Many people dieting don’t seem to realize the importance of eating good quality protein when attempting to lose weight. Without sufficient protein, the body actually breaks down faster than it repairs itself, eventually resulting in a lowered metabolism. This may even be exasperated if exercising frequently in order to lose weight. This does not mean it’s necessary to eat lots of protein, in fact eating little and often seems to be the best rule.

There are a few reasons why it’s important to eat protein when on a weight loss diet. The most obvious is to help reduce the breakdown of lean muscle. Excessive muscle breakdown often occurs when the body is on a strict calorie diet. The more calories are restricted the more muscle we tend to lose. A slight calorie restriction coupled with a little weight training and frequent intake of good quality protein will reduce muscle loss and maintain basic metabolism.

The other reason is more complicated, but just as important. The building blocks of proteins are amino acids and of the 22 which make up protein, 8 are classed as essential. This means they must be provided in the daily diet. There are 2 essential amino acids which encourage the body to burn body fat, they are Lysine and Methionine. ** These both work together to produce another amino acid Carnitine, and its Carnitine that helps carry fatty acids into the cells to be burnt for energy.

Another essential amino acid Phenylalanine * is used by the body to build Insulin and help regulate blood sugar levels. There is lots of scientific evidence which suggests that weight management is achieved much more quickly when there is a consistent control of blood sugar and insulin release. The G.I. diet plan is the popular way to lose weight by controlling blood sugar.

 

Protein intake requirement

As a practical but rough guide protein should make up about 25 percent of the food on your plate, but may vary depending on individual requirements. Animal protein sources provide the best quality protein sources but due to the sometimes high saturated fat content, it may not be best to supply all protein requirements with foods of animal origin. Plant protein can be just as good especially if combined in the correct combinations to create complete proteins.

Another good guide is one gram of protein per kilogram of body weight. An example would be 70 grams per day for a male of 70kgs in weight. Remember though this is a rough guide and may need to be changed for the individual circumstances.

There is no need to take supplements of the individual amino acids Lycine and Methionine in order to gain benefits of fat burning, it would be much better to ensure adequate and frequent intake of good quality proteins. A healthy balanced diet should provide all the necessary amino acids required for good health and fat burning potential.