Protein Sources for Achieving Weight Loss

Question: I'd like to lose weight but gain some muscle too. What kind of protein should I be eating to do lose weight and get leaner?

Answer:

Protein Sources

For a general overview, you will want to be eating protein from sources such as tuna, salmon, chicken, and egg-whites. Good proteins for not gaining bad weight (fat) can come also from plant oils and nuts. Be aware, however, that chicken and fish are not just good sources of protein but also have fat in them. Because of this it is a good idea to bake or grill them instead of frying them because of how much grease you would be eating. In terms of the amount of these proteins, everyone will differ.

This difference depends on your body type (metabolism and prior eating habits) and the amount of exercise and effort you put into getting more lean. If you plan on exercising (going to the gym, swimming, and playing a sport are all good ideas) around one hour per week, it is recommended that you intake around .7 grams of protein per pound of LEAN body mass (each day). If you are up around 4-5 hours of exercising each week, try .9 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass. Your lean body mass is your weight after subtracting your body fat.

Example: You have 140 pounds of lean body mass, then you will be taking in between 98 grams and 126 grams of protein each day.

Dividing Up Your Diet

How you divide up the amount of protein you eat compared to your amount of carbohydrates and other foods will play a significant role in your sucess too. Between 1/4 and 1/3 of your calories should be coming from protein. In a study done on a group of overweight people, those eating a diet with 1/4 of their calories coming from protein lost a significant amount more weight than those people whose diet consisted of 1/8 of calories being protein.

Losing Weight and Gaining Muscle

Because muscle weighs more than fat, your plan may appear to not be working if you are using a scale. You may be losing fat and getting a better physique of muscle but the numbers are going up! A good way to avoid losing self esteem is to judge progress by using the mirror instead of the scale. This is not completely banning the scale but read the scale article in the weight control section for more information.