Can someone please explain to me in layman's terms how Protein works in speeding up weight loss? I read an article last month in which a famous nutritionist whose name now escapes me (on a reputable site) claimed that you should eat protein equal to your goal weight. For an example, he stated that if you weighed 180 (ha ha) and wanted to weigh 140, you should eat 140 grams of protein per day. When I mentioned this to my nutritionist, she became concerned and said that much protein would not be good for your kidneys, which is what I thought as well. She then went on to say that protein IS vital to weight loss and that I really should be trying hard to get 80 grams per day. I explained that I'm probably averaging closer to 60 which she seemed okay with, but did encourage me to increase it.

I'm struggling to get my 80 grams per day because I'm growing increasingly sick of eggs, Protein shakes, and greek yogurt which have been three of my biggest sources of protein to date. I also try to eat 4-5 Quest Bars per week (has anyone received their free samples for that other link yet? I haven't) as those have 20-21 grams of protein and taste good enough to eat fairly regularly. I don't want to eat more than one per day due to cost and the fear that I'll grow increasingly sick of those (see eggs, shakes, and yogurt above).

I guess my questions are:

1. How does protein speed up the weight loss process?

2. How close do you come to reaching whatever goal your surgeon/doctor/nutritionist set for you (mine is 80g/day)?

3. How do you increase your protein intake without getting tired of eating the same things regularly?

As of today, I've lost 68 lbs since dieting pre-surgery (beginning the day after Thanksgiving) and have 49 to go to reach my goal. Originally, I wanted to reach that goal by my oldest child's birthday in August, but that would still leave me at nearly 4 lbs per week which is pretty high based on how I've done the last 4-5 weeks. Modifying my goal to this coming Thanksgiving instead seems FAR more realistic. Halloween would make me very happy, though

My understanding is that your body uses the energy stored in your muscles first and that you need more Protein to rebuild your muscles. It also helps to keep you fuller longer, so you don't want to eat as often.

I a recommended to get 60-100g of protein, but for my height (5'3"), the ideal amount is 80g.

To get my protein I make sure that I am choosing items that are high in protein and eating them first. I also make an iced coffee Protein Drink, which i could drink all day long. My doctor is ok with Protein drinks at all stages assuming it is high in protein and low in carbs/calories. I also mix powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury or Be Pure unflavored Protein powder into other foods. This morning i had greek yogurt and mixed in half a scoop of protein powder. That made my yogurt have 25g of protein. I will mix it in with a lot of other foods as well.

I am only 4 weeks post op, so I have just recently gotten to the point that I can get enough protein and most of it is still via shakes. I do get at least 60g and usually have 80-90. I recommend switching up the flavors of products. If you can cook the products to taste differently than you won't get tired of them as easily.

What stage of the diet are you? That will help us to give you some recipes.

Simple terms it takes much more to break down the Protein molecules than it does to break down the same amount of carbs, sugars, or fats. The amino acids in protein are the key component to cell reconstruction. It takes more calories to break down the protein to its simple components causing weight loss. Also what is not used can not be stored the same way carbs and sugar are stored so it does not turn to fat if not burned. So that is where the weight loss aspect comes in.

You can get too much protein which can cause damage to your kidney. That was one of the biggest arguments to the Atkins diet early on. But the standard is .5g of protein to 1lb of body weight to lose weight. But if you are lifting weights and exercising hard it should be bumped to 1g per 1lb of body weight.

With my last comment that is for non WLS weight loss. We need to go by our surgeons guidelines.

I get 90-100g a day. My Protein shakes have 26g per scoop, I have them 2x per day (in the am after my coffee on the way to school, and in the pm about 30 min before I go to bed) then have a high protein and veggie meal plan through the day. One of my favorite snack is beef Jerky. As far as ? 3 I just suck it up and think of my goals. It does get boring but I know it will be worth it in the end!

Edited April 19, 201511 yr by KingMoose

All of the above. For protein, I use a lot of unflavored protein powder in ANYTHING that is drinkable. Decaf coffee, crystal lite, soup, broth, V8, Clamato....... You can mix it into scrambled eggs, grits, anything very wet. Definitely tolerable, downright good in a lot of the aforementioned.

Say you have in front of you a piece of grilled chicken breast and a donut. You eat the chicken breast first and then eat the donut.

The donut will be burned first for fuel and the chicken breast will be stored, eventually as fat.

You could reverse the order in which you eat the two however you'll get pretty much the same effect.

By removing bad carbs from your diet and focusing on healthy Proteins, your body will burn fuel more efficiently because the Protein is slow burning, more satiating and helps to build muscle. Simple carbs don't do that. If you sat around all day and ate simple carbs it would be stored as fat. Eating protein will build muscle (provided you exercise) and muscle burns more calories and fat, thereby speeding up your metabolism.

I, too, found it hard getting in all of my protein right after surgery but that was from having problems eating period.

Now that I am 10 mos out, I concentrate on getting my protein from meats and Beans etc and rarely drink a Protein shake. I find it easier because I have a variety to choose from and the protein has definitely changed my appetite for the better.

Hope this helps. I got this info from my NUT and an online nutrition course I took via UPenn. If I can find the link again for the course I'll post it in here. It was free and very informative. Cornell also has Opencourse Free courses online that cover nutrition.

Best of luck and congrats!

Edited April 21, 201511 yr by tomi71

I'd love the link to the nutrition class.

The previous posters did a great job explaining things so I won't repeat anything already said. I will just add my observations as someone a year out from surgery at goal. I wasn't always heavy, so have been my current weight of 150 pounds as an adult before. What I have noticed is my body composition is VERY different post WLS. I have a lot less muscle tone and definition than I did at this weight before. I believe this is a direct result of my body burning muscle as fuel during the weight loss process. Taking in adequate protein is the best way to prevent this from happening. I would be curious to hear feedback from others. Anyone else notice a loss in muscle mass?

@@Bluesea71

Absolutely. In fact, I am going in to see my PCP about my heart. MY HEART! IT'S A MUSCLE! I have been experiencing serious fluttering and pressure these last couple of days, so in I go on Thursday, sooner, she says, if it stays symptomatic. CAN'T WAIT, huh. And my other muscles are a mess. I am kinda lookin' weird right now! Hopefully things will balance out, soon. Please say a prayer for me!

Actually the opposite for me. I put a lot of time in the gym. I definitely get my cardio, but, I also make sure I am hitting the weights hard as well. I did lose some strength in the beginning, but it is coming back pretty fast! Like I said though I put my time in and I am actually more defined than I ever have been. I have always been able to gain muscle mass pretty easy but never was defined or cut. Now I am getting both! Good luck on your journey, remember you get what you put in to it.

@@Bluesea71 I agree with your comment. I too have not always been heavy. About 10 years ago I weighed 155. Today I weigh 152. However, like you I feel this time with WLS surgery my body composition is less muscle and more flab/skin than before. Last time I lost weight on my own I didn't even exercise or watch my nutritional intake closely. This time with WLS I watch my nutritional intake everyday, get my protein, fluids, and exercise every day. Who knows, maybe it's an age factor. I am now 43 and things aren't the same as when I was 33. LOL

I'd love the link to the nutrition class.

Hi @@Inner Surfer Girl

I can't seem to find the UPenn course anymore but here is a link for free online courses at Texas A&M. I've done a few of these also and found them to be very helpful.

http://extensiononline.tamu.edu/courses/food_nutrition.php

I did the "nutrition essentials" courses. ????

Edited April 21, 201511 yr by tomi71

I do agree age plays a big role. I was a competitive athlete growing up and our capability to grow muscle is reduced as we get older. I'm now a woman in her 40's. I'm lucky that I have a naturally athletic/hour glass body shape without even trying. I'm currently training to hike half dome. I take strenuous 10 mile plus hikes on the weekends and try to fast pace walk 5-10 miles per day minimum. My body is lean and defined but the muscle mass just isn't what it used to be. On one hand I'm thrilled because I used to hate my legs when I was younger because my calve and thigh muscles would become so big and bulky! I'm thinking with the hard training I'm doing, I need to increase my protein intake. That's where coming on these boards and reading all of the posts are helpful to remind me of what I SHOULD be doing! They warned us about a honeymoon period! I am a pretty clean eater and am dedicated to my health and this process. Still, it becomes more challenging when you are once again capable of eating whatever you want!

Resistance training is the key to building lean muscle! Plus it boosts you metabolism long after you workout is over. I hear way to many talk about how hey are losing muscle because of the rapid weight loss. That is mainly because they are doing mainly or mostly aerobic style workouts. If you add a strength training regime to your workouts you might see sell depletion of lean muscle. I am not saying running, swimming, hiking... is bad but if that is all you are doing you are not working your muscles to their potential and they will not retain the same mass or strength. I do agree that with age muscle mass naturally lessens. But with a good training schedule with both strength and cardio mix these problems will be less noticable.

With the restrictions on calories and nutrients we consume everyday we are naturally in a negative balance and our bodies are looking for fuel. I would much rather my body consume my excess body fat than feed on my muscle to get it's fuel. Therefore lifting weights either high weight/low reps or low weight/high reps keeping my muscles active and keeping my metabolism high will help me achieve that.