Regardless of the type of food you consume, losing weight requires a deficit between the amount of calories you consume and the amount you burn off. While younger, healthy individuals may be able to lose weight while remaining sedentary, middle-aged and senior adults may have a more difficult time due to a lower metabolism. For the safest weight loss results, combine a healthy, low-calorie diet with an active lifestyle to ensure that you receive enough nutrients.
All-Protein Diet
All-protein diets are weight loss diets that eliminate the intake of foods such as fruits, vegetables and most grains. Although diets may differ on which protein sources they allow, all-protein diets generally promote red meat and full-fat dairy products, potentially worsening the liver and kidneys by increasing the amount of waste caused by protein metabolism. According to the Mayo Clinic, while high-protein diets are generally safe for periods of three to four months, all-protein diets can cause insufficient intake of nutrients such as carbohydrates and fiber, leading to conditions such as constipation and diverticulitis.
Basal Metabolic Rate
By remaining sedentary, you are relying on your body's natural fat-burning metabolic process to burn calories. Your basal metabolic rate is the number of calories you would burn if you stayed in bed all day, and is determined by factors such as your gender, height, weight and age. If your basal metabolic rate is higher than the amount of calories you consume with your all-protein diet, then you will succeed in losing weight over a period of time. According to the BMR Calculator on the Discovery Health website, a 20-year-old man who is 6 feet tall and weighs 155 pounds has a basal metabolic rate of 1,807 calories, compared to the 1,535 of a 60-year-old man of the same height and weight.
Calories and Losing Weight
Determining your total weight loss ultimately comes down to a numbers game between the amount of calories you consume versus those you burn off with your metabolism and physical activity. Since it takes 3,500 deficit calories to burn 1 pound, you can subtract your basal metabolic rate from the total number of calories you consumed each day to determine whether or not you will lose weight. For example, if you have a calorie deficit of 350 each day, you will lose weight at a rate of 1 pound per 10 days, or 3 pounds per month. For a personalized calorie goal, visit the LIVESTRONG.COM MyPlate site (see Resources) and enter your age, height, weight and other information and select the sedentary level of physical activity. The calculator will compute a total number of calories you will want to consume each day for your all-protein diet and maintain steady weight loss.
Health Concerns
In addition to a lack of essential nutrients and minerals, an all-protein diet may also increase your risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. Talk to your doctor before beginning your all-protein diet and inquire as to the safest weight loss diet for your body.
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