As the New Year begins, you may be thinking of losing a few pounds. But when it comes to weight loss, the first challenge is losing it – but keeping it off is an equally tough challenge for most.
In today’s Health Alert, I’ll show you a powerful way to do just that. I use it with my patients – and it couldn’t be easier. It’s only in the last few years that clinical studies have caught up with what I’ve known for years.
The Proven Power of Protein
If you’re a long-term Health Alert reader, you know that high-protein diets help you build muscle and lose fat. But you may be surprised to learn that extra protein helps you keep the fat from coming back.
I’ve been using this technique for years with great results. It’s all about satiety – that feeling of being full. Protein gives you the feeling that the meal is done and you’ve had enough. Much more so than carbs or fat.
A recent study from doctors in the Netherlands proves this point. After the test subjects lost fifteen pounds each, they were divided into two groups. One group ate a regular diet. The other ate the same, but added an extra thirty grams of protein.
The group that didn’t have the protein gained back 350% more weight than the group with the protein supplement. And the few pounds the protein group gained back was muscle – not fat.
To top it off, the protein group was thinner around the waist. They averaged a half inch off their waistline – more than double the control group.
Protein boosts your sensitivity to a hormone called leptin, (see Article #328). This hormone tells your brain that you’re full. As a result, you begin to feel the satisfaction that comes from having a good meal.
Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care published a study showing that people who eat high-protein diets actually eat less than those who don’t. Not surprising… When you feel full, you eat less.
Avoid the Bad Advice of Mainstream Medicine
As clear and logical as this sounds, you’d expect mainstream medicine to catch on, right? Wrong. If you visit the website for the American Heart Association, you’ll notice they have a “warning” against high-protein diets.
They claim that most Americans already eat more protein than their bodies need. Don’t ask me where they get this information, I can only guess. It’s true that protein comes from a wide variety of sources. But most Americans barely get enough protein to survive – let alone enough to build strong, resilient bodies.
They also suggest that high-protein diets restrict people from eating things like fruits and vegetables. As if we ate nothing but slabs of meat and raw eggs.
What modern medicine seems to forget is that your body is intelligent. It has the ability to adapt to change. By eating more protein than you need on any given day, you’re reminding your body that times are good. Life is abundant. As a response, your body starts to burn fat. If you don’t need it, there’s no reason to keep it around.
At every meal, remember to have a pure source of protein. This means eating grass-fed beef and/or wild seafood whenever possible. And always balance your diet with a healthy portion of fruits and vegetables. To get that protein boost, you can use a scoop of protein powder mixed into your favorite beverage.
Your body doesn’t really need carbs from your diet. Your body has the ability to make carbs on its own. Give your body what it can’t make – the essential amino acids you find in perfect proteins.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD