Why protein?

Why Protein?...Not to be confused with
"Whey" protein.

I get asked about protein all the time.

How much do I need?

What kind is best?

How often?

And the one above..."Why Protein"?

Well....I had a client ask me the other day, so I thought I'd share with you what I told her. It should help clear up most of your questions and get you headed in the right direction, if you're not already.

Here you go.......

If you think you need to eat meat all day, that just isn't accurate or something I'd advise anyway. Ideally, you should be taking in roughly 70-100% of your body weight in grams of protein. So, if you weigh 150lbs, you'd need to be right about 105-150 grams per day divided among all your meals. That's 20-30 grams per meal. Take your body weight,
multiply it by 70% and that's your gram total for daily protein.

You have to remember that your primary aim at losing body fat is to control blood sugar and insulin levels. All foods (carbs, protein, fat) affect insulin and blood sugar. Out of those three, carbohydrates elevate circulating blood glucose levels much more than the others. In response to that increase, your body secretes a hormone called insulin to "pull" that sugar from your blood stream and distribute it to your muscle cells and liver for use at a later time and for immediate energy.

Depending on the amount and type of carbohydrates in that meal will dictate how much blood sugar raises and therefore how much insulin your body releases. High circulating blood sugar and high circulating insulin levels trigger your body to release a cascade of hormones responsible for "storage". That's not what we're after.

We're after a process that enables your body to release fat for energy, not store it....right?

By combining proteins and fats with meals, you create what's referred to as a low glycemic load. It basically means your blood sugar isn't as affected by the carbohydrates in your meal as it would be had you eaten only the carbohydrates by themselves.

So, what were trying to do with keeping protein and fats at about 25-30% of your nutrition plan, is to stabilize your blood sugar, keep insulin levels in check and coax your body into increasing it's secretion of the hormaone glucagon (it helps trigger stored fatty acids into your blood stream for energy).

Let's put it this way.... Protein "costs" your body more energy because it takes more energy for your body to break it down into amino acids. It also helps protect you from losing muscle, which is the case with most calorically restrictive diets.

= = = > SIDE NOTE < = = =

It's estimated that weight loss from a severely restrictive eating plan comes 50% from fat stores with the other 50% from lean muscle....OUCH!! That's not good!

= = = > END SIDE NOTE < = = =

Protein helps you control insulin and blood sugar so your body produces "fat burning" hormones. It helps control hunger more so than carbohydrates. So....as you can see, there's numerous reasons to get a good clean/lean source of protein at each meal (be it animal or plant derived).

Sources of protein....http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/good-protein-sources

• A serving size of lean meat is 3-4oz or about the size of a deck of cards.


• Cottage cheese serving size is roughly ½ to 1 cup.


• Egg whites have 3 grams of protein while the yolk has the same, but also all the fat and cholesterol.So 5-7 egg whites with one yolk per 3-4 whites would give you roughly 20-25 grams.


• Protein powders are a great substitute or addition. Most are 20-25 grams per scoop and come in flavors. The one I use and have had the most success with getting my clients results is Nutrilite's Ready-to-drink (RTD) shake.


• I hope that helped clear up most of your questions about protein and it's role as a fat loss food.

Here's your takeaway....

Plan your meals to include an evenly divided serving size of protein based on your daily gram goal. Divide your gram goal by the number of meals you're eating that day and you have your "per meal" serving size.

Example: If my gram goal is 125 grams, I would divide that by my 5 daily meals and get 25 grams. That's my protein goal for all five of my meals.

Call me at 719-229-2639 for more information. As Always...eat right, stay active and keep positive!