Table of Contents:
Introduction
Your Key to Muscle Growth and Repair
Your Secret Weapon for Fat Loss
Wrapping Up
Introduction
I love protein for fat loss. Protein has superpowers.
Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins—do you know what they are? Yep! They’re called macronutrients.
You refer to these nutrients as “macro” when discussing with friends, family, or colleagues about the best diets to get rid of THIS (you grab these gooey things around your belly—when did they materialize, by the way?).
Have you tried any diet before? Raise your hand if this applies.
How many times? How many years?
Most of us are experts on fat loss. I don’t refer to it as weight loss or weight management. This is because everyone wants to lose fat. We don’t want to lose muscle, bone density, or just a number on the scale. The balance of fat and muscle gives your body that toned, attractive look. Most of us know that.
But how do we actually eat*?
- Carbohydrate: 46.7% (SA); USDA recommends 45 to 65%.
- Fat: 35.8% (SA); USDA recommends 20 to 35%.
- Protein: 15.8% (SA); USDA recommends 10 to 35%.
Most of us eat in the order listed above. Think for a moment about pizza, burgers, or your favorite restaurant food. Yes, we often consume too much carbohydrates and fats, especially if our goal is fat loss. Many of us fall into the fat loss category when starting to exercise because 75% of U.S. adults are overweight or obese**. I was not an exception.
Here is a recommended macronutrient breakdown*** for fat loss:
- Carbohydrate: 45 to 50% / 4 calories per gram
- Protein: 25 to 30% / 4 calories per gram
- Fat: 20 to 25% / 9 calories per gram
Notice that protein rises while fat moves down in order?
The recommended calorie distribution for a 2,000-calorie diet looks like this.
- Carbohydrate: 900 to 1,000 calories / 225 to 250 grams total
- Protein: 500 to 600 calories / 125 to 150 grams total
- Fat: 400 to 500 calories / 44 to 56 grams total
Today, we focus on protein because it is the nutrient we consume much less than our bodies need. The gap between the standard American diet and the recommended intake for fat loss is a whopping 10%!
Not great.
2 Reasons To Eat More Protein:
1. Your Key to Muscle Growth and Repair
A muscle cell burns more calories than a fat cell. A muscular body also burns more calories than a fatty body, even if they weigh the same. This fact tells us that we want to increase our muscle mass.
Here’s a simple equation for looking awesome. Please take a picture of the following and look at it while sitting on a bathroom stool.
Muscle = Lean
Fat = Gooey
Muscle = lean = toned look.
One overlooked secret to looking toned is to consume an adequate amount of protein.
Protein is a building block that helps repair muscle tissue. Increasing the lean body tissue in your body can help you look leaner. And muscle is considered a part of the lean body tissue.
What is the lean body tissue? It is comprised of different tissues such as muscles, internal organs, bones, ligaments, and tendons. Generally, it is called a fat-free mass.
As mentioned above, protein’s primary function is to build tissues including muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilages, internal organs, and bones. After a hard workout session, you may get sore. Micro tears in muscle fibers cause this soreness. (Image of muscle tears)
When this happens, our body needs amino acids to repair these tears.
Amino acids are molecules that form proteins. There are 20 total amino acids, and 9 are called essential amino acids. Our body can not produce these essential amino acids. So we must consume foods that contain them for our body to function properly. Meats, fish, eggs, and milk are good sources of essential amino acids.
What happens if your diet lacks these essential amino acids? Not great, as you might expect. Without these crucial nutrients, your body takes longer to repair muscle tears, which results in extended soreness. You want an effective workout session to promote muscle growth and fat loss. This approach applies to recovery. You want to make your recovery effective to maximize your effort.
Before we move on to the next part, I will answer one common question.
But how about too much muscles? I don’t want to look like a bodybuilder.
You won’t.
75% percent of the U.S. population is overweight or obese. It is estimated that less than 25% of Americans exercise regularly. But most gym-goers do not resemble bodybuilders or swimsuit models. Fewer than 1 in 10 gym-goers look like those idealized shapes often seen on social media. Achieving such a physique requires specific workout and nutritional routines. It also demands discipline and dedication. This level of commitment is comparable to attending college while working full-time and being nice to your spouse and kids. The next time you bump into a colleague, friend, or family member who works out at the gym, pay attention to how they look. You will likely see they look like an average person. They may be a bit leaner or happier, yet still carrying some extra pouch around the belly.
Source: Cheetos
2. Your Secret Weapon for Fat Loss
Do you know?
When you eat Cheetos, your body still burns calories to absorb nutrients. Cheetos contain few if any micronutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, but still pack a lot of fats and carbohydrates. This body’s calorie-burning process while digesting is called the thermic effect. It is your friend, potentially the best one, for fat loss.
On a football game day, you may empty a family-size bag of Cheetos in one sitting. Still, it does not mean you just added 3360 calories to your gooey THIS around your belly. Approximately 171 calories are burned through the thermic effect, while 3189 calories are stored as fat.
Thermic Effect by Macro Nutrients. The percentages below show the calories burned through digestion.
- Protein: 20-30%
- Carbohydrate: 5-15%
- Fat: 0-5%
So, assume Cheetos are made of one macronutrient and you just ate an entire family-size bag. The following shows the calories burned through digestion.
- Protein: 637.8 – 956.7 calories
- Carbohydrate: 159.45 – 478.35 calories
- Fat: 0 – 159.45 calories
Protein is the winner by a large margin.
I have another reason you want to eat protein-rich foods like chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, dairy products, legumes, and nuts.
Many people believe that fat promotes a sense of fullness, but it is protein that contributes more significantly to satiety. Why is that? Remember the thermic effect we just discussed? It takes longer for our body to break down protein. This process requires time and energy, and the more calories the body has to convert, the longer it takes. Protein is a slow-burning and inefficient source of fuel.
Time required for digestion
- Fat: it hardly takes time
- Carbohydrate: it takes some time
- Protein: It. Takes. Longer. To. Digest.
The longer it takes for your body to digest food, the longer the feeling of fullness lasts. Your body doesn’t want to eat more while still processing the food you consumed. Does that make sense?
One simple technique for fat loss: make sure your meals contain enough protein. My favorite choice is canned fish served over rice or potatoes. It’s not a perfect meal, but the fish and rice does the job. I don’t need to eat perfectly. Nobody needs to eat perfectly. Relax.
Wrapping Up
Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins are macronutrients essential for our diets. Incorporating more protein from animal and plant sources will support muscle recovery and fat loss.
1. Your Key to Muscle Growth and Repair: Muscle cells burn more calories than fat cells. Eating enough protein aids in muscle repair and growth and helps achieve a leaner appearance.
2. Your Secret Weapon for Fat Loss: Eating more protein can make your fat loss journey more enjoyable. Eating enough protein decreases hunger, making it easier to manage calorie intake.
Reference:
*Standard American Diet by CDC
**Overweight / Obesity Rate by NIH
***Recommended Portions by American Council of Exercise (ACE)
Article: How to Determine the Best Macronutrient Ratio for Your Goals by Tiffani Bachus
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