5 tips on protein and weight loss

If you’re thinking about doing some serious dieting, you need to know what foods can help you keep an eye on your weight. These 5 tips will give you everything you need to know about including protein in your programme.

You’ve probably noticed that anything that contains protein tend to make you feel full. Good sources are skinless chicken breasts, eggs, fat-free milk and legumes. The feeling of being satisfied in turn helps you keep calories under control as you don’t give in to the munchies so easily. When you drop weight, a protein-rich diet ensures that it's mostly fat rather than muscle mass that you lose.

If you eat protein while dieting, you’ll preserve lean muscle mass, which keeps your metabolism from slowing down. One problem with dieting is that most dieters lose muscle mass in addition to body fat. Since muscle burns more calories than fat does, the result is a slower metabolism. Exercise is key to maintaining muscle mass, but eating enough protein helps, too.

Another advantage of protein is it's difficult to store in the body. On the other hand, carbs and fat are easier. In order to store protein, your body has to first convert it into carbs before it can be converted into fat. This process in itself burns calories.

Second, when you eat protein, your body doesn't require much insulin to metabolize it. High insulin levels appear to decrease fat burning, while lower levels mean you're less likely to store excess calories as fat.

A 12-week universe study of 46 women conducted showed that dieters who consumed 18 percent of their calories from protein lost nearly twice as much lean body mass compared to those who got 30 percent of their calories from protein. Even though both groups slashed 750 calories from their usual diets, the higher-protein eaters reported greater enjoyment from their food and felt more satisfied.
You’ve probably noticed this yourself. Protein curbs appetite and helps keep hunger at bay between meals

Even though protein is a good food for keeping a cap on and even losing weight, don’t overdo it. Studies show that the body can only process 110 to 225 grams of protein at a time. If you eat more than this, it is converted into carbs or stored as fat.

The recommended protein intake is 0.4 gram per 0.45 kilograms of body weight if you're moderately active and one to two grams per 0.45 kilograms if you have a very high muscle mass. If you consume in excess of this, you won’t get any benefit.

Protein is a great food for weight control and loss and available in a range of foods for meat eaters and vegetarians. These 5 tips will help you consumer protein wisely for best health.