Over 50? Here’s How Much Protein You Need to Rebuild Lost Muscle

Are you trying to lose weight? You have likely heard that weight loss is 80 percent diet and 20 percent exercise. Many people believe the key to slimming down is staying in a caloric deficit: Burning more calories than you consume. However, it is a lot more complicated than that. According to several weight loss warriors and experts, there is one habit that you can adopt that will totally transform your body — and Body Network has the answer.

Lacey Baier Lost 250 Pounds, and Protein Was Key

Lacey Baier (@LaceyBaier_) is a Sweet Pea chef and social media influencer who promotes a healthy "cleanish" lifestyle on her YouTube channel and is a weight loss warrior who lost over 250 pounds. In one YouTube video, she reveals her top hacks, and “getting enough protein” is on her list. “Having more protein in your diet is so important for fat loss,” she says, noting that it helps your muscles grow and helps burn fat, "especially in your abdomen, which is where a lot of people have that excess body fat because of that visceral fat."

Luisana Carrero Lost 28 Pounds in 4 Months and Says the Same

Luisana Carrero is a nutrition coach and social media influencer who lost 28 pounds in 4 months, stressing the importance of eating high-protein foods in one of her Instagram posts. “As a general guideline, if your goal is to lose fat, aim to consume .8-1.2g of protein per lb of target body weight a day,” she says.

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Another Expert, Katya Campbell, Agrees

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Katya Campbell, GM/Fitness Director, Mountain Trek Health Reset Retreat agrees that adding protein to your diet is the top habit you should incorporate if you want to lose weight. “As we age, we begin to lose one of our body's most precious resources, our skeletal muscle. This incredible endocrine organ is what we call 'the organ of longevity,’” she says.

Protein Feeds Your Muscles

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“Not only does having muscle make the body look more toned, but it burns more calories just keeping it alive. But we need to do something to build and maintain this incredible metabolic sink, and that is to feed it,” she says.

It Is Difficult for Your Body to Store Protein As Fat

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“Protein is the builder macro (the others being carbohydrates and fats). It is very difficult for your body to store protein as fat, and has the greatest satiety of all the macronutrients,” she continues.

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It Has a High Thermic Effect

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Another bonus of protein. “It also has the highest thermic effect of all the macros,” says Katya. This means “it burns more calories in the process of digestion and absorption of nutrients,” she explains.

Here’s How Much Protein You Need

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So how much protein is enough? “We recommend consuming at minimum .8 grams per pound of ideal body weight and ideally we target 1 gram per one pound of ideal body weight,” suggests Katya. “This means if we are 180 lbs, but according to our doctor our ideal weight is 140 lbs, we then eat 140 grams of protein per day. This will allow you to build your metabolic warehouse, feel full longer while doing it, and burn more calories just to digest it!”

Science Backs This Up

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What does science say about protein aiding in weight loss? According to clinical trials, consuming more protein than the recommended dietary allowance not only reduces body weight (BW), but also enhances body composition by decreasing fat mass while preserving fat-free mass (FFM) in both low-calorie and standard-calorie diets.

Here Are Some Tips for Getting Enough Protein

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In Carrero’s post she offers some tips on how to make sure you are eating enough protein.

• Spend 5 mins in the morning planning what you’ll eat.
• Cook protein in bulk to quickly put meals together in less than 5 mins.
• Start your day with at least 30g protein, this helps control hunger levels, decrease cravings and it makes it easier to reach your protein goal.
• Opt mainly for lean protein sources for higher volume, fewer calories and more protein per serving.

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And, Here Are Some Food Recommendations

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She also offered some high protein food suggestions in order to “140g of protein in a day and make fat loss easier.”

• Non-Fat Plain Greek Yogurt: “I opt for plain greek yogurt for lower calories and more protein. 200g greek yogurt provides 22g of protein. I add stevia, peanut butter and frozen blueberries to mine, I eat that for dessert every night,” she says.
• Chicken breast: “130g of cooked chicken breast will give you 40g of protein. I cook it in bulk and use it to make many different meals like grilled chicken sandwiches, tacos, salads, bowls,” she explains.
• 96/4 Lean Ground Beef: “140g of cooked ground beef provides 40g of protein. I cook it in bulk and make burger patties or use it for my pasta,” she says.
• Egg whites: “200g of liquid egg whites will give you only 108 calories and 22g of protein. You can add liquid egg whites to your full eggs for more protein and more volume. I mix a cup of egg whites with 2 full eggs, or use it for my french toast or my pancakes,” she explains.
• Fat Free Cottage Cheese: “A serving of cottage cheese gives you 13g of protein. You can add it to your eggs, eat it with fruits or add it to your salads,” she adds.

And if you enjoyed this article, take advantage of these 15 Quick Ways to Lose Body Fat Percentage in a Week.