How much Protein should I really be eating?

Waffledreamer

Hello everyone!
I am a fairly new vegan, but have been experimenting with it for awhile now, and have always eaten mostly veggie.

Anyway, even before veganism it's been hard for me to reach my protein requirements everyday. MFP has always given me goals of between 80-120 even when I up the carb goals and lower the others. Most days even when I'm really trying I can only get to 60 or so. (And yes I do eat tofu, seitan, tempeh and lots of beans) Watching documentaries on veganism, they make it sound like we do not actually need nearly as much protein as We think. So should I really be aiming for 80-100 grams a day, or less?

Just so you know I am 5'2, 27 and about 110 lbs. I do want to lose some and tone up. I eat between 1400-1600 cals a day. How much protein do you all aim for every day?

Thanks in advance!

Jams009

That does sound high... the exact amount depends on your body fat %, your activity level, and your current fitness goals.

The general consensus seems to be that when trying to lose fat, you should be getting around 1g-1.5g per lb of lean body mass.

When you are trying to build muscle 0.65g - 1g of lean body mass.

The average sedentary person needs around 0.36g per lb of lean body mass.

You might find this calculator helpful: http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

I get around 130g per day and my diary is open if you need any ideas for getting your protein in.

Waffledreamer

Thanks!

LifeNewandImproved

I buy rice protein powder and pea protein powder, mix them together (2:1 ratio to get the right amino acids mixture) and add sweetener, almond milk, and sometimes sugar free chocolate syrup, and eat this every day to help me hit my protein goals. I usually use it as a meal replacement as it's quite filling, and you can use it on travel too, since almond milk doesn't need refrigeration! I usually get about 50 grams each day this way, and it's fairly cost effective ($6-8lb, but I only use 60 grams for each "shake").