Why Protein is Your Weight Loss Superpower!!

Proverbs 31:17 “She is energetic and strong, a hard worker.” 

1 Corinthians 10:31 "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

Protein helps you:

1. Stay full longer — It slows digestion, helping you avoid those mid-afternoon energy crashes or late-night snacking binges.
2. Build lean muscle — Muscle burns more calories, even at rest. So, more muscle = a faster metabolism.
3. Maintain your progress — When you lose weight without enough protein, you can lose muscle instead of fat. Protein protects your progress.

Here’s what this could look like in your real life:

• Breakfast: Greek yogurt with berries, or eggs with veggies.
• Lunch: A chicken wrap, tuna salad, or cottage cheese bowl.
• Dinner: Salmon, lean beef, or lentil chili with a side of roasted veggies.
• Snacks: Protein shakes, boiled eggs, jerky, or edamame.

Ask yourself:

1. Do I often eat enough protein to truly fuel my body? Start logging your food to see where you are.
2. What meals or snacks could I easily upgrade by adding more protein? Rx bars, hard boiled eggs, Greek yogurt with fruit and cottage cheese.
3. How can I use this area of nutrition to glorify God instead of slipping into guilt or perfectionism without making excuses?

Holy Father, thank You for creating our bodies so wonderfully and intricately. Thank You that we can honor You through how we care for ourselves. Lord, help my friend listening today to see food not as an enemy, but as a gift. Give her wisdom to fuel her body with what it truly needs. Strengthen her when she feels weak or unmotivated, and remind her that progress takes patience, grace, and faith. Help her to find joy in the process, peace in the journey, and confidence that with You, she can do all things—even this. In Jesus’ name, amen

Are you sick of trying diet after diet and NOT losing weight?

Hey there friend, I'm Lindy Schlabach, Christian Fitness & Nutrition Coach. I gained 100 pounds in my late twenties and struggled for years to get it off. Seven years ago, I found a basic system that worked and has helped me lose 90 of those pounds. I’ve been working with women in online fitness and nutrition ever since to break chains of diet culture, embrace their bodies and fueling instead of dieting.

In this podcast, I'll teach you how to:

• • Lose Weight in a Way that honors God without obsessing about the scale
  • Meal Plan and Prep for Your Family
  • Follow a MACRO based plan that allows you to eat the foods you love.
  • Recognize and pray through triggers keeping you stuck.
  • I’ll help you Plan your week and schedule your self-care time.
  • Cultivate a spirit of self-discipline in your workouts you actually enjoy.
  
  It's time to give God your health journey and watch Him make you new, from the inside, OUT.

Join The Biblical Weight Loss Framework: https://www.herweightlossmindset.com/framework

Join my FREE Community: https://bit.ly/JoinTheChristianWeightLossCommunity

Join my Insiders List with weekly tips for weight loss for Christian women: http://herweightlossmindset.com/herweightlossmindsetinsiders

Transcript

Hey, welcome back to the podcast. I'm so glad you're here. I pray that you are finding success in your weight loss journey today.

So we are diving into one of the most practical and powerful topics in your weight loss journey. Are you ready? Protein.

So I remember when the Lord called me to start eating a macro-based diet. And when I did the formula, it said I needed 165 grams of protein per day. Like I'm getting full just thinking about it.

Like, are you with me? Now, hey, before you tune out and think, oh great, another nutrition lecture, hang with me. Because we're going to look at protein, not just from a food perspective, but from a faith perspective.

So our verse for today comes from Proverbs 31 17. It says, she is energetic and strong, a hard worker.

I also want us to always remember 1 Corinthians 10 31 that says, whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. So I want you to think about these verses and what they mean.

Proverbs means that it reminds us that we have strength, physical and spiritual. It's part of who God created us to be. Feeling our bodies well with wisdom and intention is one way we honor Him, and that is what we see in that verse in Corinthians.

And in that time when Paul is writing the letter to the church, so whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, there was a time back then that people were really, they were involved in this pagan lifestyle and these pagan rituals.

And we really, even today, we see these things happening. We have to be very intentional, very clear, and very aware through discernment of things that we may be unintentionally taking practice in, that could be leading us away from the Lord.

So just making sure that we're staying prayerful and really learning into that faith aspect, faith perspective, and not just a food perspective. So let's talk about that today. So stay tuned, and let's talk about some protein.

I'm pretty excited about this. Are you sick of trying diet after diet and not losing weight? Are you tired of doubting your ability to actually lose weight in a healthy way?

Do you wish you could find a laid out for you plan that will help you stay accountable to your goals? Hey, friend, I'm Lindy Schlabach, Christian Fitness & Nutrition Coach. I gained 100 pounds in my late 20s and struggled for years to get it off.

So grab your pre-workout and let's chat. I want to invite you to the Biblical Weight Loss Framework. So today we're talking about protein, which we will get into into step four and five in the framework.

But I think it's just so important to know what our bodies need as far as fuel goes. This is just one aspect of the framework. So if you need help in this area, this will be something that we work on for quite a bit through the process.

After, of course, breaking the chains, recognizing traumas and triggers around food, emotional eating, which we're actually going to talk about next week.

And so if you're struggling in this area of your life, join the framework and let's look at what God wants to do through you in your personal weight loss journey.

3:33

Protein Benefits

So let's talk about why protein matters. And I always like to combo spirit with science. So let's start with this truth.

Your body is an incredible creation. God designed you to repair, rebuild, and renew itself daily. One of our trainers says in a workout, Physiologically, you are different every single day.

And one of the main nutrients he gave us for that renewal is protein. So when you're trying to lose weight, especially for those of you that have more than 25 pounds to lose, protein becomes a game changer. Game changer.

Why? Because protein helps you stay fuller longer. It slows your digestion, which helps you avoid those mid-afternoon energy crashes or late night snacking binges.

And it helps build lean muscle. Muscle burns more calories even when you're at rest. So more muscle equals a faster metabolism and more muscle comes from eating protein and building lean muscle.

And then the next thing that protein does is it maintains your progress. So when you lose weight without enough protein, you can also lose muscle instead of fat. Protein protects your muscles.

It protects your progress. Now this isn't about obsessing or tracking every gram. It's about making wiser, faith-fueled choices that support your energy, your hormones, and your goals.

Now if you get to the point where you need to track macros, like for me, I have to track my macros daily because I need to know that I am getting my 165 grams of protein.

Even if I come within 10 under or over, I'm okay with that because I notice that, I mean TMI, but like I notice that I go to the bathroom better when I eat enough protein. Like my waist feels leaner.

I literally can see more clearly when I'm eating enough protein.

5:28

Protein Meal Ideas

So I want to share with you a couple of practical protein habits that you can implement as you get started. But we're going to make it simple, okay? Simple, simple, simple.

Most women don't need to overhaul everything. You just need to make a couple easy adjustments. So here's what this could look like in your real life.

Think about breakfast with Greek yogurt and berries or eggs with some veggies. I am eating, okay, truth, true story. I have, and I've shared this with you, but I've gotten away from eating my tracking macros the last couple months.

It's just been a lot and I decided to take a break, and I wish I wouldn't have because I've gained some weight. But this past couple of weeks, God's really called me to get back on my macro plan.

So I'm eating four eggs every morning with two cups of spinach, and I'll either do a Dave's Killer bagel or a couple pieces of toast with butter and I made some homemade jam.

So making sure that you get a really good start to your day with a good hearty breakfast is key to staying full throughout the day.

So Greek yogurt with berries, I do that for my mid-morning snack and I do a cup of plain Greek yogurt with half a cup of full fat cottage cheese.

I like the daisy because it doesn't have mono-endiculisarides in it which are linked to cancer, and then add fruit.

So I like to add cinnamon, I like to add some flax or some bran, and then I'll either add berries or an apple, it's October, it's fall, so apples are in season right now, so I highly recommend eating as many apples as you can, that whole apple a day

keeps the doctor away thing, like that's legit, eat an apple every day. And then sometimes, not every day, but sometimes I will put on that nature's path pumpkin and flax granola, I'll do two to three tablespoons on top of my Greek yogurt just for a

little bit of crunch, so that's a breakfast option. For lunch, you could do a chicken wrap or tuna salad, you could do a cottage cheese bowl, for me, I do a Shakeology shake for lunch.

For dinner, you could do salmon or lean beef or turkey, you could do a lentil chili, if you're a vegetarian, with a side of roasted vegetables. You should always be making sure that you are including 25 to 30 grams of protein per meal.

So for snacks, you could do hard-boiled eggs, you could do jerky, watch your jerky, it's not all equal, so make sure that if you yucca, do you have the yucca app? Have you downloaded that? I know I've mentioned it before.

Download the yucca app, scan your foods, know what you're eating. You can do edamame. Make sure you're eating organic edamame.

Edamame is soy pod, soybeans and pods, and they are delicious, but eat organic because a lot of our soy is poisoned by pesticides on fields. So just make sure that you're eating organic edamame. So do your protein shake, do your hard-boiled eggs.

I like to keep the blueberry RX bars in our pantry. They have, I think, 12 grams of protein, but it's like three or four ingredients. They're delicious.

So you want to include protein in every meal. Again, 25 to 30 grams per meal, four to five meals per day. This one shift alone can completely change your hunger, your cravings, and your results.

And you're saying, you know what? I eat like 900 calories total a day. Okay.

Well, again, knowledge isn't power. Applied knowledge is power. If you want a different result, you need to do a different thing.

The definition of, how does that go? The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Stop doing the same thing over and over.

If you keep coming back and listening to this podcast and not making changes, it's time to get up and do the right thing.

9:08

Fuel as Worship

Now, here's the part I love. Because faith and nutrition are never separate. Just as your body needs consistent nourishment to stay strong, your spirit needs regular spiritual protein, too.

So think about it, if we go days without feeding on God's word, we start to feel weak, we start to feel distracted, and we're easily tempted, and the same thing happens with food.

If we skip real nourishment and fuel ourselves, we rely on sugar or convenience, our bodies suffer. In both cases, the solution is the same, intentional nourishment.

And leaning in to the Holy Spirit, leaning in to the Holy Spirit and saying, Lord, I know this is an area I need to improve in my life, please give me strength, please give me strength.

When you prioritize the right fuels spiritually and physically, you're better equipped to live out your calling with energy and endurance, or maybe you're like me and you're old, and you have a tiny baby crawling around who's getting ready to walk,

like you need energy, focus, and endurance. So, I want you to think about shifting your mindset here to food as worship, better yet, fuel as worship. Now, take a deep breath, because this isn't about guilt or perfection, it's about stewardship.

That is not asking you for perfect eating, he's asking for you to partner with him. And when you choose foods that strengthen your body, you're actually partnering with him to carry out his plans with vitality, intentionality, and purpose.

So, instead of thinking, I have to eat that chicken, instead of the potato chips I really want, try shifting that thought process to, I get to fuel my body, so I can serve God with energy and joy. Remember, we just talked about choosing joy.

That one mindset shift turns meal prep into worship, and it turns your kitchen into a place of purpose. Listen, I have heard women say to me for years, I wish I could just eat anything I want and lose weight.

Well, ladies, let me tell you, you can probably eat a heck of a lot more than you're eating right now and lose weight, but you actually have to eat a lot more to lose weight. So are you journaling? Do you have your journal yet?

If you have your journal, I want you to think about these three questions. First one, do I often eat enough protein to fuel my body? I want you to start logging your food just to see where you are.

Second question, what meals or snacks could I easily upgrade by adding more protein? Think about those hard-boiled eggs, the RX bars, the Greek yogurt with fruit, add that cottage cheese.

Then the third question, most important one, how can I use this area of nutrition to glorify God instead of slipping into guilt or perfectionism without making excuses?

11:56

Protein Challenge

I've told you this before, but I think it's been a while. I want to make sure that I mention it. So in the biblical weight loss framework, I have a very specific formula that will help you figure out your macros.

If you're using my Fitness Pal, do not use their formula for weight loss. Do not. It will not give you enough of what you need.

So I have a specific formula that I use. I do use my Fitness Pal to plug in my macros, but I do not use their formula. Don't use their formula.

OK, you're going to be vastly under fueled. When I was 250 pounds, it told me I should eat 1200 calories. I should have been eating 2500 calories at that time.

Less is not more when it comes to food. If you want to lose weight, take 30 days. I challenge you to take 30 days and start eating 0.8 to 1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight, depending on if you're exercising or not.

If you're exercising, you need more, and eat that protein for the next 30 days, and watch what happens to your body. Now, listen, the first probably 3 to 5 days, you're going to be bloated. You might not be able to eat all of it.

It might take you 3 to 5 days to have your body adjust to it because she's like, whoa, hey, what the heck? Normally, I have to dive into my fat stores to get energy because she doesn't feed me enough.

Now she's feeding me enough, what the heck's happening? So your body is going to hang on to it because it's finally getting what she needs, and she's going to be like, whoa, yes.

Let me hold on to this, so if she starves me again next week, I still have something here. And then she's going to figure out that you continue to eat the protein, so she's going to send it where it needs to go.

So the first three to five days, maybe week to 10 days, you could be bloated, stay off the scale. You could be bloated, you could carry some extra weight. Trust the process.

Slow and steady wins the race. Just give yourself 30 days. Try it.

Your body will love you. She will respond properly. So your action step for this week is very simple.

Add protein to every meal. And remember, flight knowledge is power. And just this one habit can help you stay fuller.

It will help you build strength and you will lose weight and move closer to your goals. Listen, I want to remind you, this journey isn't about punishment or restriction. It's about restoration.

And when you nourish your body or saying, Lord, thank you for this vessel. Help me care for her with wisdom. Because we're not chasing skinny anymore.

We're pursuing strength. Biblical, bodily, holy strength. We're not dieting.

You're disciplining. And that's what sets faith-fueled weight loss apart. It's powered by God's holy grace, not guilt, grace that went to a cross just for you, not guilt.

Holy Father, thank you for creating our bodies so wonderfully and intricately. Thank you that we can honor you through how we care for ourselves. Lord, please help my friend that's listening today to see food not as the enemy but as a gift.

Give her wisdom to fuel her body with what she truly needs. Strengthen her when she feels weak. Strengthen her when she feels unmotivated.

And remind her that progress takes patience, grace, and faith. Help her father to find joy in the process, peace in the journey, and confidence that with you she can do all things, even this. Especially this.

In Jesus' name, Amen. So if you were encouraged by this episode today, would you please take a moment and share it with somebody? Share it with a friend who's on her own health journey.

And remember that your body is God's creation, and your journey is sacred. It matters. You are strong, beloved.

You are capable, and you are never alone. God bless. Hey, sis.

I hope you enjoyed today's episode. If so, would you take 30 seconds and share it with a friend? Also, please leave a quick review for the show on Apple Podcasts.

It lights me up to know this podcast is helping you. Okay, it's time to go make a protein shake and get my sweat on. No more standing in the kitchen waiting for motivation to appear.

I will meet you back here for another episode. God bless.