Why high protein makes a diet easier to stick to
Most diets fail not because people do not know what to eat, but because hunger wears them down. Protein is the most filling of the three macronutrients. Meals rich in protein slow stomach emptying and raise the release of gut hormones that signal fullness, so people tend to eat less at the next meal without consciously trying. In controlled studies, raising protein while keeping calories the same often reduces snacking and late-evening hunger.
Protein also has the highest thermic effect of food: roughly 20 to 30 percent of its calories are used just to digest and process it, compared with a few percent for fat. The difference is not huge in daily terms, but it adds up. The more important benefit for anyone who trains is muscle protection. In a calorie deficit, the body can break down muscle for energy, and a high protein intake combined with strength training sharply limits that loss, so more of the weight you lose comes from fat.
How much protein do you actually need? Get your daily target with our free protein calculator.
Calculate my proteinA practical target during fat loss is about 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, or roughly 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram of goal weight for people with a lot of fat to lose. Build each meal around a protein source such as eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, poultry, fish, lean meat, tofu or legumes, then add vegetables and some carbohydrates and fat. People with kidney disease should agree on their protein intake with a doctor.
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