Most of us wouldn’t think of eating a 24oz steak every day but that is about the amount of protein a 190lb man needs to support good health. Thankfully, one doesn’t need to consume a huge steak every day but can get protein from multiple sources throughout the day that are much healthier. Additionally, current research is showing that eating too much protein at one time can have adverse effects. Protein comes from many sources in our diets. There are the more obvious ones like meat, eggs and dairy, but it is also present in the fruits and vegetables we enjoy. We need to take all sources into consideration when looking at total ideal protein intake. Protein, carbohydrates, and fat are the macronutrients that make up our diet. To achieve weight loss, we change the amount and ratio of these to create an imbalance. This must be done in a manner that will preserve lean muscle while causing fat loss. If muscle mass is lost, our calorie needs decrease and it is more likely that the muscle will be replaced with fat. In ketogenic diets, this is achieved through lowering the intake of carbohydrates and carefully increasing protein intake to create the imbalance needed to put the body into the fat burning state of ketosis. A mild state of ketosis is ideal for weight loss and can be maintained until the desired weight loss is achieved. The amount and timing of protein intake in this process is of particular importance to maintaining the ketogenic state and to reduce hunger but also to ensure preservation of lean muscle mass. If too little protein is consumed or if it is not consumed often enough, the body will come out of the fat burning state as it works to conserve stores of energy (fat). When too much protein is consumed it can have harmful effects on both the musculature and other systems. “When too much protein and too little fat and carbs are consumed, your cells burn protein for energy. This can create an acidic environment in the body, which triggers calcium (a base) to get pulled out of bones to neutralize the acid. Muscle also tends to weaken in an acidic environment, which increases the risk of injury and premature aging. And when protein is burned for fuel in place of the carbs you're not eating (your body's preferred fuel source), it's essentially wasted, because it's not available to maintain and repair your muscle and other lean tissue.” (Sass, 2019) Spreading one’s intake of protein throughout several meals during the day will stimulate 24-hour protein synthesis. (Mamerow MM, 2014) A smaller, measured amount of protein eaten at regular intervals has also been shown to be more effective at reducing hunger even when fewer total calories are consumed (Paddon-Jones D, 2008). It is ideal for about 30% of daily calories should come from protein for weight loss. (Castaneda & Fetters, 2019) Bariatric (weight loss) products are designed to allow intake of protein 4-6 times per day while working to lose weight. If the goal is 1,200 calories per day then 360 of those calories should come from protein which has 4 calories per gram. This means a person can consume 90 grams of protein per day. Taking into consideration other sources of protein such as spinach, eggs, and meat, one will probably want to consume about 60 grams of protein from nutritional products. Bariatric protein products are designed with about 15 grams of protein so one can have 4-6 of them during the day thereby spreading protein consumption out to ensure more efficient protein synthesis and greater satiety. This model for weight loss has been proven to not only be effective for healthy weight loss but has also been shown to result in less weight gain once goal weight has been achieved. (Sass, 2019) If one uses a protein product with substantially more protein, one must also limit the number of times protein is consumed or risk a dangerously elevated daily protein intake. The recommendations are to consume 0.5 to 0.8 grams per pound of body weight per day. A person weighing 190lbs should ideally consume 95-152 grams of protein a day. The lower limit would be for someone who is moderately active while the upper limit would be for someone wanting to bulk up. Few would recommend the upper limit long-term because of the issues created by too much protein consumption. Even at the mid-level of about 124 grams per day, one will only have about 70 grams of protein to consume through protein products if also including eggs, meat and vegetables in the diet. Even when looking to maintain weight and maximize muscle regeneration, it is ideal to spread the consumption of the protein throughout the day. A person in this category would be able to enjoy five 15-gram products to maximize their absorption and satiety while also minimizing their caloric intake. When deciding which protein products to include in any diet there are numerous considerations including taste, availability, convenience, and overall nutritional profile. While there are many protein products on the market today, most are designed only to deliver protein in a convenient package that will sell to the mass market. These products are not designed for weight loss and will often have the wrong ratios of macronutrients that are needed for weight loss and muscle preservation. It is good to remember the adage “Buyer Beware” when looking at a protein supplement on-line or on a store shelf. References Castaneda, R., & Fetters, K. A. (2019, August 29). How much protein do I need? U.S. News. Retrieved September 6, 2019, from https://health.usnews.com/wellness/food/articles/how-much-protein-do-i-need Mamerow MM, M. J. (2014). Dietary protein distribution positively influences 24-h muscle protein synthesis in healthy adults. J Nutr., 144(6):876–880. doi:10.3945/jn.113.185280 Paddon-Jones D, e. (2008, May 01). Protein, weight management, and satiety. Am J Clin Nutr, 1558S-1561S. doi:10.1093/ajcn/87.5.1558S Sass, C. (2019, September 5). Can I have Too Much Protein When Trying to Lose Weight? Retrieved from shape.com: https://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/should-you-eat-more-protein-lose-weight Westerterp-Plantenga MS, L. S. (2012, August). Dietary protein - its role in satiety, energetics, weight loss and health. British Journal of Nutrition, 108, 105-112.
Food pushers find ways to sabotage your relationship with food by making comments about your dietary choices or insisting you eat differently—whether that be more, less, or different foods—than you currently are.
I have a great suggestion to offer you today that will help those of you who struggle with Mindless Emotional Eating (MEE). I call that the MEE Syndrome and I’m sure that many of you can identify with this behavior. Mindless Emotional Eating is the cornerstone of weight gain. The key to solving this problem is to become more mindful and less mindless about the health choices that you make. With that said, here is an idea that can help make that happen. I received an email from a desperate woman the other day. She was frustrated over her inability to stop eating candy bars. Snickers candy bars to be specific. She ended her message with the following request. She said, “Dr. Sklare, can you please show me a way to shift gears when that Snickers chocolate candy bar is calling my name?” The core of her difficulty lies in the fact that she is fixating on the very thing that she is trying to avoid. And, as research and experience has taught us, the more you focus on something, the more attention grabbing and mind consuming it becomes. What she really needs is a Distraction Strategy that will help shift her attention away from her urge to eat that candy bar and interrupt her temporary mental obsession. Her situation brought to mind a creative exercise that I developed years ago for moments just like this when temptation is pounding on your door. I offer it to you today for your consideration. It is said that, if you can distract yourself for as little as a few minutes, your craving for food will pass. An activity that diverts your attention away from this powerful urge to eat is called a Distraction Strategy. Reading a book, taking a walk and listening to music are typical distraction strategies that many people employ. Along those lines, I have an idea for a distraction strategy that will divert your attention, interrupt that burning desire of the moment and help you to focus on healthier thinking. You’ll need a pen and a piece of paper for this activity that I call The Health Jumble. Here’s how it works. Let's say, as the woman described above, it's a Snickers chocolate candy bar that is relentlessly calling your name. Write the word "Snickers chocolate candy bar" on a piece of paper and then see how many other words you can create with those letters. For example, there is: not, rice, learn, nice, to, niece, I, eat, dear, can, this, be, do, choose and think to name just a few. Just approach this exercise as you would one of those word games you find in your local newspaper and see how many new words you can create out of all of those letters. Then, after you have written as many words as possible, see how many healthy sentences or positive statements you can make by combining those newly formed words. For example, seven of the words that I created above can be combined to create the sentence, I can choose not to eat this! The idea here is threefold: 1) this activity allows you to face and confront your temptation; 2) it provides you with a way to engage that temptation in a safe, healthy and positive way; and 3) by creating the words and developing the sentence, you manipulate, defuse and totally reframe that temptation. Repetition gives birth to habit. This activity is intended to interrupt that habitual and repetitive cycle of Mindless Emotional Eating. The bottom line is this. To successfully manage your weight, you must address more than just your body. You must also address your mind. The Health Jumble will provide you with a distraction strategy that will change the way you respond to temptation by helping you to become more mindful and less mindless about the health choices that you make. Wishing You Great Health! Dr. John H. Sklare