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craigneal42 wrote: »

Hi, am new to losing weight, but have been told that all calories aren't equal and that you should eat a gram of protein for every centimetre of height, so 171g for you, this would mean less fat and carbohydrates. Thus kickstarting the weight loss, that is if you are counting calories and eating to a deficit.
Also taking creatine alleviates muscle soreness.

losing weight is much simpler than that. eat less calories than you burn, and your body will use its stores. all calories - for weight loss purposes - really are the same. i've lost 98 pounds as of today, and i eat cheese, candy, pudding, chips (er... crisps), pizza. whatever fits in my calorie goal. as long as i eat at a deficit, i lose weight.

the formula you give - eating a gram of protein for every inch or centimeter - is for muscle building.

i repeat this a lot, but years ago, i had a bf who pretty much lived on snickers and other candy bars and potato chips (that may be crisps for you) - he munched them all the time, yet he was thin as a rail. he didn't drive, so he did a lot of walking and skateboarding to get around, and voila! was it a healthy diet? not even close. but if we're only talking calories/weight, remember CICO (calories in, calories out).

craigneal42 wrote: »

Hi, am new to losing weight, but have been told that all calories aren't equal and that you should eat a gram of protein for every centimetre of height, so 171g for you, this would mean less fat and carbohydrates. Thus kickstarting the weight loss, that is if you are counting calories and eating to a deficit.
Also taking creatine alleviates muscle soreness.

At 5'6" and 142 pounds, it's unlikely that OP requires 171g of protein as a minimum, though that amount shouldn't be injurious. (I'm saying that as a 5'5" woman, so similar size, who's tried to research this fairly carefully.)

Research results** suggest something more in the range of 77-155g depending on situation and goals, though the upper end of that is somewhat speculative (i.e., "may benefit"). Certainly height - perhaps especially height irrespective of gender - isn't a great basis for estimating protein needs, since the main reason for protein is maintaining lean mass. People of the same height can differ quite widely in lean mass.

Calories are going to be the main direct determinant of fat gain/loss, but that's not saying nutrition is unimportant. Calories are about energy content, and all calories are equal, in the same sense that a mile of narrow, precarious mountain-goat track and a mile of superhighway are the same distance. That doesn't mean they're equal in other ways. Energy content is one attribute of food, but not the only one that matters across the board.

Research**** suggests that creatine does not help reduce DOMS, though it may aid in recovery in other ways. (I do supplement creatine myself, BTW.)

** https://examine.com/protein-intake-calculator/
Research basis for that explained here: https://examine.com/guides/protein-intake/

**** https://examine.com/supplements/creatine/

I'm linking examine.com because they have a good reputation for analyzing recent research and providing consumer-friendly summaries that are neutral and evidence based. I have no affiliation with them except as a user of the site.

Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »

If eating high protein makes you lose weight it's because your body has a harder time digesting it, so the calorie content is overestimated.

It's a combo of two things.

First, the thermic effect. Via examine.com and google:

"Fat provides 9 calories per gram, and its TEF is 0–3%. Carbohydrate provides 4 calories per gram, and its TEF is 5–10%. Protein provides 4 calories per gram, and its TEF is 20–30%."

So that's the energy required to digest it. If you get an additional 60g protein in the same calorie amount as someone else, that's about 50 calories more being burned by you just to process it. Over time, that adds up.

Second, odds are someone deliberately eating high protein is also doing things to grow muscle, and each pound of muscle burns about 4 calories per day more than a pound of fat. If you have about 12 pounds of muscle more than someone else, and you're eating about 60g more protein, on the same number of calories you'll be burning an extra 100 per day.

craigneal42 wrote: »

Hi, am new to losing weight, but have been told that all calories aren't equal and that you should eat a gram of protein for every centimetre of height, so 171g for you, this would mean less fat and carbohydrates. Thus kickstarting the weight loss, that is if you are counting calories and eating to a deficit.
Also taking creatine alleviates muscle soreness.

Yup, that's pretty much it. That's the secret.