Am I eating too much protein to lose weight? That’s what a friend asked me last month, over coffee in Sydney.
She’s in perimenopause and her doctor told her she needed more protein or she’d lose muscle mass.
So she’d been forcing down 120 grams a day. Sick of roast chicken. Sick of the whole thing.
And her weight? Kept going up.
Clothes stopped fitting.
She felt terrible.
So here’s what I told my friend…
Am I eating too much protein to lose weight?
Here’s how to tell.
You’re eating too much protein if you’re not losing weight. It’s that simple.
If the scale is heading up, your body is getting more food than it needs.
Doesn’t matter if that extra food is protein.
Same goes if you’re forcing protein down that you don’t actually want.
Maybe you’re not even counting grams. You’re just thinking, I should be having more protein, and eating it without enjoying it.
That’s a sign too.
So ask yourself:
1. Am I enjoying this food?
2. Is the scale moving the way I want?
If it’s no to both, you’re probably eating more protein than your body needs.
How to know if you’re eating enough protein
So how do you know you’re getting enough?
This is where I love listening to my body.
Check your nails and your hair.
Nails and hair are a luxury for your body. Not essential for survival. Your body only invests in them once it’s got protein to spare.
Getting enough protein, your nails grow fast and stay strong. Your hair stays put too, no extra shedding.
That’s your enough signal.
How I make sure I’m getting enough without overdoing it
Here’s how I do it myself.
I have protein at every meal.
But mostly, I’m listening while I eat.
Some days I’ll serve myself four poached eggs. If I start feeling full partway through, I stop. I leave the rest.
I don’t force it down just because the plan said four eggs.
That’s it. That’s the whole approach.
Try this simple experiment
If the scale isn’t moving and you’re forcing yourself to eat a lot of protein, try easing off.
It’s a simple experiment.
That’s exactly what I told my friend to try.
A few days later she messaged me. “Oh my goodness, I can feel it,” she said. The weight was already shifting. She felt so much better. Food felt joyful again.
It can work for you too.
Sometimes it only takes days to feel the difference.
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Want help building the skill of listening to your body?
This isn’t just about protein. It’s a skill for all food.
If you want to see the scale go down instead of up, with ease and joy, come join us in the Naturally Healthy Club.
It’s my six month group coaching program. You get a personalised, simple, doable process to change your relationship with food, so you enjoy eating well automatically, and you feel good in your clothes.
Having support around this makes such a difference.
Find out more about the Naturally Healthy Club
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My Best Bite
My birthday was this week, and my best bite was brisket.
My Irish man and I fell in love with brisket after a trip to New York. There’s a place in Brooklyn that does it so well.
A few weeks ago I was at the farmers market and spotted a beautiful piece of brisket. I decided right then, that’s my birthday dinner.
I slow cooked it. My Irish man finished it on the smoker. We served it with slaw and a low sugar barbecue sauce I get from the supermarket.
It was the business.
Shout out too to my birthday lunch. Cheese from a proper fancy cheese shop.
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I’m excited about
Two new birds. On my run this morning I spotted two I’d never seen before.
I use an app called Merlin to identify them. You record the sound around you and it matches the call to the bird. It doesn’t always get it right, but this morning it found two new matches for me.
Small thing. Made my whole morning.
In your corner,
Jules from Stonesoup xx
(Your favourite Australian Food Scientist)
See my bio
ps. Can I ask a favour?
If you’ve found this helpful please forward the link to a friend who also loves food. Thank you!
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