If you've been working out with weights for any length of time, you know the importance of supplying your body with frequent feedings of quality protein so that your body will be able to have the necessary building blocks to build muscle in the shortest amount of time possible.
How much protein should you be consuming each day? Well, that debate has been raging for many years. Eventually, the mainstream will accept what those in the bodybuilding community have known for a long, long time.
In order to increase muscle mass, you should be consuming at least one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. This is a good starting point. However, this is the same thing you need for fat loss. You need to eat more protein to burn fat.
After awhile you may gradually increase your protein intake, monitoring your progress as you go, to determine if a higher protein intake allows you to make better progress.
Personally, I make better progress when my protein intake is somewhere between one and 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight, spread out over 6 meals per day.
The above paragraph may not be new to any of you. What you might not realize, however, is that protein is also extremely important when dieting to burn off excess body fat. You definitely want to eat more protein to burn fat. Eating more protein burns calories and helps you lean out.
Yes, it's important to keep your protein intake high when dieting to make sure that you don't burn off any muscle tissue in your quest to get ripped or lean.
But that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about taking in protein to burn fat in order to boost your metabolism and burn more fat, in addition to helping preserve and build your lean muscle tissue.
Eating more protein to burn fat was confirmed in a study published in the American Journal of Physiology. One group was fed a high protein diet (just over one gram per pound of bodyweight per day) while the second group consumed a protein diet near equal to that of the RDA.
The group eating the high protein diet burned more fat than the group consuming protein near equal to the RDA. One reason for the ability of protein to burn fat could be an increased "thermic" effect. The thermic effect of the RDA group was elevated 16% after eating.
However, in the high protein group the thermic effect increased 42% after eating, almost 3 times that of the RDA group.
This thermic effect of digesting your food peaks approximately one hour after eating. Spreading your daily caloric intake over 6 meals a day, eating every 2 to 3 hours, helps to take advantage of the increased metabolic rate that accompanies eating.
In other words, the more oftern you eat, the higher your metabolic rate, i.e. the number of calories your body burns each day.
In addition, by adding more protein to each meal, you also increase your metabolism. Your body requires more energy (i.e. calories) to process protein than it does carbohydrates. Let's review some simple changes you can make right now in your nutrition program to rapidly increase your body's ability to not only build muscle but burn fat also.
1) Eat 5 to 6 smaller meals per day, as opposed to 2 or 3 larger ones. This will ensure that you supple your body with the nutrients necessary to build muscle, as well as increase your resting metabolic rate.
It will also prevent your body from kicking into "starvation" mode, which can happen when you go too long between meals. If this happens, your body will start burning muscle for energy and increase your body fat stores, as well as slowing down your metabolism. All of these are things you want to avoid.
2) Eat a high protein diet consisting of at least one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. This helps ensure that your body has the protein available to increase maintain a positive nitrogen balance, which can lead to an increase in your muscles mass.
It will also increase your metabolic rate, allowing you to burn more body fat than a low protein diet, without as large a decrease in your daily caloric intake, which will also help avoid the "starvation" mode discussed in the previous paragraph.
Try these simple changes in your nutrition program to help you rapidly increase your muscle mass, burn off unwanted body fat and achieve the ripped muscular body that you've always wanted.
Gregg Gillies is the founder of http://www.buildleanmuscle.com and has contributed articles to Ironman magazine as well as being a regular contributor to Body Talk magazine. He publishes a free newsletter availabe at http://www.buildleanmuscle.com. He is the author of two books, also available at his site.
kitchen deep cleaning Deerfield ..Do you tend to find your weight increases when you... Read More
Recently a woman went public in her online diet community... Read More
All the weight control experts recommend keeping a record of... Read More
Very few Americans are satisfied with their current weights. There... Read More
Fat Loss Tip #1) Train With WeightsWorking out with weights... Read More
If you have been eating as usual and the pounds... Read More
It was bad enough hearing almost daily that obesity in... Read More
Some of you will not like what I have to... Read More
The best exercises for quick weight loss in my opinion... Read More
Essential Fats for Weight LossOver the past few decades, the... Read More
America is a nation of self-disclosers, amiably acceptant of our... Read More
Why have I allowed myself to get into this shape?... Read More
Do a little people-watching, next time you're in the grocery... Read More
Although all of the risks involved in gastric bypass surgery... Read More
From the book Spider's Big CatchLike many people, I've decided... Read More
Following recent reports of a South Dakota man weighing half... Read More
You and I know that getting plenty of support from... Read More
negative calorie effect in foodsWhatever food we eat,... Read More
CancerCoronary heart diseaseStrokeOsteoporosisMajor Depression from Brain StarvationHeadlines.WASHINGTON, Jun 22, 2004... Read More
Nitrates and nitrites are preservatives that are added to certain... Read More
The problem isn't that you don't have enough will power... Read More
In order to identify hunger, you must first understand what... Read More
These days, most everyone has heard of low carb diets... Read More
Today I stopped by my favorite coffee shop in Berkeley,... Read More
In March 2003 our then 13 year old daughter, Helen,... Read More
interior house cleaning Highland Park ..All of us that have had a love-hate relationship with... Read More
To continue the educational series on your health and fitness... Read More
Would you run out of fingers, and maybe even toes,... Read More
Gastric Bypass surgery is becoming increasingly more popular for the... Read More
Being over weight is usually being 20 percent or more... Read More
To say that dieting rarely leads to sustainable weight loss... Read More
Some (not so) Silly Diet Tips and Why They're NotAt... Read More
It is very tempting to try that fad diet that... Read More
A number of popular diets are focused on carbohydrates. Some... Read More
The Constant Quest for Restriction; Not enough vs. too muchRestriction.... Read More
Can You Lose Weight Where You Want?If you have excess... Read More
My name is Greg Ryan. I am a high profile... Read More
Just about every one of us struggles with our weight... Read More
In order to lose weight, your body must burn more... Read More
If only we could solve this question, the world (for... Read More
Remember there's more to you than meets the eye. You've... Read More
So you've decided that you're going to do it.You're sick... Read More
If you're trying lose weight, maintain your weight, or sculpt... Read More
If you are fighting the battle of the bulge (overweight... Read More
Weight Loss Their Greatest Opponent --------------------------------- Before high school and... Read More
Using healthy low carb recipes are an important part of... Read More
Are you Telling Yourself It's Too Hard to Lose Weight?Telling... Read More
Obesity acceptance, also known as fat acceptance, has a simple,... Read More
Families who dine out with their loved ones who've had... Read More
Weight loss programs often have big claims. Understand the "science"... Read More
Weight Loss |