Do high protein diets work? - Tricking your body into losing weight and how best to use protein
Over the last few years, the high protein diet fad has taken over the world.
In the driven, high stakes world of today, no other diet has promised so much to so many. It has been presented as the universal remedy for weight loss and healthy energetic living.
And though there is much controversy surrounding these diets, many people have used them and will continue to do so for years.
A high protein diet is a form of nutritional plan that focuses on large quantities of protein intake combined with low admissions of carbohydrates. It was discovered that this kind of self-imposed dietary focus brings some much-needed help in any weight loss program.
That is why you as an Iconic man need to have an objective look at high protein diets, find out how they can help you, and what to watch out for.
If you concentrate your eating habits on foods rich in protein, your body will begin to elevate the rate at which your metabolism operates.
Also, high protein diets help you feel fuller for longer, thus affecting your appetite.
How do high protein diets work, and what are the dangers behind using them?
What is a high protein diet?
As a rule, a high protein diet is a diet where more than 15% of the total energy intake comes from protein originating from meat, dairy products, fish, eggs or tofu. It uses very few sources of vegetable and animal fat and it relies completely on the fat derived from the consumed protein-packed products. It is not to be confused with a low-carbohydrate diet that concentrates on lowering levels of carbohydrates and complements protein with higher levels of fat from nuts, seeds or shellfish.
READ ALSO: 5 incredible protein powder shakes for losing weight
Things are even more complicated if we take into account body type, previous nutritional patterns, and the fact that protein is not an all-purpose elixir that will transform you overnight.
Protein is one of the three macro-nutrients that provide calories, or energy to the body. Together with fats and carbohydrates, protein must be kept in good balance, if healthy long-term effects are what you are after. As the body requires large amounts of macro-nutrients to sustain life, it is very important how you adjust the percentage between their nutrients.
You can get protein from the normal nutritional intake of foods that contain high percentages or you can resort to dietary supplements for a more precise and easy way to keep track of your intake.
Both ways promote similar changes to your body but both need to be carefully planned out and timed, to get the best results.
High protein diets – The good, the bad and the ugly
-The good
High protein diets usually generate rapid weight loss.
Ideally, they work very well in conjunction with a balanced fitness routine and subsequent changes in your lifestyle. In reality, the fact that they seem relatively easy to embrace and the fast way in which they make you lose weight, has led to their adoption by sedentary people as well.
Choosing a moderate form of high protein diet will help you get better results and keep the weight off. Like with any form of nutritional change, it is best not to be taken in by the first few weeks of rapid results (and there will be some really fast ones with this one). You must resist the urge to cut out all the carbs from your diet or increase the number of grams of protein you process daily, as that will be detrimental for your efforts.
Instead, keep in mind that your weight is regulated by your brain and that changes need to be made progressively. A high protein diet will work on the signals your body sends to the brain and it will change them according to your new eating habits. These signals will be less hunger-related once protein levels rise. The hunger hormone ghrelin will reduce its activity and several hormones responsible for appetite-reducing actions will boost their daily functions. This will in turn lead to a major reduction in hunger and ensure you absorb fewer calories.
The simple act of consuming food is a calorie-burning event that takes place in your body.
Digesting food and managing the level of your metabolism takes its toll on the number of caloric resources your body consumes. That means you consume calories to extract other calories from the food you have just consumed.
In high protein diets, this consumption is higher than in any other form of planned nutrition. Not only that, but you do get increased metabolic rates because of the sheer amount of energy protein remits over a longer duration of time.
Moreover, consuming many proteins will help you burn through calories and fat faster, throughout the entire day, even when you are sleeping.
Furthermore, high protein intake can even help you keep the weight off.
A study has shown that: A 20% higher protein intake, that is, 18% of energy vs 15% of energy during weight maintenance after weight loss, resulted in a 50% lower body weight regain, only consisting of fat-free mass.
-The bad
Extreme versions of high protein diets may lead to protein poisoning, a condition that appears when the body is fed a large amount of protein and no fat.
At the same time, the effects of the diet seem to stall once a certain concentration per body weight percentage is achieved. Consuming over 200g of protein per day may prove detrimental for a person of 176 pounds (80 kg).
As a reference, the best protein intake should be around 2g of protein per 2 pounds (1kg) of body weight. But that takes into account regular gym activity, regular jogging or running. For medium or low physical activity, protein admission should be calculated at around half that.
Before going on any diet it is better to consult a doctor. This is especially true regarding high-calorie diets, as they cause fast and intense disturbances in the way the body and brain react to the change. If you have already been diagnosed with chronic afflictions, diabetes, kidney or liver problems, don’t hesitate to ask your physician for insight on the dietary changes you plan on doing.
-The ugly
High protein diets and low-carbohydrate ones are not recommended over indefinite periods due to perceived imbalance issues and increased risk to kidney and liver functions.
In a high protein diet, the quality of the carbohydrates you eat is very important, as it is the lesser constituent. Use premium sources of carbs that are high in fiber and nutrient-dense, such as whole grains and vegetables and fruit.
It is recommended to stay away from both processed carbs and meat. For better results and a longer diet time use high-quality protein and carbs obtained from Lean beef, almonds, skinless chicken breasts, oats, milk, cottage cheese or broccoli.
You need to couple this with regular exercise regardless of whether you want to lose weight or keep it off.
Note that in case you don’t work some form of fitness routine in your daily program, the results may be spectacular in the beginning but you will end up regaining just as fast.
How effective is a high protein diet plan?
Yes, high protein diets work. It will surely help you lose those few pounds or keep them off, but as with any remedy, there is a trade.
First off, going for a high protein diet will be something you will find pretty hard to get accustomed to. You will see your levels of energy and attention decrease and you may experience sleepiness. Secondly, the low carbohydrates level may come with bad breath, headaches, and constipation. And over-consumption means some amino acids will be turned into glucose.
The best way to try a high protein diet and get all the results, at the lowest of costs for your health, is to go for a moderate version. One where you only supplement your current relatively healthy eating habits, with a higher admission of protein and round it all up all with a decent fitness routine.
There is no fast diet. Be smart, be patient and be strong. Results will come.
In the driven, high stakes world of today, no other diet has promised so much to so many. It has been presented as the universal remedy for weight loss and healthy energetic living.
And though there is much controversy surrounding these diets, many people have used them and will continue to do so for years.
A high protein diet is a form of nutritional plan that focuses on large quantities of protein intake combined with low admissions of carbohydrates. It was discovered that this kind of self-imposed dietary focus brings some much-needed help in any weight loss program.
That is why you as an Iconic man need to have an objective look at high protein diets, find out how they can help you, and what to watch out for.
If you concentrate your eating habits on foods rich in protein, your body will begin to elevate the rate at which your metabolism operates.
Also, high protein diets help you feel fuller for longer, thus affecting your appetite.
How do high protein diets work, and what are the dangers behind using them?
What is a high protein diet?
As a rule, a high protein diet is a diet where more than 15% of the total energy intake comes from protein originating from meat, dairy products, fish, eggs or tofu. It uses very few sources of vegetable and animal fat and it relies completely on the fat derived from the consumed protein-packed products. It is not to be confused with a low-carbohydrate diet that concentrates on lowering levels of carbohydrates and complements protein with higher levels of fat from nuts, seeds or shellfish.
READ ALSO: 5 incredible protein powder shakes for losing weight
Things are even more complicated if we take into account body type, previous nutritional patterns, and the fact that protein is not an all-purpose elixir that will transform you overnight.
What is protein?
Protein is one of the three macro-nutrients that provide calories, or energy to the body. Together with fats and carbohydrates, protein must be kept in good balance, if healthy long-term effects are what you are after. As the body requires large amounts of macro-nutrients to sustain life, it is very important how you adjust the percentage between their nutrients.You can get protein from the normal nutritional intake of foods that contain high percentages or you can resort to dietary supplements for a more precise and easy way to keep track of your intake.
Both ways promote similar changes to your body but both need to be carefully planned out and timed, to get the best results.
High protein diets – The good, the bad and the ugly
-The good
High protein diets usually generate rapid weight loss.
Ideally, they work very well in conjunction with a balanced fitness routine and subsequent changes in your lifestyle. In reality, the fact that they seem relatively easy to embrace and the fast way in which they make you lose weight, has led to their adoption by sedentary people as well.
Choosing a moderate form of high protein diet will help you get better results and keep the weight off. Like with any form of nutritional change, it is best not to be taken in by the first few weeks of rapid results (and there will be some really fast ones with this one). You must resist the urge to cut out all the carbs from your diet or increase the number of grams of protein you process daily, as that will be detrimental for your efforts.
Instead, keep in mind that your weight is regulated by your brain and that changes need to be made progressively. A high protein diet will work on the signals your body sends to the brain and it will change them according to your new eating habits. These signals will be less hunger-related once protein levels rise. The hunger hormone ghrelin will reduce its activity and several hormones responsible for appetite-reducing actions will boost their daily functions. This will in turn lead to a major reduction in hunger and ensure you absorb fewer calories.
The simple act of consuming food is a calorie-burning event that takes place in your body.
Digesting food and managing the level of your metabolism takes its toll on the number of caloric resources your body consumes. That means you consume calories to extract other calories from the food you have just consumed.
In high protein diets, this consumption is higher than in any other form of planned nutrition. Not only that, but you do get increased metabolic rates because of the sheer amount of energy protein remits over a longer duration of time.
Moreover, consuming many proteins will help you burn through calories and fat faster, throughout the entire day, even when you are sleeping.
Furthermore, high protein intake can even help you keep the weight off.
A study has shown that: A 20% higher protein intake, that is, 18% of energy vs 15% of energy during weight maintenance after weight loss, resulted in a 50% lower body weight regain, only consisting of fat-free mass.
-The bad
Extreme versions of high protein diets may lead to protein poisoning, a condition that appears when the body is fed a large amount of protein and no fat.
At the same time, the effects of the diet seem to stall once a certain concentration per body weight percentage is achieved. Consuming over 200g of protein per day may prove detrimental for a person of 176 pounds (80 kg).
As a reference, the best protein intake should be around 2g of protein per 2 pounds (1kg) of body weight. But that takes into account regular gym activity, regular jogging or running. For medium or low physical activity, protein admission should be calculated at around half that.
Before going on any diet it is better to consult a doctor. This is especially true regarding high-calorie diets, as they cause fast and intense disturbances in the way the body and brain react to the change. If you have already been diagnosed with chronic afflictions, diabetes, kidney or liver problems, don’t hesitate to ask your physician for insight on the dietary changes you plan on doing.
-The ugly
High protein diets and low-carbohydrate ones are not recommended over indefinite periods due to perceived imbalance issues and increased risk to kidney and liver functions.
In a high protein diet, the quality of the carbohydrates you eat is very important, as it is the lesser constituent. Use premium sources of carbs that are high in fiber and nutrient-dense, such as whole grains and vegetables and fruit.
It is recommended to stay away from both processed carbs and meat. For better results and a longer diet time use high-quality protein and carbs obtained from Lean beef, almonds, skinless chicken breasts, oats, milk, cottage cheese or broccoli.
You need to couple this with regular exercise regardless of whether you want to lose weight or keep it off.
Note that in case you don’t work some form of fitness routine in your daily program, the results may be spectacular in the beginning but you will end up regaining just as fast.
How effective is a high protein diet plan?
Yes, high protein diets work. It will surely help you lose those few pounds or keep them off, but as with any remedy, there is a trade.
First off, going for a high protein diet will be something you will find pretty hard to get accustomed to. You will see your levels of energy and attention decrease and you may experience sleepiness. Secondly, the low carbohydrates level may come with bad breath, headaches, and constipation. And over-consumption means some amino acids will be turned into glucose.
The best way to try a high protein diet and get all the results, at the lowest of costs for your health, is to go for a moderate version. One where you only supplement your current relatively healthy eating habits, with a higher admission of protein and round it all up all with a decent fitness routine.
There is no fast diet. Be smart, be patient and be strong. Results will come.
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Loves to play with new ideas, binge writing, traveling and gourmet coffee. Professional writer of non fiction with over 8 years experience in putting words to paper. Fan of iconic movies, sports, The Arctic Monkeys and city breaks. Yes, he knows how good his coffee is.