Protein is a hot topic, as you may see. Some attribute hair loss or other issues with low protein. Studies show any significant dietary change can have this effect and as long as you are getting proper nutrition, these types of things will be transient and resolve within 2-3 months.

One thing that will cause hair loss on going is a lack of B-12. Since the only natural sources of B-12 come from animals (and to a very small amount some fungi like yeast), it is somewhat linked to protein intake, however not entirely.

Protein is easier for your body to convert to glucose through gluconeogenesis than fat is, and some proteins will increase your insulin even without this process, so that can effect weight loss as (high) insulin is not your friend in terms of losing weight.

You definitely need protein. How much is still hotly debated. The research I have been able to find puts the number on the lower end of what you will see here. However, research also seems to show this is individually variable. More active in general equals higher need. More insulin resistant in general means more likely that protein will be converted to glucose.

I would only suggest you follow the above in terms of keeping carbs below 20 TOTAL, not net for a while and play with the protein/fat ratio to see what works. Once you see what works there, you can then start playing with carbs to see if going over 20 total but keeping net under 20 works. Again, this has a lot of individual variability on how bodies respond.

If you are concerned about losing lean mass (muscle), that has more to do with exercise than with protein intake as long as you are getting at least a minimal amount. Thinking logically, when I do lunges now, I need to be holding 40 lbs of weights to create the same resistance my muscles had when I did lunges without weights before because I have lost roughly 40 lbs of body weight. If I want to keep the muscles that were capable of doing that exercise, I need to give them that same amount of workout.

Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »

You CANNOT compare yourself to other people when it comes to weight loss.
You've been at it 3 weeks. You're not even fat adapted yet and you're already having feelings of failure. Give yourself more time and as long as carbs are low and you're eating healthy fats and getting enough protein and ONLY eating when hungry and not eating too often... that's all you need to do. Some people find they can't trust their hunger signals and really need to weigh and track food to avoid overeating. Consider if that may be the case for you or not.
Calories do count but many people find enough overall appetite reduction that they don't overeat without really trying. That's not the case for everyone. EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT, and that includes how fast they lose too.
Don't stress. It'll happen.
Eat when hungry.
Only til satisfied.
Not too often.
Keep carbs low.
Dont eat inflammatory vegetable fats.

I think this last part about vegetable fats is the one thing that gets overlooked the most. Those so-called healthy oils (corn oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, etc.) have turned out to be one of the single most unhealthy things out there.

Even if you are getting the right grams of each of the macros, if your fats are coming from these, you will not succeed. Good sources of fat include:

coconut/coconut oil
animal fats (preferably grass fed if it fits your budget)
olives/ olive oil
fatty fish (salmon, sardines, etc.)
avocado/avocado oil
butter (preferably from grass fed)
eggs (preferably from pastured fowl - chicken, ducks, geese and turkey are all good)
most nuts - some of the best being Brazil, pecans, pili, macadamia

Bad sources include:

any oil with the word "seed" in it
vegetable oil
soybean oil

These are not exhaustive lists, but they should be helpful.