The following is a guest post. It’s a bit different than the usual ones.
Frustrated with diets that don’t work? Did you just find out that you regained the weight you lost before the holidays? All the hard work, all that discipline and deprivation can do down the drain really fast. So how do you lose the weight and keep it off for good? The answer to that question that many are giving is the high-protein diet.

How the high protein diet works

Research indicates that people who eat high amounts of protein feel full for longer. They don’t crave food as often and eat less food than they used to. So they say that protein works as a kind of appetite suppressant and that’s the theory behind most high-protein diets. But how much protein is considered high protein? If your diet consists of above 30% protein (but usually closer to 50%), that is considered a high protein diet.

Pros and cons

Under pros for this diet we have:
1.    Burns Fat: A high-protein diet can be part of a great weight-loss program. When you couple this diet with regular exercise, you get a dynamic duo that burns fat. Studies show reduced levels of blood fat in people who went on a high protein diet with exercise.

2.    Less insulin level changes: Sudden changes in levels of insulin are called insulin spikes. If you eat carbs, the insulin level rises and that causes you to feel hungry again rather soon. But when you eat proteins, the body digests it slowly and only gradually begins to feel pangs of hunger. Proteins have been shown to keep people satisfied for longer periods of time. A high-protein diet is ideally combined with a low-carb diet.

3.    Weight loss: When you don’t feel hungry as often and are burning fat –you will end up losing weight by default. This side-effect of a high-protein diet is a welcome change from the diets that don’t work.

Under Cons we have:
1.    The only real con to eating extra protein is if you already suffer from conditions of the liver and kidney. There are really no other cons.

Eating High Protein:

The Main Meal: Since this diet seems so good for you, what does eating a high protein diet look like? You’ll soon see that you might not have to make that many changes to your grocery list to eat more protein. A typical meal would be a grilled chicken breast (or any lean meat) with steamed vegetables or salad with dressing. Brown rice and black beans are always a protein winner. People on high protein diets will often eat a hamburger with only one half of the bun or a hot dog sausage on its own. You can eat some carbs but always try to eat complex carbs instead of simple carbs like candy.

Snacking: But what are the options for snacking on a high-protein diet? If you’re getting ready to watch a game, chicken wings are a great snack. If you’re on the go, nuts and roasted soy beans make great travel companions. For breakfast you can enjoy yogurt or cottages cheese with berries.

Now you’re ready to take your first step and start eating a protein rich diet and see how you feel or rather don’t feel hungry!

Author Bio:

Sydney is a successful nutritionist who lives in Illinois. As a nutritionist, she has provided weight loss coaching to many of her clients. She loves to share her experience and knowledge on benefits of healthy weight loss through her writings and is a great believer in structured weight loss plans.
In addition to being an accomplished nutritionist and a passionate writer, 40-year-old Sydney is a fabulous cook and plans to start a food blog soon.

Have you ever tried a high protein diet? I did a sugar, dairy and gluten free one – and lost 6 pounds in 3 weeks! Not sure I would have kept that weight loss up though.

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