The most common worry from ladies who attend my personal training and and online 6 week better bodies nutrition coaching is that Protein will somehow bulk you up or a common remark is “ I thought it was for weightlifters”. Females seem to run a mile when you mention protein as they believe they will end up looking like Arnie back in the day and are also scared to death of gaining weight.
If you want to get leaner, increase your strength and burn more fat, then listen up….get more protein into your diet!!!!!!
Why is it so important?
Well, its a critical nutrient that accounts for 20 percent of your body weight. It has a thermic effect which means that it can burn off more calories through the digestion process with an increase in metabolism than carbs or fats. For instance, a 200 calorie chicken breast once digested can have net calories of just 140cals, thats a 30% burn off in calories just by the thermic effect alone. It would take you 20 minutes of moderate paced walking to burn off the same calories. It also helps balance out blood sugar, so that craving for the 4 o’clock choccie bikkie with your cuppa wont be as strong. Finally, protein supports recovery from training and speeds up repair of muscles. Personally and from experience with clients, its the improvement in insulin sensitivity, the lack of sugar cravings and the reduction in that unmerciful desire for sugar that makes protein a big winner for me. I feel that eating adequate protein helps us control the appetite and sugar cravings that lead to over eating and extra fat storage particularly around the tummy region. I recommend it as the priority macronutrient with every meal in my online 6 weeks better bodies program.
I suggest eating a form of protein with every meal preferably from whole food sources eg, chicken, eggs, beef or fish. If you are training hard particularly with weights , its important to increase your protein , studies suggest eating anywhere between 1-2 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. So if you are 10 stone or 140lbs then that is 140 grams. Now that may sound like a lot and when you consider an average chicken breast to be approx 25grams of protein , there is an awful lot of eating to be done. A Suggestion is to supplement with a protein powder particularly Whey Protein. Whey Protein is a great go-to protein source because it has a high concentration of amino acids and closely mimics human milk, which makes it less allergenic. Try taking 25 grams post workout from one that doesn’t have a high sugar content. If Whey doesn’t work for you then try a rice bran protein. I mix protein powder into my foods by making yummy Protein Pancakes and blend it in my smoothies for delicious protein smoothies.
If you’re like most women who take their workouts seriously, you want to get stronger and a better all round leaner body composition, do not neglect protein in your diet.
If you would like more nutrition advice and advice on getting the best workouts for fat loss then check out my online fat loss and fitness programs.
