplementation alone.
It is important to note that not all protein supplements are made equal, and that individual responses to different protein sources may occur, including adverse effects. So again, monitor closely and consult professionals, where necessary.
The research
Check out the following links for further reading on the studies cited in this article.
- A high-protein diet induces sustained reductions in appetite, ad libitum caloric intake, and body weight- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916523295076?via%3Dihub
- Clinical Evidence and Mechanisms of High-Protein Diet-Induced Weight Loss- https://www.jomes.org/journal/view.html?doi=10.7570/jomes20028
- A high-protein diet for reducing body fat: mechanisms and possible caveats-https://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1743-7075-11-53
- Low skeletal muscle mass index and all-cause mortality risk in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies-https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37285331/
- Preserving Healthy Muscle during Weight Loss- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2161831322006810#:~:text=Together%2C%20these%20results%20suggest%20that,Smith%20et%20al.
- A High Protein Diet Has No Harmful Effects: A One-Year Crossover Study in Resistance-Trained Males- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27807480/
- Efficacy and safety assessment of protein supplement – micronutrient fortification in promoting health and wellbeing in healthy adults – a randomized placebo-controlled trial- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10079511/
This article originally appeared on Men’s Health UK.
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