But the calories-in vs. calorie-out theory of weight loss has been disproven.
This is known as diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT).
After a high-protein meal, your body spends more energy, which contributes to your overall daily calorie burn.
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Protein Is Harder to Store Than Fat
Its also harder for your body to convert protein to body fat.
That means that eating a high-protein diet makes it less likely that youll accumulate extra fat.
When you eat carbohydrates, your body can convert the food to fat with about 80% efficiency.
With fats, the efficiency is about 96%.
But the conversion of protein to fat storage is only 66% effective.
Protein Helps Prevent Muscle Loss and Metabolic Slowdown
Having muscle mass contributes to your overall metabolism.
Many diets lead to muscle loss, which can result in a lower overallmetabolic rate.
Protein helps fight muscle loss.
Research has shown that eating a high-protein diet for weight loss results in less muscle loss.
How Much Protein Should I Eat to Lose Weight?
In general,people should getabout 10% to 35% of their calories from protein.
On average, mostAmericans get about 16%of their daily calories from protein.
However, if youre trying to lose weight, you might want to aim for much more than that.
There are many apps that help with this.
Just beware of relying too heavily on processed foods, which can hinder weight loss.
For example, 150 grams of protein will have roughly 600 calories.
If you notice that youre gaining weight on a high-protein diet, be mindful of your caloric intake.
Ideally, if youre increasing your protein intake, youre doing so by replacing carbohydrates or fats.
Adding protein and adding overall calories to your daily intake could lead to weight gain.
However, remember that weight gain isnt always bad.
If youre increasing your protein you may be increasing your muscle mass as well.
This can contribute to weight gain, since muscle weighs more than fat.
The problematic body-mass index compares weight to height, without considering body composition (fat vs. muscle mass).
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