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Dodger
Tue, Aug-16-05, 19:32
August 15, 2005

Weight loss maintenance II

Although certainly the less glamorous part of the entire weight-loss picture, maintenance is undoubtedly the most important as well as the most difficult. It’s so important that MD and I wrote an entire book on it: Staying Power (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=ur2&camp=1789&tag=proteinpowerc-20&creative=9325&path=tg/detail/-/0471725668/qid=1124148462/sr=1-8/ref=sr_1_8?v=glance%26s=books)http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=proteinpowerc-20&l=ur2&o=1.

In our experience, protein consumption plays a major role in weight maintenance. A prepublication online article (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WB2-4GCWYYG-4&_user=10&_handle=V-WA-A-W-AD-MsSAYZW-UUW-U-AAWZZYYCYY-AAWVWZEBYY-WYBZYWYUA-AD-U&_fmt=summary&_coverDate=06%2F13%2F2005&_rdoc=9&_orig=browse&_srch=%23toc%236698%239999%23999999999%2399999%21&_cdi=6698&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=75b0a69f943b9f4400393f4a979368ba) from the journal Appetite supports the use of added protein in maintenance diets (and in all phases of weight control).

The authors of the Appetite article in a previous paper (http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v28/n1/abs/0802461a.html) showed that the addition of protein to a maintenance diet virtually eliminated the regain of fat over a three month study period.

The study subjects were all placed on a modified fasting regimen for a 4 week weight loss phase. After the 4 weeks the subjects were randomized into two groups for the 3 month maintenance phase of the study. One group had in addition to the maintenance fare about 50 grams of added protein in the form of a vanilla shake. In determining the overall protein intake of the groups, the researchers calculated that this additional protein raised the total protein from 15% of calories in the non-protein group to 18% of calories in the protein group, a small increase, which would imply that the protein group decreased their intake of other protein foods or the non-protein group increased their protein intake. The authors didn’t break down the macronutrient composition in their paper, which I see as a failure on the part of the people reviewing the manuscript.

After the 3 months, subjects in both groups had regained some weight, but not nearly back to their starting weight. The group receiving the additional protein regained only 50% of the weight that the group without the protein regained, but what’s remarkable is that none of the weight the protein group regained was fat: it was all lean body mass. The average waist circumference of the protein group actually continued to decrease during the 3 months of maintenance despite their regaining the small amount they did, whereas the waist circumferences of the non-protein group increased.

The extra protein lead to an increase in energy expenditure, which contributed to the lack of weight gain, and an increase in satiety that probably lead to a decrease in food consumption overall, but we don’t know for sure because the total calories and macronutrient composition of the diet were not included in the paper.

The authors conclude:
Additional protein consumption during weight maintenance after weight loss resulting in 18 vs 15 en% [percent energy] protein, resulted in a 50% lower body weight regain, only consisting of FFM [fat free mass, i.e., lean tissue] and related to increased satiety and decreased energy efficiency.We can say from this study that more protein is better in terms of weight loss and maintenance, but we can’t tell anything from the data about differences in kinds of protein.

Is there a difference? Is one source of protein better than another?

In sifting through the scientific data the data, it appears so.

In the weight maintenance study the protein used in was calcium caseinate, a common, inexpensive protein often used in protein meal replacement supplements.

There are a number of protein sources available: animal protein, vegetable protein, and protein supplements made of whey, casein, and soy, or a combination.

A paper (http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/72/5/1135) published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2000 shows that animal protein (specifically, pork) produced a 3% higher energy expenditure over 24 hours than an equivalent amount of soy protein. That extra 3% energy expenditure would translate into a greater weight-loss or an easier time maintaining lost weight on the same number of calories.

Another interesting study (http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cabi/bjn/2003/00000089/00000002/art00009) published in the British Journal of Nutrition in 2003 shows that whey is vastly superior to casein (calcium caseinate) in a couple of ways. Subjects consuming 48 grams of whey as compared to an equal amount of casein ate significantly less 90 minutes later when presented with a buffet meal. This same whey preload lead to a 28% greater increase in blood amino acid levels over the next 3 hours and a substantially increased level of the appetite suppressing cholecystokinin.

If the weight maintenance study had been performed with the additional protein being either meat or whey instead of casein, the researchers would likely have seen an even greater difference.

The take home lesson if you’re trying to maintain is to increase your protein intake by 50 grams or so daily, preferably with either whey or meat.
http://blog.proteinpower.com/drmike/

Nancy LC
Tue, Aug-16-05, 20:23
Wow! Makes me happy I'm consuming lots of protein! :)

ItsTheWooo
Wed, Aug-17-05, 05:02
IMO it just basically is rehasing what we already knew: eating LC is crucial if one wants to naturally be leaner and less fatty.

I don't think anything is magical about protein. It's more that eating protein translates into eating LESS from carbs, which means your metabolism is running more effectively. I've found this true even when eating carbs. Carbs are much more tolerable when consumed with proteins & fats.

tie_guy
Wed, Aug-17-05, 05:19
What is magical about protein is that it isn't fat. Everyone "knows" that fat is evil, right. At the same time protein aren't carbs. So if someone actually wants to keep the weight off they should avoid to many carbs. Since fat seems to be evil to everyone I guess protein is the only source of calories left. Now if they were to get over the entire fat fear then they might actually be on a low carb diet instead of a low fat diet with extra protien -- but that would be crazy!

mcsblues
Wed, Aug-17-05, 07:13
What is magical about protein is that it isn't fat. Everyone "knows" that fat is evil, right. At the same time protein aren't carbs. So if someone actually wants to keep the weight off they should avoid to many carbs. Since fat seems to be evil to everyone I guess protein is the only source of calories left. Now if they were to get over the entire fat fear then they might actually be on a low carb diet instead of a low fat diet with extra protien -- but that would be crazy!I think Mike Eades would be amused to find anyone suggesting he has a fear of fat - you don't need to go too far back in his blog to find an article extolling the virtues of lard (http://blog.proteinpower.com/drmike/archives/2005/08/i_spent_an_hour.html)).

All he is pointing out is the 'metabolic advantage' (yes, Atkins was pretty keen on this side of low carb too) of higher protein levels plus the higher degree of satiety that a higher protein diet confers, is just as much an advantage for maintenance as it is during the weight loss phase.

Sure, for most of us this is old news, but it is interesting IMHO that different protein sources have differing effects.

Cheers,

Malcolm

Nancy LC
Wed, Aug-17-05, 07:40
I think protein is somewhat magical. Compared to fat or carbs, it is less readily stored. I think I read somewhere that less than 80% of the calories in protein can be stored as fat.

In my opinion, from my experience with my current diet, it seems to kill the appetite better than fat. I know a lot will disagree with that, but I wonder how many of them are eating less than 1000 calories a day, like I am? Really hard to do when you're eating fat because the calories are so dense.

I have nothing against fat, except that it is pretty hard for me to lose weight eating much of it. I'm looking forward to eating it again on maintenance. But until then... lean protein is keen.

Nudizzle
Wed, Aug-17-05, 12:37
I thought that fat was actually the macronutrient least likely to be stored as fat, at least when it is eaten by itself. I was under the impression that there was no gluconeogenesis from fat, only from protein? I dunno. =/

Nancy LC
Wed, Aug-17-05, 13:33
I think I botched that post. I'll have to find my source and quote it. I think it was something like, lots of protein calories are wasted when it is converted to energy the body can use, not necessarily stored.