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Both bulking up and leaning down are admirable aims in isolation, and were willing to bet that you could do with a bit of both. But in practice, though, that can be a tall order after all, weight loss is achieved by cutting calories, which is the antithesis of getting swole. Fortunately, nutritionists at Skidmore College have discovered a workaround: a way to have your beefcake and eat it.
Their study pitted the standard eating plan of three meals a day (with 15% of your calories coming from protein, 60% from carbs and 25% from fat) against two high-protein diets, in which the protein ratio was doubled.
One group of high-protein dieters consumed their daily calorie intake over three main meals; the other ate six smaller meals.
Both high-protein groups lost more fat than those on the conventional eating plan, but the changes occurred much faster for those who doubled their meal count they were also the only group to gain lean mass over eight weeks.
The scientists attributed these results to a process called thermogenesis: eating little and often increased energy expenditure through digestion. Despite the calorie deficit, the steady supply of amino acids from the protein was also able to stop the subjects gains deflating. (Continued below)
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A dose every three hours proved to be optimal for protein synthesis, according to a separate study in Nutrition & Metabolism and so the six, high-protein meals a day were able to efficiently fuel gains in muscle alongside losses in weight.
Hungry for progress? Then chew on this new plan of action.
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Eat Little and Often: Nutritionists Find Eating More Could Aid Weight-Loss - Men's health UK
