Grams of protein needed to maintain muscle mass during weightloss

pnkpoodlkiss

Im currently 131 lbs 5' 3" My goal weight is 114-120 but I am lifting heavy to try and keep as much lean muscle as possible. I am netting 1200 calories a day in order to lose .5-1 lb a week according to mpf. I read you need between .75-.82 grams of protein per lb of bodyweight to maintain muscle so I calculated I need between 97.5 and 107 grams a day. 1st off is this correct? Secondly it seems like it will be really hard to get that much protein without going over calories unless I eat chicken breast and eggs all day lol. Any tips?

AJ_G

0.82g of protein per lb of body weight is the safe way to go. If you'd like to know why, here's a good explanation: http://bayesianbodybuilding.com/the-myth-of-1glb-optimal-protein-intake-for-bodybuilders/

Using that number your protein goal is 107g a day. That means of your entire calorie intake, 428 calories will come from protein if you hit your goal. That's not very difficult to hit in my opinion. The bigger issue for me is your calorie goal. 1200 calories? That's just too low.

BombshellPhoenix

You could probably eat more than 1200, to start. That's not really that much protein but yes, chicken, fish, eggs are great lower calorie protein options. Greek yogurt, edamame, lentils, cottage cheese, milk, cheese, etc are some other sources. That sounds decently accurate. I go 1g per pound of lean body mass in protein minimum myself. So, I eat a minimum of 100g of protein at 118 lbs.