Healthy Weight Loss Plan: Nutrition 108 - Protein Power

It's no secret these days that protein is important to a good healthy nutrition plan.  But it's important to get a grasp on why this is the case and learn how to properly incorporate protein into your diet.  That is where Nutrition 108 comes into play.

In this article, we will go over the true powers of protein and what makes it so special.  There are a few benefits that are not apparent on the surface. We will then come up with a solid gameplan for you to properly utilize protein in your diet for maximum effectiveness.

When it comes to what goes on inside your body, protein is simply a bunch of amino acids. These amino acids work to rebuild and repair muscle tissue that is damaged due to use via work.

In food, protein has four calories of energy per gram. Once it enters the body, the amino acids are assembled to form the protein structures need to perform various tasks throughout the body.

In terms of survival, protein is essential. Proteins make up a large part of the structure of all of our body's cells. In addition to repairing and rebuilding muscle tissue, proteins also provide structure for tendons and ligaments, can work as enzymes, transport substances to where they need to go in the body, and form metabolic engines.

When it comes to a healthy weight loss diet, it is crucial that you do your best to get a quality source of protein with each meal.

You may already know that protein has important qualities when it comes to building and maintaining muscle mass. Still, it is important to understand why, and how to use this information to improve your diet.

During a resistance training workout, your muscle fibers get broken down as they do heavy work. To repair and rebuild these fibers, your body needs two things: rest and protein. The essential amino acids found in many proteins, and popular in many protein powder supplements, are crucial to this repair and rebuild process.

This is why it is important to consume a fast-absorbing protein as soon as possible after a workout. I highly recommend finding a quality protein shake that you like and consuming it immediately after every workout. Do not worry about getting a huge amount of protein. Focus on the quality of the source.

One of my favorite protein supplements is Prograde Workout, as it is the only one that I have found to not upset my stomach in the slightest. You may hear people often complaining that they're protein shakes make them gassy. This is because of the lack of quality of the substances in them. Prograde has very high-quality protein, which is why I recently made the switch.

I could write all day about the science behind protein and what it does for the body, but this is not biochemistry class.  This is an article to help you lose weight in a healthy manner.  Therefore, it is important that I cut to the basics and tell you how the stuff helps you lose weight.

In a nutshell, the benefits of protein for weight loss purposes all come down to metabolism.  First, protein helps you maintain and build muscle mass which increases your metabolism.  Second, protein has many roles in the body and will not be stored as fat, unlike carbohydrates.  Third, protein has the highest thermic effect of all the macronutrients.  This means it requires the most calories to eat and fully digest, which provides a nice bonus boost to your metabolism.

Basically, protein has a lot of positives when it comes to fat loss and no negatives.  Therefore, I reiterate the importance of having protein with each meal.

My concern with low-carb diets rests mostly in the fact that they often over-stress the importance of protein and it ends up being all people eat.  My healthy weight loss diet is not a typical low-carb diet.  Rather, we focus on balance and proper timing.

You will be eating fruits and vegetables throughout the day and getting some more carbs after a workout.  You will also be consuming a large quantity of healthy fats.  You will not be overdoing the protein, as a result.

An excessively high protein diet can lead to kidney problems if you are not careful.  This is especially true when combined with extreme low-carb diets.  Therefore, I ask you to exercise reason when it comes to macronutrient selection.

This is one question I do not have a definitive answer to, and it's one of the most frequently asked questions that I get.  The problem is, everybody is different.  Everyone's body responds differently to different foods.  I will go into more detail on this subject in a later hub on metabolic typing.

If you must have a ballpark recommendation, you can twist my arm to get me to suggest one gram of protein per kilogram of your body weight.  Therefore, if you weight 220 pounds, you would want 100 grams of protein per day. (Yes, I chose that weight to make the math easy).

But don't be married to that number.  Some people need more.  Some people need less.  Try getting about that much and see how you feel.  Eventually, with a little focus and effort, you will be able to tell the right amount for you.  Again, I will provide a better guide for this process in a future hub.

In the meantime, if you can't wait to learn about this cool metabolic typing business, I highly recommend you read William Wolcott's book that I provided a link to here.

Here is the official protein gameplan for healthy weight loss purposes:

• Get a quality source with each meal.
• Drink a quality protein shake after each workout.
• Combine protein and fat in your meals that are not around workout time.
• Combine protein and carbs in your first meal after a workout.

To find how protein effects your specific body needs, I recommend contacting a nutritionist.