Protein Weight Loss

Protein is made up of various amino acids.  If you get your protein intake high enough, especially in proteins that are rich in leucine, a number of very interesting things happen that can activate a sluggish metabolism and result in weight loss. One easy way to get a lot of leucine, without any fat, is to use high quality whey protein to weight loss.  The casein, a common dairy-protein allergen, is not part of whey protein.  The finest way proteins use advanced filtration technology to leave all the protein molecules intact.  The highest sources of leucine-containing foods are animal and dairy sources.

Using whey protein makes it easy.  I always recommend individuals stay away from processed soy protein (like soy protein drinks), as it is anti-thyroid in higher amounts. Leucine has a direct signaling effect on muscle that prevents muscle loss during weight loss.  This means that on a high-protein diet, the weight that is lost is mostly fat, not muscle. Whereas on a high-carbohydrate weight-loss diet, much more muscle is lost.

This high-protein, leucine-rich diet invariably lowers blood levels of triglycerides, which helps leptin get into your brain easier so that you feel full on fewer calories. Whey protein is especially helpful in improving your brain’s feeling of food satisfaction.  The important HDL cholesterol needs adequate dietary protein in order to form its structure.  We now know that HDL proteins get “spent” as HDL works to help clear LDL cholesterol.  A higher-protein diet supports HDL formation while lowering triglycerides, a two-pronged benefit that not only helps weight management but also supports a healthier lipid profile for cardiovascular well being.  Having a high-protein breakfast is needed to maximize these benefits of protein.

In order to benefit from high protein for weight loss, the amount of carbohydrates must be reduced, which reduce the amount of carbohydrates eaten.  You prevent your body from converting muscle protein to fuel (blood sugar) by eating higher protein, thus preserving muscle mass. Your liver is the metabolic factory of your body.  Fats and carbohydrates are easy for your liver to use, increasing liver metabolism by only four percent, whereas protein must be taken apart and re-assembled for use elsewhere in your body.  This dynamic effect of protein has recently been shown to be the key in supporting your natural ability to burn fat at a faster rate when consuming a diet higher in protein.

A higher-protein weight loss diet also has a natural diuretic effect.  Individuals with extra weight are often sluggish and holding extra water.  When you eat a higher protein diet then an important blood protein called albumin will increase.  A major problem of lower protein-diets is just the opposite – the more carbohydrates an overweight person eats, the more fluids they retain.  Further, higher carbohydrate meals stimulate leptin production too much, in turn provoking leptin resistance and inappropriate desire for more carbohydrates.  Successful ongoing weight loss is much easier, and much less prone to stubborn plateaus, when your basic diet is higher in quality protein.