Over the past few years, it was fascinating to watch the rebirth of the high protein diet craze.  It went through the predictable stages that all fad diets go through - the rapid rise to fame, the short-lived “popularity” phase and the subsequent fall from glory.

What can be learned from the high protein diet plan and how can this information be used to help future dieters achieve the results they are seeking?

First, let’s look at what was right with the high protein diet.  A high protein diet actually produces more rapid weight loss in the early stages of the diet.  Dieters on this plan initially lose weight rapidly, which is why the diet became so popular.  The high protein diet worked for a variety of reasons.  One reason is that protein is very satiating.  This means that you become full and satisfied.  When protein is consumed, the body has to metabolize, or break it down into a useable form.  This metabolic process occurs slowly, which makes the dieter feel full for extended time periods.  Since there is not as much hunger, it is easier to stick with the diet plan.

A second reason is that protein supplies the building blocks necessary to make certain chemicals         that help support metabolism, or how fast you burn calories.  A dieter who is deficient in this chemical, has a sluggish metabolism and it is harder for them to lose weight.  Consuming protein replenishes this deficiency and produces a faster metabolic rate. 

A third benefit of protein is that it supports the lean body mass, which is basically your muscle tissue. When dieting, the goal is to lose fat, not muscle.  Muscle is the body tissue that is most important in determining the metabolic rate or how fast you burn calories.   If muscle tissue is lost, the metabolic rate slows, and it is harder to lose weight.  Having a good supply of protein in the diet helps prevent some of this muscle loss.

It is clear to see that protein is very important in the diet, so why did the high protein diet fail in the long run?  From a dieter’s stand point, there was not enough variety in the diet.  This made it hard to stick with for a long period of time.  Dieter’s began to crave carbohydrates.  Once carbohydrates were reintroduced into the diet, a rapid weight regain occurred.   As more dieters began to regain their weight, the diet began to lose popularity.

From a medical stand point, it is not healthy to consume high levels of protein, at the expense of eating a balanced diet, for prolonged periods of time.  Too much protein in the diet forces the kidneys to work overtime trying to process the high load, eventually leading to kidney damage.  The high protein load also leads to elevated cholesterol levels over time.  In the early stages of the high protein diet, cholesterol levels actually go down.  This fact is due to the loss of body weight, not because high levels of protein were consumed.  Over time, this process reverses and cholesterol levels begin to rise with the persistent consumption of high levels of protein.

Another important point is that balance in the diet is needed for optimum function and metabolism.  Having just said that protein is important in the diet to make the chemicals needed to enhance metabolism, it is important to note that this is just one piece of the pathway.  If a person is depleted in other parts of the pathway, the metabolism will still remain sluggish.  The metabolic pathway works with optimum efficiency when all parts of the pathway are available.

So what is the optimum diet that helps people lose weight most efficiently?  In order to answer this question, leading weight loss experts examined a group of 5000 patients, who had lost 65 or more pounds, and had kept it off for at least 5 years. The diet that was consumed was a high complex carbohydrate, low fat diet.  The diet was 55% complex carbohydrates, 20% protein and 30% fat.

It is important to note that the carbohydrate portion of the diet was based on complex carbohydrates and not simple carbohydrates.  Complex carbohydrates include whole fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads, brown rice and whole wheat pasta.  Simple carbohydrates, on the other hands, have gone through a refining process.  Examples include fruit juice, white breads, white rice and regular pastas.  A simple carbohydrate has been partially broken down by a man-made process, instead of by the body.  Once consumed, the body quickly finishes the metabolic process, causing a rapid rise and fall in blood sugar levels.  This rapid drop in blood sugar leads to hunger and stimulates a person to want to eat more.  Simple carbohydrates should be limited in the diet, while complex carbohydrates should be encouraged.

The high complex carbohydrate, low fat diet provides both satiety and balance in the diet.  Similar to protein metabolism, metabolism of complex carbohydrates takes time and the body stays full longer.  Complex carbohydrates also provide fiber in the diet.  Fiber contributes to a healthy diet in three important ways.  In the stomach, fiber acts like a sponge, pulling water into it, making the stomach feel full.  Fiber then decreases the sensation of hunger by lowering chemical levels of a substance called Grehlin.  Grehlin is a chemical messenger that tells the brain that the stomach is hungry.  By lowering the level of this chemical in the body, there is a decreased sensation of hunger.    Next, fiber helps regulate bowel movements and helps decrease the constipation that commonly occurs in dieters.  An added benefit is that fiber helps decrease the risk of colon cancer by sweeping processed food and waste from the intestinal walls.

So when you want to lose weight efficiently, consume a high complex carbohydrate, low fat diet, with the protein intake limited to approximately 20% of the diet.  This provides a good dietary balance, giving you the nutrients needed to keep your body healthy and your metabolism working at it’s optimum efficiency.