[lumost]

I’m a bit dubious of the articles core claim that excess protein is wasteful - the alternative of excess fat/carbs is wasteful and harmful.

I don’t use any sports supplements but I do try to prioritize my diet in terms of protein > fat > carbs. It’s tough to find unprocessed protein sources that aren’t at least somewhat healthy. Even red meat provides a great iron source at 1 8 oz filet every week or 2.

[alistairSH]

Why are you claiming the alternative to excess protein is excess fat/carb? Why not a calorie neutral diet with the correct macros?

[lumost]

Aiming for strict calorie neutrality is fairly difficult in my experience. Unless you are tracking, it's pretty easy in the US to slip up on empty carbs or processed fats.

Sit anyone down in front of their local pizza joint and tell them to eat a calorically neutral diet without a tracker and see what happens. Compare this to what happens when someone is sat in front of roast chicken and a high fiber vegetable like asparagus/spinach etc.

Odds are you'll get closer to calorie neutrality and balanced macros in the latter scenario than the former.

[yawaworht1978]

Don't worry, all the healthy fats and slow released carbs are much worse than the worst protein source.

Excess protein might be wasteful to the wallet and the environment, but at least it will not get you as fat.

[slothtrop]

Calories get you fat. It's CICO. Protein is satiating, which is a major advantage if weight-loss is a goal. But then again, so is fiber. Many people have successfully lost weight on a high fiber diet.

[yawaworht1978]

But why not the combination of both?

Losing weight and losing fat is not always the same, a diet with insufficient protein intake might cause muscle loss and thus, decrease metabolic rate(muscle metabolism rate is less than people think, but over a year, it makes a big difference).

However, i understand that not everyone cares about preserving muscle on a diet, some people just want to be slimmer, fair enough.

[slothtrop]

Well there's no reason it has to be "insufficient" and having too little protein is certainly a bad idea. If you consume a source of protein at every meal, whatever the makeup, you can easily hit 16%+ as part of your macros. Even vegetables like broccoli and peas have protein.