Question about high protein diet

[JillPole123]

Hi all, just a quick question for anyone following a high protein diet. I recently saw a recommendation to eat twice the amount of protein in grams as your ideal body weight in kgs. For me this would be something like 130-140g of protein per day. The idea is that your metabolism absolutely loves this and then feels comfortable to burn fat because you are getting all the protein you need. Apart from also avoiding veg/seed oils, there was no other strong recommendation from this guy, so thought it sounded pretty fun, if not quite a lot of protein. I'm not on a diet anyway and could try it and see if it works (have 15kg to lose, so not desperate to lose weight but would like to).

Today I had a 3 egg omelette (20g protein), 2x chicken breast (50g) with halloumi (10g), yogurt (10g), mozzarella (10g), lamb patties (40g). (Also some veg/fruit, but this is completely allowed and in line with the diet principles). Contrary to my expectation, I was really hungry all day - is this normal? I had to snack on a slice of toast about mid-afternoon to abate my hunger pangs (allowed, it's not a low carb diet).

Surely this can't be normal? That is so much food and loads more protein than I would ever normally eat, and protein is allegedly filling? I want to stick to the diet but it's a lot of effort to also feel hungry.

Thanks in advance if you can share any experiences!

@Fraaahnces Thank you for the guidance - I liked this diet because it was not explicitly low-carb. I know low carb works but I start to feel like I'm on a diet and get quite into that mindset. Was hoping I could just eat high protein but maybe too good to be true

@Thestoppedfan Thank you - Weetabix, not had one for ages, that does sound nice for breakfast with yoghurt. Had yoghurt this morning as I ran out of eggs because of all these 3 egg omelettes 😂

I’ve just finished reading a book about sports nutrition. According to that (and the many studies it builds on) there’s no real evidence that high protein diets are more successful for weight loss than any other diet.

What is different however, is how full you feel on a high protein diet (although that doesn’t seem to be working for you based on this post). Plus, if you eat a lot of protein, your body is less likely to start breaking down your muscles to fuel itself. That’s where the recommendation for 2g of protein/ kg body weight comes from. It doesn’t supercharge your metabolism, but will minimise muscle loss.

This sounds to me like the kind of diet where someone has taken a scientific fact (2 g of protein minimises muscle loss) and twisted it into a lot of BS! As PP have said, if you eat all that protein but exceed the calories you need, you unfortunately won’t lose weight.

@CrimsonAlligator Thanks for sharing, that is a shame. Was hoping to have found something that didn't feel like a diet. I suppose I will need to accompany it with a calorie deficit. May just try to eat higher protein anyway and hope I feel full, I don't want to start a traditional diet right now

High protein alone won’t help unless you make the decision to sacrifice carbs. Perhaps you should look at Low GI diet plus intermittent fasting. That allows a little more carb leeway.

I lost 15lb on a high protein diet but I also stuck to a specific amount of calories 1600 for me.

i did fell hungry for the first week or so whilst my body adjusted and then it was fine.

i didn’t ban / avoid any food but found some where not worth the calories.

To lose weight you need to prioritise calorie target first, then protein.

if you base each meal round protein then add in carbs and fats it is easier to do. I ate lots of veg to bulk my meals out. (Grated apple in porridge and roast veg in with pasta etc)

A few things that really helped with protein goal for me; protein powder (shake before bed or mixed into porridge), protein yogurts, heck chicken sausages.

Have you thought about protein powders or drinks?

I make overnight oats with protein powder and often have a drink of this

www.myprotein.com/sports-nutrition/clear-vegan-protein/12360400.html
10g protein for 51 calories

On the protein front, the recommendations are per kg of lean body weight. For someone who is very overweight/obese using something like 0.8/one gram protein per cm of height might be better as otherwise the protein target would be super high.

What height are you? I’m 5’4” and do lift heavy weights, am not overweight though not lean and I aim for 120g.

If you like the numbers side of things there are plenty of online calculators. You could start with your current BMR then knock off 10-15% to get a calorie target, then set your protein target in MFP.

This dude you’ve seen, what’s he flogging? Ultimately you need to address your energy balance regardless of what and how you eat.

Id suggest making sure your meals have a high volume of food along side the protein. So lots of salad/veg with it. Lots of fruit like blueberries with high protein yoghurt etc

There are some really dodgy influencers out there who are peddling nonsense. There are some really good influencers too who are evidence/science based.

Sorry, I made a mistake in my previous post, BMR should have read TDEE.

BMR is your coma-calories and TDEE is how much energy you need to maintain your current weight at current actin levels.

I have been concentrating on higher protein and lower carb as it is a generally healthier way of eating for me (T2D). I have read about the Protein Leverage hypothesis, which proposes that we have an appetite for enough protein for our individual needs, and will continue eating (anything) until our body has had enough amino acids. Remember, those are used not just for muscle building and repair, but also for bones, skin, hair, nails, enzymes, hormones and even neurotransmitters (serotonin etc.)

I can't vouch that it really works for curbing appetite, as mine has been curbed by Ozempic, but I have lost a lot of weight (still some to go) and look healthy, strong and with no loose skin at the age of 51.

That sounds like an awful lot. I lift weights, do Pilates and swim properly (am trained) and I don't eat 100g of protein. Granted, I am light - I don't diet for this weight, its my natural frame - but I learned that for an athletic woman looking to actually build or maintain muscle, .6 to .9g per pound of bodyweight is good. You can have too much protein you know, which stresses your kidneys.

It’s worth bearing in mind that there’s a limit to the amount of protein your body can absorb, which is typically 8-10g per hour.

So if you’re going high protein with the intention to also increase satiety, little and often will be far more effective.

You won't burn fat unless you're in a caloric defecit, I'm afraid we can't break the laws of thermodynamics.