January 03, 2020

Can You Use Collagen for Weight Loss?

Updated September 10, 2021

It seems there's nothing collagen can't do. From joint pain to strengthening connective tissue, increasing skin elasticity, to shiny hair and glowing skin, the benefits of collagen are plentiful and important.

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body, and it's made of chains of amino acids. Unfortunately, as we age, collagen production decreases by around 1% per year after the age of 20. You can never fully restore collagen loss or stop the process of deterioration altogether, but with collagen supplementation you can repair damage and maintain a healthy amount of collagen within your body.

Collagen’s benefits are seemingly never ending, which has some people wondering if it can help with weight loss. Besides its anti-aging and strengthening health benefits, adding collagen as a dietary supplement can potentially help you lose weight as well. So, the answer is yes; but, like any other dietary supplement, some people will find success with it and others may not see huge results. It all depends on your body, the type of supplement you take, and how strict you are with your regimen. For example, if you are taking a collagen supplement every few days, you probably won’t notice much of a difference. On the other hand, if you take the recommended daily dose of a supplement for a few weeks, you’re more than likely to start seeing some real results.

How can it help you lose weight?

When your goal is weight loss, you want to build your muscle mass through your protein intake. The best and easiest way to do this? Eating more protein. It's always good to get most of your nutrients and protein through real, clean food, but when that isn't enough, it's also smart to add a supplement.

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body, making it essential for multiple different functions. More protein means more fullness throughout the day, which means you won’t need to eat as much as you normally would to stay full. Taking a collagen supplement helps promote satiety because protein keeps us full for longer periods of time. Therefore, you won’t need to eat as many calories throughout the day. (Let’s be clear- it’s still important to eat enough calories to feel full, satisfied, and healthy regardless of whether or not you’re trying to lose weight). Of course, if you're trying to lose weight you should always seek medical advice from your nutritionist or doctor before you make any drastic changes.

How to take collagen supplements if the goal is weight loss?

A great way to take your collagen supplements when trying to lose weight is by making a smoothie. You can add your collagen protein powder right into the smoothie, which greatly increases your protein intake.

Smoothies are tricky sometimes, because they can include a lot of sugar. An increase in sugar is one way to offset your weight loss progress (not to mention, sugar is one of the biggest contributing factors of natural collagen deterioration).

A way to balance your smoothie is to make sure it includes a healthy amount of fruits and vegetables, as well as protein and healthy fat. This way, your body will be satisfied and you’ll feel fuller longer, and you won’t accidentally blend together a hidden sugar bomb.

Besides your collagen protein supplement, consider adding in avocado or nut butter for extra protein and healthy fat. It’s also important to include leafy greens for antioxidants that will also contribute to improving the efficacy of your collagen supplement.

How to make Bone Broth collagen?

If you would rather increase your protein and collagen intake solely through food and without adding a supplement, bone broth is a great option. It’s been around for thousands of years, used as a source of sustenance and a way to heal the body, specifically the gut. Typically it’s made from chicken bones or cow bones, which are both great options. There really isn’t much of a difference in their benefits, so choose whichever one agrees with your body more. This broth is made from simmering animal bones in water with herbs and spices.

Bone broth is packed with calcium, magnesium, antioxidants, vitamins, and collagen. Even though it takes some time to make, you can make huge batches of it and freeze whatever is leftover. Surprisingly, it’s quite filling and it’s great to have early in the morning so that it can work to heal your gut and boost your protein intake. Not only can you see improvements towards your goal of losing weight, but also with your bone health, skin health, hair growth, gut health, joint health, and more.

What is the best collagen powder for weight loss?

A great thing about using collagen as your protein source is that there are no known side effects. Something to note is that there are multiple varieties of collagen. Some types of collagen include: collagen peptides, hydrolyzed collagen, collagen powder, collagen pills, and more. All varieties are derived from animals, which means there are no vegan options at this time. The best collagen supplement has few ingredients in it that are clean and natural. You should look for things like "grass-fed" or "wild-caught" depending on which animal type you use.

Some people may opt to use whey protein as a supplement. There's nothing wrong with this, but you have to read your labels carefully. Often times whey protein is filled with additives, sugar, and fake flavoring. It's marketed specifically towards building protein, but fails to mention all of the ingredients that may hinder your progress. Plus, with collagen protein you get so many additional benefits besides building muscle and losing weight, whereas with whey you simply get added protein.

For those who don’t have time to make smoothies and bone broth, there is a more convenient option for using collagen as a protein source. This option is eating one of our Kalumi BEAUTYfood bars. Each bar contains 11-13 grams of protein, and 8 grams of premium marine collagen. Our bars contain ingredients such as sweet potato and cocoa butter, which can help your skin to glow. There's way less hassle with eating a bar than with making a smoothie, for example. You can throw it in your gym bag or eat it as a pre-workout snack. Packed with nutrients and energy-boosting foods, you'll stay full and feel good. Plus, they're delicious and made with clean and natural ingredients.