Protein-Rich Foods for Weight Loss
High-protein foods are essential to eat for fat loss in order to see the best results in body composition - not just for aesthetics, but for your metabolic health and sustained weight loss results, which I emphasize as the most important factors with our patients. What’s the point of losing weight if the result is that you’re frail? We are seeing this a lot more recently with an increasing amount of patients taking weight loss medications without adequate monitoring from their physician and nutrition counseling from a dietitian. Patients are losing a lot of weight, but at the cost of malnutrition, muscle loss, hair loss, and worse metabolic health. We want to make sure you are equipped with the proper knowledge and skills to sustain your health, NOT just your looks.
During any period of prolonged weight loss, you will lose muscle mass, not just fat mass. We unfortunately cannot tell our bodies where to lose weight. Research shows that the loss of muscle mass is not through suppressed muscle synthesis, but from increased breakdown of muscle tissue. We can mitigate this through two VERY important factors: eating enough protein, and resistance/strength training.
How much protein do you need for weight loss?
The current Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for protein is set at 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. You can convert pounds to kilograms by dividing by 2.2 (ex., 150 lbs / 2.2 = 68.2 kg). So for a 150 lb person, this would mean an intake of 55 grams of protein per day. Keep in mind that the RDA is the amount of a nutrient that is sufficient to meet nutritional needs - but sufficient does not mean OPTIMAL.
Nutrition experts (including myself) recommend that a more optimal minimum is a dose of 1.2-1.6 grams protein per kg bodyweight based on newer research. We also want to keep in mind that protein needs increase across the lifespan into older adulthood due to naturally increasing resistance to building new muscle tissue relative to dietary protein intake. For a 150 lb person, a 1.2-1.6g dose would be 82-109 grams of protein per day that can be roughly evenly split between meals (and snacks as needed). For weight loss, it’s definitely helpful to target the upper end of the dose range, keeping in mind that we may use something called Adjusted Bodyweight for individuals starting out at a larger body size, as the dose range would overestimate needs.
Plant-based vs. animal-based protein for weight loss
The best protein for weight loss depends on your unique dietary preferences and needs. However we do want to generally opt for low-calorie and high-protein foods (in other words, protein-dense foods). There is no “best” choice in this sense when it comes to plant-based proteins or animal-based proteins. There are great options within each category, and the most important dietary principle is to get a variety of high-protein foods, and enough high-protein food throughout the day.
For animal proteins, choose lean protein meat sources like poultry, lean beef, and fish. Eggs and dairy are great sources, and I don’t generally recommend low-fat dairy because the calorie different is not usually that much. Plus, the fat in dairy helps you to absorb fat-soluble vitamins A and D in the dairy. For plant proteins, I’m a fan of soy for its high bioavailability including edamame, tofu, and tempeh. Seitan and mycoprotein are also favorites. Seitan is a high-protein low-calorie plant protein made from wheat protein, and mycoprotein is made from the fermentation of fungi. Both of these options are also highly bioavailable.
With plant proteins you want to keep in mind the volume required to eat for sufficient protein, relative to the calorie and fiber content. While chickpeas and lentils are good protein options, you’d have to eat a large volume, and therefore a large amount of calories and fiber, that may be too much for some people that may make energy balance difficult or affect digestion negatively. For example, you can consume more protein and fewer calories through a serving of salmon (208 calories per 100 grams) versus a serving of chickpeas (364 calories per 100 grams). Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a huge fan of them, but just be conscious if you need to pair them with other higher sources of protein in your meal. Could you do a chickpea salad with some tuna or feta mixed in? Could you cook lentils in bone broth to up the protein content?
High-Protein Snacks for Fat Loss
Here are some of my favorite healthy protein snacks for weight loss, including ones with fiber. I’m a fan of travel-friendly snacks. Having a snack on hand in your backpack or purse makes nourishing eating decisions so much easier than scrambling for something while out.
Crunchy Roasted Edamame - 14 grams protein per 114 calories, plus 5 grams fiber
Crunchy Roasted Chickpeas - 5 grams protein per 120 calories, plus 6 grams fiber
Beef Sticks - 10 grams protein per 100 calories
Tinned Red Bean and Tuna Salad - 16 grams protein per 250 calories, plus 8 grams fiber
Feel Whole Food Protein Bars - 15 grams protein per 180 calories, plus 5 grams fiber
Hardboiled Eggs - 6 grams protein per 80 calories
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds - 9 grams protein per 170 calories, plus 4 grams fiber
Greek Yogurt or Skyr cups paired with fruit - 16 grams protein per 90 calories
Popcorn with Nutritional Yeast - yeast is 6 grams protein per 50 calories
Chia Seeds for a homemade chia pudding - 3 grams protein per 60 calories, plus 4 grams fiber
Plant Protein Powder - 20 grams per 140 calories, plus 3 grams fiber
Nutrition Counseling for Weight Loss
Looking for a dietitian for a personalized weight loss plan? We provided medical nutrition therapy for weight loss and evidence-based weight loss strategies for patients in Metro Detroit at our office in Farmington Hills, Michigan, and virtual nutrition counseling for patients anywhere.
Get started on your journey to healthy eating for weight loss by booking your first session here.
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