Trying to lose weight is a very difficult thing to do for many people.
– For one, there are so many food choices that it is overwhelmingly difficult to turn them all down.
– Many people have no idea of how many calories they should eat every day.
– Many people ignore the need for exercise as part of a healthy diet.
– Most people do not know how their metabolism and digestive system works.
– And finally, many people have no clue of how hunger works in the body and what true hunger really feels like.
The healthy diet is made up of three macronutrients and countless micronutrients. A good diet needs the right amount of carbohydrates, fats and proteins in addition to the right number of calories to keep your body working correctly. Each of the nutrients that you eat plays a major role in the diet and each is important, but protein plays the biggest role. Protein aids weight loss efforts keeps you feeling full for longer, and jump starts the metabolism as well.
Thermogenesis and Protein for Weight Loss
When the typical diet is eaten, thermogenesis or the generation of heat, is not usually that noticeable. Fat creates the least amount of thermogenesis with only about 3%. Protein, on the other hand, increases this phenomenon by around 30%. In fact, only alcohol increases thermogenesis more than protein. Thermogenesis can be increased by overall diet as well, with a 100% increase seen in diets that are high protein, low fat vs. high carbohydrate and low fat diets. (Source: Westerterp)
The concept of thermogenesis is seen most clearly during big feasts where more food than normal is eaten at one time. For instance, the Thanksgiving meal is typically one of the biggest that most people will eat each year. After the meal is finished, most of the people are tired but many of them will also feel overly warm and may be sweaty as well.
The body generates this heat while it is breaking down and burning food for energy. Protein takes far more work than any other nutrient to digest, resulting in the higher heat production.
Keeping the Body from Feeling Hungry
For many people, eating a lower calorie diet can be derailed quickly by feelings of hunger. When the body feels that it does not have enough food, it sends the hungry message to the brain, which in turn sends out the message to eat. If you have been stuffing your body with more food than you really need, any reduction will make the body panic and think it will starve. It is important to start exercising at this point so that the body continues to burn food for energy rather than simply storing it away automatically.
Because protein takes much longer to digest than other foods, it can keep you from feeling full. A protein based snack, for instance, in the form of a protein supplement, can keep the body from feeling hungry without negatively affecting the metabolism. Protein supplements come in many different forms, including shakes, powders and bars. A really good one for busy people is Profect, a protein shot from Protica that is less than three ounces in size but has 25 grams of protein per 100 calorie serving. Because it comes in so many different flavors, it can be used as a daily snack in a healthy and well balanced diet without fear of becoming bored.
Listen to the Body-It Knows What it Needs
If you have ever thought that you needed a glass of ice cold water, but did not want to stop what you were doing to get one, you know how many ways the body can talk to you. As your thirst increases, your body might start moving a little slowly or you might start having a headache. You might even feel nauseous as the thirst continues to go unanswered. You drink a glass or two of water and suddenly you feel much better. The same can be said for other foods as well. If you are not getting enough of any nutrient, your body may start to crave these foods. If we are not getting enough of the right proteins, our body will make us eat more foods to make up for it, regardless of the calorie count that will result. (Source: Massey University)
Protein comes from a number of different sources, each with different levels of amino acids in them. The body can create all but nine amino acids on its own and needs to have the others through food sources every day or vital functions will suffer. All animal proteins are complete because they have all the essential amino acids while plant proteins are not complete because they lack one or more of these. Profect is a complete protein source. For those who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, there are protein supplements that can be used, including soy and rice proteins. Whey or egg protein supplements can be used for those who are vegetarian.
Weight Loss and Protein: A Successful Case Study
Giovanni is ready to lose weight. While he has joined a gym, he needs to change the amount and types of foods that he is eating as well. He will drop the fatty red meats that have made up the bulk of his diet up to this point and replace them with better protein sources like lean turkey, chicken and other poultry. He will also use fish that is high in omega 3 fatty acids (a vital component for heart health, men should only get omega 3 from marine based sources) as well as protein. To keep from being hungry between his meals, Giovanni will use Profect as a quick and delicious snack. He can gulp one down on the way back to the car after a trip to the gym for instance, replacing the nutrients that he just burned while working out.
Because he no longer struggles with hunger during the day, he is able to eat less and still feel satisfied. He has made no extreme changes to his diet at all, only opted for smaller portions of good foods from every food category. He is glad to see how good foods fuel his body in a healthy way, enabling him to work harder at the gym every day.
Protica Research (Protica, Inc.) specializes in the development of Capsulized Foods. Protica manufactures Profect, IsoMetric, Pediagro, Fruitasia and over 100 other brands, including Medicare-approved, whey protein drinks for weight loss surgery patients. You can learn more at Protica Research – Copyright