Protein necessary?

charmcity10

Hi Everyone,

I am a 22 yr old F, 5'2" 133lbs with a GW of 115. I would consider myself to be relatively active, I walk about 10,000 steps just between classes most days, crossfit about 5 days per week and 2-3 days of light cardio on the elliptical. I have been trying to eat less processed foods and have been increasing my protein through with whole foods. Most days I have been able to get 60-80g of protein in. My question was whether I should also try to add in protein supplements in the form of shakes or bars and if these really help to improve strength and performance. I am interested in first losing weight but am wondering if I am hindering my strength and recovery by not eating as much protein as I could.

Thank you!

Sam_I_Am77

Protein is not generally considered to be performance enhancing / ergogenic in any way, carbs on the other hand are and in some "camps" considered an ergogenic aid as well. With that being said, protein is necessary to promote muscle protein synthesis and is basically used in all human tissue. You could be hindering muscle recovery and growth with inadequate protein consumption. There is some information that suggests protein has a positive affect in helping to reduce body-fat but I'm not 100% current on that info to be honest. If you're involved in resistance training you will benefit from a healthy protein consumption. The definition of a healthy protein consumption is a very highly debated topic and the ranges for consumption have a very wide range of what's found to be beneficial. My thoughts based on available information is that people involved in resistance-training should shoot for 0.80grams - 1gram per pound of bodyweight.