Why Not to Eat Mostly Protein
Feb 09, 2020
Hello Dear One!
Have you ever tried to stick with as much protein, vegetables, few carbs, and little to NO fat in the name of weight loss?
Have you opted for bajillion egg white omelettes and chosen the fruit cup over the bacon or other fatty meat option?
Have you eagerly reached for anything “light” and hungrily scoured labels for higher and higher grams of protein feeling like you’ve performed a job well done in the aim to lose fat and retain (or even gain) muscle??
If so, you are NOT alone.
Truth be told if carbs are clearly at fault for so much of the state of affairs obesity wise (as well as the health issues tied to them) then protein could easily SOUND like a GREAT macronutrient to turn to.
Protein doesn’t spike our blood sugar like carbs (and with it insulin), it actually BURNS more calories when being digested (aka the thermogenic effect of food), and gram per gram it has about half as many calories as the other macronutrient FAT.
So why does protein NOT ultimately work as our main source of fuel when aiming to button up our health efforts as we more easily button up our britches or blouses?
PROTEIN IS NOT A GOOD SOURCE OF FUEL.
Protein is really not meant to BE used as fuel.
Protein (or the amino acids that it is made up of) is meant to REBUILD tissue, not fuel it.
Now protein can ABSOLUTELY help to anchor other macronutrients in your belly helping to keep you full, give you a satisfied feeling in your meal, and slow the release of sugar from carbs (and therefore insulin) into your bloodstream.
But ONLY or MOSTLY protein for fuel will soon equal mayday for your body.
Our bodies have EVOLVED to burn fat, but can EASILY regress to burning sugar as the quickly accessed fuel that it is, but PROTEIN has never really been an option.
When we do not give our bodies a choice for another all will be cool…for a time.
Then when your body starts to doubt when it will next get the super satisfying allotment of FAT that our ancestors relied on for survival (PS: one MUST retrain the body to run ONCE AGAIN on fat, please learn about that process in Fat Burning PRO, OR the quick sugar that most of us have been groomed into using (and CRAVING) – it starts to get UNCOMFORTABLE.
How that first shows up is in HUNGER.
(Please listen to your body as it’s ALWAYS sharing something USEFUL and generally ACCURATE.)
Then it might feel hard to get satisfied with your protein predominate meal.
And if you keep insisting on giving it what it “really” does NOT want it will start to take measure into it’s own hands.
Break down muscles and store more calories as fat??
YUP.
Eek!!!
Yes.
What can easily happen with this unpleasant downward spiral is your body chips away at your musculature to mine for glucose, storing any extra glucose in fat cells, slowing your metabolism and ultimately requiring less and less calories as you continue to trudge forward with your still in place plan being NONE the WISER.
I personally experienced this ages ago when aiming to eat a joyless diet of primarily protein and produce, and it felt HARD and eventually DEFEATING with what ultimately resulted.
Yuck.
So yes to protein for supporting our tissues, hormones, enzymes and other chemicals in our body.
But NO for it to be a sound fuel alternative to carbs.
Fat on the other hand…
Please check out the former post on inflammation if you’ve forgotten any of the heavy hitting health reasons why fat stacks up SO much better as a primary fuel source.
Or perhaps you might also like to be reminded of HOW MUCH EASIER it is when trying to lose weight, and how regular celebrations and FEASTS are easy peasy in a fat burning mode.
To getting you clearer on how the body works, and how to make it work for you.
xox, M
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