Have you ever heard these comments about protein and weight loss and wondered if they’re true?
1 – If you don’t eat enough protein, you won’t lose weight.
2 – Carbs turn to fat so eat more protein and less carbs.
3 – You can’t really eat too much protein. More is better.
4 – Half of your plate should be lean protein.
5 – You need to eat a lot of protein to gain muscle.
Protein Myths Debunked by Basic Physiology and Science!
If you don’t eat enough protein, you won’t lose weight.
- Inadequate protein intake will not prevent you from losing weight.
- However, not getting enough protein may result in losing more muscle mass. When we lose weight, we all want to lose fat, not muscle. Losing muscle mass can also result in a lower metabolic rate, meaning you get to eat less calories per day to maintain the same weight.
- Take Home Message: Getting enough protein to support the maintenance of muscle mass during weight loss is important, but not eating enough protein alone will not make it impossible to lose weight.
Carbs turn to fat so eat more protein and less carbs.
- Your body stores any excess calories as fat, regardless of the source. If you eat too much protein, carbs or fat your body will convert them to adipose tissue (body fat).
- Additionally, your body will function optimally if it is fueled by all three macronutrients, carbohydrates included.
You can’t really eat too much protein.
- Actually, you can. More than 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (or about 0.9 grams per pound of body weight) provides no benefit in the average person, and may even have negative effects.
- Your body is unable to store excess amino acids for later use. S