Want To Lose Fat? Eat More of This

If you've been working out with weights for any length of time, you know the importance of supplying your body with frequent feedings of quality protein so that your body will be able to have the necessary building blocks to build muscle in the shortest amount of time possible.

How much protein should you be consuming each day? Well, that debate has been raging for many years. Eventually, the mainstream will accept what those in the bodybuilding community have known for a long, long time.

In order to increase muscle mass, you should be consuming at least one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. This is a good starting point. However, this is the same thing you need for fat loss. You need to eat more protein to burn fat.

After awhile you may gradually increase your protein intake, monitoring your progress as you go, to determine if a higher protein intake allows you to make better progress.

Personally, I make better progress when my protein intake is somewhere between one and 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight, spread out over 6 meals per day.

The above paragraph may not be new to any of you. What you might not realize, however, is that protein is also extremely important when dieting to burn off excess body fat. You definitely want to eat more protein to burn fat. Eating more protein burns calories and helps you lean out.

Yes, it's important to keep your protein intake high when dieting to make sure that you don't burn off any muscle tissue in your quest to get ripped or lean.

But that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about taking in protein to burn fat in order to boost your metabolism and burn more fat, in addition to helping preserve and build your lean muscle tissue.

Eating more protein to burn fat was confirmed in a study published in the American Journal of Physiology. One group was fed a high protein diet (just over one gram per pound of bodyweight per day) while the second group consumed a protein diet near equal to that of the RDA.

The group eating the high protein diet burned more fat than the group consuming protein near equal to the RDA. One reason for the ability of protein to burn fat could be an increased "thermic" effect. The thermic effect of the RDA group was elevated 16% after eating.

However, in the high protein group the thermic effect increased 42% after eating, almost 3 times that of the RDA group.

This thermic effect of digesting your food peaks approximately one hour after eating. Spreading your daily caloric intake over 6 meals a day, eating every 2 to 3 hours, helps to take advantage of the increased metabolic rate that accompanies eating.

In other words, the more oftern you eat, the higher your metabolic rate, i.e. the number of calories your body burns each day.

In addition, by adding more protein to each meal, you also increase your metabolism. Your body requires more energy (i.e. calories) to process protein than it does carbohydrates. Let's review some simple changes you can make right now in your nutrition program to rapidly increase your body's ability to not only build muscle but burn fat also.

1) Eat 5 to 6 smaller meals per day, as opposed to 2 or 3 larger ones. This will ensure that you supple your body with the nutrients necessary to build muscle, as well as increase your resting metabolic rate.

It will also prevent your body from kicking into "starvation" mode, which can happen when you go too long between meals. If this happens, your body will start burning muscle for energy and increase your body fat stores, as well as slowing down your metabolism. All of these are things you want to avoid.

2) Eat a high protein diet consisting of at least one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. This helps ensure that your body has the protein available to increase maintain a positive nitrogen balance, which can lead to an increase in your muscles mass.

It will also increase your metabolic rate, allowing you to burn more body fat than a low protein diet, without as large a decrease in your daily caloric intake, which will also help avoid the "starvation" mode discussed in the previous paragraph.

Try these simple changes in your nutrition program to help you rapidly increase your muscle mass, burn off unwanted body fat and achieve the ripped muscular body that you've always wanted.

Gregg Gillies is the founder of http://www.buildleanmuscle.com and has contributed articles to Ironman magazine as well as being a regular contributor to Body Talk magazine. He publishes a free newsletter availabe at Build Muscle and Burn Fat. He is the author of two books, also available at his site.

---

How Does Phentermine Work? Learn How To Stop Neurotransmitter Depletion

Why has Phentermine stopped helping me lose weight?Many people are... Read More

7 Tips to Help You Beat Your Sugar Habit

Are you often overcome with an urge to splurge on... Read More

Do You Jiggle When You Walk?

Today I stopped by my favorite coffee shop in Berkeley,... Read More

4 Tips for Fast Fat Loss Part IV

Fat Loss Tip #4) Eat More ProteinYes, it's important to... Read More

Weighing-In On Low Carb Diets

With all of the conflicting studies and fuzzy interpretation of... Read More

Weight Loss & Obesity Affects Life Expectancy

We hear it all the time?lose weight for your health.... Read More

What Diet Plan Is Best For Losing Weight?

The answer to the title of this article is "none."... Read More

Weight Loss? 2 Skills You Need

If you have been dieting, there is a good chance... Read More

Weights Before Cardio: Stop Working Against Yourself

Just because you're working hard, doesn't mean that you're working... Read More

The Cheapest Way To Stop Eating Junk Food and Start Finding Your Ideal Weight Again

Your health is your responsibility. As a human being, you... Read More

Diets, Diets, Diets?Do They Work?

Almost everyone has attempted to follow diets and weight loss... Read More

Obesity Shortens Life Expectancy

Steady gains made in improvement in life expectancy may be... Read More

Theyre Wide, Theyre Here, Get Used to It

America's Obesity EpidemicAs the numbers of overweight Americans continue to... Read More

Weight Loss for Good: The Cold Hard Truth!

Twenty years of health club consulting, 50,000 hours of paid... Read More

Best Diet Plan Available

Diet Fads-Forget about 'EmAnother fad "best diet" bites the dust.... Read More

Low Carb vs. High

Low carb diets can be classified as food plans that... Read More

Preventing Overweight and Obesity ? Are You Responsible Enough?

Obesity is now assuming epidemic proportions. Worldwide there are over... Read More

Revolutionary, Safe, and Clinically Proven Natural Weight Loss

America is in a health care crisis. More than 60... Read More

20 Ways to Lose Weight

20 WAYS TO LOSE WEIGHT1. Take it one step at... Read More

Combating Obesity

So you ask, "How do I determine if I am... Read More

Overweight - Answering Your Critics

There are those that walk amongst us who have followed... Read More

Lose Weight and Keep it Off Permanently Without Fancy Diets

For years the experts have been telling us that diets... Read More

Hypnosis for Weight Control - Why Diets Dont Provide a Long-Term Solution

One of the difficulties with dieting is the well known... Read More

Weight Loss Tip ? The Importance of Lowering Your Body-Fat!

When you hear a doctor or a personal trainer say,... Read More

Hunger Free Eating - How To Eat Less And Not Feel Hungry

There are many diets, all of which boil down to... Read More

9 Quick Ways To Conquer Cellulite

In our never ending search for the illusive "Fountain of... Read More

The Rumbly-Grumbly Tummy After Gastric Bypass

If you've been enjoying life after gastric bypass surgery you... Read More

The Truth About Weight Loss: The 6 Biggest Myths About Dieting!

All of our behavior results from the thoughts that preceded... Read More

Play Ball To Get Fit

Chances are if you've stepped foot in a gym or... Read More

Why Low Carb Dieters Can Eat Chicken Skin And Meat Fat

While low-fat dieters and non-dieters may want to avoid chicken... Read More

Lose Weight And Get Healthy; Can Laughter Be A Cure For Obesity?

Once there were these two Nuns and they...just kidding! Do... Read More

Obesity:The Gateway to Diseases

Do you know the name of that one disease which... Read More

Weight Loss Problems ? Or is it a Self Image Problem?

Some of you will not like what I have to... Read More