We know eating high-protein foods (approximately 30 percent of daily caloric energy coming from protein) is ideal for fat loss and muscle sparing, but nutritionists at a college in the United States have also found that increasing meal frequency enhances the fat-loss effects of a protein-rich diet. The way they conducted the experiment was relatively simple. They started out with three groups:
- Those eating 3 meals per day, with 15 percent of the calories coming from protein, 60 percent from carbs, and 15 percent from fat. This was considered to be the “traditional” Western diet.
- Those eating 3 meals per day, with 35 percent of the calories coming from protein, 45 percent from carbs, and 20 percent from fat.
- Those eating 6 meals a day, and also on a protein-rich diet.
The test subjects in the last two groups (high-protein diets) lost more fat than the group on the “traditional” Western diet. Not only that, but when in a caloric deficit, fat loss was faster in the high-protein group that ate six times a day and subjects gained more lean body mass. By comparison, the high-protein group that ate only three times a day lost a small amount of lean body mass. The mechanism by which the scientists concluded this happens is that a protein-rich diet boosts energy expenditure (the thermic effect of food is higher for protein), and this effect is enhanced by eating more often.
MUSCLE INSIDER Tip:
Diet and cardio are the two best tools for whole-body fat loss. Ab training is a great way to strengthen your core and to build abdominal muscle thickness, which will make your abs more visible when you strip off the fat covering them.
