The One Nutrition Hack That Finally Kickstarted My Fat Loss
If you’ve ever tried to restrict your calorie intake for a diet to lose fat, you’ll likelyknow that it can be difficult to stick to for an extended length of time – depending on how you went about things!
I’d like to outline some simple tips that may make it easier for you to stay on track with your diet when wanting to lose fat.
Let’s look at the role of Protein.
Studies consistently show greater weight loss, and fat loss in high protein diets.
Most of the clients I see report eating under the recommended intake for dietary protein once they keep a food diary. The daily recommended dietary intake of protein is 0.8g per kg of your bodyweight. A little more than this would be ideal for very active people, to aid in recovery from workouts, and maintenance of lean muscle mass during your diet.
One of the toughest barriers most of us will come up against when dieting, is our hunger levels.
Eating a higher protein diet can increase your satiety hormones, keeping you feeling fuller for longer, and may lead to a decrease in overall energy intake – which is the key to your fat loss goals.
Eating more protein has also been shown many times to improve your ability to stick to a diet – another really key element of successful long term fat loss.
Protein requires more energy to metabolise, and has been shown to preserve your resting energy expenditure. (What you burn when at rest – winning!).
How could this look for you?
Aim for 20g of protein at each meal for the day – here’s a few examples of protein rich foods:
- 100g Steak
- 80g Tuna in Spring Water
- 120g Chicken Breast
- Eggs
- 2 Cups Whole Milk
Increase your protein intake at Breakfast!
- Omelette of 1 x egg and 2 egg whites with smoked salmon
- Wholemeal toast with cottage cheese and avocado
- Smoothie of Banana, scoop of chocolate whey powder, skim milk and 50g greek yoghurt
Whey Protein is your friend!
I used to think that Whey Protein was for the exclusive use of gym bros lifting 200kg… it’s actually a really handy by-product of the cheese making process! It’s a food, not a supplement, and a fantastic way to boost your daily protein intake without upping your calories and fat.
Add a scoop to some cooked oats for breakfast, add to your smoothie or just have as a low calorie snack on the go with a piece of fruit. There are some fantastic vegetarian and vegan plant based protein powders available too.
Practice increasing your daily protein intake and see how you feel! I personally experienced less cravings, less dips in energy and started feeling fuller for longer once I looked at my protein intake.
Awesome post Angie! I like whey but find casein protein keeps me fuller for longer – trick I learned from seeing Jayson.
Thanks Kim! Yes, Casein is slower digesting so a great option before bed too. Whey consistently shown to be better for recovery and performance so I’ll tend to suggest that first when people are training HIIT. Can do both depending on your budget of course!