My Results from 1 Year on a High Protein Diet
I started eating a high protein diet in January of 2023. I posted a video about my results on social media after a year in January ‘24, and I decided to turn it into a blog post so I could elaborate on the details.
A Little Backstory…
As a personal trainer, I had heard so many people talk about the importance of protein over the years… I just didn’t believe it was as essential as everyone was saying it was. I thought as long as I was eating enough calories, I could build muscle, and it didn’t matter what the macronutrient breakdown was.
Not to mention, I had spent many years chronically overexercising and undereating, trying to eat as little as possible while working out 2-4 hours a day. My relationship with food and knowing how much I needed was skewed, to say the least.
Tracking Begins in January 2023
My relationship to food was much improved at this point, and I was no longer doing hours of exercise per day. I was eating healthy and eating more than I used to, but I did find that I was snacking a lot and looking for sweets to eat multiple times per day.
My partner suggested we start tracking our food, so we could better understand what our macronutrient breakdown was and how much protein we were consuming. I was NOT a fan of this idea.
As I mentioned above, I had spent a lot of time undereating in the past, and the only time I had used a food tracking tool was to try to minimize the amount of calories I was consuming.
Eventually I came around. I realized that in order to more fully heal my relationship to food and my body, I needed to learn how to track my food objectively, as a tool to better nourish myself.
What Tracking Without Changing Anything Showed Me
Initially, we tracked our food for several weeks without making any changes. This was key to understanding where we were starting from, so we could make adjustments that accurately reflected the direction we wanted to go.
Tracking showed me a few things. First of all, my protein was abominably low for an active woman of childbearing age. I was eating around 50-60 grams of protein per day, and I was eating a lot of fat, carbs, and sweets to compensate. I rarely felt satisfied after a meal and would often look for a snack or dessert to eat afterward.
I remember tracking a particularly “snacky” lunch one day and seeing that I had consumed 800 calories of nuts, cacao nibs, dried fruit, etc. yet I still felt hungry. Compare that to a normal lunch I eat now, chili packed with 45 grams of protein, which is only 450 calories but leaves me feeling full and satiated.
Making Changes & Meal Prepping
We decided to focus on increasing our protein intake, which meant drastically altering the meals we were eating. It also required starting a weekly meal prep. I was also resistant to this idea initially, thinking it would take up too much time and get in the way of having a fun weekend.
While meal prep does require extra effort in the form of planning and spending several hours cooking 1-2 days per week, I’ve discovered that it’s so worth it. And contrary to what I thought before, now that I’m in a regular rhythm with weekly meal prep, I actually really look forward to and enjoy the routine. Plus, I have discovered so many new recipes!
Results from 1 Year on a High Protein Diet
I now eat 140-170 grams of protein per day on average. I loosely follow the guideline of 1 gram per 1 lb body weight per day, although I don’t stress about it as long as I get at least 120 grams per day (I average much higher than that).
While my exercise routine didn’t change much during the year, the difference I noticed in my body was AMAZING, to say the least. I have muscle tone in places I never had it before, and I train MUCH less than I used to.
Looking back, I realize that I missed out on a LOT of gains in muscle tone and lean body mass by eating way too little protein. I was in denial of how important it was. It took me committing to tracking my food, increasing my protein, and meal prepping in order to see and believe the results with my own eyes.
Besides an increase in muscle mass, I noticed a number of additional benefits…
I have much less desire to snack, overeat, and indulge in a ton of sweets.
I’m leaner with way less effort, without depriving myself.
I feel more grounded mentally and emotionally. Running on a low protein and/or low calorie diet is NOT good for the female body, on multiple levels.
My recovery is much better. I feel stronger, and more resilient to injury. While some of that is due to training smarter (and less often), I believe the protein is playing a crucial role.
Takeaways for You
Protein is essential if you want to build lean body mass.
Protein decreases cravings and curbs appetite.
Most people eat far too little protein!
Tracking is a great way to find out where you’re starting from. I use My Fitness Pal.
Protein has many benefits beyond building muscle mass, such as improved mental & emotional health, better recovery, healthier hair & skin, lower blood pressure, better bone health, and more.
Have you ever tracked your protein intake? Let me know in the comments.
Should I create a part 2 when I hit 2 years on a high protein diet in January 2025? Let me know below!