With This Fat-Burning Food Group

There have been countless studies performed on the role of protein
in the muscle growth process to try and determine exactly how much
protein you should consume to build muscle mass. Recently, several
studies have looked at the role that dietary protein plays in helping
you lose fat, and more importantly, helping you keep it off!

One thing scientists have discovered is that eating lean protein
foods is important for regulating body composition because it decreases
your appetite.

In a 2003 study reported in the journal, Current Opinion in Clinical
Nutrition And Metabolic Care (2003; 6(6): 635-638), protein was shown
to be more satiating (made you feel fuller) than both carbohydrate and
fat both in the short term and the long term.

Eating more lean protein foods has also been proven as an
effective strategy to help you burn fat and keep it off because of
something called, “dietary thermogenesis” (also known as the thermic
effect of food).

In a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition in 2005
(93(2): 281-289), researchers followed a group of 113 overweight
subjects after 4 weeks of a very low calorie diet, through a 6 month
period of weight maintenance. The subjects were divided into a protein
group or a control group. The protein group was simply given an extra
30 grams of protein per day on top of their usual diet.

The researchers found that during weight maintenance, the group with
the higher protein intake was less likely to regain the lost weight,
and any weight gain in the protein group was lean tissue and not fat.
The results were attributed to higher thermic effect and a decrease in
appetite.

Although calories will always be the bottom line when it comes to
fat loss, studies such as these are confirming what bodybuilders have
known for a long time: That calories are not the only factor that can
influence your body composition. Your protein intake and your ratios of
protein relative to carbohydrate and fat can clearly play a key role in
helping you lose fat and keep the fat off.

None of this is news to bodybuilders or to anyone who is already familiar with bodybuilding-style nutrition programs such as Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle.
But it’s interesting that such positive results were achieved in
studies where protein was increased so conservatively - as little as 30
additional grams of protein per day or a 20% increase above traditional
protein recommendations.

Many bodybuilding-style diets (such as Burn The Fat and Body For
Life) call for as much as 30%-40% of the total daily calories from
protein and some competitive bodybuilders crank up the protein
(temporarily) to as much as 50% before competitions.

I’m curious to see if any research is ever conducted with these more
aggressive protein intakes. If so, my guess is that we will find once
again, that the bodybuilders are ahead of the science when it comes to
the manipulation of diet for improving body composition.

The take home lesson is simple: If you remove some carbs and put in
some protein - nothing too radical; even as little as trading 30 grams
per day of carbs for 30 grams of lean protein - this small change in
your diet may decrease your appetite, decrease your body fat and help
you keep the fat off after you lose it.

Your friend and coach,

Tom Venuto

www.BurnTheFat.com

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, an NSCA-certified
personal trainer (CPT), certified strength & conditioning
specialist (CSCS), and author of the #1 best-selling e-book, "Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle"
Tom has written more than 200 articles and has been featured in print
magazines such as IRONMAN, Australian IRONMAN, Natural Bodybuilding,
Muscular Development, Exercise for Men and Men’s Exercise, as well as
on hundreds of websites worldwide.

For information on Tom's Fat Loss
program, visit: www.BurnTheFat.com