Why is MFP's Protein Recommendation So Low?

cthakkar1985

When determining what my macro breakout should be, I have researched a couple different online calculators and they recommend roughly 1 gram per/lb of lean body mass. Some are a bit lower, some a bit higher, but generally pretty close to 1g/lb of lean mass. Why is MFP's default recommendation so much lower? I haven't looked at the MFP defaults in a while, but I remember them being very low. Any idea why such a big discrepancy?

IsaackGMOON

My guess is that MFP doesn't really cater for those which are doing more strenuous activities, i.e. someone who is powerlifting is going to need more protein (somewhere in the regions of 0.8-1g of protein per lb of body mass) compared to someone who is doing the insanity program.

jwcanfield

You can adjust the ratios/percentages of protein/carb/fat in the goal section if your diet of choice (or you just like meat!) is skewed toward protein. I did that, and found that I'm more satisfied. MFP helps me keep the calories in check even doing that, cause most meats - even the leaner ones - include more natural fat and eat up my daily calorie allowance more quickly. I think that traditionally we eat too much protein, based on everything I've read:
"The DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 grams per pound (1). This amounts to (2, 3): 56 grams per day for the average sedentary man. 46 grams per day for the average sedentary woman."

kommodevaran

It's not necessarily lower, but it's calculated by percentage, which makes calorie needs skew the numbers. If you need 100 grams of protein and have to keep under 1500 calories, the percentage will be larger (26%) than if you can eat 2500 calories (16%).

A more pertinent question would be why MFP operates with percentages in the first place.

seska422

Fitness websites try to out-protein each other.

The MFP default is 20% of calories from protein and the US RDI has a floor of 10% so MFP is double the floor.

Dietary Reference Intakes: Macronutrients

cthakkar1985

kommodevaran wrote: »

It's not necessarily lower, but it's calculated by percentage, which makes calorie needs skew the numbers. If you need 100 grams of protein and have to keep under 1500 calories, the percentage will be larger (26%) than if you can eat 2500 calories (16%).

A more pertinent question would be why MFP operates with percentages in the first place.

I agree. They actually need a more polished macro/calorie calculator depending on height, weight, age, lean body mass, personal fitness goals, etc. Most other fitness websites do a much better job with this. It's unfortunate because a lot of folks new to fitness may rely on MFP's calculator which may or may not work depending on goals and personal attributes.

jaga13

jwcanfield wrote: »

You can adjust the ratios/percentages of protein/carb/fat in the goal section if your diet of choice (or you just like meat!) is skewed toward protein. I did that, and found that I'm more satisfied. MFP helps me keep the calories in check even doing that, cause most meats - even the leaner ones - include more natural fat and eat up my daily calorie allowance more quickly. I think that traditionally we eat too much protein, based on everything I've read:
"The DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 grams per pound (1). This amounts to (2, 3): 56 grams per day for the average sedentary man. 46 grams per day for the average sedentary woman."

Agreed. Mfp has my goal at 60 grams which is high
Considering my height and weight. Plus it works with percentages so if I eat more than my mfp-calorie-goal
(Which I do after exercise), it assigns me a higher protein goal. Which seems silly. Just because I chose to eat another 200 calories doesn't mean I suddenly need more protein.

Yi5hedr3

Actually he correct a out is .7 grams per pound LEAN BODY MASS per day. Your calculators are too high, and will cause the excess to convert to glycogen, and then fat.