Week 3 is here, and now we are going to get into a little more detail with how you can accomplish your summer body goals.
Today I want to talk about one of the most talked about nutrients in the fitness world, and for good reason, protein.
Now before you start rolling your eyes and saying “oh man, another post about protein from Mike…”, hear me out.
I can’t state it enough, getting enough protein is very important to finding success in your healthy diet. Whether your goals are muscle gain or fat loss, your protein needs really don’t change. However, I often see in my clients food journals, that they tend to under eat protein and over eat fat and carbs. By making some simple tweaks, you can really see some serious changes.
Why Is Protein So Important?
When you eat protein, your body breaks it down into building blocks for muscles known as amino acids. If you eat too little protein, your body can become deficient in essential amino acids, and because of this, the ability to repair and build muscle becomes impaired.
The leaner you get, the more and more your important your protein intake becomes.
Protein also has a huge effect on your fullness levels. Eating too little protein, can lead to increased hunger throughout the day, and thus the potential for over eating.
Best Sources
The best sources of protein are animal products. This is because any form of animal protein (meat, eggs, or dairy/dairy products) contain all of the essential amino acids for rebuilding muscle. Properly rebuilding muscle is key because the more healthy muscle you have, the higher your resting metabolic rate will be i.e. the more calories you will burn just sitting around.
Getting Enough Protein
The best way to start upping your protein intake is to make sure every single meal you eat is centered around protein. Look to eat protein more frequently, to the point that if you aren’t having a solid protein source every time you decide to eat, you make a point to add some in.
Each protein feeding should contain 30-40 grams of protein. This comes out to about the size of your palm, or your palm plus the first knuckle of your hand.
Examples are:
- 1-2 eggs and 3/4 cup egg whites (egg yolks are good, but also have more calories, so I like to find a happy medium, get some yolks, but the rest whites which are pure protein)
- 4-5 ounces of lean meat (chicken, turkey, beef, pork, fish)
- 1 scoop of whey protein powder
Your end day goal should be to aim for about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight
If you are very overweight/obese (greater than 30% body fat), I recommend closer to 0.8 gram per pound of body weight.
Do I Need Protein Supplements?
While you don’t NEED them, I find them very helpful. They can help fill the gaps in your intake, be used for great snacks, and are very tasty. My go-to protein powder is Muscle Pharm Combat Powder – Cookies and Cream. It tastes like cookies and cream ice cream.
I also like their Chocolate Milk and Vanilla Ice Cream flavors.
Start here, and really shoot to hit these numbers on a daily basis. Many people might need to cut out half the carbs they normally eat, and double the protein. Get it done, and you will find that you are not as hungry throughout the day.
High Protein Breakfast Scramble
Many people say they don’t have enough time to cook eggs in the morning, but I guarantee you do. Here is how to get it done:
Ingredients
- 2 whole eggs
- 3/4 cups liquid egg whites
- Any vegetables
- Cooking spray
- Salsa
Instructions
- Preheat pan on medium high (about level 6 out of 10) for 2 minutes
- Dice up veggies while pan is heating
- Give the pan a quick spray, and toss in the veggies. Sauté for 30 seconds.
- Crack 2 eggs directly into the pan, and pour in egg whites.
- Instantly start moving the eggs around with a spatula, scrambling the eggs in the pan as you go.
- Keep the eggs moving to avoid burning. Once the eggs are done, plate them and top with salsa.
- THIS SHOULD TAKE YOU NO MORE THAN 4-5 MINUTES
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Stay healthy my friends,