Why You Need Protein to Build the Body You Want
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Proteins play a critical role in developing the body you want as they are the building blocks of all tissues in the body, including muscle tissue. When you consume protein, your body breaks it down into amino acids, which are then used to build and repair tissues in the body.
But there are still women that are afraid of eating protein for variety of reasons, such as:
They are scared to eat more calories and are trying to eat as little calories as possible daily
They believe that eating more protein is going to make them bulky
In this episode of Embrace Your Real podcast, we'll be looking at the importance of protein in your diet to achieve the body that you want.
What I discuss:
Protein Helps Build and Repair Muscle Tissue
Protein Helps Boost Your Metabolism
Protein Helps Control Your Appetite
Protein Helps Preserve Lean Muscle Mass
Links mentioned in the episode:
Episode 317: 5 Reasons to Love Carbohydrates when Building the Body You Want
Episode 321: Why You Need Fat To Build The Body That You Want
Macro Counting Made Simple: https://www.macrocountingmadesimple.com/
If you want more from me, be sure to check out...
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Website: www.juliealedbetter.com
Free e-book: www.juliealedbetter.com/free-ebook
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Transcript:
Hey there, beautiful human. You're listening to Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter. A podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I issue a dose of real talk. And actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body, and. Unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned if you're ready to embrace your real. Let's get it, let’s go!
Hello and welcome back to another series on why you need blank to build the body that you want. So we talked about why you need carbs to build the body that you want. We talked about why you need fat to build the body that you want. And this week we're talking all about why you need protein to build the body that you want.
Please hear me when I say that protein is essential, It is so essential to be eating protein when you're embarking on your journey of fueling your body optimally, honoring your body with movement, and really going after those health and fitness goals that you have. And I know countless women who don't want to eat more protein for two reasons. Number one, they're scared to eat more calories and they're trying to eat as little calories as possible. Or number two, they believe that when they eat more protein, it's actually going to make them bulky. And this was me for a decade of my life. So this is where you are at. Please know you are not alone. This is exactly why I created this podcast, because I want every single episode to either educate, empower, or encourage you in some way, shape or form.
But here's the truth. This protein is going to be your best friend in building the body that you want long term. And that's why in today's episode, I hope by the end of this episode you will have a very clear understanding on why it's time to ramp up your protein intake.
But before we dive in to today's episode, I wanted to share this review comes from X and I. I land. I'm sorry if that was awkward. I don't know how to pronounce that. So X and Island gave a five star review and said practical and inspiring. My favorite part of Embrace your podcast is the variety, yet consistency of every episode. Well, I love that so much. Thank you so much for the review and taking time out of your day to send in this review. I just appreciate every single one of your guys's reviews. I love hearing where you're at. I love hearing if a specific episode helped you or just a series of episode help helped you and in what way they helped you.
So thank you so much. You guys really do bless me and our team. And when you do leave a rating interview because it just helps us know what is helping you so that we can continue doing more of that. And it also helps people who stumble upon the podcast and they're like, What is this embrace your real show all about? And then they get to read some of the reviews and it helps them. It's really the deciding factor if they choose to tune in or not. So thank you for playing a vital role in that and taking time out of your day. Really do genuinely appreciate it.
Okay, so let's dive in to why you need protein to build the body that you want.
Number one, protein helps to build and repair muscle tissue. So one of the main reasons why protein is so important in building the body they want and it's so essential is because it really helps to repair those muscle tissues When you do any type of resistance training, aka dumbbell workouts, you create those micro hairs in your muscle fibers and these micro tears need to be repaired in order for your muscles to grow stronger and more defined. Protein is really the key nutrient that your body needs to repair and rebuild these muscle fibers. So when you consume protein, it's actually broken down into amino acids, which are then used by your body to build and repair the muscle tissue. So without enough protein in your diet, you won't be able to have essentially the resources it needs to repair and rebuild your muscles, which can actually slow down your progress on your journey and what happens when your body can't repair and rebuild your muscles while it can't grow new muscle. And that's when you aren't growing new muscle. You're really kind of stuck in terms of changing your body composition. And this is why it's important to consume enough protein daily, because at the end of the day, if you're not fueling your body with enough protein, all the work that you're going to do and you are doing and putting into your workouts, it's not going to be as effective. It's essentially you're trying to walk up an escalator that's going down, right? So if you are working out regularly, you're following a program, you're you're staying consistent in your workouts. You need to be eating enough protein in conjunction with your training to actually reap any sort of benefits.
Number two, protein can really help to boost your metabolism. So another important reason to eat the right and the proper amount of protein is that it can help to boost your metabolism. We all know that having a faster metabolism can help you burn fat and lose weight more effectively. So why not eat in a way that boost your metabolism? Kind of sounds like a win win, right? Here's why. Protein can really help boost your metabolism. So protein has a higher thermic effect, which is also called TGF than carbs or fats, which means essentially that your body burns more calories digesting protein than it does digesting other nutrients. So this effect can actually help to boost your metabolism, allowing you to. Burn more calories throughout the day. And the reason why more energy is required to digest protein than other macronutrients is because of the process of kind of being able to utilize protein as fuel. A lot more complex than using carbs or fat. So, for instance, your body can break down carbs really easily into readily usable fuel, whereas with protein, your body kind of has to break it down and then actually reassemble it in order for it to be readily usable fuel. Studies have shown that the thermic effect of protein can actually be as high as 30% of the calories consumed. So, for example, if you eat 100 calories of protein, your body could burn up to 30 calories during digestion and metabolism. So now compare that to carbohydrates or fats, which have a lower thermic effect. They only burn, you know, 5 to 10% of the calories consumed during digestion. So this means essentially, if you're eating, let's say, 120 grams of protein per day. Disclaimer I'm not saying that everyone should eat that. Some people I personally eat more than that. Some people need less than that. It just kind of depends on where you're at and what your body needs. But again, let's just put 120 for an example that would be an equivalent to 560 calories because protein has four calories per gram. So if you are burning 30% of the protein that you eat through digestion, this means that you would essentially be burning 186 calories in total during the day just by digesting protein, which is pretty cool, right? Like, I've never been a science person, but when I learned kind of the thermic effect of protein, I was like nerding out on it. And I remember my husband actually being like, Y you're not a science person. I'm like, I know, but. that's so cool. Like, that is just so cool that food has that effect on our bodies and the different foods have different effects in our bodies. It's just awesome.
Number three, protein helps to control your appetite, so eating the right foods can help you control your appetite, making it easier to stick to that healthy eating plan or help you to avoid overeating. Now, I'm not saying that you should be eating as little as possible, but if you consistently feel hungry between meals, it could possibly mean that you are not eating enough protein and you need more protein in your diet to satiate you. So this is because protein is one of the most satiating nutrients. That means that essentially it will help you feel fuller for longer periods of time. When you consume protein, it triggers the release of the kind of full hormone that actually signals to your brain that you're full and satisfied. And without this hormone telling your brain that you're full. Even if you ate more than enough, your brain is still going to think you need more food and then you're going to feel more hungry, even if you're actually full. Which is why this is super important in terms of just prioritizing your meals and your snacks around protein so that you can feel full and feel happy after you're eating your meals and your snacks.
Number four, protein can really help to preserve lean muscle mass. So as you age, your body actually naturally loses lean muscle, which is really, really sad. I know we don't want to think about aging, but here's the truth. It happens. And when you start to lose your muscle mass, it can lead to a slower metabolism, decrease physical performance, and it can expedite aging and age related issues. So while you may think like I'm young, I don't need to worry about this, please hear me when I say what you do now will affect you in your thirties. You're 40 or 50 or 60. Like the things, the activities that you do in your twenties and thirties or forties, they really will impact your later years and that can go for the worse or for the better. And that's the encouraging thing, is that the more muscle that you can build now, the healthier you're likely going to be at 50, 60, 70 because you had a solid foundation built for you to maintain. It's going to be a lot easier to build in that muscle now that you're younger and maintain it rather than trying to build muscle in your fifties.
Now, I'm not saying you can't build muscle in your fifties. You absolutely can at any age. You can start today and build that foundation. What I am saying is that yesterday was the best day. Today is the second best day, right? And so just know that as you age, as your metabolism naturally slows down, it makes it harder to maintain that healthy weight and protein can really keep your metabolism healthy. It can also reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, type two diabetes, and certain types of cancer. It can also drastically improve your bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis, which is why women are actually at a higher risk of osteoporosis than men. And I know all of these things feel like light years away, but one day the reality of. What you do now could be that outcome later. So just keep that in mind. And I just want to encourage you, I don't want that to be discouraging. I don't want you to hear that and say, oh, I'm doomed. You know, I'm I'm 49 and there's just no way. Absolutely false. You can absolutely change your lifestyle today, starting today, moving forward. And I really, truly believe it all starts in your mind. And some of the other day was what were they? They were 38 turning 39. And I'm like, they were like, oh, my gosh, I'm just so old. And I'm thinking, you are not old at all. Like it, really. I mean, I know you might feel like you're, you know, creeping up to 40, but you are not old at all. Age is truly in your mind. And I just want to encourage anybody listening to this right now. If you have goals and you feel like you're too old, please hear me when I say that's not true. That is a lie straight from the pit of hell. And I want to immediately tell, you know, you at any age can achieve anything that you put your mind to, anything that you put your mind to. I want you to start today so that you think yourself in six months, in a year, in two years. Because when you make the conscious decision to take one step forward today, yeah, it's going to be hard. It's going to be hard today. It's going to be hard tomorrow. It's going to be harder in a week, in two weeks when that newness kind of wears off. And it's becoming kind of this, you know, habitual thing. But it's not as new and new and exciting. But man, six months, one year, two years down the road, you're going to look back and you are going to thank yourself for starting today. So please just take that first step. So there you have it. Those are kind of the four reasons why protein is so important. And towards, you know, on this journey of building the body that you want, it is one of the most important macronutrient for building muscle. In fact, it is the most important macronutrient for building muscle because it's literally the foundation of muscle protein is made up of amino acids, and so are your muscle fibers, which again, going back to just my order of how God created our bodies is just incredible. So if you want to build any sort of muscle, you want to change your body composition. If you want to feel fuller longer, if you want to feel satisfied after your meals, protein is it? Girl?
Let me quickly recap what we talked about in today.
Number one, a protein helps to build and repair muscle tissue leading to greater muscle build. So when you build more muscle, you can actually change your body composition. Number two, protein helps to boost your metabolism. You burn about 30% of the protein that you eat through your digestion alone, which is pretty incredible compared to 5 to 10% with carbs and fats. Number three, protein helps control your appetite. So it really signals to your brain that you actually are full and can help you to avoid to continue to snack when you actually are full, but your brain doesn't think you are. And lastly, number four, protein helps to preserve lean muscle mass. So it's going to be really helpful. As you're aging, you can age more gracefully and it will help you to maintain the body that you want when you're older.
Okay, so I told you all those things, what protein does for you. But now you're then the million dollar question is how much protein is enough? Well, I can't really give you a concrete number because this is really going to depend on a number of different factors. It's going to depend on your activity level, your age, your goals, your height, your weight and your body, what you were doing on a daily basis. Like what is your profession? What's your daily step look like? How many workouts per week? All of those things are so many different considerations when it comes to figuring out your customized macronutrient number in terms of your protein, carbs and fats. And we do make it simple for you. If this is something that seems overwhelming, it doesn't have to be. We created a macro accounting made simple online academy. And so if you have been struggling to build the body that you want for years, if you are constantly trying new diets, you're falling off new diets and you feel like trying to get back on it is just impossible. You can't seem to build the body that you want. Then please do me a favor and stop the diets and start educating yourself on how to properly feel your body. And if that's through the tool of macro accounting. Amazing. I believe that macro accounting can truly transform your goals. It can transform your relationship with food, because not only are you educating yourself about food, you are then feeling empowered around food. And really, I truly believe that you have nothing to lose and only something to gain, which is a healthy relationship with food. I think that it is so hard to go through this life and build the body that you want. In fact, I would almost argue it's impossible to build the body that you want and. Sustain it without having a healthy relationship with food. It really goes back to what you're eating. I know that cliché saying of abs are made in the kitchen, but I don't even care about the esthetics, right? It's not even about that. It's. I want you to feel energy. I want you to feel confident. I want you to feel empowered around food. I don't want you to go to a party or an anniversary or vacation and feel overwhelmed and say, you know, I'm just I'm going to skip out on all this. Or on the flip side, because you have been restricting yourself for weeks or months or years that you just binge and you go all out to the point where you feel sick, you're not enjoying your time, you're not present with your friends and family. I don't want that for you. I want you to feel empowered. I want you to feel encouraged. And so if you want to learn more about our program, it's called Macro Academy Simple Online Academy, you can go to macro accounting made simple dot com. I've linked it in the show notes that you can easily go check that out, but I want you to start properly fueling your body this year because I want you to start reaping all the benefits of your hard work. Like I want you to start seeing the results for all the hard work that you have been putting in. If this is the first episode that you've listened to of this series, be sure to go back and listen to my other two episodes. I did one on Why you need Carbs to build the body that you want and why you need fats to build the body that you want. So be sure to go and check those out. I will link both of those in the show notes below as well as the macro accounting made simple online academy.
I hope that you found this helpful. I hope that this encouraged you. I know for me, for a decade of my life, you guys, I said, Oh, no, no, no, no. I can't have protein that's going to make me bulky. And it was very the furthest from the truth. And it was just because I lacked education in this realm and because I lacked education, I wasn't empowered around food. And when I wasn't empowered around food, I would just cower and I would say, you know, I would back away from it and say, oh, no, I'm just going to kind of slowly back step away from it. No, no, I want you to go all in this year. I want you to feel empowered. I want you to feel encouraged. I want you to feel knowledgeable. I want you to properly feel your body, not only for today, not only for tomorrow, but for ten years, 20 years down the road. You will thank yourself for the work that you're putting in today, this week, this month, this year.
All right. That is all that I have for today's episode. I love you so dang much. I mean it. And I'll talk to you in. The next one. All right, sister. That's all I got for you today. But I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you are not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie, A lot better. Yes. It's with an eye in the middle for that daily poser about real talk. Healthy tips and tricks. And honest accountability to keep your mind and heart. In check. The second thing. Be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to. Never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world. And I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real because you're worth it.