Why Protein?
Written by Erica Giovinazzo, MS, RD, CF-L2, CPT
“Protein, protein, protein, UGH!” *eye roll* “OK Erica, I’ll have sardines with lunch!”
This is a regular response from my Mom (and many of my clients) when I ask them what protein they’ve had that day. My Mom has been the only one however whose typical solution is sardines. Good for her though, they’re packed with omega 3s.
One of the top things my clients struggle with (if not THE top) when they start working with me is eating enough protein. They’re used to eating avocado toast for breakfast (or no breakfast at all), and maybe 3-4 ounces of protein at lunch and dinner. Snacks? Sure! Apples, almonds, chips, cookies… but ne’er a turkey slice in sight.
Even when they successfully eat more protein than pre-Erica, if they had been really low, then they still might not even be near their minimum. Like maybe before me they ate 80 grams of protein per day, and they’ve worked their way up to 100 grams, but their minimum goal is 130 grams. Sound like you?
As with everything, knowing the *why* makes it more motivating to do the work. So let’s talk about WHY you need more protein (and I’ll tell you how much).
Why is protein so important?
It helps maintain (and even increase) muscle mass while you are losing weight and/or changing your body composition.
Especially if you are at a caloric deficit, you want all of your weight loss to come from fat, not muscle. Unfortunately, it’s easy for our body to break down muscle to get energy from it, so we need to counteract that with sufficient protein to maintain, if not increase muscle mass. If you have ever wondered if it is possible to “recomp” - meaning, to put on muscle and lose fat at the same time with staying at roughly the same weight, the answer is yes. I have successfully done this with multiple clients. But it cannot be done without sufficient protein (and carbs, and strength training). Long story short… if you want to lose fat but not muscle, eat your protein.
It helps reduce hunger.
Because protein is very satisfying and helps you feel full, I rarely have clients complain about being too hungry at their caloric deficit (although it does happen). In fact, more often than not I hear, “Erica, I’m not hungry, are you sure I’m going to lose weight?” Yes, Client Jane, yes. Want to test this out? Eat an omelet for breakfast for a week. Then the next week, eat a bowl of cereal (…with the same number of calories and make sure you count the milk you use! And not Catalina Crunch or Magic Spoon which are higher protein cereals). After each breakfast (omelet and cereal) write down how many hours go by before you get hungry.
It helps balance cravings.
Having a high protein breakfast is a game changer. Want to not have mid-afternoon or late night sugar cravings, or at the very least reduce them significantly? Eat protein at your meals. The reason why our cravings feel more balanced and we are less hungry throughout the day is partly because protein helps to regulate our hunger and satiety hormones. On the other hand, when we eat carbs alone (like a bagel by itself, toast, a bowl of fruit, oatmeal without any protein or fat added, plain pasta), our blood sugar rises and when insulin kicks in to lower our blood sugar, it dips low, which can make us feel like we need to eat again to boost it back up. And thus the highs and lows begin.
It burns more calories.
I really don’t care for this reason, because while eating protein technically burns more calories than carbs or fat, I don’t think it’s really that big of a difference to see a change in body composition because of it. The reason you’re seeing change is more because of the reasons mentioned above (and you’re hitting your macros). But I’m including it because scientifically, it’s part of the “why.”
How much do you need?
“OK I’m convinced, Erica! I’ll eat my protein! Now… how much?”
I have seen the greatest amount of success with clients who eat between 80 - 100% of their bodyweight in grams of protein. So if someone weighs 175 pounds, they should eat between 140 - 175 grams of protein. That’s quite the range, right? If you find that you have a hard time gaining muscle, I would stick to 90 - 100% (158 - 175g for this hypothetical 175 pound person) and if you have an easy time gaining muscle, you might do fine at the lower end. Don’t know where you should be or aren’t eating enough yet? Start with 80%, and then when you get used to it, bring it up to 90%, and then eventually 100%.
That all being said, I have had clients who need a minimum of their bodyweight in grams, even up to 10% more (175 - 193 grams for this hypothetical person). Everything is personal, and these are very general recommendations. Also, if you have any kind of kidney issues, run away from these recs and see a clinical dietitian (I am one, or I could refer you to one of my colleagues) who can give you more specific recommendations.
If you do body composition testing and see that you’ve been eating your 80-100% and the muscle mass is still going down, you need to ask yourself two things: Did I eat my carbs (because carbs are also important for muscle mass) and did I overtrain or am I training for an endurance event? If you didn’t eat enough carbs, your muscle mass can go down, even if you eat the right amount of protein. And if you’ve been training for an endurance event… it’s really hard to keep enough muscle on, so you might need to eat more and get more specific about your food timing. And if you’ve been eating around 80% but the muscle mass is dwindling, bring it up to 90%, and then 100%.
I hope this helps you understand why protein is so important for body composition (let alone for sports and fitness)! Please remember the information provided in this article is for educational purposes only. For personalized recommendations, please see your medical provider, schedule a session with me, or ask me for a referral.
Erica Giovinazzo, MS, RD, CF-L2, CPT