If you've been looking for the magic fat loss bullet to help you lose fat and get toned, protein is the closest you'll get to it. When our Personal trainers start working with clients one of the first things we start improving is daily protein intake.
Most people are not eating enough protein in their diets. Ideally you should aim for 1.6-2g per kg of bodyweight for your daily protein intake. In a fat loss or muscle building program, your caloric and protein targets are non negotiable. You can balance carbs and fat however you prefer as long as you can fit it within your caloric budget.
Here are the top 4 reasons you should eat protein:
1) The body finds it very hard to store protein as fat meaning even if you overeat on protein, your body can't store the excess protein as fat unlike carbs or fats which can be stored as fat.
2) Protein has a high thermic effect meaning you burn around 20-30% of the calories you intake from protein to digest it.
For example if you eat 400 cals of protein (100g) your body has to expend around 120 calories to digest this.
That's equivalent to 30 minutes of light jogging!
3) Protein helps muscle recovery and build muscle. Most people make the mistake of losing muscle mass in a fat loss program because they don't eat enough protein which leaves them looking 'skinny-fat'
4) Protein is very filling and helps you manage hunger better than carbs or fat. Our Personal training clients feel pretty full throughout the day eventhough they're in a caloric deficit because of their high protein intake
Great sources of protein
Chickpeas
Tofu
Cottage cheese
Chicken
Fish
Eggs
Mutton
Tempeh
Seitan
