Importance of high protein diet for weight loss

We’ve all known someone who has been obsessed with their protein intake, making sure they are consuming enough protein daily. Why is there a stereotype of gym rats and athletes eating high-protein diets? Eggs, bacon, chicken, steak, cheese, protein shakes, protein bars, OH MY!

Well, there is a rationale behind high protein dietary intake and weight loss/maintenance. First, let’s review what exactly protein is. Protein is a macronutrient made up of amino acids. Protein is necessary for the structure, function and regulation of our body’s tissues and organs.

The recommended daily protein intake is 0.8 grams per Kg or 0.36 grams per pound. However, if you are a physically active individual or someone who completes weight lifting, your requirements will be increased. This is because your body uses the excess protein to build and repair muscle. The increased protein requirement is 1.2-2 grams of protein per kg.

Protein helps reduce body weight and preserves fat free mass (muscle mass) (Koh, G. & Moon, J. 2020). A high protein diet can also assist satiety by increasing the hormones that make us feel full and decreases the hormone that makes us feel hungry. This of course can result in weight loss. We can also experience increased energy levels from a high protein diet. There has also been evidence of decreased weight regain following weight loss when participants followed a high protein diet.

A high protein diet also increases diet induced thermogenesis which is the production of heat which occurs after eating. This heat production increases the body’s resting metabolic rate which is the amount of calories burned at rest. This means, when you eat higher protein diet and/or have higher muscle mass, you naturally burn more calories at rest (breathing and organ functions). Did you know that your body uses increased amounts of oxygen to metabolize proteins? This very process increases satiety (2020).

Consuming a high protein diet also stimulates gluconeogenesis. We discussed the process of gluconeogenesis in a previous blog post. If you haven’t read the previous post from September 17th, you should definitely go back and read it. However I will insert a teaching from that blog post to bring it all together:

“Glucagon is a hormone your pancreas releases that works directly with your liver to break down the food you eat to make glucose. Your body uses this Glucose as its main energy source. Glucagon can tell your liver to not store glucose, keeping glucose in the bloodstream. Glucagon can also tell your liver to release glycogen (stored glucose) to bring glucose in the blood stream.“ This process is known as gluconeogenesis which results in increased satiety.

Now that we know the importance of incorporating a high protein diet in conjunction with an exercise regimen, we need to discuss some sources of higher protein. Meats (chicken, beef, turkey, pork, veal, lamb, etc) on average have about 25g protein per 3oz serving. Fish has about 20g protein on average per 3oz serving. Some other sources of protein include beans, eggs, cheese, greek yogurt, nuts/peanut butter, chia seeds and flax seeds. Protein powders and bars can also be a great way to easily incorporate daily protein requirements.

If you follow @amodifiedlife on Instagram, you should know by now, I love the Isopure brand of protein powder. I have only tried the unflavored version since this has the cleanest ingredients. The two ingredients are whey protein isolate and soy lethicin. One scoop has 25g protein. You can add the powder to smoothies, pancakes, baked goods, and even in tea lattes. Best part is this protein powder has ZERO carbs!

If you aren’t sure what type of protein to supplement with, this one would be a great start.

Koh, Gwanpyo & Moon, Jaecheol. (2020). Clinical Evidence and Mechanisms of High-Protein Diet-Induced Weight Loss. Doi: 10.7570/jomes20028