What is Protein and are you getting enough?

Well, first off that depends on your fitness goals.

Is your goal to lose fat and gain muscles? Are you trying to bulk up and build muscle, not worried about losing fat? Are you just trying to maintain your current physique?

These questions need to be answered before you understand how much protein you need. You also need to understand what protein is and how it works in the body to help you reach your specific fitness goal.

What is Protein?

Protein is a essential macronutrient your body needs to live. It makes up your muscle tissue. It is a primary structural element in the body that helps develop hair, skin and nails. It does many things in your body to keep you alive and thriving. I can go on into the scientific parts about protein, but I doubt you want to read that much. Also you’re here to get some tips on protein and fitness, so I wont bore you.

A normal human need about 0.8 to 1g per pound of goal body weight in protein. So that means, if I am a 200lb woman and want to reach a goal weight of 180, I need to focus on eating 180g of protein per day. Men and women are slightly different when it comes to protein needs. Men need about 30-35g per meal and women need about 20-25g per meal.

Protein and Fat Loss

So if you want to lose fat, you are going to be in a calorie deficit. Which means, eating less calories than we are expending. That is the basics for weight loss. EAT LESS, MOVE MORE!

But for fat loss, most of us…me included…don’t want to lose our current muscle mass while in a calorie deficit. By keeping more muscle mass you can maintain a higher metabolic rate, which will lead to greater fat loss in the long run. Muscle is the most metabolic tissue in the body and protein feeds the muscles.

The goal is to have your body in an ANABOLIC SATE. Where it is primarily burning carbs and fats for fuel.

CATABOLIC STATE is what you DO NOT want to be in. This state is undesirable for fat loss because your body is using more amino acids as fuel and less of carbs and fat. This can lead to muscle tissue being broken down and excessive carbs and far getting stored as fat for later use…which is what we don’t want!

Protein in your diet

How do you get enough protein in your diet? I think this is the #1 challenge for most people. A good way to get more protein in your diet is to replace some of your carbs and fat calories with protein calories. This will allow you to feel fuller and be less hunger while being in a calorie deficit.

It has been shown that a high protein diet actually increases levels of hormones that make you feel full while reducing your levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin. This helps because you won’t have as many cravings or desires for high-carb and high-fat foods that are not on your nutrition plan.

The goal to fat loss in adding high quality protein to your daily foods. This in return will help you burn more calories when digesting this high quality protein. Protein takes a lot more energy to process that both carbs and fats. This is a good thing, especially if your goal is fat loss.

Benefits of eating protein

A high protein diet can help curb cravings. All those late nite cravings for chips, sweets, sugar…if you are getting enough protein during the day in your meals then those cravings should start to disappear.

High protein can help maintain lean muscle mass, which is the goal when you are looking to lose body fat. A high protein diet can help repair your muscles. This is why I PREACH about drinking your post workout shake (Phormula-1) right after your working. Never waste a workout!! And lastly, it helps you feel fuller for longer. Like I said earlier, it will help curb those cravings because protein will keep you fuller for longer and you won’t be hunger for the cravings.

So I hope these tips helped you in understanding why protein is super important to your fat loss and why you need to add it to your daily meals. Please share this with friends and family if they need some help.

And I am always available to help!! I am a certified personal trainer, and a 1PN certified nutritionist. I love to help ladies reach their fitness goals and thrive!