Protein and its Weight Loss Function

How good quality protein can help lose weight?

Protein is one of the important nutrients that can help your body overall function properly and thus, help you lose some extra fat. How? Well, a good quality protein taken in an appropriate amount can help boost your metabolism, suppress your appetite, and regulates your hormonal process which in turn can affect your weight in a positive way. On the other hand, while carbs and fats are easily absorbed by the body and may contribute to increased calorie intake.

In this article, we will cover three main aspects:

1. How much protein is required by our body to lose weight?
2. Protein and its weight loss function
3. Ways to increase protein in our diet

How much protein is required by our body to lose weight?

Normally, a sedentary person requires a minimum of 0.8g/kg body wt. to maintain proper wear and tear of the body. If your goal is to lose weight, you need to increase your protein intake to 1g/kg body wt.  Forex. If your weight is 70kgs, your protein intake should be a minimum of 70 gms of protein per day. More than 50% of protein should come from excellent sources like fish, chicken, milk, and milk products. Always consult a qualified dietician, before improving on your protein intake to understand if you suffer from any disease or ailments which can restrict your protein intake.

Protein and its Weight Loss Function

1. Protein regulates several hormonal processes: Good intake of protein can increase your appetite-reducing hormones GLP-1, peptide YY, and cholecystokinin while reducing your levels of hunger hormone which is ghrelin.
2. Proteins got a higher thermic effect: In one of the studies, it was confirmed that the main effect of protein on energy balance is thought to be Diet-induced thermogenesis-related satiety. Satiety scores were higher during meals with a high-protein/high-carbohydrate diet, as well as over 24 h than with a high-fat diet.
3. Protein burns your calories faster: Since protein affects your thermic effect and also regulates your hormonal process; it can improve your metabolism. This can help support your calorie burning.
4. Protein suppresses your appetite: Protein can affect your hunger through various mechanisms. Few we have discussed above, and it was also covered in one of the studies, where increasing protein intake to 30% of calories led to a massive drop in calorie intake in 19 overweight individuals. (Weigle DS et.al, 2005Choose a meal replacer providing good quality protein like whey or milk protein- the most satiating nutrient, of which whey protein is considered to be the most readily available and easily digestible form. It’s important to meet your daily protein requirement which is 0.8 – 1.2 gms/kg body weight/per day.

Ways to Increase Protein in our Diet

Here are a few quick tips to increase your protein intake that can help in your weight loss regime:

1. Add more servings of curd to your diet: 1 cup of curd will give you 10 grams of protein. Try including a minimum of 2 cups of curd or yogurt in your diet through smoothie, kadhi, adding fruits to the yogurt for a great snack.
   
   
2. Include 2 to 3 servings of milk and milk products: Curd, we have included in our above point. Milk contains both whey and casein and you get the benefits of both. Include other milk products like paneer, cheese, etc. Milk and milk products are also excellent quality protein.
3. Incorporate protein supplements: It get’s difficult to get all the protein on a daily basis required from the natural sources. Protein supplements can help you to bridge that gap and meet your goal or daily requirement. Opt for Whey Protein Supplements which got 100% biological value.
   
   
4. Add eggs in your breakfast: If you are ok having eggs, then don’t stop yourself. Eggs are a great source of protein with 100% biological value. Include them in your diet in the form of poached, boiled, soft boiled, omelet rather than frying.
5. Combine two incomplete proteins: Dairy and meat products are considered to be the complete proteins as compared to the plant protein. Complete proteins are those which consist of all the essential amino acids and incomplete proteins have less than one amino acid. So, when one incomplete protein combines with other providing that lacked amino acids can give you a complete protein. Forex. Cereals lack one amino acid called methionine and pulses lack one amino acid called lysine. If you combine these two, you can get a complete protein. Sounds technical, right? Well, let me give you a simple example – Khichdi {made using dal(pulse) and rice (cereal)} or Idli Sambhar (Idli is made using rice and dal combined with sambhar which is a dal). You are already following a few such mix and match in your daily routine, just follow them meticulously.