Hi. I am new to fitness pal and wondering - Do I really need to eat this much Protein?

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  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    How much are you trying to eat? Protein paired with resistance training will help preserve your muscle mass as you lose weight. Most people find it sating as well, which might make it easier to stick to your deficit.

    I eat a lot of dairy because I don't like meat. Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, milk, cheese, etc. are all good.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    edited March 2015
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    cosmo_momo wrote: »
    Unless you are a growing child, or are body building you do not need to eat an excess of protein. I repeat, YOU DO NOT NEED TO EAT AN EXCESS OF PROTEIN. Having said that, if protein helps keep you full longer, by all means eat it. I eat very little protein (averaging 9-15% of my daily calories, usually 30-50g) and have done so for the last two months. Unless you are literally starving yourself, you WILL NOT have a protein deficiency. That is not a thing.

    calories in/calories out.

    You realize that we need protein to maintain/build muscle and for a bunch of other stuff like cell turnover. 30 - 50g of protein, especially on a deficit and if active is too low to be adequate to maintain muscle mass, particularly if not significantly overweight.

    You do not need an excess of anything, but having a sufficient amount is beneficial.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    You don't have to eat a ton of protein, no. If you're currently eating very little, there may be some benefits to increasing your intake, especially if you're strength training at the same time. But as long as you're getting your RDA of protein in (0.8g/kg of body weight according to Health Canada -- note, that's your weight in kilograms, not in pounds), then you're probably fine.

    When you're new here, the most important thing to focus on at first is staying under your calorie goal. You can refine macros later based on specific goals or your personal preferences.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    billieljaime wrote: »
    the USDA recommends 49 grams per day for an adult woman

    This number assumes that the person is not particularly active and not on a deficit.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    OP: how much protein are you eating on average and what is your weekly deficit. How active are you?
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited March 2015
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    happyfeetrebel1 wrote: »
    My dietician recommended one gram of protein per inch of height. IE, I'm 71 inches tall so I should aim for 71 grams. Some cottage cheese, greek yogurt and a chicken breast will do it for me.

    I think the USRDA for protein in general is around 50 g per day.
    billieljaime wrote: »
    the USDA recommends 49 grams per day for an adult woman

    Wrong. The USDA gives a recommended range which is 10-35% of your daily calories which, based on a 2000 calorie diet, can range from 50 to 175 grams a day.

  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
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    Not getting enough protein and getting too much of other things might be part of why you are overweight in the first place.
  • runnrchic
    runnrchic Posts: 130 Member
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    No you don't need that much protein. I get about 1/2-2/3 of what mfp says I need. I eat mainly brown rice, legumes, veggies, and fruits. All of that food contains protein. Unless you are aiming to be a bodybuilder, just focus on satisfying foods within your range and lift heavy weights.
  • DYELB
    DYELB Posts: 7,407 Member
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    cosmo_momo wrote: »
    Unless you are a growing child, or are body building you do not need to eat an excess of protein. I repeat, YOU DO NOT NEED TO EAT AN EXCESS OF PROTEIN. Having said that, if protein helps keep you full longer, by all means eat it. I eat very little protein (averaging 9-15% of my daily calories, usually 30-50g) and have done so for the last two months. Unless you are literally starving yourself, you WILL NOT have a protein deficiency. That is not a thing.

    calories in/calories out.

    Lol

  • MimiJaneFitness
    MimiJaneFitness Posts: 3 Member
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    What many people are saying is correct;R" but remember that your guided amount of protein is worked out by a mathematical calculation based on data you've given them, and isn't 100% specific. Also it's only a guided recommendation. I am a power lifter and for my size I have a very high protein intake. Personally, I use shakes that are high in protein and low is carbs and fat to top at meal times. I order them from MyProtein, they do many varieties for differing diets and you can see the macros that are in the products. They also do protein cookies and all sorts so good for cravings!

    Ask more if you need xx
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    MimiJaneFitness wrote: »
    Remember that your guided amount of protein is worked out by a mathematical calculation based on data you've given them, and isn't 100% specific.

    It's even simpler than that. MFP by default says to eat 20% of your calories from protein. There's no basis for that ratio -- it's just arbitrary.
  • MimiJaneFitness
    MimiJaneFitness Posts: 3 Member
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    gabrielleelliott90 wrote: »
    Course not. Eat whatever you want. Just make sure you eat your calories.

    This made me laugh, there is a lot more to dieting than just calorie counting. In fact I'd go as far to say calories are less important than looking at the specifics. What's going to be better for you, 1500 calories of a high % fat crisp, or 1500 of a balanced diet filled with essential proteins and fibres? Duh!!
  • lelbarou
    lelbarou Posts: 312 Member
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    Wow! Everybody has been so helpful! I don't really exercise as yet very much so from what I am hearing, eating protein is good for gaining muscle as you increase activity. I definitely was helped by some of this information like how much protein per kilogram and all your comments. As I am very overweight, the amount of protein suggested is very high so that is why I was a bit surprised. I will definitely try some other protein sources suggested by different members like protein supplements or yogurt seems to be a favorite with a lot of you.. Many thanks for everyone's support!
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    I hope you are eating more than 1200 calories a day. At that level the protein level is important to keep your body from pirating needed protein from your muscles.

    Look at it this way. Focus on your calorie target first of all and work at getting close to the protein goal.

    Even when I was morbidly obese I hit my protein targets by including protein of one sort or another at every meal. Part of my diabetic training.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    lelbarou wrote: »
    Wow! Everybody has been so helpful! I don't really exercise as yet very much so from what I am hearing, eating protein is good for gaining muscle as you increase activity. I definitely was helped by some of this information like how much protein per kilogram and all your comments. As I am very overweight, the amount of protein suggested is very high so that is why I was a bit surprised. I will definitely try some other protein sources suggested by different members like protein supplements or yogurt seems to be a favorite with a lot of you.. Many thanks for everyone's support!

    How much is your calorie intake currently?

    Protein is not only for gaining muscle, but the fact that you have quite a bit of weight to lose will mitigate how much protein you need

    Greek yoghurt is a great way to get your protein up. I often have a bowl with some fruit added (fruit does not contain more than trace amounts of protein) for flavor.

  • runnrchic
    runnrchic Posts: 130 Member
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    You do not need to focus on protein. Focus on high quality calories.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    azulvioleta6 wrote: »
    Not getting enough protein and getting too much of other things might be part of why you are overweight in the first place.
    No, this is not right. You gain weight from eating too much food in general. Macro balance is for health, calories in/calories out is for weight loss.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    MimiJaneFitness wrote: »
    This made me laugh, there is a lot more to dieting than just calorie counting. In fact I'd go as far to say calories are less important than looking at the specifics. What's going to be better for you, 1500 calories of a high % fat crisp, or 1500 of a balanced diet filled with essential proteins and fibres? Duh!!

    In terms of losing weight, it's calories in, calories out. It doesn't actually matter if your 1500 calories come from a balanced diet or from chips. There are no "good" or "bad" foods; there's just food.

    In terms of being healthy, getting your nutritional needs met, and feeling full and satiated, then yes, you want to make sure to get a reasonably balanced diet.

    However, a reasonably balanced diet still has room for some crisps with a high % percentage, if those are your thing. 100% "clean" eating is NOT necessary to lose weight. I've lost 30 pounds since October, and I eat chocolate almost every day. In fact I'd argue that excessively restricting yourself is a great way to end up giving up and quitting before you achieve your goals.

    lelbarou wrote: »
    Wow! Everybody has been so helpful! I don't really exercise as yet very much so from what I am hearing, eating protein is good for gaining muscle as you increase activity.

    Just to clarify: You're unlikely to actually gain muscle while eating at a calorie deficit. What you want to do is hang onto as much as possible of the muscle that you have right now, so that the weight you lose comes from fat and not muscle. Protein is good to help repair muscles after strength training, but there's a limit to how much is beneficial so no need to go overboard here.

    I definitely was helped by some of this information like how much protein per kilogram and all your comments. As I am very overweight, the amount of protein suggested is very high so that is why I was a bit surprised.

    MFP gives a default goal of getting 20% of your calories from protein. You can go into "goals" and customize it to whatever you like, if you want to use a number that's closer to one of the formulas that people suggested. Totally up to you. But since you're new at this, the 20% rule isn't a bad place to start, especially if you're having trouble getting even that much.

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