What makes the difference between packing on pounds of fat and staying lean and fit? Your diet. And when it comes to your diet, there are two nutrients that you especially need.
1. Make sure you get enough protein in your diet.
The first thing you need to do is focus on eating the right types of food. One very important nutrient is protein.
Making sure you eat a high-protein diet is a major way to increase your metabolism (1).
In addition, eating protein also keeps you full for longer and can make you eat less during the day (2,3). Eating more protein may lower your blood pressure (4), and has been shown to fight diabetes (5).
In one study, women who ate a diet that was 30% protein ate 441 calories less per day. They lost 11 lbs in 3 months, just by eating more protein.
This is most likely because eating protein fills you up more and you don’t have cravings during the day. I personally think you could lose even more weight if you do 35% protein. That’s what I personally do.
However, one concern people have with eating a lot of protein is kidney damage.
This is a false concern.
Healthy kidneys have never been proven to be damaged with a high-protein diet (even up to 2-3x the Recommended Daily Allowance) (6).
Easy ways to add more protein:
Try to drink a whey protein shake. The best times to drink one are right after your workout, right when you wake up, and right before you go to sleep.
2. Don’t forget about the fiber!
Another major key is to make sure to get enough fiber in your diet.
Fiber has many benefits. An Australian study that followed over 1500 adults for 10 years found that the subjects that had the highest fiber intake had a 79% greater odds of aging disease-free (7). Fiber slows down the absorption of sugar in your bloodstream, which reduces your risk of diabetes.
Another fantastic post!
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Thanks! It means a lot!
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