Over the years, there always seems to be some type of liquid diet that comes out and many people who are desperate to lose weight will actually try these diets. These liquid diets typically restrict the consumption of any food except the very specific marketed beverage. Unfortunately, this type of diet is not intended to be a long-term method of helping you lose weight, and the weight loss is also temporary. By the time the dieter returns to normal food, the weight piles back on and is often accompanied by more weight.
Another negative side effect of liquid diets is that the dieter will not only lose body fat, but also lose a significant amount of lean muscle mass. Muscle mass is what gives your body a lean, toned and healthy shape.
There is an easy method to lose weight that incorporates the use of quality protein shakes that can not only help you lose fat, but also help you maintain your lean muscle mass. There are only 3 simple rules for this diet to work:
1.) You should consume your daily protein grams based on the formula of 1 gram of protein for every pound of lean muscle mass in your body. To find your lean muscle mass, you must follow a simple formula. Body weight – body fat = lean muscle mass. You can find out your body fat percentage using an online calculator or using a body fat caliper. Once you have your body fat percentage, plug it into the formula above. So, for example, if a 150-pound woman is 25% body fat, then her lean muscle mass would be 125 pounds. 150 lbs-25 body fat = 125 lbs, which means she would need to consume at least 125 g of protein per day.
2.) You don’t need to do cardio if you want to, but you do need to do 3 days a week of weight training with alternating muscle groups. For example, on Monday you could focus on weight training for your chest and back and on Wednesday maybe doing shoulders, biceps and triceps, and on Friday maybe doing glutes, quads, hamstrings and calves.
3.) You must count calories and make sure you eat with a 500 calorie deficit. You’ll need to find out what your BMR (resting basal metabolic rate) is, which is the number of calories your body requires for basic function each day. This does not include calories burned from extra activities like gardening or training. So a 5’5″ woman weighing 150 pounds has a BMR of 1,742. She would need to eat 1,242 calories per day to lose 1-2 pounds per week, 1,742 calories-500 calories = 1,242 calories.
Now, 125g of protein might seem like a lot to consume in one day. The easiest and most cost effective way to get all your protein grams is by using protein shakes. 1 scoop of protein powder can have between 15g and 30g of protein. If she consumes just 4 protein shakes a day that have 25g of protein per serving, then she will easily hit 100g of protein right there. Those 4 shakes equal about 600 calories, so 1242 calories – 600 calories = 642 calories. You’ll still have 642 calories to eat throughout the day that can help you reach your remaining goal of 25 g of protein. Those 25g of protein can be easily reached by just eating 4 egg whites. Some breads, cereals, pastas, and yogurts also contain protein, so it’s easy to get that last bite by eating whole foods.
The best part about this diet is that you only need to pay attention to getting those grams of protein and calculating your calories. I usually add up all my shakes for the day and subtract my shakes from my total calories to figure out how many calories I have for meal planning. You can easily eat a satisfying meal for just 300 calories. I also know some men who prefer to make a 100g protein shake first thing in the morning and then proceed to drink the large shake throughout the day until they are done.
Try this protein diet for just 2-3 weeks and you’ll easily lose 3-6 pounds without feeling hungry and without sugar and carb restrictions.
