The High Protein Diet - Pros and Cons

A very popular diet to lose weight is the high protein diet.

Dr. Atkinson based his diet on these real, important factors:

1. By eating protein your satiety factor will increase, meaning that you will feel full faster and longer. Protein helps control appetite by fighting carbohydrate craving, assisting with calorie burning and gives highest safety.

2. The protein is in charge with building the lean body mass, is the building block of muscles. When you eat enough protein, you make sure that the weight you lose will be from fat, and not from the muscles.

3. The more lean body mass you have, the bigger your resting metabolic rate will be (1 lb of fat burns about 2 calories/day, while 1 lb of lean body mass burns around 60 calories/day)

So, this high protein diet says, our meal plans should contain 10-15% high protein foods and it should be lower in carbohydrates.

Why less carbohydrates?

a. If the carbohydrates are not used immediately, they will be deposited as fat. Your body's capacity to use carbs will be determined by the level of physical activities. Your body will create an immediate deposit as glycogen, in the liver and muscle cells, to be used for when the body needs an extra burst of energy. The rest of excess carbs will be stored as fat. For a light exercise, your body ill use the immediate store of glycogen. For extended periods of exercise the body will turn to its fat reserve to draw extra energy.

b. Carbohydrates are known for rising the energy level and the focus capability. But if the carbs come from sugars, this effect will be for a short period of time, and will induce a "brain fog" in the long run. Less sugar improve general mental concentration.

c. Too many carbohydrates are known to induce nervousness and anxiety; when you reduce the intake of sugars, you will notice an Improved mood; emotions become more even

d. Excess of sugars determines "compulsive" or "emotional" eating.

e. Reduce your intake of sugars and you will notice an improvement in your dental hygiene (less dental plaque; improved gum health)

What is the downsize of not enough carbohydrates?

Low carbohydrate diets for weight management are far from healthy. You can expect ketosis, constipation or diarrhea, halitosis, headache, and general fatigue. increased risk for heart disease and cancer, because when you lower your carbohydrates intake, you increase fat intake and decrease intake of fiber.

What are the side effects of a high protein diet?

if you eat only protein foods, especially animal protein foods, then you'll start to smell like a carnivore; the body will accumulate ketones and thus the bad smell. To avoid this, drink lots of water - more than normal, so you will dilute and flush out the ketones.
If your high-protein foods are animal foods they are often also high in animal fats. Animal fats are mostly saturated fats and cholesterol and they are known to raise blood fat levels and increase the risk of heart disease, and certain types of cancer.
If you eat lots of protein but fewer carbohydrates and do not have a moderate level of exercise, you will have less lean body mass. You need to force your body to burn the deposits of fat, through exercise, and not the protein foods as fuel; hence the loss of muscle tissue - and you will agree that this is not the object of weight-reduction diets
the fruits and vegetables are our main source of antioxidant vitamins such as beta carotene, vitamin C, protective bioflavonoids, and certain minerals; cutting them out exposes you to the risk of developing a whole range of deficiency diseases;
By cutting out the fruits and vegetables you also cut out the main source of dietary fiber; this will cause severe constipation, diverticulitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and may even make you more susceptible to bowel cancer.

Please note that most of the diet books that advocate such diets always warn that you should only use the diet for one, or a maximum of two weeks, at a time.

So, what should you do? The answer to this question might be a diet high in proteins - but low in animal protein - balanced in carbohydrates and moderate exercise. This way you will combine the benefits of high protein diet, while avoiding the side effects.

You want a safe diet? You want a diet that can be kept for as long as necessary? You want a diet that you will enjoy and not feel like a punishment? Look for Forever Living Weight Loss program.

Carmen Motfolea
Health & Wellness Coach
Call for a free wellness evaluation (a $50 value)
(416) 502-3857