How much protein?

lia_1992

how much protein should I be having to lose weight but tone at same time?! Are protein shakes too much?

ibnfaqir

1 lb per lean body mass. No protein shakes help me meet my macros.

MissFitee

It's hard to put on muscle at the same time as losing weight, but it's possible. "Toning" generally comes from losing fat, making the muscles you already have more visible. Protein shakes isnt a miracle product. It contains high concentration of protein, but not much nutrients. Focus on a good balanced diet with enough lean protein, veg and fruit. If you still can't get enough protein a proten shake might be something to consider.

FitFitzy331

There is no such thing as toning. What you are referring to is having less body fat in which case you will need to lose weight and try to retain muscle mass.

I think what the first reply was trying to say was 1g per lb of lean body mass which is fine. Most people trying to retain muscle and lifting aim for 0.8g/lb or around 1g/ lb of lbm.

If protein shakes help you to hit your protein macros then you're fine.

HollandOats

http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/a-beginners-guide-to-protein/

From the MFP blog yesterday.

Liftng4Lis

Protein helps to maintain lean muscle mass. Unless you're lacking in it, shakes are unnecessary. Personally, I like eat my calories, over drinking them.

SezxyStef

protein in itself won't save muscle or build it.

you need 1gram per lb of lean body mass or 0.8 grams for every lb you weigh.

To save muscle while losing fat you need to do some form of resistance training...either bodyweight or lifting and get your protein in.

to build muscle you need to do a progressive load lifting program, get in your protein and eat at a surplus (unless you are new to lifting (gains are in oz not lbs) or be obese and lifting)

protein shakes are fine but not necessary. I add protein powder to my smoothie in the morning as I need to hit 115-120grams a day and since it's summer I don't want a hot breakfast of bacon/eggs/cheese etc.

giantrobot_powerlifting

lia_1992 wrote: »

how much protein should I be having to lose weight but tone at same time?! Are protein shakes too much?

Caloric deficit is how you lose weight. Protein will help you maintain muscle. For muscle tone, you build muscle or maintain as much possible while on caloric deficit. If you add a protein shake to your diet and you want to lose weight, make sure you don't go over your caloric ceiling and consider it as part of a meal, or a meal in itself.

Dosages:

• If you are an athlete or highly active person currently attempting to lose body fat while preserving lean muscle mass, a daily intake of 1.5-2.2g/kg bodyweight (0.68-1g/lb bodyweight) would be a good target.
  
• If you are an athlete or highly active person, or you are attempting to lose body fat while preserving lean mass, then a daily intake of 1.0-1.5g/kg bodyweight (0.45-0.68g/lb bodyweight) would be a good target.
  
• If you are sedentary and not looking to change body composition much, a daily target of 0.8g/kg bodyweight (0.36g/lb bodyweight) and upwards would be a good target. (SOURCE)

Read these MFP articles to learn more, which are pretty informative, about protein in general.

Nutrition 101: Protein
Beginner's Guide to Protein