Many people struggle with their weight. They may find it easy to put it on, but difficult to get it off. However, did you know that adding protein to your diet is probably one of the most important things you can do to lose weight? These are some ways protein helps you lose weight.

Protein Digestion Burns Calories

When you add protein to your weight loss regime, you actually burn more calories. This is because your body actually uses the calories in protein to digest your food. When you eat carbohydrates, about five to 10% of the calories in the food are burned during digestion, but when you eat protein, your body burns up to 30% of its calories during the digestion process. Your body’s use of calories to digest food is called the thermic effect of food.

Protein Impacts Weight Regulation Hormones

Your hypothalamus regulates your weight, which monitors your hormone changes when you eat. Proteins increase hormones that trigger your hypothalamus to feel full. For example, they increase GLP-1, cholecystokinin and peptide YY, all of which regulate your feelings of hunger. When they increase, your hunger decreases and your satiety increases.

Protein Cuts Cravings

One of the biggest hurdles to quick weight loss is cravings, especially late at night. However, increased protein intake can reduce or eliminate these cravings. For example, you can reduce 60% of your cravings by exchanging 25% of your calories for proteins. This is especially important during breakfast time.

In addition, you can reduce your overall calorie intake by eating more protein because your appetite is reduced. If 30% of your calories are protein, studies found that you could reduce your caloric intake by up to 440 calories every day.

Protein intake has a direct impact on weight loss. Test this information by increasing your calories from proteins to 25-30% of your total calories each day. You should see your weight, craving and caloric intake decrease.