Do I need protein powder?
supersocks117
Posts: 169 Member
I've been logging almost a month and noticed I am nowhere near the protein macros that MFP gives me. I'm willing to make little swaps diet-wise, but I am trying to stick with foods I enjoy and stay in my calories because I think that will help make it a lifestyle change.
Do I need more protein? (I think my diary is open)
If I do, should I be trying to get it from food and change my eating habits or is protein powder a good idea? (Any brand suggestions?)
I am set at lightly active, fitbit usually adjusts me some at the end of the day (walks are not logged in MFP)
Do I need more protein? (I think my diary is open)
If I do, should I be trying to get it from food and change my eating habits or is protein powder a good idea? (Any brand suggestions?)
I am set at lightly active, fitbit usually adjusts me some at the end of the day (walks are not logged in MFP)
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The quick answer to the thread title is no.
The long answer, is that the recommended amount of protein for the average person is 0.8g/kg (average, you don't have to hit that every day). Based on a quick look, you are getting on average over 60g/day, which is enough for at least a 165 lb person. I see you have quite a few days over 80g/day. If you are really closer to 80g/day, then that is enough for a 220lb person.
Assuming your goal is to be in the "normal" category, you get enough protein for the average person. If your goal is to be above average (stronger, more muscle), then you might benefit from having more protein, but it depends on your goal weight. If you intend to be a super strong 5' 110lb person, then 80g/day is enough (you'd be at 1.6g/kg). The highest recommended amount of protein intake is 2g/kg, but it isn't essential for the average person.0 -
I use protein powder to top off my protein intake. I eat a lot of high protein stuff, but sometimes it isn't enough and the powder helps.
You don't necessarily need it, but it can help you meet your goals.0 -
nordlead2005 wrote: »The quick answer to the thread title is no.
The long answer, is that the recommended amount of protein for the average person is 0.8g/kg (average, you don't have to hit that every day). Based on a quick look, you are getting on average over 60g/day, which is enough for at least a 165 lb person. I see you have quite a few days over 80g/day. If you are really closer to 80g/day, then that is enough for a 220lb person.
Assuming your goal is to be in the "normal" category, you get enough protein for the average person. If your goal is to be above average (stronger, more muscle), then you might benefit from having more protein, but it depends on your goal weight. If you intend to be a super strong 5' 110lb person, then 80g/day is enough (you'd be at 1.6g/kg). The highest recommended amount of protein intake is 2g/kg, but it isn't essential for the average person.
I am 195 lbs. 5'7" On average it seemed like I get more like 60 per day, even though I have a few higher days here and there (although I could've spaced out doing my math).
I walk or try to be active at least 30 minutes a day (and since I am newly active these are pretty hard on me, but no like hardcore workouts or lifting). My only goal as far as protein is to not lose muscle along with fat if possible.
Edit: To answer the second part my goal is to be a fit 135-145 lbs probably. Not bulking necessarily, but my mom is (I get that her different age is a factor) is a similar height and build and 135 but she isn't particularly toned at all - she just doesn't eat very much and walks a lot. I don't think I'll ever be like, ripped, or anything, but I have a toddler I am keeping up with, so better strength would be a plus.0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »I use protein powder to top off my protein intake. I eat a lot of high protein stuff, but sometimes it isn't enough and the powder helps.
You don't necessarily need it, but it can help you meet your goals.
Thanks. I am having trouble deciding what my goal is. (Still shifting calorie goal around, so that's not helping)
I am 5'6"-5'7", 190-195 lbs, MFP has my goal calories around 1800 to lose 1/lb per week, I am nursing my toddler (so not all day long, but a good amount), I am lightly active, I thought 20% of my calories seemed reasonable (that's 75g for 1500 calories, though, if my math is right). Seems like a lot of people on here use protein powder to meet that - I just wondered if I *need* to meet it.
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Protein powder is unneeded. All you need are eggs, milk, cheese, meat and nut butters and you will reach your macros. Simple as.. You know they feed whey to pigs, right??0
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Looking at your diary, you probably need a fair bit more protein in your diet. I don't know weight or how much lean mass you have but a good rule of thumb is 0.6 - 0.8 grams per lb you weigh. Use the higher side of the range if you are somewhat lean, use the lower end of the range if you have a lot of fat left to lose. You are getting in around 50-60 a day, so regardless of your weight (unless you are VERY petite) you probably need a fair bit more protein.
As to how to get it, shakes are 1 way. They are not better than just eating more protein from whole foods. The advantages of shakes is that they are convenient, easy to choke down if you aren't very hungry, and dollar/gram of protein, they can be relatively cheap. Disadvantages are that they are less filling then whole food, usually come with no other nutritional value (vitamins, minerals, etc), sometimes hard to drink when mixed with water (for some people, others have no problem here). Whether or not you want to use shakes to help hit your protein goal is entirely up to you. Consider the pro's and con's and make a choice. If you do decide you want to supplement some of your protein intake, my favorite premium brands are Cellucor, and MTS. Both have great taste and mixibility compared to the rest of the field. For a value protein that is still made of high quality ingredients, smartpowders protein is the best I have seen out there. It's not the tastiest, doesn't mix the best, but dollar/gram of protein, it's a hit.
Even if you choose shakes, you probably will still need to up your protein intake from whole foods as well unless you will be doing multiple shakes a day. Lean sources of protein include chicken/turkey breast, egg whites, non-fatty fish, lean cuts of pork, Greek yogurt, and cottage cheese. Non lean sources can be whole eggs, dark poultry meat, beef, bacon, full fat cheeses, and to a lesser extent nuts. These are just a few suggestions as there are too many to list out.0 -
ThomasWright1997 wrote: »Protein powder is unneeded. All you need are eggs, milk, cheese, meat and nut butters and you will reach your macros. Simple as.. You know they feed whey to pigs, right??
I don't drink milk. I do eat eggs and a serving of cheese daily, I usually have meat with dinner, and sometimes beans with lunch. But I am not hitting my macros. .8 of my weight is 152 (MFP has my goal at 91) I am hitting neither of those numbers with what I am currently eating. My dilemma is whether to add more calories to hit protein (through food), ditch food I enjoy eating in place of higher protein choices that I like less, add protein powder, or leave as is and be clearly under.
And milk is specially designed to grow baby cows into heifers...I don't see why that is worse than whey
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See, the thing is, those things also come along with a lot more fat than does protein powder. If one wants a certain, relatively low fat ratio compared to protein, those things are a lot less feasible for building up protein intake.ThomasWright1997 wrote: »Protein powder is unneeded. All you need are eggs, milk, cheese, meat and nut butters and you will reach your macros. Simple as.. You know they feed whey to pigs, right??
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Nothing is ever needed, but that doesn't mean something isn't appropriate. Try getting in a 100 grams of protein a day from cheese and nut butters. Let me know how much fat and calories that takes...ThomasWright1997 wrote: »Protein powder is unneeded. All you need are eggs, milk, cheese, meat and nut butters and you will reach your macros. Simple as.. You know they feed whey to pigs, right??
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DeguelloTex wrote: »
See, the thing is, those things also come along with a lot more fat than does protein powder. If one wants a certain, relatively low fat ratio compared to protein, those things are a lot less feasible for building up protein intake.ThomasWright1997 wrote: »Protein powder is unneeded. All you need are eggs, milk, cheese, meat and nut butters and you will reach your macros. Simple as.. You know they feed whey to pigs, right??
I honestly wouldn't mind my fat intake rising some as currently I do tend to get higher carbs - however, I would need to significantly change my diet to allow for those things. (ie swap my current lunch for yogurt, my current snack for nuts or PB, I already eat eggs with cheese and a slice of bacon, and at the meals I have meat I eat 3-4 oz) I don't mind one swap a day but I want a meal plan I am happy with eating, not just picking foods by how they fit my macros (maybe that's a bad attitude?). Milk might hit my macros just as well as protein powder but I HATE milk. I haven't drank it since my mom stopped forcing me in my early teens.
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Don't drink something you hate just to make the macros. If you can get the protein from regular food, it will be easier and cheaper. If you can't, a little protein powder isn't going to hurt.0
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0.8g/lb is the same as 1.76g/kg, which is enough for a serious weight lifter, as I said 2g/kg is the upper limit of suggested intake for optimal muscle building.
195 and you want to lose another 45lb. Your end goal for protein intake should be ~55g/day, assuming average fit person status. This is based on USDA guidelines.
Since it seems to me like you get more than that on average you should be fine. Will more protein help? Maybe. Do you need a protein powder? No, but that doesn't mean that it wouldn't help if you start lifting weights. I wouldn't bother with it unless you want to optimize muscle building potential and you want convenience. I just recently got a protein powder, I use it after lifting because I don't want to cook at 9pm at night and I've used it a few times in the morning because I'm lazy. When I was younger I did quite well weight/muscle wise without additional protein powders, but I know I could have lifted more with a better program and additional protein.
Also, some of your entries are missing the macros. Yesterday's Pizza for example probably had ~4g of protein, but it says 0 (unless the pizza had no cheese on the cheese pizza).0 -
nordlead2005 wrote: »0.8g/lb is the same as 1.76g/kg, which is enough for a serious weight lifter, as I said 2g/kg is the upper limit of suggested intake for optimal muscle building.
195 and you want to lose another 45lb. Your end goal for protein intake should be ~55g/day, assuming average fit person status. This is based on USDA guidelines.
Since it seems to me like you get more than that on average you should be fine. Will more protein help? Maybe. Do you need a protein powder? No, but that doesn't mean that it wouldn't help if you start lifting weights. I wouldn't bother with it unless you want to optimize muscle building potential and you want convenience. I just recently got a protein powder, I use it after lifting because I don't want to cook at 9pm at night and I've used it a few times in the morning because I'm lazy. When I was younger I did quite well weight/muscle wise without additional protein powders, but I know I could have lifted more with a better program and additional protein.
Also, some of your entries are missing the macros. Yesterday's Pizza for example probably had ~4g of protein, but it says 0 (unless the pizza had no cheese on the cheese pizza).
Whoops. Yeah, that was a guess because I ate at my Italian Grandma's house. I just picked generic for those two and didn't check the macros. Those should be the only two recently that I used generic, though. She won't hand over the recipes
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eliteeraser000 wrote: »You don't need anything.
I beg to differ. We need food. We need water. We need air. Protein powder...nah, we don't need that.0 -
When I was 5'7" and 170 lbs I was eating aprox 100 g of carbs, 150 g of protein & about 50g of fat per day. I do exercise 7-10 hrs a week. I was really successful on these macros. I really do believe in a high protein diet.0
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You don't NEED protein powder but it's not a bad thing to have more protein which will give you more energy and make you feel fuller longer. Personally I like to have a good balance of carbs and protein and I don't eat nearly enough protein so I use a shake in the morning as a supplement. It's completely up to you. I'm following macros more than calories so protein numbers are important for me.0
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Protein powder isn't essential but is very useful for post workout nutrition ie. within 15min of finishing a workout. a good hydrolyzed whey protein will digest much quicker than solid food and its hard to eat a solid meal straight after a heavy workout. Also if your not making you daily requirement of protein through solid food it good to have on hand.0
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adawson55510 wrote: »Protein powder isn't essential but is very useful for post workout nutrition ie. within 15min of finishing a workout. a good hydrolyzed whey protein will digest much quicker than solid food and its hard to eat a solid meal straight after a heavy workout. Also if your not making you daily requirement of protein through solid food it good to have on hand.
Not doing any really heavy workouts (more like walking at a 3mph pace in sort of hot weather, then chasing my toddler around the park we walked at, or walking my mom's dog around the block twice - 20 mins or so) just wasn't sure if the goal seemed realistic.
Should I eat macros for the weight I want to be, or the weight I am at?nordlead2005 wrote: »0.8g/lb is the same as 1.76g/kg, which is enough for a serious weight lifter, as I said 2g/kg is the upper limit of suggested intake for optimal muscle building.
195 and you want to lose another 45lb. Your end goal for protein intake should be ~55g/day, assuming average fit person status. This is based on USDA guidelines.
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Some say target weight and some say current lean mass. Probably be fine either way.supersocks117 wrote: »adawson55510 wrote: »Protein powder isn't essential but is very useful for post workout nutrition ie. within 15min of finishing a workout. a good hydrolyzed whey protein will digest much quicker than solid food and its hard to eat a solid meal straight after a heavy workout. Also if your not making you daily requirement of protein through solid food it good to have on hand.
Not doing any really heavy workouts (more like walking at a 3mph pace in sort of hot weather, then chasing my toddler around the park we walked at, or walking my mom's dog around the block twice - 20 mins or so) just wasn't sure if the goal seemed realistic.
Should I eat macros for the weight I want to be, or the weight I am at?nordlead2005 wrote: »0.8g/lb is the same as 1.76g/kg, which is enough for a serious weight lifter, as I said 2g/kg is the upper limit of suggested intake for optimal muscle building.
195 and you want to lose another 45lb. Your end goal for protein intake should be ~55g/day, assuming average fit person status. This is based on USDA guidelines.
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I would say just give it a try and see if you like it.
I have a protein shake each day (sometimes two if I'm way under in protein and calories). Without the shakes it's a hassle for me to meat my protein goal. I've tried eating more protein-rich foods in order to reach my goal with food alone, but I found that just having a shake is much easier and much more enjoyable for me. With one shake a day I can reach my protein goals without a problem, and they actually taste pretty decent. I'm going through a tub of Gold Standard cookies 'n' creme flavor right now, it's good!0 -
Like I said, I think you are fine. I just ran an 11/day average for you and it comes out to 69g/day. That is enough for a 189lb person. Essentially, you are off by 2g/day, and like I said, that pizza has protein, so the gap is even smaller than that.
I'm not saying that more protein won't help, just that you don't need to if you don't want to. A protein powder is going to give you a ~20-25g boost for a single drink. More than you probably need for your current stated goals.0 -
@supersocks117 - how do you feel after meals? I would have found your lunch on Sunday (and other meals) to have too many carbs and not enough protein and fat to keep me satisfied, but if it satisfies you then no changes needed. If you do get peckish soon after meals, consider decreasing carbs and adding some meat.
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kshama2001 wrote: »@supersocks117 - how do you feel after meals? I would have found your lunch on Sunday (and other meals) to have too many carbs and not enough protein and fat to keep me satisfied, but if it satisfies you then no changes needed. If you do get peckish soon after meals, consider decreasing carbs and adding some meat.
That meal, I was starving soon after. My mom (who like I said, is 135) seems to think everyone eats the exact size portion as her and the noodles were literally the only thing there was "enough" of for my calorie needs so I piled them on. There was no meat left in her broth and I took every carrot that was left (other option potatos) so pretty much if I eat lunch or dinner there, I assume I will be hungry soon and do the best I can. But typically, no. I feel pretty full on the calories I am eating. For 3-4 hours or so. I had breakfast around 8:30/9, a snack just now, lunch will probably be around 2 (I need the toddler down) ...I wish you could notate time though next to meal to get an idea for how full it really kept me. Maybe I should write it down for a week or so.
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