A diet rich in proteins can help to avoid regaining weight after weight loss

Increasing the consumption of proteins in one’s diet can help to avoid regaining weight after successfully losing weight through diet and exercise; on the other hand, the glycemic index does not play a significant role. This was the preliminary conclusion of the Diogenes project (diet, obesity and genes), whose only Spanish member is the School of Pharmacy of the University of Navarra. With the participation of more than 400 families in 8 countries (Denmark, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Greece, Czech Republic, Germany and Spain), this project is the largest European study on nutrition and obesity.

The adult participants were tracked over the course of six months, during which they were required to lose at least 8% of their body weight; after this point, the entire family was included in the weight-loss regimen. In total, 763 individuals lost an average of 11.2 kilograms per person, for a total of 8,500 kilograms, the equivalent of four adult elephants.

Five randomly-assigned diets

After this phase, 565 families (763 adults and 787 children) followed one of five randomly-assigned diets; four of these diets combined diverse proportions of protein and carbohydrate intakes, and the fifth was based on the previous eating habits of the family, but with additional advising about a healthy diet. Those families which were assigned a high-protein diet did not recover the weight previously lost, whereas those assigned other diets recovered between 2 and 2.5 kg of the weight lost during the prior stage.

The definitive findings of the project will be known in May of 2009, when the project’s researchers will participate in the European Congress on Obesity in Amsterdam.

http://www.basqueresearch.com/berri...Kod=1771&hizk=I

This is sort of off topic, but has anyone noticed how often the word "Protein" has replace the word "meat". People mean meat, but they say protein. The difference, of course, is that meat has fat. They don't want to advise you to eat fat, so they have to say protein.

Meat does not have the same meaning as protein. Until actual results are published I'll take them at their word that the difference was protein content rather than protein and fat content. Stories such as this one can't be evaluated without real data including real information on experimental design. To me, it's simply an interesting article at this point, nothing more.

I know that and you know that, but as in this article, people don't usually go to the store and buy protein. They buy meat or veggies or grains or fruit but not protein, or carbs for that matter. They don't really eat protein either, they eat meat, eggs, etc.

There is a poster on this board who recently claimed that they ate "mostly protein" and it turned out to be mostly meat.

I know there's a difference, but I was commenting on how some folks, including some science article writers, don't seem to know that.

Well yeah.... they weren't hungry.
Funny how no one here will be surprised by that finding, like these researchers evidently were.

It would have been nice to see a little more info there.



Yes. It is the Politically Correct term, used in order to remove any inference to animal products or fat.

From AlphaGalileo, European Research News:




See also:

INCREASED DIETARY PROTEIN HELPS KEEP THE WEIGHT OFF – LOW GI FOODS NO ADVANTAGE
http://www.diogenes-eu.org/News/080...O08%20FINAL.pdf

HOW TO STOP REGAINING WEIGHT? THAT’S THE REAL QUESTION
http://www.diogenes-eu.org/Press%20Release_general.pdf

Always great posts Demi! Thanks.

It's also key to losing in the first place. Set protein levels at moderately high levels first (about 1g per lb) and the other macros don't tend to matter as much - provided you are consuming sufficient EFA's. Layman's research covers this nicely.

It's because eating lots of protein really kills your appetite, IMHO. I get by eating about 1200 calories a day when it's mostly protein. Unfortunately though, I can't lose weight eating that much protein.

Yeah, ditto. Also if I eat that much protein it keeps my blood sugars high. My blood sugars came down a lot after losing 85 pounds and being low carb, but it was not until I cut my protein intake essentially in half or less that I finally got "normal" numbers.