How important is protein for fat loss?

Something that gets asked in the gym all the time is "how much protein should I be eating?" Earlier this week we had a Facebook Live session with Jason, one of our coaches, one of his topics of discussion was protein.

I think it is fair to say that the importance of protein is underestimated, not just for weight loss but for our body's daily functions.

Protein is a macronutrient, just as carbohydrates and fats are. Macronutrients provide energy. Protein is found in EVERY single cell in the human body... that's trillions!! There would literally be no life without protein.

Protein has a lot of jobs to do for the body, it is used not only for energy, but also as an enzyme to stimulate reactions within the body, for example, metabolism and muscle growth and repair.

It is suggested that you should consume 1g of protein for every 1kg of your body weight. However, this doesn't take into account your activity (exercise) levels. As you exercise you tear the muscle fibres, protein is essential for this repair process, which can take up to 72 hours. If you lead a pretty active lifestyle it is likely you will be recommended to increase the protein in your diet.

So... what good does it do for weight loss?

Well at only 4 calories per gram it means you can eat more... Yay! Who doesn't want to be told they can eat more food??!! As protein is not the body's main energy source it has an awesome way of making us feel fuller for longer, meaning you are less likely to have hunger cravings through the day! (put those crisps away!)

How would you like to burn more calories while digesting your food??? I am not even joking.... protein uses more calories during digestion than either fats or carbohydrates! SO hang on a minute.... You could be sat on your behind catching up on Towie and burning MORE calories???? 

But wait... there is another way it can help you burn more calories not doing very much.... Protein is the body's natural building blocks and as previously mentioned it helps muscle repair and growth. When you weigh yourself do you have the ability to check if the weight you have lost is muscle mass or fat? If you don't you NEED to do this. When you see a weight loss on the scales it could actually be muscle mass, now when at rest your muscles burn calories... I know right! Guess how much fat burns.... ZERO! So the more protein you get in to your diet... the more you can repair and grow your body's muscle mass (we aren't talking Arnie here!).... the more calories  your body will burn while you are doing sweet sweet nothing!

I rest my case.... 

Protein = eat more of it and it's less calories than fat 

Protein = make you feel fuller, less likely to gorge on junk food

Protein = burning more calories to digest 

Protein = increase your metabolism (burn more calories)

Protein = increase muscle mass (burn more calories)