Within almost any weight loss/fat loss plan, you will see protein is heavily emphasized. The reasoning for this is multifactorial.
1. Protein is able to save muscle during calorie deficit- muscle is expensive! To maintain our muscle mass it takes a lot of energy. So when our body doesn’t have enough energy( calorie deficit) our body tries to get rid of muscle mass, to limit how much energy it needs to expand. Luckily research has shown when we intake that 2.2-3.4 g/kg of protein, we are able to save our muscle mass while still losing weight.
2. It’s takes energy to make energy- unlike fat and carbohydrates which are easily transformed into usable energy in the body, protein takes a little bit of work. Protein must go through a process called gluconeogensis to be transformed into glucose and be able to be used for energy. Gluconeogensis takes energy to occur
3. Highly filling- it’s tough to eat a lot of calories of chicken.
Compass Performance 