Can protein pacing be the solution to your weight loss problems? Expert elucidates

If you’re tired of eating bland vegetables and have sworn off carbohydrates for a while, spicing up your weight loss journey may be the next thing you need! Look no further! Incorporate protein pacing into the mix. Indianexpress.com spoke to Dr Biju, Chief Medical Officer at Vieroots, and learned the myriad health benefits that come with this technique.

What’s protein pacing?

“Protein pacing ” is often used by athletes and nutritionists, particularly those in sports medicine or sports nutrition. It refers to the practice of consuming an optimal amount of protein at regular intervals throughout the day,” shared

Protein pacing can be incorporated into almost everyone’s diet, except for individuals with protein metabolism disorders or those who need to limit protein intake due to conditions like certain renal diseases, said Biju.

“The concept is straightforward. Determine your total daily protein requirement based on your body weight and activity level, then divide this amount into multiple meals throughout the day,” explained Biju. By distributing your protein intake evenly across different or equal intervals, you can optimise the benefits of protein pacing, such as improved satiety, better muscle maintenance, and enhanced metabolism,” he added.

How does it help in weight loss?

By determining and consuming the optimal amount of protein based on your body weight and metabolism, and then distributing this protein intake evenly throughout the day, one can significantly lose weight.

While high protein intake itself doesn’t directly burn fat, it plays a crucial role in improving satiety or reducing cravings. There are genes responsible for binge eating, or extreme cravings like MC4R, CYFIP2, etc and one of the solutions to tame these bad genes is going for food which have a high satiety value.

According to him, the likelihood of overeating carbohydrates and having extra calories decreases when you focus on consuming protein at each meal. “Digesting protein requires more energy than digesting carbs, which means your body burns slightly more calories processing protein. This contributes to a lower overall calorie level, supporting weight loss if the person is in overall calorie deficit,” said Biju.

He mentioned that an often overlooked but significant benefit of protein pacing is muscle preservation. Many people tend to lose muscle mass when they are in a calorie deficit for weight loss. However, by following a protein pacing regimen, the risk of muscle loss is minimised.

In short, protein pacing can be highly beneficial for weight loss by reducing appetite, lowering calorie intake, and preserving muscle mass.

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