"Lose Weight" are the tag words these days as summer (I mean, Spring) approaches. I bet more than one person has told you that a calorie is a calorie and if you simply reduce your total caloric intake below what you burn each day, you will lose weight.

Calorie counting does work to some extent, but it completely ignores the the fact that we lose fat, muscle and even bone when we lose weight. In essence, our goal should be to maximize fat loss while minimizing muscle and bone loss.

Another important thing to remember about the calorie in, calorie out mantra is the concept of "HUNGER". To eat fewer calories than you burn means you must control your physiologic hunger as well as all those psychological aspects that play a role in eating.

Ok, so you have set out to lose weight. What are you going to do when you get hungry? I guess you could snack on iceburg lettuce between meals or eat veggies, but this only increases the size of your stomach since it is roughage and thus, you will get hungrier faster. This is a bad idea when you are fighting hunger pangs.

I have one option for you. Consider eating protein. More calories are burned digesting proteins than either carbs or fats. The protein in low carb diets also increases our feeling of fullness and satisfaction, thereby limiting our binging on excess calories.

If you want to lose weight, add protein or branched-chain amino acids (BCAA's) to your diet. The three branched chain amino acids, especially leucine, may help you feel full, stimulate protein synthesis, and decrease protein breakdown.