Very minimum grams of protein for my weight?

Verity1111

I'm about 190 and 5'4". I'm on a 1550 calorie diet. What's the minimum grams of protein my body needs or do you know of a decent calculator for that?

psuLemon

Minimum to survive, to sustain your muscle mass, or what?

There are a lot of benefits of getting more protein the the RDA, but there aren't many of only hitting the bare minimum.

Unknown

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juggernaut1974

psulemon wrote: »

Minimum to survive, to sustain your muscle mass, or what?

^^ This. "Minimum" is going to depend on what your goals are.

yarwell

Verity1111 wrote: »

I'm about 190 and 5'4". I'm on a 1550 calorie diet. What's the minimum grams of protein my body needs or do you know of a decent calculator for that?

your 97g looks fine.

Francl27

I'd probably try to get 100g but with a low goal like that, it's probably tough.

EzRemake

155gs at least if you're on a cut.

jgnatca

I treat my protein goal as a target not a minimum.

Yi5hedr3

there are many different formulas. For example 1 gram per kg body weight. Another one is .6 to 1 gram per pound of LEAN BODY MASS (if you happen to know that). Another is .7 to 1 gram per pound, which I think is high, but the Protein folks have convinced the Bodybuilders it is true Go Figure.....

sixxpoint

0.60 - 0.82 grams protein per 1 lb. bodyweight for new muscle synthesis in active adults. This has been proven and studied for 30+ years as the optimal value.

The mix-up in communication is that a sedentary person does not need this much protein since their goal is not to add muscle. They are not weight lifting, they are sitting at a desk or on a couch.

Lastly, the bodybuilding thing is a non-issue. The human body can't utilize more than about 0.60 - 0.82 grams protein per 1 lb. of bodyweight per day anyway. And it doesn't matter what unit of measurement you use... Kg, lb, gram, ounce... The result is the same if the appropriate numbers are plugged in.

A bodybuilder or very active individual needs more calories than the average person... Not more protein per se. As long as a human being stays within the stated range of daily protein intake that I gave earlier, their muscle synthesis rates will be the most optimal.

Verity1111

thank you everyone. I am late to the party. My phone broke lol but anyway.. I ask for a minimum (for health just in general...for my body to not lose muscle basically?) because I am a vegetarian and I struggle to reach 130g of protein for a 1500cal diet. I was told to do 50% protein but it seems very unrealistic for me.

psuLemon

Verity1111 wrote: »

thank you everyone. I am late to the party. My phone broke lol but anyway.. I ask for a minimum (for health just in general...for my body to not lose muscle basically?) because I am a vegetarian and I struggle to reach 130g of protein for a 1500cal diet. I was told to do 50% protein but it seems very unrealistic for me.

100 to 120g should be fine. But you also need resistance training to help prevent/mitigate muscle loss. But you you will lose some... its inevitable.

withoutasaddle

Cdc says about 45g

vfit10

At least 100 .. But if your know you lean muscle mass .. Try to aim it .. Add up slow .. Otherwise you will hate it .

Kalikel

The recommended amount is .8g per kilogram of healthy body weight, every day. So, if one is super-obese, the amount doesn't rise sky high. It's based on what you'd weigh if you were a healthy body.

But when we are very obese, we need more calories, so some of them will probably be protein.

I've never seen an "absolute minimum" and don't really know what it would be (or if such a number exists.)

I struggle with protein, too. I'm an omnivore, but don't really eat a lot of meat. I'm not even trying to get 100 and still struggle, so am very impressed with you getting 100 as a vegetarian. You give me hope.

BurnWithBarn2015

jgnatca wrote: »

I treat my protein goal as a target not a minimum.

++
Exactly the same

Bansh3e

0.8/1 g per pound.

Yi5hedr3

The only accurate method is by using your LEAN BODY MASS, as protein is only needed for muscle. The true minimum, per Dr. Ron Rosedale would be .6 grams per pound lean body mass per day. That being said, I agree with others that minimum may not be optimal. The range he specifies is .6 to 1, so maybe .8 ????....

Celestina_Loving

From the studies I have read you need 6/7% of your daily calories to come from protein just to replace the protein/amino acid loss from general living. That is why the RDA is 10% just to make sure you hit that minimum for living general life. For those of us that train hard, we have more break down and require more protein.

Personally I recently switched from 40% to 25% protein because I was having trouble hitting 170G without 2-3 protein supplements a day and I felt like something wasn't right. After upping my carbs, lowering my fat and protein(esp from animal sources) I have a ton more energy, my trainer says my conditioning is skyrocketing, my overhead lifts are up, and my bodyweight is down. So I guess play with your numbers and find where you feel the best.

Sabine_Stroehm

EzRemake wrote: »

155gs at least if you're on a cut.

How did you get that number?

Verity1111

Thank you everyone! I appreciate all the info. I can hit 130g on a higher calorie diet easily, but the person I was working with wanted me on 1300 with 160g! Impossible honestly I just cant. I dont eat meat so Id be living on beans and egg whites lol Right now I have decided to eat what I want for a while and see how I lose and then after I lose at least 20lbs go back to doing 100-140 grams depending on my calorie level and exercise My full goal is to lose 60-70. Thank you everyone for everything! I will be looking back at this thread periodically and use it all as I go through my journey.

tkfunkyfrogg

Hey, don't forget lentils, quinoa and tofu for protein Protein standard people parrot is 1/2 your body weight but can be up to .8 per pound depending on your goals. Good luck on your path!

MKEgal

Verity wrote:

I'm about 190 and 5'4". I'm on a 1550 calorie diet. What's the minimum grams of protein my body needs or do you know of a decent calculator for that?

Since nobody has yet provided information from / a link to an authoritative source...

Here's a table which explains the healthy ranges, from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition:
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/88/1/1/T1.expansion.html

carbs, 45 - 65% of calories (4 cal per gram)
fat, 20 - 35% of calories (9 cal per gram)
protein, 10 - 35% of calories (4 cal per gram)

So anywhere from 155 - 542 calories,
which is 39 - 136 grams.


(Source your info, folks, so people can judge its merit.)

MKEgal

And to see how your calorie goal and servings of food change with weight or activity,
try this calculator from the Baylor College of Medicine. Also shows BMI.
https://www.bcm.edu/cnrc-apps/healthyeatingcalculator/eatingCal.html

rankinsect

As a very brief rule of thumb (and these aren't enough if you're trying to build muscle, just if you were trying to maintain) the average sedentary adult female needs about 45g and the average sedentary adult male needs about 55g per day. Since you're on a calorie deficit, it's better to go a bit higher - since your body will try to catabolize muscle for energy along with fat reserves, it's good to have extra protein in your diet beyond the bare minimum to reduce that effect.

Verity1111

tkfunkyfrogg wrote: »

Hey, don't forget lentils, quinoa and tofu for protein Protein standard people parrot is 1/2 your body weight but can be up to .8 per pound depending on your goals. Good luck on your path!

1/2 my body weight sounds so much easier lol I hear .8 per pound of goal weight too. I might do that.

Verity1111

MKEgal wrote: »

Verity wrote:

I'm about 190 and 5'4". I'm on a 1550 calorie diet. What's the minimum grams of protein my body needs or do you know of a decent calculator for that?

Since nobody has yet provided information from / a link to an authoritative source...

Here's a table which explains the healthy ranges, from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition:
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/88/1/1/T1.expansion.html

carbs, 45 - 65% of calories (4 cal per gram)
fat, 20 - 35% of calories (9 cal per gram)
protein, 10 - 35% of calories (4 cal per gram)

So anywhere from 155 - 542 calories,
which is 39 - 136 grams.


(Source your info, folks, so people can judge its merit.)

Thank you for this and the other link as well

Verity1111

rankinsect wrote: »

As a very brief rule of thumb (and these aren't enough if you're trying to build muscle, just if you were trying to maintain) the average sedentary adult female needs about 45g and the average sedentary adult male needs about 55g per day. Since you're on a calorie deficit, it's better to go a bit higher - since your body will try to catabolize muscle for energy along with fat reserves, it's good to have extra protein in your diet beyond the bare minimum to reduce that effect.

Generally if I dont try I naturally end up around 65-75 grams as a vegetarian. If I focus I can hit 90-100 on a lower calorie diet and on a higher one maybe 1700-2000 when Im exercising a lot or maintaining I can hit 115-140g. So on that level from what you said I assume I'd be decent? It is good to know I don't need like 200g to survive lol

psuLemon

Verity1111 wrote: »

Thank you everyone! I appreciate all the info. I can hit 130g on a higher calorie diet easily, but the person I was working with wanted me on 1300 with 160g! Impossible honestly I just cant. I dont eat meat so Id be living on beans and egg whites lol Right now I have decided to eat what I want for a while and see how I lose and then after I lose at least 20lbs go back to doing 100-140 grams depending on my calorie level and exercise My full goal is to lose 60-70. Thank you everyone for everything! I will be looking back at this thread periodically and use it all as I go through my journey.

You might want to clarify with the person you are working with, to why they want you on such a high protein diet. Even as a 5'11, 33 year old, 180lb @ 15% body fat male, I only need around 150g.

Verity1111

psulemon wrote: »

Verity1111 wrote: »

Thank you everyone! I appreciate all the info. I can hit 130g on a higher calorie diet easily, but the person I was working with wanted me on 1300 with 160g! Impossible honestly I just cant. I dont eat meat so Id be living on beans and egg whites lol Right now I have decided to eat what I want for a while and see how I lose and then after I lose at least 20lbs go back to doing 100-140 grams depending on my calorie level and exercise My full goal is to lose 60-70. Thank you everyone for everything! I will be looking back at this thread periodically and use it all as I go through my journey.

You might want to clarify with the person you are working with, to why they want you on such a high protein diet. Even as a 5'11, 33 year old, 180lb @ 15% body fat male, I only need around 150g.

I have no idea lol he's a "coach" online. I don't think he has any nutrition training tbh but hey idk. he said the people in our group on this other site do 50% protein often which is, in my opinion, unnecessary. I am looking for help where I can get it and people told me he's a good person to help...but I dont think to help me. Thank you for the clarification. If you are 15% body fat and only need 150 Im going to assume when Im 127-145lbs I wont need that much since Im 5'4" lol