High Protein Diet For Better Sleep And Weight Loss
The Two Step Approach to Real Weight Loss
Let’s face it; bathing suit season is right around the corner. No one wants to have that muffin top sticking out of their suit, so it only makes sense that spring cleaning often includes cleaning up one’s diet.
Most people's first instinct is to cut back on sugary treats (a commendable start), skip meals, and try to work in a little exercise. Unfortunately, this often leads to nothing more than grumpy, hungry people who are up half the night with growling tummies.
Getting plenty of quality sleep is imperative to losing weight
There is a Simple Two Step Way to Lose Weight
Forget about those low calorie or fad diets, scientific studies show that by eating a high protein diet, you will not only lose weight more quickly, but it will improve your sleep at the same time.
Studies have also shown that getting plenty of good quality sleep (between 7 and 9 hours) is imperative when it comes to losing weight. Studies consistently show that a lack of sleep leads to weight gain. This means that, by eating a high protein diet, you could actually lose weight while you sleep!
While the source of protein isn't that important, how much you eat of it is what really makes the difference. Most people should aim to consume about 1 to 1.5 grams of protein for each kilo of body weight each day (0.45-0.70 grams per pound) , not to exceed 30% of your total daily calories, or 0.5 to 0.7 grams of protein per pound of body weight.
Of course, this is a broad range. How much protein you can eat will depend on your lifestyle and goals. For the average adult that does some type of regular exercise who wants to drop some pounds but isn’t interested in becoming a body builder, 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound will be just fine. However, if you do want to build some muscle and plan on working out fairly rigorously on a regular basis, you should increase that to 1 to 1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight.
Protein Source
High protein foods
You can get plenty of protein from;
Lean meat
- skinless chicken
- turkey breasts
- tuna
- egg whites
- salmon
Other choices are
- beans
- cheese
- soy products
- nuts
- seeds
- legumes
Don' Skimp on Sleep
One of the interesting things about eating a high protein diet is that your sleep should automatically improve. How does this work? Scientists have discovered that higher protein consumption changes the body's amino acids and insulin. Both of these have a direct effect on our sleep pattern.
So while eating a high protein diet might give you sweeter dreams, it's all for naught if you choose to stay up most nights watching those Game of Thrones episodes. When you skimp on your sleep, you are setting up your brain to make bad food choices. Your sleep deprived brain starts nagging you to look for some of those instant reward foods so that if you are going to force it to stay awake, it might as well feel good about it.
Arrange your schedule so that you get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep each night. Your brain will thank you, and you will be rewarded with a slimmer, trimmer version of yourself.