High Protein Low Calorie Recipes should be the backbone of your meal planning.

“PROTEIN is the key to longevity” is a podcast title by Doctor Gabrielle Lyon that can help you to truly get your head around WHY YOU NEED TO GET MORE PROTEIN IN YOUR DIET.  (Link here).  Give that a listen and you’ll be armed with info about why high protein low calorie recipes and meal plans are the most important thing to consider in your weight loss nutrition journey.  High protein recipes are often easy to find, but sometimes have too many calories or added ingredients to be appropriate for clients trying to lose weight.

Some of the key facts include protein’s ability to help build metabolic muscle mass more effectively than a high carb or fat diet.  Protein also is more difficult to digest and therefore boosts your total caloric burn for the day just by eating it!  Finally, it creates a better and longer sense of fullness so you’re not likely to go grab a belly-fat promoting bad treat in the afternoon witching snacky hours!

Nutritionists recommend .8 to 2 grams of protein PER POUND of your bodyweight to get enough in the day!  Do the math with 1… your weight x 1 = ### grams you need per day.  Most of Pulse Clients start out with FAR lower than that – ranging from 30-50g per day before tracking, learning, and modifying habits.  Two tools you can use to track are LoseIt and MyFitnessPal apps.  Both have very simple food logging interfaces that will really educate you on your proper macros to meet your goals.

Of course a proper nutrition review with a registered dietician or nutritionist is the most accurate and effective way to know what your specific needs are based on medications you may take, health history, race, age and gender.  However, using the tools above can help you get started on a healthier track for sure!

One breakfast and lunch idea that can get 76 grams by lunch from Jacki Lane, owner of Pulse Gym & Studios follows:

Breakfast:  Only What you Need (OWN) Vegan Protein Shake (20-32g)

Lunch: Shrimp Pesto Mini Pizza (48g)

• 1 Small Mission Flour Tortilla
• 6 oz Grilled Shrimp
• 1 tbsp Wellesley Farm Pesto
• 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Spread the pesto on the tortilla, layer on the cooked shrimp, sprinkle with pesto and bake on 375 for 15 minutes.

Check it out on youtube here!

Enjoy!