Protein has the potential to be great for weight loss.
Why Can Protein Be Great for Weight Loss?
Every gram of protein contains 4 calories.
One reason protein is great for weight loss is that protein is filling, so a person doesn’t have to consume protein excessively to suppress appetite. Therefore, protein can suppress appetite at moderate calorie expense.
One reason protein consumption can aid in weight loss is that protein is filling, so a person doesn’t have to consume protein excessively to suppress appetite. Therefore, protein can suppress appetite at moderate calorie expense.
Protein’s ability to suppress appetite makes it excellent for weight loss because weight loss is about moderating caloric intake so that one is consuming fewer calories than they’re burning.
Because protein can suppress appetite at a moderate caloric expense, foods with high protein concentrations also tend to be able to suppress appetite at moderate caloric expense making these foods great options to make a part of a weight loss diet.
High protein concentration foods are referred to as lean protein foods. Lean protein foods have a high protein concentration and are low in fat.
For protein consumption to help with weight loss, protein has to be consumed in a way where it is helping to control hunger while simultaneously helping to keep your caloric intake down.
You want to consume enough protein where it is helping to satisfy your appetite and fulfilling your nutritional needs, but not so much where a person is taking in excess calories.
Additional Reasons Protein Can Be Great for Weight Loss
As mentioned, protein consumption can be great for weight because protein is filling, so protein can suppress appetite at minimal calorie expense. However, there are additional reasons besides the fact protein is filling that protein consumption can be great for weight loss. Other reasons protein can be great for weight loss include:
1. More Energy Required to Digest Protein Then Other Macronutrients
Calories are units of energy that we can through food consumption and burn through physical activity.
The body uses energy to digest and process protein. In fact, about 20 to 30 percent of the calories will be used for digestion which is more than carbs which use about 5 to 10 percent, and fat which uses 0 to 3 percent.
Therefore, not only is protein able to fill you up at little calorie expense, but many of the calories will be burned in the digestion process.
2. Stop You From Eating As Many Carbs
Simple carbs are a great source of energy, because the body can convert them to energy quickly. Resulting in a rapid blood sugar spike. However, because the body can convert the carbs into energy so well it doesn’t take long for the body to burn through all those carbs resulting in a sugar drop.
This rapid energy boost followed by an energy drop leaves the body wanting more carbs which can result in sugar cravings.
Consuming protein with carbs helps slow down the body’s breaking down and absorption of carbs which means the energy is more stable and last longer which helps prevents the body from demanding more carbs. Studies have shown that eating protein alongside carbs helps reduce carb intake (ib).
3. Can Help Build Muscle
Another way protein can indirectly help with weight loss is that it helps build muscle mass. Even if you are not trying to have bulky muscles having lean muscles can be great for weight loss. Because every pound of muscle requires more calories of energy to sustain than a pound of fat (ib). Which means when you consume food much of the calories of energy you consume will go to growing and sustaining muscle.
Every pound of muscle requires calories.
Consuming lean protein foods that won’t contribute to fat because lean protein is not fattening if its consumed correctly along with exercising is a great way to build lean muscle.
What Allows Protein to Be So Filling?
As mentioned earlier protein is great for weight loss because it can fill you up at little calorie expense.
Infact there are 3 macronutrients fat, carbs, and protein (macronutrients are nutrients that we consume in large quantities, and of all the macronutrients studies have shown protein has been shown to be the most filling, which means it take less calories of protein to promote fullness, then it does carbs or fat.
There are several reasons why protein is so filling to consume.
Lowers Ghrelin
Protein consumption helps lower ghrelin which is hormone that is involved with hunger and so reducing ghrelin should cause one to eat less.
Peptide YY
Peptide YY Is a content that is involved in hunger that protein has an effect on. Peptide YY is hormone that reduces hunger which ultimately reduce the amount a person eats. Protein had been shown to increase peptide YY (ib).
Also, Protein is so effective at promoting fullness because its effect on certain hormones such as ghrelin and peptide YY.
Because it’s so effective at promoting fullness it does not take a lot of protein to fill one up which allows one to keep caloric intake down.
Also, the fullness brought about by protein consumption can cause you to eat less of other foods. Studie have shown that participants that have eaten certain amounts of protein ate fewer other foods, and their calorie intake overall was lower.
Protein also provides longer lasting fullness.
Lean Protein Foods
Just Because a Food Has Protein Doesn’t Mean It’s Weight Loss Friendly:
As mentioned before protein can be great for weight loss in that it can fill you up at moderate calorie expense. Therefore, for foods with high protein concentrations tend also to be able to fill one up and moderate calorie expense making these foods have the potential to be great for weight loss.
However, if the food also has an excessive amount of fat content it offset the food’s ability to be low calorie and weight loss friendly despite the food having protein content.
Lean protein foods are foods that are defined as foods that have less than grams of fat
However, it’s important to understand that just because a food is not defined as weight loss friendly doesn’t mean it doesn’t have the ability to aid in a weight loss diet.
It’s also important to clarify that all foods that have protein are not weight loss friendly.
How weight loss friendly a food with protein can be often has a lot to do with how much protein it has relative to how much fat and carbs it has.
Also, they are a lot of manufactured foods that have protein in them bu they also have carbs and fat in non-weight loss friendly quantities.
Typically, lean protein foods are the foods that are great for weight loss. For example, a lean chicken breast can be great for weight loss due to its high protein concentration. Protein is great for weight loss because it can fill you up with a little calorie expense. Therefore, lean protein foods with high protein concentrations also tend to be able to fill you up at minimal calorie expense.
Just because a food has protein doesn’t mean it’s weight loss friendly.
Not A Sure Thing
Protein consumption does not guarantee weight loss. Even if a person has a diet filled with lean protein foods it doesn’t mean they are guaranteed to lose weight.
Has to be Eaten in Correct Amounts:
Has to do if you’re making a conscious effort to eat protein in a way where it will moderate your overall calorie intake, and how strategically you’re consuming protein to moderate caloric intake.
A point that was made earlier in this article that needs to be reemphasized is that the protein does not guarantee weight loss.
