How Does Protein Make You Lose Weight?

How Does Protein Make You Lose Weight

Proteins are essential nutrients for the human body. They are one of the building blocks of body tissue, and can also serve as a fuel source

Eating protein can help lose weight, by boosting your metabolic rate (calories out) and reducing your appetite (calories in). This is well supported by science . But probably the most important contribution of protein to weight loss, is its ability to reduce appetite and cause a spontaneous reduction in calorie intake. Protein is much more satiating than both fat and carbs.

Think of it this way: If you eat 100 calories of protein, your body will burn about 20 to 30 of those calories while processing the protein, says Wycherley. Compare that to 100 calories of carbs, and your body only burns about 5 to 10 calories.

Another reason for the weight loss may be because protein helps preserve muscle mass. And since muscle mass burns more calories than other types of mass, the additional calorie burn could result in a decrease in weight.

In a study in obese men, protein at 25% of calories increased feelings of fullness, reduced the desire for late-night snacking by half and reduced obsessive thoughts about food by 60% .

In another study, women who increased protein intake to 30% of calories ended up eating 441 fewer calories per day. They also lost 11 pounds in 12 weeks, just by adding more protein to their diet .

But protein doesn?t just help you lose? it can also help prevent you from gaining weight in the first place.

In one study, just a modest increase in protein from 15% of calories to 18% of calories reduced the amount of fat people regained after weight loss by 50% .

A high protein intake also helps to build and preserve muscle mass (see below), which burns a small amount of calories around the clock.

The best sources of protein are meats, fish, eggs, and dairy products. They have all the essential amino acids that your body needs.

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written by Clorathe — Thursday, June 23, 2016 — 1 Comment — SHARE IT