The struggle to lose weight is not a difficult path. Some of us who are a few kilos overweight have tried all kinds of diets, but the lack of results creates frustration, we know that well… Now, we have discovered that losing weight is not only about eating less, it is about eating well and making decisions that benefit both. body and mind, because they are a package! And if one does not work, neither does the other… And the key is not to eat less, not at all! The trick is to find a “key” that makes every day feel like a normal day and not like a punishment for being fat.
In this context, Angela Quintas, a nutrition expert, has offered a proposal that sounds pretty good: eat protein several times a week. Does it work? We will tell you below!
How can we lose weight with protein alone?
Let’s make it clear that, first of all, it is not about doing a protein-only diet, because what this dietician wants to make clear to us is that the body needs a balance between all nutrients. So, the ideal is to introduce these proteins several times a week
The key? Only for dinner. Why? We will explain it to you when we get home, cortisol levels (which are responsible for stress and responsible for making us feel the need to eat carbohydrates at all hours…) have already dropped, so the body is much more relaxed. If we eat carbohydrates for dinner at night, our body will not “burn” them and they will be stored as fat. But, here comes the tip, if we eat protein for dinner, this will tell the body something new, and it will use stored fat as a source of energy (because proteins are not synthesized the same as carbohydrates)
In short, your body needs fuel, and instead of giving it a fuel that generates fat, you are going to be giving it one that eliminates it completely.
Quintas explains it through the Krebs Cycle, something like a chemical reaction that occurs in your body and is activated to use fat as energy while you sleep. As you read it, you could lose weight while sleeping! (Anyone’s dream, or at least, ours!)
But how do I do it?
You don’t have to eat protein seven days a week, but you do have to eat it 2/3 days a week. The good thing about this type of dinner is that it will also help you control your excessive craving for sweets.
Angela Quintas relates the lack of protein with the anxiety of eating sweets, and argues that if you really want to eat sweets it’s because you’re not consuming enough tryptophan (an essential amino acid that our body doesn’t produce but is present in proteins). And she also relates it to low serotonin levels (yes, the happiness hormone), so, maybe the solution to all your problems is to eat protein for dinner.
We’ll help you with the menu!
You don’t need to make your life too complicated for dinner, we’re going to leave you a list of the main protein sources and then we’re going to give you some dinner ideas, you’ll see that you get hungry while you read us!
- Foods of animal origin are eggs, chicken, turkey, fish (like salmon or tuna), seafood, lean meat (pork or lamb), Greek yogurt, low-fat cheeses and milk
- Vegetable sources are lentils, chickpeas, beans, soy and its derivatives (tofu, edamame), nuts, chia or flax seeds, quinoa, amaranth, spinach and broccoli.
Can you imagine how many recipes we could get out of here? We’ll leave you three
- Tuna omelette with spinach (egg, tuna, fresh spinach, salt and pepper). A little frying pan, and dinner!
- Chicken breast with spices and lemon, a little grilling and in the craw! (You can also add a little soy sauce and habaneros if you like spicy food and it’s delicious!)
- Scrambled eggs with tofu and vegetables (eggs, hard tofu, half a pepper, half a zucchini, onion, garlic, salt and pepper to taste), and you can accompany it with whole wheat bread to satisfy you completely.
Wait a minute, but does this work for everyone?
No, the key is to listen to your body first and know what its needs are. If you have some kind of health condition that you think this type of diet won’t do any good for your body, it’s best to contact a nutrition specialist to create a specialized diet for your case.
You’ve already seen that it’s not a big change, nor is it about eliminating what you like to eat completely, but a light dinner based on protein can even help you sleep better. Losing weight can be an uncomfortable journey, but little by little you will see how your body changes too. Accompany it with a little physical exercise and in no time you will be the best version of yourself!