Regan Wilson, RD

What’s with all the protein?

I was at a Halloween party this past weekend and got to talking with a woman who was doing the P90X diet.  As much as I’ve been searching online for information about the diet specifics of the program, I can’t find them.  What she told me, though, is that the program has her consuming about 50% of her calories from protein and then fat and carbohydrate at 20-30% of calories.  (I don’t remember exactly how they were divided.)

This would follow the new fad of cutting out carbohydrates and increasing protein to lose weight.  There is a claim that huge amounts of protein will help dieters “maintain lean muscle mass” and allow more fat burning to occur because eating carbohydrates releases insulin and insulin tells the body to store fat.  Their claim is that by not eating carbs our bodies won’t store fat because there’s no sugar to cause our bodies to release insulin.  Allow me to shed some light on this.

First, you’re all familiar with my mantra at this point:  Calories in vs. calories out is all that matters in weight loss.  If our bodies get too many calories from protein, it will still be stored as fat.

Second, OH THE MISERY!  Our bodies want to be fueled with carbohydrates for energy and are very unhappy when it’s not available.  Not having enough carbohydrates makes going to the gym very difficult because our bodies are fatigued.  If you’re too lethargic to do the heavy duty exercise that this particular program demands, you won’t be able to follow it.

Third, by not eating carbohydrates, we deprive our bodies of all sorts of vitamins and nutrients.  Carbohydrates come mainly from plant sources (also from dairy which provides much needed calcium) which provide so much good, important “stuff.”  Aside from Vitamin A, Vitamin C, folate, etc., plant food sources also provide fiber.  If you’re only eating egg whites and the occasional iceberg lettuce salad, you’re not going to get the recommended amount of fiber.  (Yeah, so you’re hungry, fatigued and constipated.  Sounds like something you can do long term, right?)

Where did this whole “high protein” thing get started?  One thing to know is that protein tends to help us stay feeling full longer and by avoiding hunger pangs, losing weight can be easier.  So instead of just having a piece of toast for breakfast (mostly carbohydrate), if we have a piece of toast and an egg, our bodies won’t be screaming for food as soon.  By adding a little peanut butter to your apple, you can get more staying power from your snack.

How much protein do our bodies need?  You don’t need to memorize this, but I’m going to spell it out for you so you can see why these high protein diets are ludicrous.  Our bodies need 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.  Someone who is doing body building needs at the most 1.4 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.  (To get kg, divide lbs. by 2.2)  A 150 pound woman weighs 68 kg.  So she needs 55-95 grams of protein per day.  Ninety-five grams would be needed if she were working really hard at body building and/or was very muscular.  If this 150 pound woman were on a 1200 calorie per day diet (the lowest she should go) and was getting half of her calories from protein, she would be getting 600 calories of protein (get it, 1200 divided by 2).  Since protein has 4 calories per gram, she would be eating about 150 grams of protein per day.  Remember, we said at the MOST she needed 95 grams/day?  So what happens with all that extra protein?  Our bodies use it to make muscle right?  No!  Extra is not turned into more muscle, extra is turned into sugar and fat!

By disregarding the unfounded recommendation of 50% of calories from protein, you can eat regular food that will make you feel good and have energy.

And this whole thing about carbohydrates making our bodies produce insulin?  It’s true.  *GASP*  But did you know that insulin allows the broken down carbohydrate to enter our cells so they can produce energy?  That’s what insulin does!  Insulin is a good thing (ask anyone with Type 1 diabetes) because it allows us to use the energy we eat.  And the whole discussion about whether insulin leads to fat storage?  Well, it’s more complicated than what the diet quacks would like you to believe.  Yes, insulin does promote “lipogenesis” (creation of fat), but fat creation also comes from protein and fat.  And just because fat is being created doesn’t mean that fat is being stored. Unless you’re studying for your Advanced Human Nutriton exam, all you need to know is that too many calories in or too few calories out will result in weight gain.

So all you protein pushers out there, what have we learned today?  First, fatigue and lethargy are a normal part of a “low carb” diet which make it more difficult to increase activity and lose weight.   Second, we miss out on lots of important nutrients by skipping carbohydrate rich foods.  Third, we don’t need as much protein as the “wackos” claim.  Finally, remember that half truths are also half lies.  Get your weight loss and nutrition information from a dietitian not an internet based snake oil salesman.

May you be happy, healthy and enjoying your fruits, veggies, low fat dairy and whole grains,

Regan