Talk About Diets

1. 3 Responses to “What are the benefits and disadvantages of high protein diets?”

2. By cyn_texas on Nov 4, 2009 | Reply

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   Calling it a high protein diet is confusing to many, a low carb diet needs to be a high fat diet with adequate protein. Your body can use carbs, fat or protein as fuel. It burns alcohol carbs the most efficiently (fast completely) which is great for fat storage in times when famines happen. It burns fat as fuel in the absence of carbs ( alcohol). It can burn protein in the absence of fat AND carbs but burning protein AS FUEL can be dangerous due to the byproducts of processing protein into glucose. Excess protein is NOT a problem IF the body is fueled by fat or carbs though.

   So I would highly suggest a diet with more than 65% of total calories coming from dietary fat; so the body doesn’t process protein as fuel and uses the amino acids for lean tissue building repair.

   The advantages of a high fat/low carb diet:

   That it works! That it works, twice as fast, twice as much.
   Appetite control, cravings controlled
   No hunger, plenty of calories food allowed.
   High calories, does not wreck metabolism (a calorie restricted diet can)
   No exercise required (great for the disabled)
   Exercise twice as effective: twice the muscle gain twice the fat loss.
   Fat loss is direct from fat stores, no need to deplete glycogen stores first.
   After the first couple of weeks most people report that they have all this energy, they feel better than ever in their lives and that they are sleeping better.
   That it improves health drastically, dramatically, immediately and allows the body to heal. Does not harm the body and rob vitamins (unlike a diet that allows sugar)
   No hitting the wall - marathon runners, etc. don’t have a fuel change mid race (switching from burning glucose to burning body fat as a fuel)
   HUGE bonus: that if I cheat, all those calories that would normally go direct to fat cells, fill up empty glycogen stores instead and are used as fuel for the muscles (it delays weight loss for a week, but doesn’t cause weight gain)
   That it can easily be sustained for a lifetime.

   Disadvantages - The first couple of weeks during the conversion you are sluggish and headachy (induction flu)

   It’s not convenient. You need to cook and prepare food. You really can’t trust food you don’t prepare (restaurants non low carbers cooking) You have to read labels.

   Glucose is the bodies preferred fuel (if you want to get technical, if actually burns alcohol most efficiently, but that doesn’t make it any healthier for the body than carbs), the body can convert 100% of carbs, 58% of protein 10% of dietary fat into glucose. The body can also be fueled by fat (dietary fat fat cells) but only in the absence of carbs. Your brain actually prefers to be fueled by ketones (part of the fat burning process), only the heart requires glucose, but glucose can be easily converted from fat stores or excess protein if needed or dietary fat.

   Normalizing blood pressure, blood sugar, insulin, cholesterol, triglyercerides and hormone levels are all bonus features of doing a low carb way of eating. Atkins program was a cardiologist’s health plan easier sold as a diet (since weight loss was just a side benefit).

   Your body requires fats, you will die without them. Your body requires protein, you will die without them. You will die if you eat protein without fat. You do not require carbohydrates. The body can manufacture all it needs from the protein/fat combination.

   High fat, adequate protein and very low carbs will after 3 days convert your body to burning fat as fuel (ketosis). While in ketosis you will burn dietary fat and if dietary fat is more than sufficient, body fat directly. High calories will keep the metabolism at maximum fat burning capabilities.

   Eating carbohydrates while trying to lose body fat is terribly inefficient. When in glycolysis (burning glucose as fuel) you have to lower your calories (which slows your metabolism) and exercise heavily to deplete your glycogen stores before burning body fat.

   Although it is completely possible to live on a fat/protein only diet for long term (as proven by research done in a hospital setting) it becomes boring fairly quickly. Luckily many, many vegetables and some fruits, nuts and seeds are low in carbs and greatly expand the diet. Most long term low carbers eat as many, if not more non starchy vegetables than vegetarians.

3. By Ray on Nov 4, 2009 | Reply

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   Your body doesn’t need much protein stores very little…If you consume more that 50 grams per day, the body attempts to get rid of the access by pulling calcium from your bones.

4. By Andrea on Nov 5, 2009 | Reply

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   protein companies want you to eat excessive protein, but truth is most of our western diets contain enough protein to enable us to exercise and loose weight and gain muscle without having to intake expensive calorie rich protein shakes..

   3,500 calories = 1 pound of fat.

   downside to eating to much protein..it’s hard on your system and your liver.

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