5 Reasons You Need More Protein Than You Think When Trying To Lose Weight

Most people “think” they eat the right amount of protein to meet their body’s nutritional needs, but you may be surprised after you run your numbers. Protein is the most crucial nutrient, and the brain even has specific mechanisms that increase our desire for it and make us crave it if we need more. Our brain will also decrease our desire for it if we get too much (that’s why we crave cleansing). These mechanisms are built-in for our health and can be difficult to override through willpower alone. They are often misinterpreted as cravings for the wrong kinds of food.

When it comes to losing weight and preventing the metabolism from slowing down, I usually suggest that you eat as much protein as you crave. But, before you dig into that chicken breast, it's important to know that not all proteins are created equal when it comes to losing weight and improving health. In fact, most of the proteins we think are healthy aren’t because they can contain saturated fats. Yes, even chicken breast can negatively affect metabolic health, like raising cholesterol and increasing uric acid (gout). As we age, protein becomes very hard to digest, which is why we gain weight easier after age 35.

The DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) is 56 grams of per day for an average sedentary man and 46 for women. That has been the suggested reference point for too long, to be honest.

 

We now know that it's not just the amount of protein but the quality that counts most.

Here is where it gets tricky and isn’t as simple as telling all women to eat 46 grams daily or men 56 grams. For starters, if you’re not moving as much as you should, or you're over 35, you’ve lost muscle you don’t need as much. If your metabolism has changed (weight gain is a red flag) and you're trying to lose weight, your protein needs may be higher to preserve lean muscle tissue and keep your metabolic fires burning. 

However, your saturated fat needs have decreased (high cholesterol is your red flag, and no, the genetic argument doesn’t work here or anywhere else for that matter), so chowing down on the latest Paleo, Keto or Whole30 diet isn't as smart as you think. When you understand how metabolic health affects how your metabolism really works, you’ll understand how to make it work more efficiently too.

Last but not least, if you have weight to lose it means you’ve overwhelmed your body. Gallbladder and pancreas issues, gout, fatty liver, clogged arteries, and acid reflux are all red flags you need to listen to. Pay closer attention to your body and its needs, and protein is the first place you should start.

Now that we got that over with let’s take a closer look at who can benefit from a higher protein intake daily.

 

Anyone trying to lose weight

All evidence points to the fact that increasing not only our protein but also improving the quality of the protein we consume is more effective for weight loss and accelerates fat loss. Protein is more satiating than fat and carbohydrates, which means we feel more satisfied and stay fuller longer when we eat it. When we feel more satisfied, we naturally eat less—and lose weight without trying.

Give the body what it really needs, and it blesses you with improved health and better fitting skinny jeans!

For example, researchers put a group of overweight volunteers into an environment where food intake could be controlled precisely. After increasing their protein intake from 46 grams daily to 75-100 grams, and swapping them from hard to digest meats like chicken, steak, and pork to a higher-quality more usable source like purified complete whey, study participants consumed about 440 fewer calories per day and lost an average of 11 pounds over 12 weeks. They got incredible results without dieting per se, or counting calories, or intentionally eating less. (Thanks to Dr. Stephan Guyenet for this study.)

Not that I suggest “winging it” when you’re trying to lose, but you get the point right? In fact, some recent research suggests that the reason low-carb diets are effective for weight loss is not that they are low in carbohydrates, but because they are high in protein.

I should also note that I NEVER recommend cutting vegetables from your diet unless they are too starchy or covered in fattening sauces, which is usually the case. 

 

Anyone with blood sugar or metabolic issues

High protein diets have a great reputation for being the best way to stabilize blood sugar levels, which leads to numerous health benefitting changes for just about every health ailment from metabolic health (it’s not just about weight loss), cardiovascular and inflammatory markers (these are the ones that cause aches and pains throughout the entire body), insulin sensitivity, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, to C-reactive protein.

In today’s world of plenty, everyone should make lean, clean protein the cornerstone of their diet. Especially anyone with diabetes, hypoglycemia, and as hyperglycemia, to name a few.

Stress buckets, athletes and people who train daily hard, as well as those recovering from surgery or health ailments, pre or post-operative/surgical procedures

What do all the above have in common? They all require more protein due to increased demands placed on their body.

Yes, sick and post-surgery people have the same needs for protein as Olympic athletes! Protein is the #1 most important nutrient required to build and rebuild lost muscle tissue, as well as preserve muscle tissue while it's under stress.

Most people don't realize that the face has muscles needing to be preserved and protected, and so does the heart and every other organ in the body. If we want to keep them healthy, it's critical that we get enough of the right kind of protein every day in order to best protect them and stop them from leaving, which leads to flabby muscles all over the body. Not only is this unappealing, but it's also unhealthy!

Drinking Protein Shakes is more important for those of us over 50 than it is for young hardcore training athletes trying to add or maintain muscle mass. If you’re a runner, rower, an endurance athlete, weightlifter, CrossFitter, train every day, or play tennis or golf you too need to consume more protein, making sure you take in daily what your body needs. You also must make sure it’s the right kind and usable. Regardless of what sport or activity you participate in, if you do it daily your body needs more protein; it’s that simple.

Every ballet dancer, Nascar and Formula One race driver, jockey, and Olympic athlete all know the secret to staying young and healthy... drinking a Complete Protein Shake at least once daily to protect health and stay at the top of their game. And, no Vegan shakes, SlimFast, or those pre-made shakes you buy in stores won't work! They are not the same at all, regardless of what their labels say. Try it for yourself, and you’ll soon see and feel the difference after your first LynFit Complete Protein Shake.

 

Everyone over 40, the elderly, and especially the chronically ill

You might think that only hard-training athletes need more protein or should drink protein shakes, but nothing could be further from the truth. When we are young and training hard, we need less because our hormones are more balanced, requiring less. As soon as we hit age 30 everything changes and our body actually requires more. More importantly, this is when taking in the right kind of protein (that is absorbed versus hurting your stomach) in precision doses is critical, and that’s where a premium shake like Complete Protein comes in.

Everyone, from cancer patients, pre and post-surgical, elderly, and the chronically ill suffer from muscle wasting caused by either their disease or treatments. Increasing protein levels with Complete Protein, that’s the highest on the PER ratio (Protein Efficiency Ratio), meaning it's highly absorbable by your body is exactly what bodies like ours needs.

It doesn’t matter if you're lactose sensitive, intolerant, or how most other shakes have affected your body; Complete Protein won't! For starters, it's premium (highest octane and grade), and LynFit takes it a step further by purifying and micro-filtering it to make sure it’s the purest, cleanest protein. That’s what makes it the only shake that can say it's good for weight loss and safe enough for the most sensitive people to drink, without causing any gastric issues.

The micro-filtering process is a separate, additional process that’s used to purify and refine high-grade shakes. It's not cheap to do, so most protein shake companies don’t do this. Not to mention, they aren’t of a quality that warrants it.

Why does LynFit micro-filter their shakes if they're so pure already? Simple... to protect you and your body! We believe in excellence and that you can never be too safe. I created every product you see on LynFit.com because of an issue I had using other brands. I'm allergic to dairy and don’t do well with it at all. It plagued my health for decades, which led me to become vegetarian and my health began to decline even more. I felt weak, lost my hair, and I sought out the help of my physician mentor, world-renowned Dr. Fred Hatfield. He said he wouldn't even talk to m unless I started getting enough protein, and that was the start of better health... physically, mentally, and spiritually. This led me to share these incredible products with you!

I didn’t plan on selling online; I only wanted great products for my in-person clients like Martha Stewart and Speedo and Victoria Secret models, to name a few. Once the word got out, I couldn’t hide them any longer. Thanks to a few pushy people who insisted I ship them to their homes in France, LynFit was born; and I’m sure glad it was!

I love helping all of you and sharing the gifts of good clean nutrition. Besides, we drink so much in my household we would be shopping every day if we didn’t sell them. Even the dogs and ferrets love to lick the protein off our fingers!

 

Adding Complete Protein to your diet daily helps to prevent further tissue breakdown and reduces the negative side effects of both aging and chronic illness. Why is it so good for people who are under a lot of stress?

As I touched on above, Complete Protein helps to stabilize blood sugar levels. Today’s fast-paced world, that’s chronically high stress is a big reason many of us are hypoglycemic, as well as leading to a host of other blood sugar imbalances. This is one of the reasons we crave the wrong food when we are stressed and end up overeating—as a result, making it impossible to stick to our health and weight loss plans.

The simple (slimming) solution is to increase your protein intake by drinking LynFit Complete Protein Shake or having LynFit Lean Bars (especially in the morning) to boost mood and metabolism. It naturally boosts energy levels, reduces jitteriness and agitation, prevents mood swings, improves sleep, sharpens brain function, kills cravings, and keeps you feeling fuller longer when you need it most. I could go on and on, but I’m sure by now you're getting the point.

I’ve seen this repeatedly in my work with clients and especially my injured PT patients who are spending countless hours doing their exercise trying to ache less and heal but fail to see results because they neglect their protein needs.

Being chronically stressed causes the tissues and bones in our body to literally break down. Stress researchers call this breaking down... aka: wear and tear on the body allostatic load. The tissue breakdown is caused in part by the amino acids (building blocks of protein) being used up faster than they are replaced (also known as nutrient deficiency). So, if you’re like me and constantly under a lot of stress simply because you live in the real world, it’s more important that you think to replace those lost nutrients. Drinking a Complete Protein smoothie or having a Lean Bar (made with the same high-grade protein as the Complete Protein Shake) is the most important place to start. It’s delicious, so you won’t feel like you “have to.” A Complete-Protein-Shake-a-Day keeps the illness and ailments away!

What about osteoporosis and bone health? As I mentioned earlier, making sure you meet your body’s protein needs daily helps prevent bone loss and can help strengthen and rebuild bones. But not just any protein will do that. Eating red meat, pork, or even fish can’t work the miracles that drinking Complete Protein whey can (unlike consuming meats... yes, even the lean ones). Complete Protein helps keep your body in a proper pH balance, whereas meats can cause our body to be acidic, leading to all kinds of issues, including bone loss. 

Can drinking a Complete Protein Shake every day help my hair and nails grow and become healthier? Yes! In fact, it SHOULD be your first step when it comes to getting your hair to grow and become healthier. Most people start with vitamins, but protein (amino acids) are the building blocks and should be the base in which you add vitamins and minerals to, and clinical research agrees. Drinking 1-2 Complete Protein Shakes can help stop hair loss and boost hair growth. You’ll quickly see bald patches and receding hairlines begin to improve, specifically when you drink whey versus any other type of protein. Hair is largely made up of protein and whey is the best option because your body absorbs whey better than any other protein. This is also true for nails and skin as well. 

How much protein do you need every day? If you fall into one of the groups mentioned above, as a base, I suggest aiming for 1-2 Complete Protein Shakes or Lean Bars daily. This delivers the amount your body needs while losing weight and burning fat without all the extra fat and calories that can be found in even a lean chicken breast (that may prevent you from losing weight or burning off excess body fat).

If you are ready to take your health and weight loss to the next level and help improve these conditions, you can use the “1 Gram Per Pound of Lean Body Mass” rule to make sure your body gets what it needs down to the number.

For example, if you weigh 120 pounds and your goal weight is 110, you can guess that you have roughly 10 pounds of fat to lose. Feed the muscle but starve the fat, so it leaves. You can best do this by having 110 grams of lean protein while making sure to keep your fat intake to 20 grams max per day, still keeping carbs low. This means dairy products and vegan shakes are out. Now you see why a Complete Protein Shake is liquid gold!

A note on the “higher end intakes”: The higher end of the protein intake scale (two grams per pound of lean body mass) are best saved for aggressive weight loss, metabolic problems, and people doing extreme training or healing from surgery or health ailments. The middle range (which is 1½ grams per pound of lean body mass) is best for daily fitness enthusiasts, athletes, and people training at moderate to vigorous intensity. And, the lower end (one gram per pound of lean body mass) for the elderly, chronically ill, and people under a lot of stress. Remember there are no two body’s that assimilate the same and these are just general guidelines.

I suggest you experiment and journal what you take in, how you look, and how you feel physically and emotionally through the entire process to see what works best for your body. Also, don’t judge if in the first two days your body is not quite adapted. When you're improving eating habits the symptoms we often feel are most often caused by low-carb flu and not protein intake. Be patient and a good scientist; spend at least 21 days to determine the outcome, not one day of tweaking your diet. Just sayin... 😊 

And "no," Complete Protein does not constipate or give you gas or diarrhea the way others can because it's pure, filtered, and we added Fibersol. Constipation is caused by eating undigested foods, not drinking enough water, and not consuming enough vegetables. As you can see protein helps properly balance our diets.

What's Fibersol, you ask? Fibersol is a prebiotic fiber made from chicory that helps keep you feeling fuller longer, improve gut health, boost immunity, and help maintain intestinal regularity. It's used in Complete Protein Shakes and Lean Bars to give them delicious flavor and texture, without adding blood sugar-spiking carbs, fats, or other not-so-healthy ingredients. 

Now you can see why LynFit Complete Protein is the absolute best protein for any situation. Stay tuned for more information about what a typical day's worth of protein on the Lose 1 Pound Per Day Plan looks like and why whey protein is best. I'll also be sharing my favorite ways to make Complete Protein smoothies and recipes your whole family will love!