Does Protein Supplementation Alone Help? (n=1)

Protein supplementation seems plausibly helpful for fat loss and muscle gain. Does solely increasing protein intake actually have an effect?
Examine.com recommends it as the top supplement for fat loss, see: their page on protein (free), and on fat loss (paywalled). Specifically, they point out a few RCTs showing that greater protein intake produces:
  • greater gains in fat-free mass if at a caloric excess, and
  • greater losses of fat mass if at a caloric deficit.
During a caloric excess, higher protein diets seem to result in more gain of fat-free mass. From Examine.com (https://examine.com/guides/protein-intake/)
During a caloric excess, higher protein diets seem to result in more gain of fat-free mass. From Examine.com (https://examine.com/guides/protein-intake/)
In addition, another plausible mechanism leading to fat loss is that protein induces more satiety per calorie than other sources (related: Protein Leverage Hypothesis).
This seemed easy enough to test, and roughly aligned with my (low-priority) goals of: a) muscle gain, b) fat loss
I tried protein supplementation from Jun through Nov 2024 (~150 days), getting a Dexa body composition scan at either end to determine fat vs fat-free mass.
I found, with n=1, that this intervention was not effective.

Setup

  • Protein consumption
    • More than doubled protein consumption, hitting >100g/day on most (>80%) days
    • Mostly with: protein shakes, protein bars, greek yogurt, Fairlife high protein milk, and eating more chicken.
    • Minimal other caloric restriction
  • Adherence:
    • I generally adhered to this except for ~2-3 one-week periods when I was traveling, during those times I supplemented with protein bars, but was likely at <100g/day
  • Resistance training
    • Overall pretty minimal and sporadic.
    • I went to the gym on 37 unique days, usually doing 10-12 total sets, usually split amongst two muscle groups.
    • Generally did sets in the 8-15 rep range, targeting 2 or fewer reps in reserve.
    • This is approximately twice a week, but in practice it was more like 3-4 days a week, and then 0 days a week during and after travel.
  • Measurement
    • Body weight measurements with an at-home smart scale
    • DEXA measurements via BodySpec at the start and the end

Results

  • Negligible weight loss
    • Lost <2 pounds, using a trailing 7 day average at both ends
    • BMI mostly unchanged at 26
  • No change in DEXA body fat %
    • Exactly 37.4% at either end
    • Minor and proportional losses in both measured fat mass & lean mass
  • Higher protein food is more sating
    • I found that protein shakes / chicken seemed to make me feel fuller and for longer than other foods.
    • But I wouldn’t read into this much given the other results.
 

Does Protein Supplementation Alone Help? (n=1)

Protein supplementation seems plausibly helpful for fat loss and muscle gain. Does solely increasing protein intake actually have an effect?
Examine.com recommends it as the top supplement for fat loss, see: their page on protein (free), and on fat loss (paywalled). Specifically, they point out a few RCTs showing that greater protein intake produces:
  • greater gains in fat-free mass if at a caloric excess, and
  • greater losses of fat mass if at a caloric deficit.
During a caloric excess, higher protein diets seem to result in more gain of fat-free mass. From Examine.com (https://examine.com/guides/protein-intake/)
During a caloric excess, higher protein diets seem to result in more gain of fat-free mass. From Examine.com (https://examine.com/guides/protein-intake/)
In addition, another plausible mechanism leading to fat loss is that protein induces more satiety per calorie than other sources (related: Protein Leverage Hypothesis).
This seemed easy enough to test, and roughly aligned with my (low-priority) goals of: a) muscle gain, b) fat loss
I tried protein supplementation from Jun through Nov 2024 (~150 days), getting a Dexa body composition scan at either end to determine fat vs fat-free mass.
I found, with n=1, that this intervention was not effective.

Setup

  • Protein consumption
    • More than doubled protein consumption, hitting >100g/day on most (>80%) days
    • Mostly with: protein shakes, protein bars, greek yogurt, Fairlife high protein milk, and eating more chicken.
    • Minimal other caloric restriction
  • Adherence:
    • I generally adhered to this except for ~2-3 one-week periods when I was traveling, during those times I supplemented with protein bars, but was likely at <100g/day
  • Resistance training
    • Overall pretty minimal and sporadic.
    • I went to the gym on 37 unique days, usually doing 10-12 total sets, usually split amongst two muscle groups.
    • Generally did sets in the 8-15 rep range, targeting 2 or fewer reps in reserve.
    • This is approximately twice a week, but in practice it was more like 3-4 days a week, and then 0 days a week during and after travel.
  • Measurement
    • Body weight measurements with an at-home smart scale
    • DEXA measurements via BodySpec at the start and the end

Results

  • Negligible weight loss
    • Lost <2 pounds, using a trailing 7 day average at both ends
    • BMI mostly unchanged at 26
  • No change in DEXA body fat %
    • Exactly 37.4% at either end
    • Minor and proportional losses in both measured fat mass & lean mass
  • Higher protein food is more sating
    • I found that protein shakes / chicken seemed to make me feel fuller and for longer than other foods.
    • But I wouldn’t read into this much given the other results.