05/08/2026
The protein FAD !
One of the biggest mistakes promoted atm by sinfluencers is the importance of huge amounts of protein purely because they’re losing weight:
“Eat more protein and less of everything else.”
The research and my experience over 35 years paints a very different picture.
Studies by Antonio et al. (2016 & 2018) found protein intakes up to 3.4 g/kg/day caused no harmful effects on kidney or liver function in healthy resistance-trained adults. The ISSN Position Stand (Jäger et al., 2017) recommends 1.6–2.2 g/kg/day for maximising muscle growth and retention.
But protein is only one piece of the puzzle.
Research by Loucks et al., Burke et al. and Stellingwerff et al. shows that low energy availability, especially when combined with low carbohydrate intake, can:
• Increase cortisol.
• Reduce active thyroid hormone (T3).
• Impair recovery.
• Reduce training performance.
• Increase muscle protein breakdown.
Carbohydrates aren’t just fuel, they help support training intensity, recovery and performance, allowing you to train harder and preserve muscle while dieting.
Fats are just as important.
Sports nutrition guidelines from the ISSN and ACSM recommend maintaining adequate dietary fat during fat loss because it’s essential for:
• Hormone production.
• Brain function.
• Cell health.
• Absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K.
Chronically low fat diets may reduce testosterone in men and negatively affect reproductive hormones in women, particularly when calories are already low.
The goal isn’t to remove carbs or fats.
It’s to eat:
✅ Enough protein to preserve muscle.
✅ Enough carbohydrates to fuel training and recovery.
✅ Enough healthy fats to support hormone function.
While maintaining a sustainable calorie deficit.
The people who get the best long-term results aren’t those who eat the least.
They’re the ones who fuel their body well enough to train hard, recover properly and stay consistent.
References: Jäger et al. (2017), Antonio et al. (2016, 2018), Morton et al. (2018), Loucks et al., Burke et al., Stellingwerff et al., Thomas, Erdman & Burke (2016).
