Nutrition Expert Reveals 5 “Absolute Worst” Protein Foods Making You Fat

Clinical nutritionist Autumn Bates is a weight-loss expert—and she knows how important adequate protein is for losing fat while building muscle. Bates believes most people have no idea how much protein they are supposed to be eating and are probably not getting enough. But that’s not all. “If you’re eating protein to help you achieve a weight loss goal, you want to make sure you’re doing it the RIGHT way,” she says. Here are five protein mistakes Bates says will undermine your weight loss efforts.

Mistake #1: Getting Enough Protein

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Bates emphasizes the importance of protein for weight loss. “Protein has been studied to be extremely useful for achieving a body composition goal, which is where you're losing body fat but not losing muscle, and that's exactly what you want when you're looking to achieve a weight loss goal,” she says. “You don't want to lose muscle, you want to lose body fat, but not too many people are actually getting enough protein to reap those body recomposition benefits.”

USDA Guidelines

Bates believes most people simply need to get more protein. “Most people think they're getting more than enough, and unfortunately, this is based on the USDA guidelines, amount of protein needed per day, which is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight,” she says. “This amount was never intended to be like a golden rule for how much protein you need to perform and achieve weight loss goals maximally.”

How Much Protein?

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Bates makes the point that the protein guidelines were to prevent deficiency. “In reality, those studying protein find that a minimum of one gram of protein per kilogram of body weight is needed. And even this is still low for most people, even if you're just moderately very, very low level of activity. In reality, it's closer to 1.2 as a minimum. And if you are active or exercising, you're going to want about 1.6 grams per kilogram body weight, which is double the amount of protein that the USDA guidelines recommend, which, duh, why no one sees those benefits of protein when they're consuming half of what they need.”

Mistake #2: Not All Proteins Are Equal

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Bates says not all proteins should be counted towards your protein goals. “For example, collagen is often used in smoothies as a protein source when it's not actually a complete protein,” she says. “So your body doesn't use it in the same way that it would like Greek yogurt or whey protein. So when working towards your protein needs per day, you want to make sure that the vast majority of that's coming from complete protein sources, otherwise, you're not actually really getting those body root composition perks that you're looking for.”

Plant-Based Protein

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Bates says vegans and vegetarians need to make sure they get the best plant-based protein possible. “If you do eat animal products, it's pretty easy to make sure you're getting complete sources from fish, yogurt, eggs, chicken, meat,” she says. “But if you're purely plant-based, you want to make sure that you're opting for the highest quality protein sources available to you, which means prioritizing complete proteins from plant-based sources. So this would be things like from protein powders or fermented soy products, and also making sure that it's a high DIAAS protein, which is really just a scoring system.”

Mistake #3: Serving Size

Bates says many people do not use the right serving size when it comes to their protein powder. “Oftentimes with something like whey protein powder typically requires two scoops for one serving,” she says. “Many plant-based protein powders on the other hand, are usually going to be one scoop a serving. But because of this, if you're going from a plant-based protein and switching to whey protein, you might just assume that one scoop is one serving, and then you're only getting half of what you intended. So just make sure you check what the actual serving size is if you're using protein powders so that you're getting what you're intending on getting.”

Mistake #4: Protein and Age

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Bates says many people need to get more protein as they get older. “It's assumed that because you're maybe less active you don't need as much protein,” she says. “This is not true. In fact, your needs are likely about 25% higher than they used to be. This is because as we age, we start to lose bone and muscle pretty quickly. So you're already working in essentially a protein deficit. So, for most people, when you start to experience bone loss at an accelerated rate, usually around the age of 50, you really want to make sure that you're hitting your daily protein needs from complete sources. So this might be more on the side of 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.”

Mistake #5: No Protein On Hand

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Bates says if protein isn’t available and ready to eat, you will eat less of it. “Protein tends to be the most time-consuming to prep, especially from animal-based sources where you need like 20 or 30 minutes if you're baking,” she says. “And if you're in a pinch and you just need something, you need to make sure you have vast, easily available protein sources, preferably that are pre-cooked.”

Easy Protein

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Bates says to keep protein powder on hand, as it’s easy to make a smoothie or stir into yogurt. “Hard-boiled eggs or those pre-cooked egg bites, Greek yogurt cottage cheese, which I've actually seen, there are even plant-based Greek yogurt options now that are actually high in protein,” she says. “And then rotisserie chicken is really great because it's pre-cooked and all you have to do is hair off pieces and add it into your lunch, and you're good to go.”

Portable Protein

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Bates has great suggestions for protein on the go. “Beef sticks are another one, especially if you're traveling, that can be really easy to take with you,” she says. “But it also comes in turkey, and I think there's salmon options too. Another really great option for a fast protein source would be canned tuna or really canned fish in general. But one of my favorite fast, easy, high protein options is a smoothie because you can just dump everything into the blender, blend it up, and you can just take it with you.” And if you enjoyed this article, take advantage of these 15 Quick Ways to Lose Body Fat Percentage in a Week.

Are you eating “clean” but can’t seem to achieve the body composition results you are striving for? Fun fact: Just because food is “clean” doesn’t mean it is going to help you lose weight or build muscle. In fact, lots of “clean” foods might be making you eat more. Sarah Bouchard is a Nutrition Coach & Educator who helps women over 35 “ditch diet confusion & simplify nutrition” for “Sustainable fat loss + healthy body composition,” she explains in her Instagram bio. In a recent post, she revealed 10 “clean” foods she replaced with “satiety-boosting food” that helped her achieve her body goals.

Many “Clean” Foods Won’t Keep You Full

“It doesn’t matter if your granola is Keto or Paleo…It still has a million calories, virtually no protein, and won’t keep you full for more than 2 hours,” she writes in her post. “So if you’re starting your day with coconut yogurt and ‘clean’ granola - not only are you missing an opportunity to stimulate your muscle tissue (which matters for so much more than a toned physique)...But you’re also EXTREMELY likely to have unstoppable binges in the evening!”

She Reveals That She Used to Eat Foods She Thought Were Clean Daily

“Ladies, I’ve been down, ‘but I eat so clean’ road before, and it led me absolutely nowhere,” she continues. “I used to eat these ten foods almost every day, and yet struggled to get the body composition that matched how active I was and how healthy I ate.”

Here Are the 10 She Tries to Avoid Now

1. Nut butter
2. almond flour
3. chia seeds
4. paleo granola
5. full-fat coconut milk
6. olive oil
7. my healthy homemade dressing
8. coconut oil
9. grass-fed butter
10. coconut yogurt.

You Don’t Need to Eliminate But Limit Them

She stresses that elimination isn’t necessary. “I don’t necessarily avoid the foods above, but I measure them and don’t rely on them to keep me full on their own,” she says.

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Now, She Eats Food That Has More Protein and Fiber

“Here are ten foods I used to avoid or not eat regularly that I now eat almost daily and ACTUALLY give the health & results I want,” she continues. “The difference? MORE satiety, MORE volume, MORE protein, and MORE fiber, to optimize my SATIETY so I don’t struggle to stay within my calories.”

Here Are 10 Foods She Eats Daily

1. Whey protein pancakes
2. extra lean ground beef
3. extra lean ground turkey
4. mixing egg whites with whole eggs
5. top sirloin instead of ribeyes
6. low-fat yogurt
7. cottage cheese
8. oats & oat flour
9. lots of high-fiber starchy vegetables
10. apples, bananas, and fruit in general (not just berries).

You Also Need to Make Sure You Are Eating Enough Protein

In another post, she reveals some common protein mistakes people make. The first? Not eating enough. “I don’t care how clean your breakfast is. If you’re not getting 30-35g of QUALITY PROTEIN, you ain’t triggering MPS, and your breakfast isn’t doing anything for your body composition!” she says in her post.

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And, That You Are Choosing High Fat Proteins

Another faux pas you might be making is choosing proteins higher in fat. “I love a good ribeye just as much as anyone, but at the end of the day, if you’re trying to lose body fat, calories still matter. There is a difference between high in protein and protein dense. A protein-dense option for red meat could look like a top sirloin, a fillet, or extra lean ground beef!” she says.

Or, Assuming That All You Need to Do Is Increase Protein

Sarah also emphasizes that “just increasing protein alone isn’t necessarily going to get you the results you want if you are still in a calorie surplus,” she says. “When I started tracking my food, I quickly realized that I was overdoing the ‘healthy fats’ on the side.”

You Also Shouldn’t Be Relying Too Much on Protein Bars and Shake

She also points out that protein bars and shakes aren’t the best type. “Protein is mostly helpful for satiety when it is in a whole food form. And satiety matters a lot if you are in a deficit. I love whey protein powder myself, but try to incorporate it into foods I can eat that are also mixed with whole foods and are higher in volume!” she says.

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Finally, Salad Isn’t Always the Best Choice

She also points out that sticking to the “healthy” salad with 4 ounces of chicken instead of the lean steak with a baked potato and veggies might be a mistake. “Stop being afraid of protein! That healthy salad probably has more calories than the 6oz steak and will leave you ravenous for the rest of the day,” she says. And if you enjoyed this article, take advantage of these 15 Quick Ways to Lose Body Fat Percentage in a Week.