If your looking to change your body composition (lose weight, gain weight, build muscle), eating sufficient amounts of protein is crucial in addition to carbs and fat (from yesterday’s reading). There are three main challenges to insufficient protein consumption: Not knowing how much to eat, chicken breast gets boring, and being vegetarian.
But what is a protein? The scientifice says that a protein consists of amino acids, and those amino acids contain a carboxyl group and amine group. What this means is that protein is a crucial building block for muscle, bone, skin, and blood. One gram of protein contains 4 calories
The general rule of thumb of protein intake for fat loss is 1g per pound of body weight. So if you’re 100lbs, then shoot for 100g of protein. To build muscle, consider eating up to 1.6g of carb per pound of body weight.
What does this look like? If you’re a woman, think about eating at least 1-2 palm sized portions of protein per meal, and for men, think about eating 2-3 palm sized portions of protein per meal (2-3x/day). If you want to gain some weight, stay towards the higher numbers, and if you want to lose weight, stick towards the smaller portion sizes.
Boring grilled chicken breast and broccoli make it extremely hard to ingest adequates amount of protein for proper muscle development. The best way to overcome this challenge is to add spices (I’m a huge fan of cumin and coriander to add to any poultry); but to also change up your protein choices. Try to stick with some leaner sources if your cooking with a lot of oil (think flank steak, skirt steak, chicken breast); and if your baking and using less oil, shoot for a fattier version (you can never go wrong with chicken thights).
If your a vegetarian, you can still get sufficient protein through sources like: tofu, beans, eggs, and dairy (if you can handle it). Keeping the menu varied will ensure maximum enjoyment and results.
Look at what you are currently eating. Are you having enough protein to facilitate your goals? Let us know.
If you need help with trying to figure out the right plan for you, then book a call with our nutrition coach Amber today. She’ll help you understand the best plan of action Stay tuned tomorrow to hear about our awesome nutrition programs.
Ashley
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