Dear Health Conscious Reader,
In two words I’ll show you how to burn fat, build muscle and put an end to overeating.
More protein.
Protein gives you the feeling that you’re full, more so than carbs or fat. Protein boosts your sensitivity to a hormone called leptin. This hormone tells your brain that you’re full. As a result, you feel satisfied. Overeating stops.
Protein is important for both losing weight and gaining muscle. A very revealing study makes a point I always try to get across to my patients: People who increased their protein intake, lost fat and gained muscle.1
In fact, the people who ate a high-protein diet lost seven pounds in six weeks. The group who followed a standard diet didn’t lose any weight. And, the high-protein group simultaneously gained twice as much muscle.
Here’s the good news… Foods that are protein rich are the best tasting. Meat and eggs are your best sources. If possible, eat grass-fed beef. The flavor is great and it’s far better for you because it has the right kinds of fats. If you eat commercial beef, find lean cuts or trim the fat yourself.
Eggs are the perfect food. I eat them everyday. They are the “gold standard” by which we rate all other protein. This means that all of the amino acids are there in the ratios you need in one place. For best results, eat eggs that come from free-range chickens.
Health “experts” usually recommend 50 to 60 grams of protein a day. But Americans in general eat far too little protein. To reduce your appetite – and lose weight – try one gram of protein for every pound of lean muscle.
If you weigh 180 pounds, and have 20 percent body fat, you have 144 pounds of lean muscle mass. So shoot for 144 grams of protein a day. If you don’t know your body fat percentage, the average man can estimate between 15 to 18 percent and women 18 to 22 percent.
If you’re not getting enough protein, supplementing with protein powder can help. A protein shake especially after working out is a reliable way to boost your protein intake. Make sure the powder is pure protein. It should have no more than a few grams of carbs.
Here’s another option. I call it the “forgotten fat burner.” Every doctor has this in his arsenal but few understand or know about its fat-burning ability.
It works for both men and women and always gets results. I’ve never seen it fail. My friend and colleague Dr. Jonathon Wright tried it himself and lost 12 pounds in three weeks.
He calls it his “starvation-free and gym-free weight loss secret.”
He’s right. This little-known strategy has nothing to do with dieting or exercising. And it doesn’t miss.
Human chorionic gonadotrophin or HCG was written up in the medical journals back in the 1950s and 1960s as a treatment for obesity. Today you don’t hear a word about it. That should hardly surprise you. If it can’t be turned into a drug, it gets dropped like a hot potato. And that’s what happened with this “forgotten fat burner.”
You can find the details in a report by Dr. Wright. He gives you the inside story and what to do if you want to try it yourself.
It’s worth a read. I recommend it.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD
- Phinney S. Ketogenic diets and physical performance. Nutrition & Metabolism.