The closest thing to a fat-burning food
Ever wonder why every single fat loss nutrition program is like, “EAT MORE PROTEIN”?
Besides the seemingly endless list of benefits that come with increased whole food protein consumption, we’ve got this super cool little fact:
30% of the calories in protein are burned just by digesting that protein.
Allow me to explain.
It takes energy for your body to process the food you eat into energy to use to blink and breathe and watch cat videos on the internet.
Here’s the breakdown of about how much energy each macronutrient uses just to digest it:
Protein: 30%
Carbs: 10%
Fats: 3%
This is called the Thermic Effect of Food, and you’ve probably experienced it yourself—ever eat a big, protein-heavy meal and get really warm? Some people call this the “meat sweats” (nutrition’s sexiest term).
When my wife complains about being cold, it’s almost always because she hasn’t eaten food (i.e. protein) in several hours. She has yet to learn this lesson despite daily reminders. Thank god she’s not on this email list 😅
ANYWAY, when you start adding more lean protein to every meal, not only are you improving your body composition, increasing your energy, and feeling satiated—you’re literally acquiring less calories.
Which is a neat-o side effect IMO.
Want to know another cool protein fact? Of course you do:
We don’t store extra protein as efficiently as we store extra carbs/fats.
Technically, our bodies can convert amino acids into fatty acids, but this is in very rare circumstances where the person is being a raging glutton and eating thousands of calories over their needs every day.
Here’s what usually happens: The protein is either burned off because the thermic effect is so high, or it contributes to your lean mass (muscles! organs! stuff we like!).
As I tell my clients: No one got fat eating a whole bunch of lean protein. It’s the excess carbs+fats that accomplish that.
So here’s a reminder of some lean proteins—center your meals around these:
Chicken and turkey (deli meat, ground meat, sausage, breast meat!)
Beef (90% lean ground, flank steak, sirloin, eye of round, tenderloin)
Fishies (tuna, white fish/talapia, cod)
Low-fat dairy (non-fat/low-fat greek yogurt/cheeses)
Eggs if you add a white or two for every yolk
These are NOT lean proteins, but do contain some protein so are great to use as your carb or fat sources:
Cheese
Nuts/seeds
Beans/lentils
Tofu/tempeh
Whole eggs
Fattier cuts of meat/fish
If you’d like some support and structure while learning how to sustainably train and eat for your goals, consider applying to the Adventure Ready Academy!
Love & muscles,
Coach Mac
Muscle Sherpa
