Protein Isn’t Just For Bodybuilders
Your body needs it too.
Brands like to associate protein with building muscle because that’s what sells but the truth is your body uses protein for many bodily functions. Whether you’re an athlete, love working-out or have no interest in training, your body needs protein.
When I ask peoples about their eating habits, it always surprises me the lack of protein they’re having on a daily basis. Many are unaware that they need it or that the amount they’re having actually isn’t enough.
Medline Plus definition of protein:
Proteins are large, complex molecules that play many critical roles in the body. They do most of the work in cells and are required for the structure, function, and regulation of the body’s tissues and organs.
Proteins are made up of hundreds or thousands of smaller units called amino acids, which are attached to one another in long chains. There are 20 different types of amino acids that can be combined to make a protein. The sequence of amino acids determines each protein’s unique 3-dimensional structure and its specific function.
This is why I make sure I’m getting sufficient amounts of protein each day because I know the value it has on my body.
Here are some of the functions that protein has to offer:
- Transportation- Proteins are smart carriers, enabling nutrients to get to their destination.
- Source of Energy- Provides the same amount of energy per unit of weight as carbs (4 calories per gram)
- Hormone Production- Hormones control many chemical activity in the body and these are made of unique proteins. For example testosterone is an important tissue building hormone.
- Fluid Balance- Proteins help control the fluid balance between blood and surrounding tissues. This helps maintain blood levels and sweat rates during physical activity.
- Growth and Tissue Maintenance- Protein is needed to build and maintain tissues. That’s why protein is very important for growing children and older people.
Your body doesn’t view muscle building as a necessity so protein will be used for all the important things before it’s used for your muscles. That’s why if your training you need to be consuming more protein to get the best results.
Resting metabolic rate
Your resting metabolic rate (RMR) is key if you don’t want to starve and like eating. RMR is the amount of energy it takes just for you to do nothing (eg sitting, lying down, talking). Everything you do takes energy, when your resting it still takes energy.
Your RMR is the biggest contributor to energy expenditure (about 50-80%) compared to physical activity and thermic effect of feeding. That’s why for example a bodybuilder can do nothing the whole day, eat 4000 calories and still lose weight. It takes their body so much work just to be.
Compare that with endurance racers, their RMR is quite low so if they stop training and eat for example 4000 calories they will gain weight.
So a higher RMR means you can consume more calories without having to burn extra calories through physical activity.
This doesn’t mean you have to be a bodybuilder but you do need to know the value of preserving your muscles.
If you want to lose fat preserving your muscle is one of the best ways to do it.
Too many people want to see the scale doing down and they don’t care what they’re losing (fat, muscle or water).
Losing muscle means a low RMR, feeling hungry most the time, cravings and relapses.
Really the goal is to burn fat and preserve muscle. Protein will help you preserve your muscles and the more muscles you have the higher your RMR will be. This will mean you’re hungry far less and can have more of your favourites foods without it being too influential to your weight.
Create your meal around protein
When your deciding what to eat try and create your meal around a protein source. I ask myself what has protein? and what can I have with it?
When your plate is mostly protein it will leave you feeling full for a long period of time and will be low in calories. That’s the difference with having a carb heavy meal, it’s quick energy, not very filling but high in calories.
Here are a selection of foods rich in protein:
- Meat
- Meat Substitues
- Poultry
- Fish
- Beans
- Nuts
- Yogurt
- Oats
Meat is the best source of protein but if you don’t eat meat there’s still options available to you. Protein shakes are a good supplement to have if you want to increase your protein intake.
How much protein a day?
This is were some are getting it wrong. They might be having protein but far below what they need.
Everybody's body is different so the requirements are different. If you’re more active you will require more protein.
A guideline you can follow and adapt is 2x bodyweight of protein per day. For example I weigh 75kg so I eat about 150g of protein on a daily basis. Keep in mind I’m highly active so a high protein intake will help with my training and recovery.
If I wasn’t training I would eat a little less than this.
Experiment and see what works best for you.
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