If you’ve tried and failed to lose weight, maybe it’s time for a new approach. One that considers why calorie restriction can be hard to stick to in the long term. Especially because of a problem calorie restriction presents that a lot of people just aren’t aware of. There’s one key nutrient that plays a major role in sustainable weight loss, and knowing how to incorporate it into your plan can help you make a lot of gains with your goals. 

The Secret Problem With Calorie Restriction

Calorie-restriction is effective for losing weight, but in addition to the negative impact this approach can have on things such as hunger and energy levels, not to mention, how it can create plateaus, there is one major problem many people don’t know about.1

Muscle loss. 

Losing muscle is counterproductive to losing weight for a number of reasons, the biggest being: muscle HELPS you burn fat.2 3 You know the answer to building and maintaining muscle is protein. But understanding how is a bit more nuanced. 

What’s Really Powering Your Protein

Essential amino acids (EAAs) are the active components of protein that stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and they must be obtained through food. But there are a few problems with EAAs in protein that you eat. 

Some protein sources don’t contain all nine EAAs—and you need all nine to build muscle. High-quality proteins contain only about 45% EAAs, and lower quality proteins contain significantly fewer.4 5 6

If you have too much or too little of one EAA, you will diminish your ability to build muscle. 

You have to consume adequate amounts of protein on a daily basis. (0.6-0.8 grams per pound of body weight, but if you’re interested in building muscle and are active, you may need up to 1 gram per pound.)

Gut issues, activity levels, and simply getting older all impact how much dietary protein one can absorb and utilize.7 

So while EAAs from protein sources in our food are key to successfully losing weight, getting adequate amounts can be tricky.

A Smart Approach to Weight Loss

Supplementing can be a simple way to get all the EAAs you need to help keep you satiated, naturally boost your energy so you can exercise and fulfill your tasks throughout the day, and support lean muscle, which increases your strength and endurance.8 9 10 11

And as for the dreaded plateaus that can occur when trying to lose weight, EAA supplements can accelerate your progress and keep your body in fat-burning mode in three distinct ways:

  • By stimulating MPS, leading to more lean muscle
  • The process of MPS raises your metabolism by initiating thermogenesis
  • Simply having more muscle increases your basal metabolic rate

How to Incorporate EAAs into Your Plan

To incorporate EAAs into your plan, first calculate one gram of protein per pound of your goal body weight, and divide this number by six. Then, aim for this amount of protein (containing all 9 EAAs) in six meals/snacks spread evenly throughout your day. 

Next, determine the best way to supplement with EAAs to reach this goal. Note: EAA supplements should not replace any portion of your RDA of protein (0.36 grams per pound of body weight) and only be used to help you reach your protein/EAA levels for your goal body weight.   

Here are some ways to work them into your plan:

  • Add 5-15 grams of EAAs to meals containing zero protein, or low/poor-quality protein meals.
  • Provided you are getting your RDA of protein from whole food sources evenly divided throughout six meals/snacks per day, substitute 2-3 meals/snacks per day with 10-15 grams of EAAs.
  • To support exercise, take 5 grams of EAAs before your workout to naturally boost energy and/or take 5 grams of EAAs after your workout to enhance athletic recovery.

It’s important to consider the quality of the EAA supplement you intend on incorporating into your plan. You’ll want to choose something that is backed by science, from a reputable brand, such as Kion. Kion Aminos, the fundamental supplement for fitness, is the result of over 20 years of clinical research. It contains the exact ratio of all nine EAAs as scientifically validated to naturally boost energy, build lean muscle, and support you in achieving your weight loss goals.

Kion Aminos is also made with only clean, natural ingredients and flavors. It is sugar-free and contains NO caffeine, artificial sweeteners, stearates, coatings, or dyes.

With an array of refreshing natural flavors such as Watermelon, Mango, Mixed Berry, and Cool Lime (as well as Capsules), Kion Aminos may be the spring you need to step closer to your goals this season.

Research

  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8017325/
  2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5161655/
  3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9402941/
  4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11440894/
  5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16896166/
  6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15539275/
  7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26412288/
  8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33060458/
  9. https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-017-0184-9
  10. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/proceedings-of-the-nutrition-society/article/efficacy-of-essential-amino-acid-supplementation-for-augmenting-dietary-protein-intake-in-older-adults-implications-for-skeletal-muscle-mass-strength-and-function/D9267EA8B0ABC9AB4453EEADD15B0B99
  11. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2018.01140/full
STRONG Fitness
STRONG Fitness
STRONG Fitness Magazine is a trusted source of cutting-edge fitness and health information for the modern woman who lives to be fit. STRONG’s sophisticated editorial voice combined with raw, powerful imagery and a modern, athletic design reflect the direction fitness has taken in the last decade.

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