Midlife Mayhem

PROTEIN & BODY FAT


Listen Later

🎉 ONE WEEK LEFT! Registration closes in just 7 days for the 2025 21-Day Signature Weight Loss Program — and this year, it's better than ever. New topics, an entire content library (don’t ask me how long that took 😅), and a deeper focus on sustaining results — because the real fear isn’t losing weight… it’s wondering if it’s all going to come back.

👉 www.21daysignature.com — join us before the doors close!

🎙️ Midlife Mayhem Podcast – NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!

💥 "Will Too Much Protein Make You Fat? NOPE. Here’s Why."
Click to listen on your favorite platform: MIDLIFE MAYHEM

🎙️ Midlife Mayhem Podcast – NEW EPISODE

🔬 “Will Too Much Protein Make You Fat? The Science Says No (and Here’s Why)”
🎧 Listen on your favorite platform → www.joanneleecornish.podbean.com

This episode is a deep dive into one of the most persistent myths in fat loss: “If I eat too much protein, won’t it just turn into fat?” Short answer: No. Long answer? Buckle up.

🧱 The Brick Fire Analogy (and Why It Matters)

Protein is not like carbs or fat. It’s not a fuel.

  • Carbs = Paper: Quick-burning energy.

  • Fat = Wood: Slower-burning, steady energy.

  • Protein = Bricks: You don’t light bricks on fire. You build with them.

    🧪 Why Lean Protein Doesn’t Become Body Fat

    Let’s break down the impossible obstacle course your body would have to run just to store lean protein as fat:

    1. Deamination – Strip off the nitrogen from amino acids

    2. Gluconeogenesis – Convert the remaining carbon skeleton into glucose

    3. Lipogenesis – Turn that glucose into triglycerides

    4. Fat Storage – Shove it into adipose tissue

      That’s four major metabolic hurdles—none of which your body wants to do unless it’s in a massively overfed state with full glycogen stores, low energy output, and absolutely nothing else to burn.

      🔥 Gluconeogenesis Explained (Finally)

      Gluconeogenesis = “creating new glucose” from non-carb sources like amino acids.
      This only happens when:

      • You’re not eating carbs

      • Liver and muscle glycogen are depleted

      • You’re in fasting, ketosis, or intense prolonged exercise

        Even then? It’s just making enough glucose to keep red blood cells and your brain alive — not store as fat. You’re running on backup fuel, not excess.

        💥 Thermic Effect of Protein

        Protein has a 20–30% thermic effect, meaning up to 30% of its calories are used just to digest it. Compare that to fat (3%) and carbs (5–10%).
        So your 100-calorie chicken breast? Only 70–80 of those calories are actually available to the body.

        🍽️ Protein, Appetite, and Hunger Signals

        • Amino acids from protein stimulate satiety hormones like GLP-1, leptin, and suppress ghrelin.

        • That “I’m starving at night” feeling? Often due to low daytime protein intake.

        • One client dropped her protein slightly — boom, evening cravings returned. She brought it back up — hunger disappeared.

          📉 Real Story, Real Results

          A client "stuck for months" dropped 10 pounds in 5 days in my Peak Week program. No supplements. No starvation. Just food used correctly — and yes, high protein was key.
          Her body wasn’t broken. It was just operating in the wrong environment.

          🙅‍♀️ “But I Can’t Eat That Much Protein…”

          That’s fine — but don’t expect the body composition or results of someone who does.

          • This isn’t about what you “like” to eat.

          • It’s about what your body needs for change.

          • Want the results? Meet the requirements.

            📚 Inside the 21-Day Signature Program

            We go deeper into all of this:

            • How much protein you actually need (based on body comp goals)

            • Why aging increases your protein requirements

            • The real science behind hunger and metabolism

            • Why protein changes everything — from energy to cravings to mood to muscle

              🗓️ We begin May 11th. Doors close May 8th.

              👉 www.21daysignature.com

              💬 Final reminder: Protein isn’t the problem. It’s usually the missing solution.

              ...more
              View all episodesView all episodes
              Download on the App Store

              Midlife MayhemBy joanne lee cornish