December 16

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The Importance of Protein and your weight loss/gain goals

By Karen

December 16, 2020

muscle building, Protein, protein supplements, weight gain, weight loss

What is protein?

Protein is one of 3 major macronutrients, Carbohydrates and Fats are the other two (which I will go over another day) your body needs.  This means protein is a nutrient you need a lot of for body functions.  Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals.

Protein is an essential nutrient that is an important part of every cell in our body.  Protein is used by the body to make and repair tissues.  Protein is what makes up most of your hair and nails.  It is also a major component to building bones, muscles, and skin.

Protein and your progress

When I have people do a body composition scan, the most common trend I see with our newer athletes is their weight may go down, but their body fat percent doesn’t change but their skeletal muscle mass decreases.  

What does this mean?

This means that the weight they have lost is muscle and not fat.  We want this the other way around.  Muscle helps to burn fat and calories faster than fat does, so, ideally we want more muscle mass to speed up our weight loss, or fat loss progress. When I ask about nutrition I find that the amount of protein they are consuming is very low. 

How can eating protein really affect my muscle loss?

Our bodies do not store protein like they do fats and carbohydrates.  So, when you burn through all the proteins you have consumed your body will find alternative sources, like your muscles.  

Therefore, it is very important that we eat enough protein every day for proper body functions.

Protein rich foods

There are so many ways to get protein through our diet.  Meat, chicken, fish, seafood, and pork are major sources of protein. You can also get protein through animal by products such as cheese, milk, and eggs.  There are even many great sources of protein that do not come from animals like lentils, nuts, legumes, soy, and tofu just to name a few.

Protein Supplements

There are many great protein supplements out there but that is exactly what they are, supplements.  The majority of your protein sources need to come from the list in the above paragraph and you can use supplements to fill in the gaps.

Brick & Iron Cafe carries several great protein supplements that are clean sources as well as delicious.  Come to the shop and we will help you pick the option that is best for you.

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