If weight loss is one of your health goals, you may think that the best way to achieve it is to eat less and be more restrictive about what you eat. While portion control is certainly important, reducing how much you’re eating can lead to not getting enough of the nutrients the body needs.
As doctors specializing in weight loss explain here, losing weight doesn’t necessarily mean eating less; it just means changing what you eat and there’s one nutrient most people trying to lose weight need to be extra mindful to get enough of.
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General Advice About How To Lose Weight While Getting All the Nutrients Your Body Needs
Dr. Katrina Mattingly, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Option Medical Weight Loss, says that if you’re trying to lose weight, it’s important to make sure that you’re still getting all the macronutrients and micronutrients your body needs. What these requirements are depends on one’s age, biological sex and activity level. If you aren’t sure what your nutrient needs are, MyPlate.gov can serve as a helpful resource, detailing nutrient needs for different sexes and age groups as well as showing what it looks like to meet those goals.
“Ensuring the proportion of protein, carbs and fats remains in the healthy range and in the correct quantities during weight loss and then weight maintenance is crucial. When [someone is] in the weight loss phase of their journey, these macronutrients may be different than during the weight maintenance phase but there is still a minimum baseline needed for all humans to function,” Dr. Mattingly says. She adds that it’s also more likely to experience vitamin, mineral and essential nutrient deficiencies during periods of caloric restriction. “A nutrition coach or registered dietitian can help tailor a nutrition plan specifically for your individual needs,” she says.
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Dr. Meghan Garcia-Webb, MD, who is triple board-certified in internal medicine, lifestyle medicine and obesity medicine and produces a weekly YouTube series, Weight Medicine with Dr. Meghan, recommends focusing on checking three boxes when it comes to eating for weight loss: consuming at least five servings of vegetables a day, minimizing ultra-processed foods and getting adequate protein. “Eating healthy does not have to be complicated—and it shouldn’t be. It’s easier and more fun when we accept that it doesn’t have to be hard. And you can always add a general multivitamin as a backup,” she says.
The Number One Nutrient People Trying To Lose Weight Don’t Get Enough Of
Both Dr. Mattingly and Dr. Garcia-Webb say that there’s one nutrient that most people who are trying to lose weight don’t get enough of: protein. “For people who are losing weight, especially those who are also medically assisting their weight loss with something like Wegovy or Zepbound, it’s really important to make sure you are getting enough protein,” Dr. Garcia-Webb says.
How much protein should you be getting? Dr. Garcia-Webb says a good guideline to follow is aiming for between 1 and 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of your ideal body weight. For example, if your goal weight is 150 pounds, it’s recommended to consume between 70 and 80 grams of protein each day.
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“During caloric restriction when people are trying to lose weight, we see a lot of patients who are losing protein and water versus losing fat,” Dr. Mattingly says. She explains that many people require more protein in the restricted state and water is essential for hydration and to prevent water retention. “When we lose muscle mass, our metabolism slows because energy is no longer needed to fuel muscle mass that is no longer present. Muscles are critical to maintaining our bone density!” she says.
Dr. Garcia-Webb adds to this by saying that protein needs are greater with weight loss. “When we are losing weight, it is really important to retain, or even build, muscle mass. That’s because as we lose weight, a percentage of that is going to be non-fatty tissue, and some of this will be muscle. So when the goal is to lose weight, it’s even more important to prioritize protein to help preserve our muscle mass and help our resting metabolic rate stay steady, or even increase,” she explains.
Now that you know how important protein is when healthily losing weight, how can you make sure you get enough? Dr. Garcia-Webb that a good starting point is by tracking how much protein you’re getting currently. That way, you know how much you need to up your intake.
When adding more protein to your diet, Dr. Mattingly says that plant-based proteins (like beans, lentils, chickpeas, quinoa and tofu) can be especially beneficial. Dr. Garcia-Webb agrees, saying that plant-based proteins support heart health more than animal-based sources typically do. She also recommends eating protein in the form of whole foods versus powders or protein drinks. That way, you’ll get more of the other important nutrients the body needs too.
Losing weight doesn’t mean going hungry or being restrictive. There are so many nutrient-rich, protein-loaded foods to fill your plate with. Have fun experimenting with incorporating different whole foods into your meals. Not only will you feel satiated, but your body will get what it needs to thrive too.
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