We spoke with nutrition experts to help answer all your protein and weight gain questions. “Eating protein earlier in the day, such as at breakfast, increases satiety,” says Don Layman, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Food Science & Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “The main effects on appetite appear to be reduced snacking between meals and at night.” Gabrielle Lyon, D.O., a functional medicine physician and the founder of the Institute for Muscle-Centric Medicine, tells mindbodygreen, “Protein can stabilize your blood sugar by preventing insulin spikes. Less insulin spiking means more sustained energy levels and fewer hunger pangs throughout the day.” “Protein is a macronutrient that provides 4 calories per gram. Approximately 20% of calories consumed from protein are lost as heat compared to 5% with carbs,” says Layman, so eating more protein while reducing your carb intake is a surefire way to burn more fat. “When comparing a high-carb, low-protein diet with a high-protein, reduced-carb diet (with subjects eating the same amount of calories), the protein group burned about 300 more calories each day,” Layman adds. The type of protein you consume affects your weight loss goals. In particular, whey protein (a milk-based protein) has been associated with increased satiety7, healthier body composition8, lower cardiovascular risk factors9, and greater weight loss10 than other protein sources. If your goal is to gain lean muscle, pair your protein with healthy carbohydrates. Complex carbs in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes give you the energy required for strenuous exercise, while protein helps repair and build muscle. Essentially, your body won’t have the energy to allow protein to do its job without sufficient carb intake. Also, combining these two macronutrients helps stabilize blood sugar14 when consumed simultaneously. However, if you’re trying to lose weight and burn fat, you’ll want to increase your protein intake15 while reducing carbs. Conventional diets are generally low in fat and have a macronutrient breakdown16 of roughly 50% carbs, 20% protein, and 30% fats. For weight loss, these ranges should be adjusted to 10 to 30% carbs, 40 to 50% protein, and 30 to 40% fats. Protein is comprised of 20 amino acids18 (the building blocks of protein). Nine are essential, meaning your body doesn’t produce them and needs to acquire them through diet. The amino acid leucine plays a significant role in muscle development19. Leucine is one of three branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs)—the other two being valine and isoleucine—which are broken down in muscle tissue20 instead of the liver like other essential amino acids. “When you eat high-quality protein that contains adequate amounts of leucine (around 2.5 grams), you turn on your body’s calorie-burning, muscle-building process for five to six hours,” says Lyon. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to protein intake. That’s because the amount you need depends on several factors, including age, weight, and activity level. However, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that athletes and active individuals up their daily protein intake to between 1.2 and 2.0 g/kg/bw22. For many people, that’s more than 120 grams of protein per day. “Low protein intake halts muscle gain, but high-protein intake doesn’t ‘cause’ muscle gain,” adds Layman. “You can enhance muscle protein synthesis with protein intakes of 1.2 to 1.8 g/kg/bw. Many athletes will reach 2.2 g/kg/bw (1 gram per pound).” To optimize MPS, aim to consume 25 to 30 grams of high-quality protein21 during two or three meals throughout the day. This amount has been found sufficient for both younger and healthy older adults. “In general, the first meal of the day after a nighttime fasting period is the most important for MPS,” says Layman. “However, if you’re eating a low protein diet (only 50 to 60 grams per day), getting at least one meal up around 40 grams is critical. If you have a higher protein intake (around 100 grams per day), it’s best to distribute the protein. The first and last meals will greatly benefit muscle growth.” “Eating a high-protein meal every four to six hours during feeding windows will maintain your body in an anabolic state with ongoing muscle protein synthesis,” Lyon explains. “The first and last meals of the day are most important because they’re when you break your overnight fasting period and prepare your body for sleep, where you do most of your repair and regenerate activities.” Adam lives in British Columbia, Canada, with his wife, two kids and an Australian shepherd. That’s where you can find him running mountain trails, working out in his home gym, or writing in a coffee shop.
