Protein Diet

Eat less fat, count those calories and exercise more – this is the weight loss message that’s been drilled into us for the past 30 years.  So why has obesity reached such epidemic proportions?  Why, when we are being so fastidious with our diets and are fuelling a personal training and fitness boom, are we not losing weight?

Because we are eating too many carbs and not enough protein.  

Overeating refined-carbohydrate-rich foods overloads our metabolic process and leads to increased fat storage – what we can’t use as energy is stored away for a rainy day, but the more carbohydrates we eat, the further away that rainy day is.

Logic suggests we should eat less but doing that also has a negative response on our ability to lose weight.  Our body goes into starvation mode, figuring that if we’re not getting enough food it had best put aside a little extra to get us through tough times.  This is why diets based on food restriction and calorie limits fail.

People on restrictive diets get tired of feeling hungry and deprived, only lose so much weight before hitting a plateau, then, disappointed they go off their diets and often put the weight back on with interest.

But the good news is weight loss has little to do with willpower and everything to do with information. If you change what you eat to the right foods, you don’t have to be overly concerned about how much you eat.

The key to permanent weight loss and optimal health is the timing and type of meals – the ratio of protein, carbohydrates and fat.  This way you can eat as much as you want and never feel hungry, nor will you need to obsessively count calories or fat grams.

Each meal should be built around a lean protein source and always drink lots of water.  Remember, all animal proteins (meats, fish, poultry, milk, eggs) are complete meaning that they contain all the essential amino acids.

Advantages of a protein diet are that it strengthens cell membranes, maintains our immune system, carries iron to tissues, produces hormones and is important for muscle growth.  Without regular protein consumption, our immune system would collapse along with many other metabolic processes.

So favour a protein diet for real and sustainable weight loss.