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.
family-safe home cleaners Northbrook ..You have finally decided to tackle weight management and lose... Read More
Sometimes, just the thought of starting on a diet and... Read More
Are you up to a cave man diet? You won't... Read More
"Unless that apple tastes like the best apple you've ever... Read More
Do you know that while you work out the muscles... Read More
One of the most talked about topics in any political... Read More
Teenagers with body mass indices between 25 and 30 require... Read More
The latest trend in the area of weight loss is... Read More
The Liver The function of your kidneys is to filter... Read More
Obesity is quickly becoming the number one health issue confronting... Read More
Have You Given Up on Weight Loss? by Greg Landry,... Read More
Foods that are high in fiber and protein are the... Read More
Obesity still remains one of the commonest avoidable causes of... Read More
Although liposuction is one of the most commonly performed cosmetic... Read More
I was overweight at my age. It's not a pretty... Read More
Your pants are a bit tight, you can't seem to... Read More
How to Estimate How Many Calories You Can Have and... Read More
Any dietary plan on the market has some portion of... Read More
Choosing the right diet type is the most important decision... Read More
Did you know that less than 2% of dieters lose... Read More
"Your Eyes are Bigger Than Your Stomach""Your eyes are bigger... Read More
For many years, herbalists believe that Cayenne is the most... Read More
The low carb diet craze has become extremely popular amongst... Read More
Are you overweight? Then you probably want to lose some... Read More
Thinking about weight loss surgery? You're not alone. Over two-thirds... Read More
residential cleaning services Deerfield ..In the early nineties doctors were beginning to see the... Read More
I know a lot of people out there would like... Read More
I am so proud of you and your accomplishments. You're... Read More
How would you like to eat all you want and... Read More
So your neighbor, office mate, best friend, whoever just lost... Read More
To continue the educational series on your health and fitness... Read More
Every Journey Worth Taking Begins with a Single StepHere are... Read More
If you're taking a fiber supplement or eating a high... Read More
It is a fact that about 70% Americans are overweight.... Read More
Have you ever experienced this scenario before?"I have successfully lost... Read More
Although liposuction is one of the most commonly performed cosmetic... Read More
Every day, it seems, a new study pertaining to weight... Read More
Adherence to diet for one year, not the specific diet... Read More
Do you remember nodding your head with understanding during your... Read More
There are those that walk amongst us who have followed... Read More
In order to identify hunger, you must first understand what... Read More
An increasing trend over the last few years has been... Read More
There are many books and internet articles written about weight... Read More
Dr. Atkins death was unexpected. On 8 April 2003, he... Read More
Any doctor worth their salt will tell you diets don't... Read More
All of the things we tell sick people so that... Read More
A metabolism drug like ephedrine, has shown many people how... Read More
False campaignsMore than 50 percent of Americans and Canadians are... Read More
Changing habits is one of the most difficult challanges we... Read More
Over the last twenty five years the most common questioned... Read More
Weight Loss |