OutToLunch

It definitely makes a huge difference. There are several reasons why. First, protein is harder to digest. No matter what you eat, your body has to expend a certain amount of energy to digest it. So the net effect is that not all of the calories in a given food are absorbed. Some are used to digest the food. This is referred to as the thermic effect of food. Carbs, especially simple carbs or carbs that have no fiber, are fairly easy to digest so there's a low thermic effect there. Protein, on the other hand, as a high thermic effect as do complex carbs with fiber. That's why it's to your advantage to have a meal meal that focuses on lean protein and complex carbs. Second, because protein is harder to digest, any meal that contains a significant amount of protein will take longer to digest. You could eat a bowl of pasta or a bowl of pasta with chicken, but the one with chicken will take longer to digest. That means your blood sugar won't increase as fast as it would had you just eaten the pasta alone. One of the keys to weight management is controlling your blood sugar, making sure it never gets too high. When it increases too fast, like when you've eaten candy or drank a soda, insulin will be over-secreted to clear out all that sugar. You'll basically have given your system to much energy at that one moment. So you increase your chances of some of that energy being stored as fat. Eating protein with every meal allows you to achieve a more moderate insulin response. Your blood sugar increases at a more manageable rate and gives your body time to burn the energy as it comes in. Third, protein keeps you feeling fuller longer. Again, this is cause it takes longer to digest. The problem with eating a meal that just has carbs is that you digest it fairly quickly and you end up feeling hungry a lot sooner. So protein really helps regulate your appetite. Lastly, anyone trying to lose weight is most likely in a caloric deficit. The risk there is that you could lose muscle along with fat. And you want to minimize muscle loss as much as possible since it's one of the factors in how fast your metabolism is. Simply put, the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, even at rest. Your body has no way to store protein so if it's protein needs aren't being met, it will look for ways to make up the difference. So it'll go to the only source it has available, your muscle. So by eating protein with every meal, you ensure that your body always has a steady supply of protein. This is especially important if you're exercising on a regular basis. Exercise increases the body's demand for protein.

You should be eating 5-6 small meals per day, roughly one every 3 waking hours. Each should contain a source of lean protein along with a complex carb. If you do this and cut out processed carbs, eat some good fats and avoid the bad ones (saturated and trans fat), and keep simple carbs to a minimum, I think you will see good results. Add in regular exercise and you will see a world of difference.