You feel lethargic! Your clothes don’t fit anymore! You feel hungry all the time! Your friends tell you, you’re putting on weight! Your scale tells you they are right! Terrible state of affair for someone who tries hard to keep the weight off and keep their weight managed!!!

But you’re on a healthy eating plan (die-t)  and you are doing everything you can to lose some pounds! So, what’s wrong? What are you missing out?

I am here to say  I’ve been there and I know it sucks! It’s frustrating seeing all your efforts being flushed! When I had this problem, I ran a fast check on the foods I was eating and did some research of my own.  Yes, I was eating protein, because I know protein is your number one weight management tool and one that really does work to help us loose weight.  But, it turned out, I was not eating the best types of protein to help me achieve my goal.

 

Fact be know, I was eating the wrong types of protein.  What?!  Isn't a protein a protein?

Not really.  That is like saying, every cookie is a cookie (sacrilege), or every apple is an apple.   Or every human is a human.  They (and us humans) are all made up of amino acids and all very different.  

For example, we all know there are chocolate chip cookies and then there are snicker-doodle cookies.  Both are cookies, both very different in taste and calories and both made with different ingredients.  It is the ingredients that makes the cookie different.   Same with apples. There are Honey Crisp apples and Macintosh apples.  Gala and Granny Smith apples.  Yes, they are all apples, but they are all made up of different combination of ingredients (amino acids and such) which ultimately define the color, the shape and yes, the taste of each apple. 

Such is the same with protein.  There is plant based protein, animal based protein. There is pea protein, hemp protein, spinach protein, black bean protein, banana protein, apple protein and soy protein.  There is whey protein. collagen protein and egg white protein.   All proteins, all made up with a different combination of ingredients, all made up with a different percentage of amino acids.

 

I had never questioned proteins.  A protein was a protein and something I had to have in my diet.  I used to think protein was necessary for muscles.  It turns out consuming proteins does a whole lot more than muscle building and recovery.  

Protein provides the necessary building blocks, or amino acids  for our bodies to  function.  What I discovered was some proteins do a better job than others at performing various functions.  For example, whey protein does probably the best job there is for building and muscle recovery, while collagen protein does the best job for collagen synthesis.  What is the difference between the two?  There is a different combination and percentage of amino acids within each protein.  These combinations determine the what job they are best at!

What does this all mean?  I learned I was missing out on certain  amino acids that were necessary for weight loss.  No wonder my scale was taunting me.

That is one of the reasons I started taking collagen protein, derived from gelatin as gelatin has one of the best configurations of amino acids that specifically target weight management!

Good news is this article will tell you about all the amino acids you really need to have to support weight loss.

Why amino acids are required for weight loss.

Now when I tell you about which amino acids you must have for weight loss, first question that should pop up in your mind is why amino acids?

I’m having all my proteins in my diet!

Well, you’re right. You might be taking all the proteins you need in your diet but still can lag on amino acids. There are some amino acids that have individual roles in metabolism of fats in your body. They are involved in fat burning and that’s why you need to take them as a dietary supplement.

Now lets apecifically address which amino acids are best for weight loss?

There are 20 amino acids in nature that make up all the proteins in your body. Your body produces some of these and some are to be obtained  solely through dietary intake. All these amino acids are unique in their structure and function. They play respective roles in metabolism and holding our body together.

Out of these twenty, there are some amino acids which specifically target your weight management. They do it directly by affecting fat oxidation or indirectly by suppressing your appetite.

So, without further delay, ladies and gentlemen, read on to discover what are considered some of the most influential amino acids when it comes to battling the bulge!
 

 

1. Glycine

Considering this, you need something that will keep your muscle mass intact yet make you lose fat. That’s where GLYCINE enters in the picture and helps you!! Glycine intake decreases size of adipose tissue in your body. Adipose tissues are basically fats stores. Since, glycine decreases adipose tissue size, it accelerates fat loss BUT it keeps your muscular mass intact.

[1]Science has proven glycine to be effective in keeping a balance between two. So, there’s fat loss and little if  no risk of weight regain! Perfect package, isn’t it? That’s why you should have glycine supplementation along with diet restriction.

2. Proline

Proline is an amazing amino acid with immense benefits. It makes up collagen in your body. Collagen has many benefits in your body related to skin, joints and hair. But, there’s something else that collagen does! IT LOSES WEIGHT!

Collagen is involved in tissue healing and fat loss. How it does that? By developing lean muscle mass. 

Any healing process in your body is done by collagen and it needs fuel. The beauty of this process is that it happens while you sleep!! Since, building muscle mass needs energy by burning fuel and that energy comes from fat stores that are accumulated in your body! That’s how collagen burns fat and collagen is made up of proline. So, more proline equals to more collagen, more collagen leads to more energy formation and fat burn!! That’s why you need to add proline supplementation in list of amino acids you must have for weight loss.

Another amino acid significant in making collagen is hydroxyproline. So, hydroxyproline supplementation also plays vital role in production of collagen. I believe hydroxyproline should be confidently used as an amino acid that aids in weight loss.

3. Arginine

Weight gain manifests itself in many organs. You feel your waistline getting wide, your thighs gaining fat, turkey neck and whatnot! However, the most nasty form of weight is belly fat! That’s because it’s stubborn and seems impossible to lose! But arginine comes to rescue you!!

Arginine is particularly effective for reducing belly fat. The mechanism is simple and scientifically backed! Arginine is a precursor for nitric oxide (NO) —a natural vasodilator in your body. NO has many benefits but it also targets weight management. It decreases fat synthesis in your body by reducing the process of fat synthesis (Lipogenesis). It also enhances fat oxidation and burns stored fats.

So, Arginine works two ways: It inhibits pathways in body that synthesize fat so no fat accumulation. And it also increases efficiency of mitochondria to improve fat burn so more fat melting. [2]Science has proven this claim!! Both these mechanism collectively lead to reduction in waistline and belly fat!  So, it’s time to get rid of your belly fat by supplementation of arginine.

4. Lysine

Lysine is involved in weight loss indirectly. It produces an amino acids carnitine in your body that helps in fat metabolism. If your body has enough lysine, your body gets to have sufficient carnitine. Carnitine is a biological carrier that transports long chain fats to mitochondria. Mitochondria are like furnaces that burn fats in your body. When carnitine transports them to mitochondria, these long chains are broken down into smaller ones and oxidizes to produce energy. Greater the transport, more the oxidation of fats! This means most of the fats in your body get burned. And there’s very small left to get stored so chances of gaining weight become low!!

There’s another mechanism involved in making weight loss possible by carnitine supplementation. When your body needs energy, the first source is glycogen. Glycogen is stored form of glucose present in your liver as a reservoir to use when needed. So, whenever you need energy, your glycogen stores take charge. But carnitine changes this game!! It shifts burden from glycogen metabolism to mechanism that burns fat. It means you get energy not from glycogen but from fat stores.

So, your energy problem gets solved and fat stores also dwindle, giving you a perfect, slim body! Since no glycogen metabolism is involved, insulin and glucagon are not needed as well. So, there’s no chance of insulin-induced fat storage as well. That’s a lot of work done by carnitine but carnitine production is dependent on lysine availability. No wonder lysine tops the list of the amino acids you must have for weight gain! So, keep your lysine supplies high!!

5. L-phenylalanine

L-phenylalanine is one of the nine essential amino acids. Essential amino acids mean you have to ‘essentially’ take them in diet because they are not produced in your body naturally. But how does that make any sense for weight loss? It does! If you have to take it in diet, that means you can easily miss out on it and won’t even realize. And that’s what might be the reason of your weight gain!!

Phenylalanine also produces tyrosine in your body. Tyrosine is an amino acid that is involved in production of dopamine but it’s also a pleasure giving substance. It floods your body when you eat desert full of calories. Drop in dopamine levels can cause sadness but also boost in appetite (explains all the stress eating!). So, if you want to keep your hands off caloric deserts and other foods, you got to keep your dopamine levels high!! L-phenylalanine helps you in doing that. More phenylalanine makes more tyrosine. More tyrosine makes more dopamine. And more dopamine tells you: you’re happy even without fatty food! That’s your perfect weight loss plan right there!!

6. Glutamine

Glutamine targets weight loss rather indirectly but I say it deals with the worst enemy of a dieter: SUGAR!! It reduces sugar cravings. Nothing destroys my diet plan more than a fatty desert or dip of peanut butter. It’s like an addiction of some kind!! But glutamine is there for help! It helps you in weight management by cutting your sugar consumption. How does it do this? Glutamine can be converted in glucose in your body. Sugar cravings are due to low sugar levels in your blood but if you have enough glutamine, it’s like an automatic regulator. When your sugar levels goes down, glutamine rapidly provides glucose and prevents sugar cravings. [3]A study has shown that glutamine is top notch and even beats oral glucose in managing your blood glucose levels.

Another mechanism is known to be involved in glutamine being a sugar manager in your body. [4]Science has shown positive results that glutamine improves insulin sensitivity of your body cells. Improved insulin sensitivity means your cells respond to insulin effectively and your sugar cravings stay under control. Finally, you have a solution to avoid that nasty yet tasty peanut butter!!

7. Tryptophan

Tryptophan is a precursor of serotonin in your brain. Serotonin is an excitatory neurotransmitter, same like dopamine that keeps you happy and full. Serotonin also has a mild appetite suppressant effect and helps in managing weight. That’s why tryptophan is included in list of amino acids you must have for weight loss.

8. Branched chain amino acids

Branched chain amino acids have a whole universe of benefits in them! Their structure has branching and amino acids included in this category are Valine, Leucine and Isoleucine. These BCAAs have ability to increase exercise endurance. They make you work-out for a longer time by increasing muscular stamina. And of course you are familiar with friendship of work-out and weight loss, ain’t you? Another mechanism by which BCAAs help you in managing weight is by controlling food cravings and hunger. Leucine is of special interest among branched chain amino acids. It’s involved in reducing body fat and a [5]study has shown significant outcomes.

These are the amino acids you must have for weight loss and their effectiveness is scientifically supported!! Especially first four blow you away with their effectiveness!!!

If you are looking for one specific product that is loaded with the right amount of amino acids in the right concentration, check out Triple K. Triple K contains 19 out of 20 amino acids and supplementing your diet with Triple K helps you to supplement your bodies needs for both esstential and non essential amino acids.  

Triple K drink keeps you feeling fuller longer, diminishes your appetite, curbs cravings, subdues hunger, and can be your best friend for all your weight management needs. Plus, with the over abundance of collagen boosting amino acids in Triple K, you can rest assured Triple K drink is taking care of your skin,, by replenishing your internal scaffolding helping to keep your skin looking youthful while you whittle your waistline!   Oh yeah, and it tastes good too!

So, if your scale tells you, you’re gaining weight, now is the time to check which proteins you are eating and what amino acids each is composed of.  Make sure to incorporate a variety of proteins to ensure you are getting all the amino acids you need for optimal health.  

Say hello to these little friends and get your weight back on track in no time!


References:
[1]http://aups.org.au/Proceedings/45/122P/122P.pdf
[2]http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16524713
[3]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24062772
[4]http://suppversity.blogspot.de/2010/07/positive-effect-of-l-glutamine-on.html
[5]http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12514305