It might be common for one to hear that eat less carbohydrates and more protein will help in weight loss, but have you ever wondered why is that so? And how does protein help in weight loss?
Protein is a single most important nutrient for weight loss and a better-looking body. A high intake of protein can help boost the metabolism, reduce appetite, and even change several weight regulating hormones.
Your weight is actively regulated by your brain in particular the hypothalamus. For you to determine when and how much to eat, it needs to process multiple different types of information. A higher protein intake will increase the level of satiety hormones (which reduces your appetite) while reducing your hunger hormones thus naturally reducing your carbohydrate intake.
After eating, some calories will be used to digest and mobilize the food which is known as the: Thermic effect of food (TEF). Due to the high thermic effect and other factors, a high protein intake will help to boost metabolism thus burn more calories around the clock even when you are sleeping. Apart from boosting metabolism, it can also help to increase the number of calories burned by about 80-100 per day.
This effect is particularly pronounced when one overeats or in a calorie surplus. Overeating with a high protein diet can increase the number of calories burnt by 260 each day. By burning more calories, high protein diet will naturally have a metabolic advantage over diet which are lower in protein.
During the process of dieting but the constant cravings are obstructing your way. Well then you will be further amazed by the wonders of Protein. Protein has a powerful effect on both cravings and the desire to snack at night. It has been proven in studies that protein at 25% can reduce cravings by 60% and reduce the desire of late-night snacking by half. Thus, protein can reduce calories in and boost the calories out.
Although eating more protein can be a lot easier than what you think but integrating it into your lifestyle and nutrition plan can be difficult. Thus, it is recommended to use a calories/nutrient tracker at the beginning. But if you are a carbohydrates person who simply just cannot give them up, you can always speak to our friendly therapist who can give you some tips to tweak your diet a little bit!