THE SCIENCE
That research shows that increasing your Percentage of Calories from Protein can really help you lose weight while still feeling full. You don’t have to be hungry to lose weight.
In fact, as these studies show, you lose weight because protein lets you feel full, let’s you not be hungry. When you aren’t hungry, you eat less, and lose weight.
* Calories come from 3 sources: carbohydrates, fat, and protein. About 10% to 15% of the calories in the average American diet come from protein. These studies indicate that getting the Percent of Calories from Protein up to about 25% to 30% increases fullness, reduces hunger, and results in weight loss.
- More protein decreases hunger, increases feeling of fullness.
- More protein decreases hunger so participants ate less. This resulted in average weight loss of 11 pounds in 12 weeks, and reduced body fat.
- Study Authors: “a more important mechanism by which …protein promotes weight loss appears to be …greater satiety”
- Weight loss was 8.4 pounds greater in the high protein group compared to a group whose diet contained protein closer to the US adult average.
- Body fat decreased by 7.3 pounds more in the high protein group.
- Study authors: “…This study further shows that the HP (Higher Protein) diet induces a larger weight loss…”
- Study authors: “…lower energy intake in the HP diet was due to a higher satiating effect of protein…” (Our paraphrase: more protein, less hungry so eat fewer calories, thereby losing weight).
That is just three of the research studies and reviews 1,2,3 that show how increasing protein can reduce hunger, crowd out the other calories, and help you to lose weight. The references for these and more studies 4,5 are listed at the bottom of this page. Each study has a different design, but every one shows a correlation between higher protein and weight loss, or retention of lean body mass or both.
ICMD is designed to bring up your protein calories, as a percent of total calories, to 25% to 30%. That’s the key to weight loss.
ICMD is designed to bring up your protein calories, as a percent of total calories, to 25% to 30%. That’s the key to weight loss.
There are many other benefits to increasing your protein intake while losing weight. It helps with your body composition so that you lose more fat and maintain more lean body mass. You might find you enjoy your meals more.
Keep in mind that the diets in all of these studies still include some carbohydrates and fat. ICMD is not a low-carb diet because we don’t think that’s the healthy way to lose weight.
Keep in mind that the diets in all of these studies still include some carbohydrates and fat. ICMD is not a low-carb diet because we don’t think that’s the healthy way to lose weight.
1 Weigle DS, Breen PA, Matthys CC, Callahan HS, Meeuws KE, Burden VR, and Purnell JQ. (2005). A high-protein diet induces sustained reductions in appetite, ad libitum caloric intake, and body weight despite compensatory changes in diurnal plasma leptin and ghrelin concentrations. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 82: 41-8.
2 Skov AR, Toubro S, Ronn B, Holm L, and Astrup A. (1999). Randomized trial on protein vs carbohydrate in ad libitum fat reduced diet for the treatment of obesity. International Journal of Obesity, 23: 528-36.
3 Paddon-Jones D, Westman E, Mattes RD, Wolfe RR, Astrup A, and Westerterp-Plantenga M. (2008). Protein, weight management and satiety. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 87, 1558S-61S.
4 Krieger JW, Sitren HS, Daniels MJ, and Langkamp-Henken B. (2006). Effects of variation in protein and carbohydrate intake on body mass and composition during energy restriction: a meta-regression. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 83: 260-74.
5 Layman DK, Evans EM, Erickson D, Seyler J, Weber J, Bagshaw D, Griel A, Psota T, and Kris-Etherton P. (2008). A moderate-protein diet produces sustained weight loss and long-term changes in body composition and blood lipids in obese adults. The Journal of Nutrition, 13:, 514-521
2 Skov AR, Toubro S, Ronn B, Holm L, and Astrup A. (1999). Randomized trial on protein vs carbohydrate in ad libitum fat reduced diet for the treatment of obesity. International Journal of Obesity, 23: 528-36.
3 Paddon-Jones D, Westman E, Mattes RD, Wolfe RR, Astrup A, and Westerterp-Plantenga M. (2008). Protein, weight management and satiety. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 87, 1558S-61S.
4 Krieger JW, Sitren HS, Daniels MJ, and Langkamp-Henken B. (2006). Effects of variation in protein and carbohydrate intake on body mass and composition during energy restriction: a meta-regression. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 83: 260-74.
5 Layman DK, Evans EM, Erickson D, Seyler J, Weber J, Bagshaw D, Griel A, Psota T, and Kris-Etherton P. (2008). A moderate-protein diet produces sustained weight loss and long-term changes in body composition and blood lipids in obese adults. The Journal of Nutrition, 13:, 514-521
