Research proves high protein is the key to losing belly fat!

And, it’s the name of a study published in the October 2009 edition of a journal called, Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Diseases. But you don’t have the time to read all that scientific words and reports so we will break it down for you.

Researchers found that on a high protein versus standard protein diet, overweight men and women with higher than median triglyceride (fat in the bloodstream) levels. Finally, in a meta-analysis (lots of other studies) across 24 different scientific high-protein trials, researchers found the following in comparing the results of high-protein diets to standard protein diets for weight loss:

• 90% greater reductions in body weight
• 45% greater decrease in body fat loss
• 49% greater decrease in triglyceride levels

So not only does a high protein diet scientifically boost weight loss it is an essential nutrient for overall health. It is responsible for a number of important functions in the body, including hormones, enzymes, and cell repair and maintenance.

The quickest way to find out is to start a food diary, record your daily food and reference the nutritional panel on the back of the wrapper. Dinner can be a bit harder but we highly recommend using MyFitnessPal. This app allows you to set up your weight loss goals, and then input your food to work out how much you’re having per day and or meeting your goals.

Now we are big believers in not calorie counting but it’s a big wide world and you should do what works for you. It’s good to review your calories if you hit a plateau or want to adjust your goal overall.

For example, let’s look at a normal day on The Man Shake. With a majority of your calories being high in protein it will help you stay fuller for longer and help your body focus on building muscle and burning fat.

Again, just so we’re clear, you don’t need to eat a dozen eggs or a kilo of steak in one sitting to increase your protein.

The simplest easiest way is by replacing breakfast or lunch - or both - depending on how busy your schedule is - with a delicious The Man Shake. Which you are probably already doing!

One of the biggest barriers to making changes in your diet is how difficult it’s going to be to make those changes and keep making those changes. There’s absolutely nothing convenient about cooking bacon and eggs for breakfast, despite how delicious it may be. And there’s nothing convenient about grilling up a steak.

Tossing a couple of scoops of The Man Shake in a shaker? Well, that takes a whopping 60 seconds plus an excruciatingly long 60 seconds of arm-burning shaking (sarcasm is my favourite talent 😁). Then, you enjoy a delicious, satisfying shake, that you can even drink on the go.

Plus, researchers found that compared to a traditional food-based diet, shake-based diets were:

• ​More convenient
• ​Produced a greater loss in body fat
• ​It was easier to maintain the weight loss once the dieting period had ended

If that’s not enough, shakes have been shown to increase diet adherence. We all know that we have a greater chance of losing weight if we can stick to what we’re doing. The good news is that researchers have discovered that shake-based diets are easier to stick to than traditional whole-food diets.

So if you're thinking about loading up your diet with more protein below is our list of protein-packed foods you can incorporate into dinners and snacks.

1. Black beans
2. Salmon
3. Potatoes (baked or boiled not fried)
4. Broccoli
5. Cauliflower
6. Almonds
7. Eggs
8. Beef
9. Chicken breast
10. Oats
11. Tuna
12. Turkey
13. Greek yoghurt
14. Chickpeas
15. Quinoa
16. Beef Jerky

The biggest takeaway from this article is that when it comes to food you need to think about protein first. Don't get suckered in by all the "healthy" looking packaging and marketing because it's quite easy to be tricked into eating a sugar ball and not a protein ball. You need to check the labels and look for High protein, Low sugar and overall calories.

The more you educate yourself on what is going in your gob the easier it will be to lose weight and keep it off for good.