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7 Ways to Jump Start Your Beach Body Weight Loss
As May turns to June, it's time for many of us to take a look in the mirror and assess the results of our physique-enhancing regimen for Summer 2023. How far have we gotten in shedding excess fat and getting lean and extra-defined for the beach days and nights out of the long, sweet season ahead? Did you achieve your goals? Do you like what you see? Then congratulations are in order. Go forth and turn heads wherever you go. You earned it. Many of the rest of us, however, are discovering the age-old harsh reality of summer weight-loss efforts.In February and March, the pounds just melt right off as we put new summer clothes in our online shopping carts and research tropical destinations. These pounds are the easy ones, and part of us knows that. They're water weight and the excess fat most recently gained since last summer or over the holidays. Surely the fat loss will continue until we reach our goal, right? Unfortunately, our bodies have other plans in store for us. Faced with caloric deprivation (what are ancestors experienced as famine) our bodies take countermeasures to preserve what excess fat remains. Our metabolism, heart rate and blood pressure slow down. The needle on the scale stutters and stalls. Our mood suffers and we may actually begin to feel cold. We have less energy because, frankly, our bodies aren't going to expend energy they don't have. Welcome to the last days of calendar spring. The challenge is real and the finish line is so close. What's needed now is a few not-so-extraordinary measures to fire up fat loss, restore vitality, and attain the ideal physique we aspired to in the cold months of winter. Let's take a look at seven of those strategies for a strong finish. Prioritize Resistance Training Over Cardio Exercise Like Running Maybe you love running. A lot of people do. It relieves stress, can improve both agility and bone density and can even enhance your creativity. It's also excellent for cardiovascular health. But it won't help you lose a single ounce of body fat. And if you're doing it, now is the time to cut down on it, particularly steady-state running over extended periods of time. Steady-state cardio actually burns very few calories. Your body acclimates to this kind of treadmill plodding very quickly. Even if you keep your heart rate elevated (which not many people do) you're burning at best maybe 100 calories per mile. You'll replace those calories with the energy drink you consume afterwards. Worse yet, you're not building any new muscle. When you engage in low-resistance exercise like cardio, your body tends to spare fat stores, quickly burning through the muscle glycogen available and then tearing down existing muscle mass for fuel. Muscle mass is the furnace that you’re depending on to burn fat. The less of it you have, the more challenging fat loss will be.Instead, if f you want to burn fat, you have to lift weights regularly to increase your training volume and add muscle mass. You're probably already doing this, but in these last days of spring you should rely on weight training exclusively to get lean. The more muscle mass you have, the more fuel it takes to maintain, the more fat you will burn. What about your cardiovascular health? The truth is, if you're maintaining a brisk pace, keeping breaks between sets to a minimum, using supersets to work opposing muscle groups (and thus keep moving), you're already getting a cardio workout. You're sweating and your heart rate is elevated for the duration of your workout. It's the best of both worlds -- getting cardio AND adding muscle mass. Forty-five minutes, three to four workouts a week with an emphasis on keeping rest intervals short, should be more than enough. Measure Your Portions If you're not already doing this, trust us, you're consuming many more calories per day than you think. Most people just don't have a realistic concept of what constitutes portion size. Dial in your macros (50% high-quality low-glycemic carbs, 30% protein, 20% healthy fats), weigh your food, and set it aside into pre-arranged meals. (If this seems like a lot of work and your budget allows it, there are plenty of fitness-oriented meal services out there that will do this for you.) Keep a log of what you eat. Doing so may seem like busywork, but it will help you maintain an accurate picture of your eating habits and avoid cheating. You're less likely to cheat on portion sizes if you have to write the cheat down. And you're certainly less likely to grab a bag of chips at the Quickie Mart if you have to write that down too. Successful dieting doesn't just mean eating less, it means eating better. Support Muscle Mass and Growth with BCAAs Every pound of muscle in your body burns about 50 calories per day at rest. So it makes sense to maintain as much of it as possible. Unfortunately, muscle mass is the first thing to go when your body shifts into survival mode. To keep it, you have to use it, which is where resistance training comes in. You also have to feed it. High-intensity resistance exercise literally destroys muscle tissue. When we destroy muscle tissue during exercise, we do so with the intention of building it back, bigger and better. We can't do that, however, if our bodies are under-fueled (as during caloric-restrictive dieting). But there are calorically efficient ways to fuel the protein synthesis that is the foundation for muscle recovery and repair. Branched-chain aminos (the essential aminos leucine, isoleucine and valine) facilitate protein synthesis in muscle tissue. Leucine, in particular, is a primary activator of the mTOR anabolic pathway that governs protein synthesis and consequent muscle repair and growth. Restoration and growth of muscle tissue, in turn, results in increased metabolism and increased fat mobilization for energy. You can supplement with BCAAs without adding much to your daily caloric intake by simply incorporating a daily high-quality protein formula into your meal regimen. A single serving of a high-quality whey isolate formula contains high amounts of BCAAs with little more than 100 calories or so, with negligible amounts of fat, sugar and lactose. Or you can supplement with a straight-up BCAA supplement pre- or intra-workout. Again, every ounce of muscle you can retain will inch you closer to your beach body ideal. Increase Strength and Work Output with Creatine Several weeks into your beach body diet, energy becomes a problem. You may be feeling lethargic and your workouts are suffering. Prioritizing the highest-quality food sources will help you bridge that energy gap, but to keep your workouts maximally productive, more is needed.Strength is the key to maintaining and increasing workout performance and output. To support strength, you need to consider creatine supplementation, if you haven't added it to your regimen already.Many people (especially women) seeking fat loss shy away from creatine because they associate it with water retention and weight gain. This is a mistake. Creatine plays an important role in helping to synthesize adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in muscle tissue, a compound that releases energy used for muscle contractions.Creatine, especially in its monohydrate form, has been associated with positive effects on strength and endurance increase, training capacity, muscle mass, and body composition in literally hundreds of clinically studies conducted all around the world. Again, the more muscle you have, the more fat you burn. Creatine monohydrate is a calorie-free secret weapon in your quest for a lean, rock-hard physique. Reset Your Body's Weight Loss Potential By Varying Your Exercise Regimen If you're adhering to the same training regimen day after day and week after week, you're most likely bored with it and your body is too. Your body will acclimate pretty swiftly to a stagnant routine, which will make maintaining muscle and leaning out difficult to achieve. So it's time to change it up. If you're hitting the same circuit of machines and free weights every time you hit the gym, sign up for a group exercise class. Or try high intensity interval training as a substitute for long-interval, static distance running. Swimming, yoga and tennis (or pickle ball) are all worthy alternatives as well. The key is to challenge yourself, both physically and mentally. Whether you're lifting weights or executing a perfect warrior pose, be mindful of your heart rate. Try maintaining a heart rate that's around 50% to 85% of your maximum heart rate. To establish your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220. But most of all, remember that variety is the spice of life and essential to your beach-body goals. Get Sufficient Sleep to Recharge Lack of proper sleep doesn't just interfere with proper muscle recovery and overall wellness, it can actually lead to fat gain. Observational evidence has long suggested that people who report irregular or fewer hours of quality sleep are more likely to be overweight. How much sleep is optimal for a typical adult? At least seven hours of high-quality sleep per night. So draw the shades, turn off the TV (or better yet, put the TV in another room), set the temperature on the cool side, and set aside any electronic devices. Try Intermittent Fasting Intermittent fasting is all the rage these days, with dieters, athletes, and even bodybuilders employing it to reach their physique goals. It turns out that fasting may actually increase metabolism due to increases in serum norepinephrine caused by caloric deprivation. Fasting has also been linked to increases in growth hormone production, which would support both fat loss and muscle gain, and more responsive insulin production, which could facilitate fat burning. Which kind of fasting is best for you? You might try the 16:8 Method, which entails skipping breakfast each day and eating during an eight-hour 12 noon-to-8pm window. Or try the 5:2 Diet, in which you would consume only 500-600 calories two days per week and eat normally otherwise. You could also fast entirely for one or two 24-hour periods per week. No matter which method you choose, make sure you don't overcompensate by eating much more during non-fasting periods. Keep Your Eyes on the Prize Change, flexibility and willingness to adapt are key attributes to achieving your summer beach body goals. Stay focused, stay active, give your body the nutrition it needs to thrive, and power your way across the finish line. Your Beach Body Summer is at hand!The articles featured herein are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Specific medical advice should only be obtained from a licensed health care professional. No liability is assumed by ProSource for any information herein.
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11 Core Exercises for People Who Hate Crunches, Sit-Ups and Planks
Is there anything more depressing than heading into the gym on core workout day? You've got forty-five minutes to an hour of crunches, sit-ups and planks in several variations to look forward to, and you won't even get to look good doing it. (Trust us, nobody looks good in that ridiculous vertical crunch machine, hunched over, red-faced, with your hands grasping those handles over your head.)And here's the thing. All those bicycle crunches, hanging sit-ups, and time spent in the side lateral machine aren't even all that good for you. (Planks might have some utility, but further down, we'll have an alternative for that too.)Researchers have determined that it would take about 250,000 crunches to burn one pound of body fat. Crunches also tend to activate limited muscle groups (abs, obliques) while elevating neck and lower back compression and increasing the risk of injury. Those lateral twist machines are also an injury waiting to happen. Sit-ups have lost so much credibility that trainers don't even mention them anymore. Some people hate core day so much, they refuse to even do one. (ProSource's own fitness guru, Darrin Hills comes to mind.)So. What to do? Well, the good news is, if you're pursuing a well-rounded regimen of weekly weight training that incorporates free weights and compound movements, you're already doing core work. Likewise, any kind of bodyweight bearing exercise or training that requires and improves balance and coordination. Think of it as a stealth core workout hidden within your normal regimen.Can you get six-pack abs without ever doing a plank again? Maybe that's a stretch, but you can work your abs in plenty of alternative ways. And defined abs actually have more to do with losing excess fat and water-weight anyway. For our purposes here, we're talking about building core strength and flexibility. Let's talk about core exercise alternatives and how you can make them work for you.SquatsYeah, yeah, we know. We're offering to take away the drudgery of Core Day, and offering you Leg Day. But squats are the gift that keeps giving: a fantastic compound exercise that primarily targets your lower body, including your quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. If you're doing them correctly, you're powerfully engaging your core muscles, especially your lower back and abdominal muscles. To maximize the engagement of your core, focus on maintaining a tight and upright posture throughout the movement.DeadliftsHere again, you were doing core work all along. Deadlifts are another excellent compound exercise that primarily works your posterior chain, including your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. When performing deadlifts correctly, you automatically engage your core muscles to stabilize your spine and maintain proper form. Keep a neutral spine throughout the movement to protect your lower back. Oh, and enjoy that clang and crash of weights hitting the floor, something you'll never enjoy doing crunches. LungesHere's a great core alternative that also eliminates the need for two of our least favorite machines: the leg curl machine and the leg extension machine. Lunges are great for targeting your lower body, specifically your quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. To engage your core during lunges, focus on maintaining your balance and stability by keeping your abdominal muscles tight and your torso upright. You can perform walking lunges or stationary lunges, depending on your preference and space availability.Push-UpsThe Big Daddy of bodyweight-bearing exercises. While push-ups are a classic exercise for targeting chest, shoulders, and triceps, they also nurture your core. Think of them as planks before your grandpa knew what a plank was. While performing push-ups, your core muscles work to stabilize your body, especially your lower back and abdominals. To engage your core effectively, focus on maintaining a straight line from your head to your heels, avoiding sagging or raising your hips. Need more of a challenge? Ramp up balance difficulty by alternating one-arm push-ups. Or try vertical pushups in a doorway.Renegade RowsOr take the push-up to an entirely new level with the renegade row. Renegade rows are a compound exercise that combines elements of both push-ups and rowing. This exercise targets your chest, back, shoulders, and arms while also engaging your core muscles for stability. Start in a push-up position with a dumbbell in each hand, then alternate rowing one dumbbell at a time, keeping your hips and shoulders squared and stable. Balance and bodyweight bearing equals a sturdy core.Kettlebell SwingsIt pains us every time we walk into a gym and see a full rack of kettlebells neglected in a far-off corner. Kettlebells are the world's most versatile free weights. You can use them to target specific muscle groups and you can also execute total-body movements that emphasize balance, stability and your core. Kettlebell swings, specifically, are a powerful exercise that targets your posterior chain, including your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. The explosive hip thrust motion in kettlebell swings engages your core muscles to stabilize your spine and maintain control throughout the movement. The better you get at it, the heavier the bell you use. Standing Bicep CurlsWe kid you not. The ultimate gym flex is also good for your core, if you're doing them right. The key is to emphasize proper form over using too-ambitious of a weight. If you're swinging your back even an inch or so, or using momentum to complete the movement, you're cheating yourself. Get a lighter weight and start over. Keep your back straight; execute both the concentric (curl) movement and the eccentric (extension) movement slow and steady. Dumbbells or curl bar -- take your pick and build both arm and core strength.Step-UpsTime to think outside the box by getting out the box. Step-ups are a simple yet effective exercise that primarily targets your quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. By incorporating a step or box, you can increase the range of motion and engage your core muscles for stability. Step onto the elevated surface with one foot at a time, then step back down. Focus on maintaining proper posture and engaging your core throughout the exercise. Mountain ClimbersThe key here is to not let your body form a tent. If your butt is in the air, you're transitioning your bodyweight stability efforts away from your core and toward your knees and wrists. Not good. Done correctly, mountain climbers are a dynamic exercise that targets multiple muscle groups, including your core, shoulders, and legs. Start in a push-up position and bring one knee toward your chest, then alternate quickly as if you're running in place. Engage your core by keeping your hips stable and maintaining a neutral spine throughout the movement.Medicine Ball ExercisesLike kettlebells, another piece of old-school gym equipment that is sadly under-used. The medicine ball, typically eight to fifteen pounds, is an incredibly versatile thing. Incorporate it into some of the movements cited above, like mountain climbers or lunges. Do squat jumps by simply holding one in your hands before you, doing a deep knee bend and springing up out of it. Do Russian twists or reclining side-to-side passes. Do pistol squats in which you balance on one leg, dip while flexing your free leg out with the medicine ball held out before you. Or do one of our favorites -- the kneeling medicine ball slam. Get into a lunge position, hold the medicine ball over your head, then SLAM it to the ground on the side of your high leg. Now switch. Enormously satisfying!Yoga TrainingIf you think yoga is plank exercises with a side order of mysticism, you don't know yoga. Yoga poses are ideal for enhancing balance, flexibility and stability, which are key to strengthening your core. Each movement (or asana) requires the activation and engagement of a range of muscles in the body, including the muscles which make up the core – the abdominals, lower back, hips, and glutes. Holding and transitioning between different asanas will help you enhance core strength while also building a stronger mind-body connection. The argument for yoga is simple: Why endure core training in lonely misery when you can exercise your core in a context of positive mindfulness in the company of others? Get out your yoga mat and join in!The articles featured herein are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Specific medical advice should only be obtained from a licensed health care professional. No liability is assumed by ProSource for any information herein.
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Are Low Testosterone Levels Making You Fat?
Americans are getting heavier. It's a national epidemic. We all know that. Today, about 65% of adults in the United States are overweight or obese.When asked to consider the causes for this state of affairs, medical professionals trot out all the usual suspects: Americans don't get enough exercise; they eat too much junk food; they don't make healthy choices.And while that may be true for many people, it may not be true for you. In fact, it may be a little frustrating to hear. There are plenty of men out there who are hitting the gym regularly, eating a varied and healthy diet, and they're still carrying extra belly weight and are firmly entrenched in the "overweight" column of the BMI scale.If you're one of these frustrated men, you should know that there are other mitigating factors that can contribute to retaining stubborn excess body fat. Too much stress, lack of proper rest, nutrient deficiencies, even over-training or too much steady-state cardio exercise. Another factor could be low testosterone levels.Before you say that you're too young, too vital, too good-looking to have that problem, you should know that low testosterone levels are more common than you may think, even among younger men.In a recent study presented at the 2020 American Urological Association Virtual Experience (1 Patel), researchers used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) from 1999 to 2016 to analyze serum testosterone level changes over time in 4,045 young adult males (defined as age 15-39).After controlling for variables -- including year of study, age, race, BMI, comorbidity status, alcohol and smoking use, and level of physical activity -- total testosterone was found to be lower among younger male subjects in the later (2011-2016) versus earlier (1999-2000) cycles. In fact, mean total testosterone decreased from 1999-2000 (605.39 ng/dL), 2003-2004 (567.44 ng/dL), 2011-2012 (424.96 ng/dL), 2013-2014 (431.76 ng/dL), and 2015-2016 (451.22 ng/dL).It should be noted that measurements of 300 ng/dL or lower mark the threshold at which physicians may offer a diagnosis of clinically low testosterone levels and may suggest treatment (of which testosterone replacement therapy is one). Still, however, the results of this study show a substantial decrease in testosterone levels in ostensibly young men.The researchers then went further, digging deeper into the data, and noted that elevated BMI was associated with reduced total testosterone levels in test subjects, with the mean BMI increasing from 25.83 in 1999-2000, to 27.96 in 2015-2016. They concluded that even men with a normal BMI (18.5-24.9) had declining total testosterone levels during the same time frames.These are sobering conclusions. But what of this relationship between low testosterone levels and elevated BMI? Do low testosterone levels cause increased excess body fat retention? Or does excess body fat undermine testosterone levels?The truth is, it works both ways. The two factors can, in fact, form a vicious cycle in which each symptom exacerbates the other. Testosterone plays a crucial role in maintaining muscle mass, which burns body fat as fuel. Testosterone also plays a role in supporting efficient metabolism and thus, better body composition. So lower testosterone levels correlate to increased body fat.On the other hand, having excess weight, especially in the form of belly fat, can boost the activity of an enzyme that converts testosterone into estrogen, which in high levels, is linked to obesity in men.What to Do If You Think You Have Low T LevelsFirst of all, let us state emphatically that no physician anywhere is going to prescribe Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) as a weight loss treatment. Nor should they. While generally safe, TRT products carry a packaging warning stating that they may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, including strokes and heart attacks. These treatments are also, by their very nature, temporary. The effect lasts only as long as the therapy continues.Having said that, you should by all means schedule an appointment with your doctor to have your testosterone levels checked. Two measurements (usually taken in the morning when T levels are peaking) below 300 ng/dL may result in a diagnosis of chronically low testosterone levels. In which case, TRT may be for you. That's up to you and your doctor to decide.Natural Ways to Support Male Testosterone ProductionBut what if your testosterone levels are low, but not low enough to merit pharmaceutical intervention? Here you are, probably suffering from one or more of the typical symptoms of low T levels -- low energy, slow metabolism, reduced sex drive, reduced response to resistance exercise. And you've still got this nagging and persistent roll of belly fat. What then?In that case you should know that you have safe, all-natural approaches to supporting and maintaining testosterone levels at your disposal. Many of them are simple, common-sense measures that can make a significant change in your T levels and in your overall health and well-being.Simply training correctly can have a positive effect on T levels. High-volume workouts that emphasize heavy compound moves (squats, deadlifts, bench presses) can facilitate testosterone production increase. Beware over-training that places your body under more stress than it can handle. This will send levels of cortisol soaring, which in turn will depress your testosterone production. And keep the steady-state cardio to a minimum. A well-planned training program that prioritizes volume, brevity, adequate work-to-rest periods and recovery time will help elevate and maintain testosterone levels.Dietary fats have also been linked to healthy levels of testosterone in males. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism reported that a diet with fat content exceeding 100 g per day resulted in increased free testosterone in healthy male subjects. When subjects were put on a low fat diet (<20 g of fat per day), the authors reported that blood cholesterol levels (which are used to produce testosterone) decreased (2 Reed).You may also want to consider a Vitamin D supplement, particularly in the winter months when exposure to sunlight (the body's principle means of producing Vitamin D) is in short supply. In a 2010 study published in the journal Hormone and Metabolic Research, healthy male subjects given 3332 iu of Vitamin D3 for a year ended up having 25.2% higher T-levels when compared to placebo (3 Pilz).You also need to address some of the lifestyle factors that may be undermining your T levels. We know you're not spending your days eating bags of potato chips in front of the TV. But are you getting enough rest? Are you avoiding unnecessary stress? You should be shooting for eight or nine hours of quality sleep per night, establishing consistent turn-in and wake-up times, and avoiding stimulants starting several hours before bedtime. Daily chronic stress tends to elevate cortisol, which negatively impacts free testosterone levels and health. Learn to effectively manage your time and look to other stress-reducing options like meditation or hiking. Consider a Natural Testosterone-Boosting SupplementIf you've ever seen products in this category before and been a little skeptical, we can't blame you. Wherever there's a discipline of scientific research and development that offers dramatic benefits to an especially large demographic (in this case men looking to maintain their youthful vitality and well-being) there will be less-than-scrupulous marketers looking to take advantage.You should know, however, that the latest breakthroughs in this area of supplement science have been genuinely exciting. In particular, there has been an amazing amount of scientific progress in recent years regarding the efficacy of protodioscin-rich botanical extracts derived from the herb Tribulus terrestris. Indeed, new evidence suggests that these extracts, when subjected to new and advanced methods of processing, can have positive effects on testosterone production in males.In one of several recent studies, published in the journal Andrologia in 2016, 65 men (aged 18-65) with no hormonal issues took an herbal extract containing 112 mg of protodioscin daily for 12 weeks. It was concluded that taking the protodioscin-rich extract led to an increase in blood testosterone levels, which coincided with decreased body fat percentage, and increases in lean mass (4 Salgado).The Product Research Team here at ProSource has long been among the industry leaders in this highly specialized area of research and product development. This groundbreaking scientific research effort, conducted over decades, forms the foundation of AndroTest, the first true clinical-grade natural testosterone support supplement for men.The key active ingredient in AndroTest is derived via a rigorous and highly complex multiple-extraction process under the most stringent protocols utilizing state-of-the-art laboratory procedures. This meticulous process, which entails up to twenty different extractions, results in a Tribulus extract standardized to contain an unprecedented 40% to 48% protodioscin, which is up to 40 times more potent than existing Tribulus-based products.What about results, you say? Well, in a 4-week, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, product-specific study, subjects using AndroTest experienced statistically significant increases in total testosterone levels, averaging 59.88% over baseline, with some subjects showing total increases as high as 275% over baseline. Subjects also experienced major increases in free testosterone, averaging 59.75% over baseline, with some subjects reaching up to 218% over baseline. Results of this kind are truly unprecedented for products of this kind. Of course, AndroTest is just one of several natural methods of supporting T levels. The key is recognizing how crucial the all-important male hormone testosterone is to so many markers of health and well-being (including losing excess body fat) and prioritizing the lifestyle strategies that will peak them peaking as the years go by.Scientific References1. Patel P, Fantus R, Lokeshwar S, et al. Trends in Serum Testosterone Levels Among Adolescent and Young Adults Men in the United States. Presented at: 2020 AUA Virtual Experience; May 15, 2020. Abstract MP78-01.2 Reed MJ, Cheng RW, Simmonds M, Richmond W, James VH. Dietary lipids: an additional regulator of plasma levels of sex hormone binding globulin. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1987 May;64(5):1083-5. 3 S Pilz, S Frisch, H Koertke, J Kuhn, J Dreier, B Obermayer-Pietsch, E Wehr, A Zittermann. Effect of vitamin D supplementation on testosterone levels in men. Horm Metab Res. 2011 Mar;43(3):223-5.4 Salgado RM, Marques-Silva MH, Gonçalves E, Mathias AC, Aguiar JG, Wolff P. Effect of oral administration of Tribulus terrestris extract on semen quality and body fat index of infertile men. Andrologia. 2016 Jul 12. Use AndroTest as directed. Read all product label instructions and warnings thoroughly before use. A 4-week study of healthy males showed a 59.75% average increase in free testosterone compared to baseline and 59.88% average increase in total testosterone compared to baseline. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.The articles featured herein are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Specific medical advice should only be obtained from a licensed health care professional. No liability is assumed by ProSource for any information herein.
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Research Update -- Increased Protein Intake Preserves Muscle Mass and Enhances Diet Quality During Weight Loss
There are certain universal truths of nutrition and fitness that emerge as anecdotal evidence long before they are validated by clinical science. One of these truths is this: Increasing protein intake makes dieting easier, makes portion control easier, and just generally makes you feel stronger, better and more vital during times of caloric restriction.Nutrition experts have long known that simply cutting calories indiscriminately is not a pathway to successfully losing weight. It's hard to do first of all, and the results -- even if you attain them -- are virtually impossible to maintain over the long term. Eventually you're going to start consuming more calories again and the excess weight is going to return. Likewise, fad diets and gimmicky low- or no-calorie snacks are dead ends because they contain none of the nutrition your body needs to perform necessary tasks -- like burning fat and utilizing it for energy, for instance.The bottom line is this: To lose excess weight, you can't just eat less. You have to eat better.In recent years, a number of clinical studies have been undertaken to investigate the relationship between increased protein intake and improvements in overall body composition. Reliably, these studies have shown that ramping up your protein consumption is a winning strategy for losing weight slowly and steadily and keeping those pounds off. Protein can also help support the lean muscle mass that caloric deprivation tends to diminish over time. This second point is especially important because diminishments in lean muscle mass make your body a less efficient fat-burning machine.Here at ProSource, your #1 resource for all things fitness-related, we try to keep you updated on these scientific developments. But there's a lot of studies out there. Fortunately, one recent analysis has pooled the data from multiple trials to make a pretty convincing case that protein is your dietary ally in the war against excess body fat.The Correlation Between Increased Protein Intake, Better Quality Diet and Improved Body CompositionIn the analysis, published in the July 2022 issue of the scientific journal Obesity, data was pooled from several studies conducted at the same laboratory at Rutgers University over a dozen years, in which subjects participated in a 6- to 12-month weight-loss intervention. Subjects in each of the studies were between 24 and 75 years of age, manifested BMI (body mass index) consistent with overweight or obesity and completed weekly counseling sessions with a registered nutritionist. All participants were advised to maintain their usual physical activity during the intervention.Subjects were divided into two groups -- a High Protein Group (average of 79 grams/day) and a Low Protein Group (average of 58 grams/day. During the studies, subjects' diet quality was evaluated by way of food intake records submitted by the participants and assessed using the Health Eating Index standard. Body composition was measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry.At the end of the studies, researchers found that Healthy Eating Index scores among the High Protein Group were consistently higher than those in the Low Protein Group, a finding the researchers attributed to participants in the HP Group self-selecting greater green vegetable intake and reduced refined grain and added-sugar intake, as well as the additional protein (as documented in food intake records). This preference for healthier eating and less junk-food snacking may correspond with overall greater feelings of satiety and/or general health and fitness consciousness.At the same time, while both protein groups lost a similar amount of weight and fat mass during caloric restriction, there was a greater decrease in lean muscle mass in the Low Protein Group as compared with the High Protein Group, whether calculated as percentage or as kilogram loss. Greater retention of lean muscle mass correlates well with a dieter's capacity for sustaining weight loss over time while maintaining increased vitality.Protein is the Perfect Weight-Loss FoodWhile none of the conclusions arrived at above should come as a surprise to fitness-conscious people who are careful about what they eat, it's always nice to see anecdotal evidence borne out in a clinical setting. Simply put, extra dietary protein has a lot to offer in terms of enhanced body composition. Protein is naturally thermogenic because it requires extra energy to digest. High protein intake has been shown to significantly boost metabolism and increase the number of calories you burn. It promotes a feeling of fullness, decreasing junk-food cravings. And it supports the muscle tissue you need to burn fat.The protein intake for the High Protein Group in the above-cited meta-analysis is consistent with the daily RDA for protein intake of 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body mass each day. However, many nutrition experts suggest that higher intakes of protein (as much as 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body mass per day) is indicated for highly active people seeking to limit the loss of muscle while restricting calories. Whole food sources of protein (beef, chicken, fish, eggs, etc.) should form the foundation of your high-protein, muscle-sustaining diet during periods of caloric restriction. Supplementing with a high-quality protein formula once or twice during the day is also highly recommended for lean-muscle support and keeping fat utilization at optimum levels. As we always say, choosing the right protein for you is of utmost importance. ProSource's own NytroWhey Ultra Elite is famous for its unsurpassed matrix of protein technologies designed to exponentially increase protein synthesis, support recovery, and drive significant growth. The ultra-premium-grade, cold-processed CFM whey protein isolate in NytroWhey Ultra Elite is loaded with critical growth catalysts primed for rapid-action muscle support. For even faster uptake, advanced whey protein hydrolysates yield extremely low-molecular-weight di- and tri-peptides for super-swift absorption into muscle tissue. And its state-of-the-art leucine peptide technology is designed to more efficiently transport leucine to muscle tissue, making it a muscle-building powerhouse of unprecedented power and productivity. ProSource has also recently reformulated its NytroWhey Ultra Elite to make it even more ideal for fitness-conscious people intent on eating clean and eating well. Several adjustments to NytroWhey Ultra Elite's nutritional profile have made it simpler, more natural, more digestible and more bioavailable. The last traces of gluten and soy have been removed, fiber content has been reduced and healthy fats sourced from sunflower oil have been added.Prioritize Protein in Your Weight Loss PlanIf simply decreasing caloric intake were the sole driver of excess weight loss, there would be a lot more diet successes than failures out there. Instead, the opposite is true. To improve your odds of success, you need to choose not just less food, but healthier food options. Protein, whether from whole food sources or from a superior-quality whey formula, is a big part of a higher-quality diet and more sustainable weight loss.Scientific ReferencesAnna R. Ogilvie, Yvette Schlussel, Deeptha Sukumar, Lingqiong Meng, Sue A. Shapses. Higher protein intake during caloric restriction improves diet quality and attenuates loss of lean body mass. Obesity, Volume 30, Issue 7, July 2022, Pages 1411-1419.Use products as directed with a sensible nutrition and exercise program. Read and follow all product label instructions and warnings thoroughly before use. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.The articles featured herein are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Specific medical advice should only be obtained from a licensed health care professional. No liability is assumed by ProSource for any information herein.
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