3 Reasons You Need More Protein

Before I begin working with my clients one-on-one, I have them record their normal food intake for 7-14 days. Their job is to eat as they normally would, and track it as accurately as possible. I tell them not to impress me, or themselves. I have them do this before starting the process because that food log is going to tell me where the red flags are. It’s going to tell me what they are used to eating, and what their body is exposed to on a regular basis. From there I can more accurately identify areas of their nutrition that need to be addressed in order to begin taking steps along the path to better health and fitness.

I have seen many, many things as a fitness coach. From McDonalds three times per day, to severe restricting, I’ve seen it all. Although each individual person has their individual needs, there almost always seems to be a common red flag in people’s food logs. Want to take a guess at what it is?

It’s a shortage of protein.

Most individuals (over 90%) that have showed me their food log are under-eating when it comes to protein intake, and there are a few important reasons that they (and you) should be getting more.

REASON #1: Lean Muscle Tissue

Our metabolism is comprised of many different components. Digestion, activity, muscle, genetics, and even the body’s basic functions like breathing all play a role. One of the biggest drivers of the human metabolism is the amount of muscle we have on our body. The more lean muscle you have, the faster your metabolism may be.

One of the benefits of protein is that it can help us maintain and build the lean muscle we have on our bodies.

Protein is made of amino acids, and the amino acids that we find in protein dense foods help build, repair, and recover muscle tissue that has been broken down during exercise.

The amino acids found in whole, natural, protein-dense foods (like meat, for example) have a positive effect on the growth and repair of lean muscle tissue. Amino acids that are found in supplements like BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids) don’t have the same positive effect as complete proteins when there is adequate protein present in the diet. Thus far, it seems that vegans and some vegetarians may have the most benefit from supplements like BCAAs.

REASON #2: Thermic Effect

Protein is a macronutrient. Macronutrients are nutrients that our bodies need in large quantities. Protein, carbohydrates, and fat are all macronutrients. Protein and fat are essential macronutrients, meaning that our body needs them to survive.

Both protein and carbohydrates contain about 4 calories per gram, and fat contains about 9 calories per gram. However, it has been said that protein may be even closer to 3 calories per gram when its thermic effect is taken into account.

The thermic effect of food is the amount of energy that is needed for the digestion of nutrients. Of all the nutrients in the world, protein has one of the highest thermic effects. This means that it takes more energy to digest, break down, and absorb protein compared to other nutrients.

Eat more protein may mean burning more calories in the day. It may not be a difference of hundreds of calories, but it adds up.

REASON #3: Satiety

There are many reasons that whole, natural foods are recommended over processed foods. They are healthier (duh), and less calorie-dense. One of the other amazing benefits of whole foods is that they can better regulate hunger and satiety, unlike highly processed foods (think Doritos) that hijack your body and make you think you want more. You know that common saying, “you can’t just have one”? Yeah, that’s no coincidence. Those foods are engineered and designed to make us want more. It’s a recipe for disaster (pun intended).

Among all the healthy, whole food options out there, foods that contain higher amounts of protein (think meats) are very satiating. They help you feel fuller for longer. As mentioned, having that feeling of satiety will help you feel fuller for longer and in turn may also aid in fat loss. Rather than eating highly processed food that will influence you to eat more and more, adequate amounts of protein may help you eat less overall.

HOW MUCH PROTEIN DO YOU NEED?

There is a wide range of recommended protein consumption for one main reason. We are all different and what works for one may not work for another. Some thrive off tons of protein, and others can maintain and maybe even build muscle on what seems to be very little.

It’s recommended that you eat .6-1g of protein per pound of bodyweight each day. If you are someone that is exercising regularly and your muscles need proper recovery, I recommend staying between .8-1g per pound of bodyweight per day. If you are more sedentary, overweight, or obese, I recommend staying toward the lower end of that range.

TAKEAWAYS

• The amino acids found in natural sources of protein can help build, repair, and maintain lean muscle tissue which can support a faster metabolism. BCAAs do not seem to have the same effect when adequate protein is present in the diet.

• It takes more energy to break down and digest protein, which can contribute to more overall calories burned in the day.

• Protein is very satiating and can help you feel fuller for longer which may aid in fat loss.

• It is recommended that you eat .6-1g of protein per pound of body weight each day.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Adam is a fitness professional, baseball fan, and cookie fanatic based in Fort Collins, Colorado. After hanging up the cleats, he found a strong interest in the human body and how it performs. Since then, Adam has been transforming lives through fitness in a fun and encouraging atmosphere. As an ACE CPT and Fitness Nutrition Specialist, he is constantly moved to help people improve in all walks of life.

3 Ways to Get Past a Weight Loss Plateau

Every Sunday I post a question box on my instagram story. I collect health, fitness, and nutrition questions from you all and create content (podcast episodes, articles, etc.) on them. Yes, I’m going to start this article off with a shameless plug. Follow me on instagram (adam_poehlmannfit) to get answers to all of your health and fitness questions.

Ok, shameless plug is over.

The topic of this article comes from a question submitted on my instagram story. The question is:

“What do you do when you hit a weight loss plateau and can’t lose the last 10-15 pounds?”

This is a question that is difficult to answer in a brief instagram story post, but I thoroughly enjoy getting into the details in long form whether it’s on the podcast or here in an article. So, the details are what we shall dive into.

Typically, when someone is in the middle of a plateau, there are a few things that can be contributing. The three solutions that I will offer below should help you get past that sticking point, no matter what your goal is.

TIP #1: GET A BIRDS-EYE-VIEW

Note that this tip will address the issue for almost anyone in any situation.

In the beginning stages of a fitness journey, most of us start somewhere relatively simple, focusing on behavior and choices more than anything else. This is exactly where one should start, as positive changes in behavior and choices will yield quite a significant change. However, as you probably know, the more you progress, the harder it gets to see results at the same rate as you did once before. For example, it is much easier for someone to go from 35% body fat to 30% body fat than it is for someone to get from 10% body fat to 5% body fat.

As you get further and further in your progress, your method may need to become more meticulous in order to identify the thing that needs to be addressed whether it’s your activity, nutrition, sleep, etc. You see, when you have a problem, and you fully understand the problem, it is far easier to both figure out and execute the solution. Let’s put this into financial terms. Let’s say that you have no clue where your money is going, but you know that you find yourself living paycheck to paycheck. Yet, you’re just not sure how that’s possible, given that you make a comfortable salary and don’t feel you are much of a spender. In order to figure out what’s going on, you begin looking at your bank statements, and track your spending. After a couple weeks, you realize that eating out is costing you $200/week because you are not only eating out frequently, but you are choosing places that require a tip, spending an additional 15-20% each meal. Woah. That will add up.

The same thing applies to you and your fitness, especially in your nutrition.

Over the many years I have been training and coaching people towards their goals, I’ve learned many things. One of those things is that we (including myself) are horrible at accurately describing what we consume on a daily basis. We either grossly overestimate our intake, or grossly underestimate our intake. We are never accurate when describing our intake without tracking it beforehand. Even after years of tracking food, whenever I take a break from tracking and jump back into it, I am at least 500 calories off from what I originally guessed. And that’s after years of tracking!

Since calories in vs. calories out is ultimately what determines fat loss, it is extremely important to understand exactly what, and how much of it we are eating. I recommend that you track your intake for 7-14 days, eating as you normally would. I have all of my coaching clients do this, and it is one of the many reasons they have so much success. Using a tool/app like MyFitnessPal or FatSecret, eat as you normally would, and accurately track what you eat. This means that you are not eyeballing, but rather measuring with accuracy. Since you don’t have specific calorie and nutrient targets to hit at the moment, it will be fairly easy. You can still graze, grabbing a handful of nuts here and there, but after you grab the food, you need to measure/weigh it. If your diet is relatively consistent this will be a breeze. If your eating is sporadic, this will be more challenging.

There are a couple of reasons I recommend everyone tracks their normal intake. The most important thing is that it is going to tell you exactly what is going on nutritionally. For example, if you’re at a plateau and you discover you’re eating 2,600 calories, you will be able to figure out if that’s too much for you, your lifestyle, and your goals, and make an adjustment to break the plateau. Another reason I recommend that people track their food is because it can be a piece of the puzzle, or a clue so to speak. Let’s say you do make that caloric adjustment, and you discover that the fix hasn’t gotten you past your plateau. That’s not a bad thing, it’s a good thing because you now know that your nutrition is on the right track, and something else may be going on. It’s a process of elimination, slowly and accurately making your way closer and closer to identifying the underlying issue that is keeping you from the results you’re working so hard for.

When that happens, you can look at things like your activity level, sleep, stress, and more. Your activity level is another major determinant of progress as it allows you to burn calories. Not only do most individuals neglect to track their food intake, but they also have no clue how little they are moving in the day. The first thing that I recommend for people in regards to activity is simply getting a wearable that allows you to track your steps. NEAT, or non-exercise activity thermogenesis is a big contributor to calorie burn and fat loss. Studies show that moving often, spread out throughout the day, contributes to greater improvements in calorie burn. There are many forms of movement that contribute to NEAT like walking, fidgeting, folding laundry, cleaning, and more. Basically, any form of movement that is not exercise is a form of NEAT. As I type on my keyboard, I am working on my NEAT. One of the best ways to increase your NEAT is by simply increasing your steps. I remember when I first started training, I used to scoff at people that thought walking did anything impactful for their health and weight loss. Turns out I was wrong, and here I am several years later telling you how important it is to walk.

The takeaway here is getting a wearable to track your steps, and gradually increase them every so often. I recommend people add steps after the previous goal has become a habit. Let’s say you get a wearable and track your steps. You average 5,000 steps per day. Work on making 5,500 a habit, and then jump to 6,000, then 7,000 and so forth. Track your movement to identify the problem so you can find the solution.

For those of you that move plenty, are very healthy, and workout often, tracking your movement is still important, especially in the gym. A large majority of the people I know do not track their workouts. By no means am I saying that you always have to track your workouts. I believe it’s great to just go in the gym and have fun. If you’re trying to reach a goal and break past a plateau, however, it’s important that you track your workouts to see what can be improved. As muscle is one of the main contributors of automatic (at rest) calorie burn, it’s important to prioritize continual strength and muscle gains in the gym regardless of your goal. Volume is one of the ways we can measure strength and muscle improvements over time. Your training volume is made of weights x sets x reps. When your training volume increases, your strength and muscle, improves, therefore aiding your metabolism. I recommend that individuals work to increase volume each week, while progressing sets and reps every 3-4 weeks. Simply put, have a new phase with different set and rep ranges every 3-4 weeks to keep your body progressing. A simple phasing that I usually prescribe consists of a strength focus (2-5 reps) in month one, a strength and muscle growth focus (6-8 reps) in month two, and a muscle and definition focus (10-15 reps) in month three.

The takeaway here is simply logging the weights you lift given your current prescribed sets and reps. You can do this in a journal, on your phone, or in a spreadsheet.

I could keep going for days and days about getting a birds-eye-view, but I’m guessing that you’re getting the gist. Once you’ve taken a look at your food and activity, begin paying attention to your sleep, stress, and more. You can even go get some bloodwork done to learn a lot more about yourself!

TIP 2: TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF THE GAS

More is not always better, especially when it comes to breaking through a plateau. Don’t get me wrong, there are most certainly times where more work and/or dedication is required. But in my experience, more than half of the individuals I work with that are struggling with a weight plateau are working far too hard. Most of them are training at least 5 days per week, eating clean, and are moving plenty throughout the day. If they’re doing so much and eating well, how could they be stuck?

There are many mechanisms in the body that determine how our body handles, utilizes, and stores nutrients. Some of the most important things that drive a sound and healthy body are hormones. Hormones regulate so many systems in our bodies, especially how we utilize nutrients. Unfortunately, there are things that we do in our every day lives that can negatively impact the way our hormones function, like going all out with the pedal to the meal.

When we push ourselves too hard, our bodies become desensitized, so to speak. Cortisol is our stress hormone that is actually very vital to sound health. You may have heard the term “adrenal fatigue” lately, describing what happens to our body when we are called to release cortisol too much and and too often. Although “adrenal fatigue” isn’t quite scientifically accurate, the holistic docs that coined that term were on the right track. The HPA (hypothalamic pituitary adrenal) axis in our body is essentially our stress response system. Through this axis, cortisol is released in response to stress. Although cortisol is good and beneficial for our well-being, negative effects come to play when we chronically expose ourselves to stressors. When cortisol is constantly elevated and has a hard time coming back down, we expose ourselves to several negative side-effects such as weight gain, and/or difficulty managing weight. This is a very common issue for professionals, busy parents, or those exposed to a stressful life. This is also very common for those that are working out far too hard, far too often.

No matter where you’re at, the takeaway is to reduce stress, eat a well-balanced diet full of healthy fats, and to get 7-9 hours of high quality, restful sleep every single night. I’ve also found that cycling off caffeine intake will help as well. If you’re an individual that is doing high intensity exercise 5 days per week, take your training down to 3 days per week, primarily focusing on moderate-intensity strength training sessions as you take longer rest periods, slowly begin to eat more and more nutritious food, while managing/decreasing your stress, and capping it off with a deep sleep every single night.

TIP #3: CHANGE YOUR FOCUS

For some of you out there, this tip may seem a little woo woo, and that’s ok. Go into this section with an open mind and heart. And I will tell you that I have seen first hand the extreme reality of the power of the mind in relation to our external health and fitness goals.

Most of us that are stuck at a weight loss plateau are extremely focused on numbers. Whether it’s the scale weight or our body fat percentage, we are looking at numbers and numbers and numbers. Our workouts serve to improve those numbers, our food serves to improve those numbers, heck, everything we do in our day is set up to improve those numbers. Although using numbers as a tool to measure progress is something I am a big fan of, I do understand very clearly that it can lead to a very unhealthy obsession that breeds negativity and stress.

I recently posted about this the other day, but here is the short: it is far too easy to notice and dwell on the negative things in life. Unfortunately it takes a surprising amount of effort to acknowledge and soak up all of the good in our lives. Somehow they just slip by without us even noticing their existence. This is not good, especially if you are trying to reach a health and fitness goal.

All goals are reached because the individual decided they were going to make a positive behavior change. Without a doubt, all goals come from this. In fact, I am sure to give every single one of my coaching clients at least one behavior goal that they can focus on. What this does is it takes the focus off of the numbers and onto the positive behavior. No longer is Sally upset that she still weighs 200 pounds. She squatted 150 pounds today! No longer is John upset that he hasn’t gained any muscle in the past 30 days. He has deadlifted more weight than ever before. You see, focusing on something behavioral or performance-based takes all of the focus off of the potential negatives that come with obsession over weight like unnecessary stress, and shifts positive energy to be usefully utilized for the things that actually contribute to the number-based goal the person was after in the first place.

After working with a sports psychologist while going through a very difficult stint in my baseball career, I quickly realized that we are who we believe we are, and we become who we’ve taught ourselves to become. Here’s the takeaway. When you focus on the fact that you’re “stuck”, tons of negative energy is transferred to yourself that causes stress, and a lack of confidence in who you are and what you’re capable of. This energy ends up keeping you from what you want to be. Take your mind off the numbers and the negativity, and celebrate the behaviors and performance your body is capable of achieving.

THE TAKEAWAYS

There are several ways to get past a weight-loss plateau, but in my experience as a trainer and coach, I’ve found that these three tips address the most common reasons for a plateau and offer effective solutions. Begin with getting a birds-eye-view on everything that is going on from your food to your stress. Track it, track it, and track it some more. That should help you tremendously. Then, spread it all out in front of you to identify potential problems. If you realize that you’re going 24/7 and your life is full of stress, take things a step or two backwards. Train less, focusing on your strength, eat more nutritious food to fuel your body and your brain, and eliminate all stressors. While doing all of the above, consistently keep track of wins that are occurring outside of your weight-based goal.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Adam is a fitness professional, baseball fan, and cookie fanatic based in Fort Collins, Colorado. After hanging up the cleats, he found a strong interest in the human body and how it performs. Since then, Adam has been transforming lives through fitness in a fun and encouraging atmosphere. As an ACE CPT and Fitness Nutrition Specialist, he is constantly moved to help people improve in all walks of life. If you’re interested in hiring Adam as your coach, fill out an application here.

Low Carb vs. Low Fat: Which Is Better For Fat Loss?

For as long as we can remember, diet trends have fought with each other for our business, and things are not slowing down. It seems that every single week there is a new trend or a new diet that is promising all the benefits of the previous diet and more.

Although different trends are arising left and right, two diets have stood the test of time and continue recurring in different forms. Those two diets are low-carb and low-fat. Whether it’s Atkins, Keto, Mediterranean, or Paleo, some form of low-carb or low-fat arises promising to help you lose fat.

If several diets are built from one of these two concepts, it’s worth figuring out why and whether or not these protocols actually work for fat loss.

Let’s dive in.

HOW DOES FAT LOSS WORK?

Understanding the basics of fat loss will allow you to make concrete decisions on what is best for your fat loss journey. Fat loss is made out to be a very complicated process, but it really isn’t. In fact, it’s quite simple.

Have you ever heard someone say “calories in, calories out”? If so, you understand the main principle behind fat loss. Congratulations. Our bodies need fuel to operate, and calories are our form of fuel. When we burn more fuel (calories) in the day than we consume, we lose weight. When we burn fewer fuel in the day than we consume, we gain weight. Keep in mind that losing weight can be different than losing fat. You want to make sure you’re performing a weight training routine while losing fat in order to keep your muscle and have a majority of the weight you lose coming from body fat. Anyway, in order to lose weight (most of which is body fat) you need to be using more energy in the day than you consume. Question is, what can you do to burn more calories in the day than you consume?

HOW TO BE IN A CALORIC DEFICIT

A caloric deficit is a fancy yet way of saying that you’re burning more than you consume in a day. There are a couple of ways you can make this happen. You can either eat less food, perform more activity, or do a combination of both. Note that I am not a supporter of eating less and moving more over and over to lose fat. More is not always better. Regardless, either eating fewer calories, moving more, or a combination of both is required to be in a caloric deficit.

Since this article is about low-carb and low-fat protocols for fat loss, we will stay in our lane and focus on eating less to get into a caloric deficit.

Carbohydrates and fats are two of three major macronutrients. The other is protein. Macronutrients contain the calories that we burn and consume in the day. Carbohydrates and protein contain 4 kcal (calories) per gram, and fat contains 9 kcal per gram. If you passed basic math in elementary school, you’ve hopefully come to the conclusion that if you reduce carbohydrates, you reduce calories. If you reduce fat, you reduce calories.

I know. Super complicated stuff.

But this conclusion begs the question that we’ve been getting to: Which one is better for fat loss?

Before we get into that, though, I want to note a couple more things. Remember that calories in and calories out is what determines fat loss. Also remember that both carbohydrates and fats contain calories. In regards to fat loss, there is nothing innately wrong with carbohydrates, and there is nothing innately wrong with fats. If you reduce calories from carbohydrates to put yourself in a caloric deficit, you will lose fat. If you reduce calories from fat to put yourself in a caloric deficit, you will lose fat. In addition, it is never good to completely cut out a food group in order to lose body fat. As you read, don’t think about going low-carb or low-fat. Think more in terms of LOWER carb and LOWER fat. So the real question is, which one is best not just to lose fat, but best to help you stay consistent in a caloric deficit as well.

STAYING IN A CONSISTENT DEFICIT WITHOUT STRUGGLE

Calories in and calories out is simple, but the way carbohydrates and fats affect our body isn’t quite as simple. Each nutrient affects our digestion, energy, blood sugar, and satiety in a different way. Many of these factors make it easier or harder to stay in a caloric deficit.

This is why, when it comes down to the nitty gritty, I recommend that people go lower carb.

Although carbohydrates contain fewer calories per gram, going lower carb is often a better option for fat loss when compared to lower fat.

One of the big things that hurts us while trying to stay in a consistent caloric deficit are cravings. Cravings are often hard to beat, especially when we are under physical and emotional stress. When we consume carbohydrates, our blood sugar rises, potentially causing cravings. Consuming a diet that is lower in carbohydrates can keep these cravings at bay. The fewer cravings you have, the lower the chance that you consume too much food, taking you into a caloric surplus instead of a caloric deficit. Note that this does not mean carbohydrates should be avoided. Your diet should still consist of healthy, easily digestible carbohydrates to fuel your workout and to optimize your recovery post workout. After all, you can’t just focus on food to lose fat. You need to be weight training while focusing on your strength to promote a healthy metabolism. Carbohydrates play a major role in that.

Not only will a diet lower in carbohydrates keep cravings at bay, but it will also allow room for plenty of healthy fats.

Healthy fats are very satiating. This means that they keep us feeling full much more than carbohydrates do. This is a reason I never recommend cutting down fat to get into a caloric deficit. Healthy fats are also essential for optimal hormone function. A lot of individuals that hire me to help them reach a goal have cut down on fats too hard, all while working out too much and getting far too little sleep. This is a recipe for a hormonal disaster. And even if your deficit has worked before, it may not work well when your hormones are all out of wack. Another reason to keep fats higher while you’re in a deficit.

I must add, though, that the above information isn’t that powerful unless you are weight lifting, and getting plenty of protein in each day. The main force behind our metabolism is our lean muscle tissue. If you are working and fueling to promote more lean muscle tissue, fat loss is far easier. Not only does protein facilitate lean muscle tissue improvement, but it is also important when it comes to satiety and its thermogenic effect. Like fat, protein keeps us satiated and far away from cravings. Like fiber, it also requires more calories burned in order to digest it. Those calories, although not many, can make a difference. You should aim for .8-1g of protein per pound of body weight each day while performing a weight training routine.

THE TAKEAWAY

Staying in a caloric deficit is the key to fat loss. Carbohydrates and fats have calories, so reducing one, the other, or a little bit of both will contribute to a reduction in calories. Remember, it is not about completely cutting carbs or fats out, bur rather cutting enough calories out of your diet to put yourself into a caloric deficit. I recommend slowly reducing your carbohydrate intake while keeping fats relatively high in order to stay full and promote healthy hormone function. Keep some carbs in your diet, though. You’ll need them for your workouts and recovery.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Adam is a fitness professional, baseball fan, and cookie fanatic based in Fort Collins, Colorado. After hanging up the cleats, he found a strong interest in the human body and how it performs. Since then, Adam has been transforming lives through fitness in a fun and encouraging atmosphere. As an ACE CPT and Fitness Nutrition Specialist, he is constantly moved to help people improve in all walks of life. If you’re interested in hiring Adam as your coach, fill out an application here.