3 Reasons You Should Eat a High Protein Diet to Lose Weight
You’ve probably heard that protein is important, but why?? If you’re trying to lose weight, a high protein diet can be extremely helpful. This doesn’t mean carbs and fat are bad, it just means focusing on getting enough protein is really important and it’s also really healthy for you! Most of the clients I see don’t get enough protein in general. Here are a list of some reasons why you should focus on protein if your goal is weight loss.
1- Protein helps you stay fuller longer
Protein can help reduce the levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin. Ghrelin is produced and released by your stomach when it’s empty. It’s a hormone that tells your brain it wants you to eat. So increasing protein in your diet can help with hunger levels. Protein also has a higher thermal effect of food meaning it takes more energy for your body to digest protein and therefore you stay fuller for longer.
2-Protein increases satiety or satisfaction with food
Eating high protein meals can help you feel more satisfied after meals. This can make a big difference for late night cravings. I have found that when my clients eat more protein throughout the day, their sweet cravings in the evening decrease dramatically. Having three hearty meals with 30-40 grams of protein can really help with the snack cravings and help you feel more satisfied and not feel like you always need to be snacking on something.
3- Protein helps you keep on your lean muscle mass so that you’re mainly losing fat
When you’re just focusing on lowering your calories, you can definitely lose weight but often it ends up being fat AND muscle mass that you’re losing. Keeping that lean muscle mass on is important so making sure you’re getting a high protein diet can cause your body to keep on the muscle and focus more on losing fat.
If you want help figuring out how much protein you need, losing weight, or meal planning for weight loss, fill out a contact form HERE and we’ll reach out to set up an appointment with one of our dietitians!