Is Eating Extra Protein For Weight Loss Effective?
As I have documented many times over my 23 years as an Austin personal trainer, on this website, and elsewhere, is that there is an enormous amount of hype, fads, and just plain misinformation coming from all corners of the fitness world. Nutrition is an area that is as suspect as any other. We’ve gone through many eras, fads, and much hyped and publicized diets that supposedly would revolutionize weight loss, muscle gain, endurance, Etc. Ultimately, they simply fall by the wayside when the hype dies off, and people realize they are not much better off, if any at all, than before they even started this epic fitness and/or nutrition journey they were promised. The idea that you could use protein for weight loss is just such a thing.
Ingesting excessive amounts of protein for weight loss, is about as intelligent and useful as swallowing tube after tube of toothpaste in hopes of having whiter cleaner teeth. It simply does not work that way. In fact, the excessive consumption of protein for weight loss, can actually have both bad effects short term with digestion issues, and serious negative consequences to your health in the long run.
All three of the macronutrients, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, need to be ingested at certain frequencies as well as in certain volumes. Both the frequency, as well as the volume, will vary depending upon the individual, their needs, their genetics, etc. One thing, however, that will always hold true no matter who you are, is that if you take in too much of any one of those three macronutrients, you are not doing your body any favors. Carbohydrates are the body’s most efficient, and best used source of fuel. Protein, on the other hand, is the body’s least efficient, and worst source of fuel. That’s not its purpose afterall. We need protein in order to build, and to maintain muscle tissue. Conversely, carbohydrates would be completely useless for that task. There is a very good reason why we need to have an adequate amount of protein in our system, but ingesting too much protein for weight loss, for example, is simply going to put you at a much higher risk for kidney problems, low energy, digestive disorders, and so on.
If you are truly serious about losing weight, realize that you’re not going to lose it fast. Bear in mind that you didn’t gain it quickly, so you should not be expecting it to be shed any more quickly. Trying to manipulate carbohydrates, following fad diets, Etc, is not how you truly lose weight and keep it off in the long run, while maintaining your health and quality of life. The over consumption of any macro nutrient, including protein for weight loss, is simply not how you will lose weight. If you want to lose weight, you must eat a balanced, and proper diet for your individual needs as well as your body. You will also have to time the eating of your meals and snacks accordingly. Of course, cardiovascular exercise, especially on an empty stomach, is going to facilitate the process. There are no shortcuts, no magic pills, and certainly no magic formulas such as wolfing down the protein for weight loss. If you want to lose weight, do it properly, and do it safely. This will not only ensure your results, but it will help you ensure that you will keep the weight off, as well as maintain your health and functionality going forward.
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Andy
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