Protein isn’t just for young guys in the gym trying to pack on muscle. Most people don’t realize that protein impacts metabolic health in amazing ways that everyone can benefit from, especially when trying to shed excess body fat.

Let’s take a look at how protein can help stimulate your metabolism, how to calculate your ideal daily protein intake & great sources of dietary protein to help you achieve your goals.

The Metabolic Benefits

Body Fat Reduction, Lean Mass Preservation, & Maintaining Results Long Term

A 2020 Research Review showed that, according to the existing body of evidence, high protein consumption helps reduce body weight and body fat while preserving lean body mass (1).

“Several clinical trials have found that consuming more protein than the recommended dietary allowance not only reduces body weight (BW), but also enhances body composition by decreasing fat mass while preserving fat-free mass (FFM) in both low-calorie and standard-calorie diets.”

Resting Metabolic Rate Increases (Short & Long Term)

Another Study from 2007 stated that the metabolism increases up to 30% following protein consumption (2). This happens partially because protein actually burns calories during digestion (more so than other macronutrients). Once protein is digested into Amino Acids for the body to use, it has to be converted into glucose in order to be used for energy (a process called gluconeogenesis) which also requires energy.

In short, the body has to digest protein and then convert it into glucose to use it for energy. Both steps actually burn calories just to get the energy from the proteins we eat.

Proteins also help preserve & build lean body mass, even during periods of caloric restriction. Lean body mass (like muscle) increases resting metabolic rate & burns more calories just by existing.

For example, if you had two people with identical height, weight, age, etc, but one had more lean body mass, that person would have a higher resting metabolic rate than the other. This is how protein can indirectly elevate resting metabolic rate long-term by preserving or increasing lean body mass.

Turning off Hunger Signals

High protein meals stimulate a greater sense of fullness (3). This can be extremely beneficial for maintaining a caloric restriction for weight loss. Protein both decreases hunger hormones (like Ghrelin) and increases satiation hormones (like GLP-1) to help you feel full after a meal (1). If you ever feel hungry shortly after meals, increasing the amount of protein in your meals or adding a protein shake in between meals can really help fight off hunger.

Preventing Rebound Weight Gain for Long Term Success

Rebound weight gain following successful weight loss is a huge problem. In fact, it happens more often than not, many times with people gaining more weight than they initially lost. According to the 2020 Research Review, a high protein diet can be a great tool for preventing rebound weight gain (1).

“Fairly long-term clinical trials of 6 – 12 months reported that a high-protein diet (HPD) provides weight-loss effects and can prevent weight regain after weight loss.”

This is most likely due to all of the metabolic benefits we’ve already discussed, especially the preservation of lean body mass & resting metabolic rate.

Ideal Daily Protein Intake Range

The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for protein is 50 grams per day for an adult. However, the RDA just represents the bare minimum for the average person to avoid developing deficiency related diseases, not the optimal amount for metabolic health benefits.

The general daily protein intake recommendations for metabolic benefits typically range from 80 – 100% of current body weight in grams of protein per day. For example, the optimal range for someone who weighs 200 lbs would be 160 grams (80%) – 200 grams (100%) per day.

Current Bodyweight = High end (100%)

Current Bodyweight x 0.8 = Low end (80%)

Many people have heard that you can only absorb 20 – 30 g of protein at a time and any more just gets wasted. This is a common misconception. Protein absorption is usually a rate of absorption rather than a fixed number of grams. Nearly all of the protein you eat gets absorbed, with some sources having a faster absorption rate and some slower.

Great Sources of Dietary Protein

Food Sources

There are many foods that contain some level of protein, but meat is going to deliver the most protein per ounce. For that reason, building your meals around meat will make hitting your protein goals more attainable.

Chicken Breast

4 oz: 35g protein • 187 cal

6 oz: 53g protein • 281 cal

8 oz: 70g protein • 375 cal

Chicken Thighs (Boneless, Skinless)

4 oz: 28g protein • 209 cal

6 oz: 42g protein • 314 cal

8 oz: 56g protein • 418 cal

Ground Turkey (93% Lean)

4 oz: 22g protein • 170 cal

6 oz: 33g protein • 255 cal

8 oz: 44g protein • 340 cal

Ground Beef (85% Lean)

4 oz: 21g protein • 240 cal

6 oz: 32g protein • 360 cal

8 oz: 42g protein • 480 cal

For most people, 4 oz of chicken is about the size of your palm or 1.5 decks of cards. Four ounces isnt much, four ounces per meal can make a big dent in your daily protein. Increasing that to six ounces could bring some people all the way to their ideal daily protein goals.

Supplement Sources

High quality protein shakes can help bridge the gap between what you can get from food and your optimal daily goal. Protein shakes can also be a great way to fight off hunger in between meals and add additional protein without adding a lot of calories.

Protein supplements can come in a variety of different forms based on where the protein comes from. Milk based protein supplements like Whey & Casein are typically viewed as the best sources for their superior bioavailability. One study called these forms out specifically.

“whey protein and casein, are particularly advantageous because they facilitate a rapid, robust, and sustained delivery of EAAs [essential amino acids]”(4).

However, some people might have digestive issues with milk based proteins if they’re sensitive to dairy. If so, there are plenty of great Plant Based, Bones Broth, and even Collagen based protein supplements that can have protein and amino acid contents similar to Whey.

In Summary

There are many underappreciated metabolic benefits of protein: increased metabolism, decreased hunger signals, natural GLP-1 support, body fat reduction, and higher success with long-term weight management. However, many people focusing on weight loss neglect to get enough protein to take advantage of these important metabolic benefits.Focusing on good protein sources in your daily meals and incorporating protein supplements can make the metabolic benefits of protein very achievable.

Sources:

1) Moon, Jaecheol & Koh, Gwanpyo. “Clinical Evidence and Mechanisms of High-Protein Diet-Induced Weight Loss” Journal of Obesity & Metabolic Health 2020 Jul 23;29(3):166–173.

2) Riggs, Amy Jo, White, Barry D, Gropper, Sareen S. “Changes in energy expenditure associated with ingestion of high protein, high fat versus high protein, low fat meals among underweight, normal weight, and overweight females” Nutrition Journal  2007 Nov 12;6:40.

3) Leidy Heather J, Clifton Peter M, Astrup Arne, Wycherley Thomas P, Westerterp-Plantenga Margriet S, Luscombe-Marsh Natalie D, Woods Stephen C, Mattes Richard D. “The role of protein in weight loss and maintenance234” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Volume 101, Issue 6, June 2015, Pages 1320S-1329S

4) Pasiakos Stefan M. “Metabolic advantages of higher protein diets and benefits of dairy foods on weight management, glycemic regulation, and bone” Journal of Food Science 2015 Mar:80 Suppl 1:A2-7