How To Lose Weight Without Exercise Part 2: Increase Protein

How Does Protein Help You Lose WeightThis is the second installment of the “How To Lose Weight Without Exercise” series. The purpose of this series is not to minimize the importance of exercise but to give really busy people additional ways to lose weight if they can’t find the time or motivation to exercise.

More importantly though, it is to show how slight improvements in our diet can have a dramatic impact not only on our physique but also on our overall health which helps us perform better in all other areas of life.

So today we’re going to take a look at protein and how increasing your protein can help you lose weight.

How Does Protein Help You Lose Weight?

1. Protein releases a hormone called PYY which reduces hunger.

Here’s a snippet from a WebMD article titled “Protein Triggers Weight Loss Hormone” (link at bottom of post)

Eating protein triggers a natural weight-loss hormone, British researchers say.

When released in the gut, the hormone known as PYY reduces hunger. And high-protein foods set off PYY better than other foods, according to Rachel L. Batterham, M.D., of University College London, and colleagues.

2. Protein makes body work harder, meaning the body has to burn more calories in order to break down and digest proteins. So, protein helps to speed up your metabolism.

Here’s a snippet from an interview with Nutritionist Joy Bauer on The Today Show (link at bottom of post)

Eat protein with every meal: All foods create a thermic effect and will slightly boost your metabolism. However, eating protein gives your body a bigger metabolic boost than eating carbohydrates or fats. Plus, eating  enough protein will ensure you’ll maintain and build muscle mass. (Remember, the more muscle mass you have, the greater your metabolic rate). Make sure to incorporate lean protein into most every meal.

Here’s another good piece from LiveStrong.com on Protein’s Affect On Metabolism (link at bottom of post)

Proteins cost a lot of energy to metabolize. The liver must take them apart and reassemble them so that they can be used elsewhere in the body. Therefore, a high-protein meal, especially at breakfast, can increase your metabolic rate by 30 percent for as long as 12 hours at a time, which can be the equivalent of a three- to five-mile jog.

What To Eat To Increase Protein

I’m Busy. What’s the Fastest and Easiest Way To Increase Protein?

I’ve always been a fan of “simple” and “easy” ways to improve my health. But when I became a Dad those terms “simple” and “easy” took on a whole new meaning. If a meal takes more than 20 minutes to make or contains too many ingredients, I’m probably not going to bother.

So after much trial and error, I’ve found that the easiest way to increase the protein in my diet is  to drink a protein shake two or three times a day.

The fastest way is to take a scoop of Whey Protein, throw it into a glass and fill it up with water. That takes literally about 10 seconds. Maybe another 5 seconds to drink it.

However, if you want a tastier and more nutritious protein shake and you have 3 minutes to spare, take a scoop of protein powder and throw it into your blender. Then, add some fruit and/or vegetables and blend away.

To give you some ideas I’ve included some of my favorite protein shake recipes by clicking here.

What Is Another Good Protein Source that is Quick and Easy?

If I run out of Whey Protein powder or if I just feel like changing it up and need something quick, eggs are a great second option.

You can hard boil them the night before and put them in your refrigerator to eat the next morning when you wake up or just throw them in your brown bag and take them to work as a snack. Or you could make a salad and throw them in there.

I really like the combination of Whey Protein and Egg Protein. Both excellent sources of good quality protein, easy to incorporate into the diet and very cost effective.

What about Protein Bars?

Yes protein bars are about as convenient as you can get but “READ THE LABEL”. Most protein bars contain unfermented Soy which can be very detrimental to both Men and Women.

Plus they typically have a bunch of other ingredients including refined Sugar which you really want to avoid if you want to lose weight.

As a healthy alternative to protein bars, you can bring a scoop (or more) of whey protein in a plastic bag or container, a blender bottle and some water, unsweetened coconut milk or unsweetened almond milk and make a quick protein smoothie anywhere you go.

Click Here For The Next Post In This Series

 

Interesting Studies on Protein And Weight Loss

Articles About Protein and Weight Loss

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