Your phone’s buzzing on the counter. Your kid needs help with their homework. And you’re still trying to decide what to whip up for dinner. It’s no secret that you have a lot on your plate. Plus, in the midst of all this hustle, you’d still like to lose that last 15-20 pounds that can’t seem to take a hint.
What if there was a (somewhat sneaky) way to lose that extra weight almost effortlessly, simply by eating more of a certain nutrient? Well, my friend...protein is here to help.
As it turns out, eating more protein can speed up your metabolism, decrease your appetite, and keep the weight off for much longer than you’re used to.
Protein is one of your strongest allies in the battle against unwanted body fat. And today, you’re going to find out why.
1. Protein Speeds Up Your Metabolism
As you eat food, some of the calories are used to digest, process, and distribute the nutrients throughout your body. This is called the “thermic effect” of food.
Protein has a much higher thermic effect than carbs and fat. That means your body burns more calories while digesting and using protein than it does for the other macronutrients. Which also means fewer calories stored as body weight.
If you were to consume 100 calories from either protein, carbs, or fat, your body would spend the calories differently. It would burn about 3 calories to digest the fat, about 7 calories to digest the carbs, and about 25 calories to digest the protein. (Study)
Your body simply burns more calories when they come from protein. You can decrease the amount of calories that get stored as body fat, simply by sourcing more of your calories from protein - instead of carbs or fat.
2. Protein Decreases Your Appetite (and Makes It Easier to Eat Less)
What if you naturally wanted to eat less? Protein makes this possible.
Right now, you might be getting about 10-20% of your calories from protein. Maybe more, maybe less. One study showed that simply by increasing that number to 30%, participants naturally consumed about 400 fewer calories than they normally did - and they weren’t hungry!
This same group lost an average of 11 pounds over 12 weeks, without any attempt to reduce calories! The only thing they changed was making sure 30% of their calories came from protein. That’s it.
In another study, consuming more protein led to fewer thoughts about food and less late-night snacking. That’s pretty awesome.
Bottom line: if you want to effortlessly consume fewer calories, eat more protein.
3. Protein Can Help Keep Weight Off Long-Term
Losing weight victoriously only to gain it back after a few months is one of the most frustrating things on the planet. Trust me, I’ve been there. But I’ve got good news, my friend.
A diet high in protein has shown to help keep the weight off. Regaining some weight can happen to anyone, but one study shows that if you lost the weight using a high-protein diet, then you are likely to reduce the amount of weight regained by 50%. That's huge!
Imagine you and your friend both changed your eating...
She focused on cutting calories (often going hungry), but didn’t pay attention to her protein intake. So she only got 15% of her calories from protein. You, on the other hand, have learned about the power of this macronutrient. Instead of counting calories, you just make sure 30% of your diet comes from protein (and your cravings seem to have disappeared).
Let’s say you both end up losing 30 pounds before returning to your old ways of eating (because you’re human, and it happens). Now imagine you both experience some weight regain. According to research, if your friend gained back the full 30lbs she lost while starving herself, you would likely only regain 15lbs. And she would beg you to tell her how you did it.
That’s the power of protein.
Organifi Approved Sources of Protein
So now you’re convinced…
You see how protein:
- fires up your metabolism
- naturally reduces your cravings and appetite
- helps you keep the weight off long-term
And now you’re wondering how to get more of this fat-burning nutrient. Here’s a list of “Organifi Approved” protein sources that will help you reshape your body for good.
Organic Chicken or Turkey: These provide a solid source of pure protein, a great way to tip the scales without adding any fat or carbs. Make sure it’s free of antibiotics and hormones, ideally free-range or pasture-raised.
Organic Eggs: With about 6 grams of protein per egg, they’re an easy way to increase your protein while adding in some healthy fat and vitamins from the yolks.
Lentils, Quinoa, and Beans: These three can be very useful for people on a plant-based diet. They provide large amounts of healthy fiber and quality protein.
Organifi Complete Protein: Because we know how important protein is, we created our own meal replacement using quinoa, pumpkin, and pea protein. (Shameless plug, both the vanilla and chocolate taste amazing).
Nuts and Seeds: Another great plant-based option. Just be mindful of all the carbs and fat that come along with them.
Grass-Fed Beef, Lamb, and Game: As long as it comes from healthy animals, meat can be very helpful in shredding that excess weight.
Raw Cheese: While we don’t normally recommend dairy here at Organifi, if you can find raw cheese from pasture-raised cows, it can deliver some great protein, along with vitamin K2.
Summary
You can give yourself an “unfair” advantage by increasing your protein levels. This one change can ignite your metabolism, calm your appetite, and keep the weight off. In other words, protein is your friend.