Weights + Protein = Fat Loss

Build Muscle, Lose Fat Simultaneously With This Research Proven Approach

- Pedro Van Gaalen

In the battle of the bulge, most dietary advice centres on either a low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) diet or the high-carb, low-fat (HCLF) approach to eating. There are many individuals out there who have been successful using both diets.

However, the greatest (and sustained) outcomes are often experienced by those who choose to adopt a combined approach, switching between periods of LCHF and HCLF eating. This is because specific diets work for some people some of the time. Seldom do you ever find a diet that works for all people, all of the time.

HIGH-PROTEIN OPTION

In this regard, there seems to be a third option, namely a high protein diet (at least when combined with the correct exercise regimen).

According to researchers at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, when those looking to lose fat combine a high-protein diet with a full-body weight training programme, amazing results are possible.

In a study, published in 2015 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the research team recruited 40 overweight male participants who were willing to commit to an intensive weight-loss programme and a specific diet.

The study participants were divided into two groups of 20. Both groups were required to eat a calorie-restricted diet that was cut by about 40% from maintenance levels. However, the macronutrient ratios were different – one group’s diet consisted of roughly 15% protein, 35% fat and 50% carbohydrates, the other consisted of 35% protein and 15% fat.

The percentage of carbohydrates supplied remained the same.

The researchers manipulated these ratios by supplying the high protein group with a drink that consisted of low-fat milk mixed with whey protein, while the low-protein group received a high-fat milk drink.