Many diets propose that eating more protein will help you lose weight. Could this be true? There are a lot of factors that come into play when considering this option. Protein is the building block for muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat. Excess calories get stored as fat when not burned by the body.
Some say that eating more protein makes you feel full and thus eat less. All of these ideas hold some value. Studies show that eating more protein even if it makes you feel full has little bearing on your body weight. In Pounds Lost, the largest, longest clinical trial dieters who were randomly assigned to eat higher-protein diets lost no more weight after two years than those assigned to eat normal-protein diets. Our bodies need protein to fuel many functions including building muscle. Unless you are a body builder, you do not need to add extra protein.
The goal should be to eat a balanced diet including all macronutrients. Extra calories, no matter where they come from will be stored as fat not muscle. The take away here is to eat a variety of food from all the groups and stay active. When this is the goal, you will naturally find balance. Know your daily caloric intake number and stay close to that while including weight bearing and aerobic exercises.
