How long does it take to lose 15 pounds?
To answer that question, let me take you back to spring break of my sophomore year of college. No this story doesn’t take us to a beach full of underage intoxication, but it does take us all the way back to 2009, only two years after Apple announced the release of the first iPhone.
Damn, time flies.
Instead of heading down to Pensacola or Gulf Shores for my Spring Break Week, I teamed up with a group of nurses, doctors, and students to spend 10 days in the capital city of Port Au Prince, Haiti. We had two goals for the trip. The doctors and nurses would perform medical exams on the families of a small, outpost community. Myself and the rest of the team took on the task of building a block wall around a piece of property that was purchased for a local single mother. In Haiti it is common to build a wall around a piece of property before the house is built in order to prevent theft of supplies and building materials.
Three days into the trip I began to feel extremely ill. I don’t know how I was exposed but somehow I was served a hefty dose of foreign bacteria. Maybe you can relate. For the remaining 7 days of the trip it was hard for me to keep anything down. While trying to not appear like a weak foreigner, I continued to do my part to carry mortar filled wheelbarrows and haul blocks for the brick layers we were employing. I survived, despite it being a grueling week, but when I stepped on the scale back at home only 12 hours after leaving Haiti, I saw that I had lost over 15 lbs. Even worse, looking in the mirror at my sucked in body, I knew that most of that weight loss was due to muscle atrophy & dehydration.
The body does a horrible but necessary thing when you don’t consume enough dietary protein. It begins to eat itself, literally. This is called catabolism. Entering into a catabolic state is easier than most people realize. In an age of intermittent fasting, fasted cardio, and vegan diets, it is more common than not for the average person to struggle with consuming adequate dietary protein. Staying in a chronic catabolic state, like I did for that week in Haiti, can lead to sarcopenia, which is defined by muscle loss, low energy, hormonal shifts, & chronic inflammation. This all can be mitigated by focussing on a consistent and balanced approach to your daily nutritional needs.
It is important to consider 3 main principles around the consumption of Daily Dietary Protein.
Protein Volume
Protein Pacing
Protein Partner
Protein Volume: How much daily protein do I consume?
Daily Dietary Protein intake should range between 0.5(g) - 1.2(g)/lb of Body Weight. This means that if you weigh around 150lbs your daily protein intake should range between 75g-180g, depending on your goals, age, and activity level. Athletes and people who exercise consistently should fall on the higher end of that range.
It is important to note that consuming daily protein at a rate 0.5(g)/lb of body weight is essential for ONLY maintenance of your current muscle mass. This means that if you consume protein at a rate lower than 0.5(g)/lb of body weight, you will likely have a very hard time even maintaining your current muscle mass. It is well known that as we age, our metabolic system becomes less efficient at using our dietary protein. What does this mean? This means that as we age our daily protein intake should increase, not decrease.
View the chart below to see the Daily Dietary Protein Intake that is recommended by the FDA. The organization that is in control of the guidelines & quality of our entire food system. Do you think they really have our best interests in mind? If so why would they recommend the exact opposite of what science tells us we need. It is also important to note that the recommended daily protein consumption, according to the FDA, is less than 1/2 of what all reputable scientific studies tell us we need. Ask yourself why? How are they incentivized to recommend these guidelines that are contradictory to our maximal health?
Figure below was pulled from the FDA website:
https://www.myplate.gov/eat-healthy/protein-foods
2. Protein Pacing: How often do I consume protein?
The absorption rate of your daily dietary protein is dramatically increased when it is spread out over 3 - 4 meals throughout the day. Thanks to researchers like Stuart Phillips and Don Layman, we now know that consuming at least 30g of protein in one sitting is enough to stimulate muscle protein synthesis. Through scientific studies on protein pacing, we also know that protein absorption quickly becomes inefficient when consumption rates spike over 60g in one sitting. So what does this mean? The sweet spot for protein consumption generally falls between 30 - 50 grams per meal.
This is how to determine protein pacing:
Recommended Daily Protein Volume: 150lbs = 150(g) Protein
Recommend Daily Protein Pacing: 150(g)Protein/50(g)Protein per meal = 3Meals of 50(g)Protein
Recommended Daily Protein Volume: 200lbs = 200(g) Protein
Recommend Daily Protein Pacing: 200(g)Protein/50(g)Protein per meal = 4Meals of 50(g)Protein
3. Protein Partner: What do I consume with protein?
It is vital that you consume adequate dietary fiber alongside your protein. This should be done at a ratio of 30(g) Fiber/100(g) Protein. This will prevent constipation and lower the long term risks that can be associated with high daily protein consumption. It is important to note that the legacy studies showing risks involved with high protein consumption were epidemiology studies and did not take into consideration the physical activity level, rate of animal fat consumption or sugar intake levels of the participants. Consuming 5-10 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables per day will give you adequate fiber intake, hydrate your body, and give you the vitamins and electrolytes you need on a daily basis.
This is how to determine proper protein partner ratio:
Recommended Daily Protein Volume: 200lbs = 200(g) Protein
Recommend Daily Protein Pacing: 200(g)Protein/50(g)Protein per meal = 4 Meals/50(g)Protein
Recommended Daily Protein Partner: 200(g)Protein = 60(g) Dietary Fiber
The EatWater Principles around protein consumption are as follows:
1. Volume: 0.5(g)-1.2(g) daily dietary protein per lb. of body weigh from a high quality source.
Note: Animal Sources contain all essential 9 essential amino acids and are generally more bioavailable than plant sourced protein.
2. Pace your daily protein at a rate of 30(g) - 50(g) per meal. Combining complex carbohydrates with the protein will give your body the fuel it needs to breakdown and transport the protein throughout your body.
3. Partner your daily protein with a ratio of 30(g) Fiber / 100(g) protein. This is BEST done by consuming fresh fruits and vegetables, as they deliver insoluble plant fiber, vitamins, and electrolytes like magnesium, potassium, zinc, and other micronutrients that are essential in the daily operations of your body’s internal systems.
If you want to know more, click the video below to hear from two of the best experts in the area of Nutritional Health and Performance.