Do I need more protein?

grippys

Hi all. My 16 year old daughter has recently started working out. She does not have weight to lose, but wants to tone up and have some definition. She is currently working out almost daily and we had the discussion yesterday about increased protein and better nutrition. So, I have been doing a lot of reading today and am kind of overwhelmed by the information out there. I have read that she needs at least .8 grams of protein per pound?? That seems like a ton of protein?? I always have thought that you didn't want to overdo the protein because it was stored as fat? Any advice you can help me out with would be much muchly appreciated.

Shauna

Yi5hedr3

That would be the high end, but it should be based on LEAN BODY MASS, NOT total body weight. So for example if you were 150 pounds, but 20 percent body fat, your lean body mass would be about 119 lbs. Multiply the 119 pounds by .7 to .8 to come up with protein in grams.

jlh923

Eat lean meats and fish. I find beef and pork have too much natural fat, but yes. I try to eat 1 gram per body weight. I eat 5-6 small meals per day (every 3 hours) and always include a healthy protein every meal. I try to get my daughter to follow this rule, but she's not a meat eater. She likes whey protein shakes.

lynn_glenmont

Based on the trends for these sorts of threads, you'll likely get a lot of advice in the range of .8 gram per pound and 1 gram per pound and 1.4 grams per pound and even 1.8 grams per pound. The studies cited as support for these figures are generally studies that looked for the maximum amount of protein for which any benefit could be found at the margin for experienced lifters in building or retaining muscle mass (depending on whether they're on a calorie surplus or a calorie deficit).

The National Academies of Science recommend 0.85 grams per kilogram (not pound) of bodyweight per day for 14 to 18 year-olds. (There are 2.2 lbs in a kilogram, so if you divide weight in lbs by 2.2 and multiply .85, you'll get recommended number of protein grams.) This amount has been determined to meet the needs of almost all (97 to 98 percent) individuals in that age group. I treat the NAS recommendation as a minimum for myself--if at the end of the day I discover I somehow came up short, I'll eat something to at least get to that number. Most days I have at least 10 to 20 grams extra; once or twice a week I have close to double the NAS number.

http://iom.nationalacademies.org/~/media/Files/Activity Files/Nutrition/DRIs/New Material/8_Macronutrient Summary.pdf

So, it definitely won't hurt her to shoot for the .8 g/lb figure you found (unless she's paying for her own food--then it might hurt her pocketbook, because protein tends to be the most expensive macro).

As for protein being "stored as fat"--only if you eat too much overall and eat more protein than your body can use immediately. Excess calories are stored as fat (eventually) no matter the source. Getting a relatively larger percentage of the calories she needs from protein will not suddenly cause her to store fat.

lynn_glenmont

Just realized the thread title is "Do I need more protein?" then OP asks about "her daughter." ??

MelaniaTrump

Here is a minimum guide I go by (but I shoot for 70).
The US Department of Agriculture recommends that all men and women over the age of 19 should get at least 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day (or 0.37 grams per pound).
That means a woman who is 130 pounds should get at least 48 grams of protein, which could look like 7 ounces of salmon or 7 eggs.

Carlos_421

lynn_glenmont wrote: »

Based on the trends for these sorts of threads, you'll likely get a lot of advice in the range of .8 gram per pound and 1 gram per pound and 1) 1.4 grams per pound and even 1.8 grams per pound. The studies cited as support for these figures are generally studies that looked for the maximum amount of protein for which any benefit could be found at the margin for experienced lifters in building or retaining muscle mass (depending on whether they're on a calorie surplus or a calorie deficit).

The National Academies of Science recommend 2) 0.85 grams per kilogram (not pound) of bodyweight per day for 14 to 18 year-olds. (There are 2.2 lbs in a kilogram, so if you divide weight in lbs by 2.2 and multiply .85, you'll get recommended number of protein grams.) This amount has been determined to meet the needs of almost all (97 to 98 percent) individuals in that age group. I treat the NAS recommendation as a minimum for myself--if at the end of the day I discover I somehow came up short, I'll eat something to at least get to that number. Most days I have at least 10 to 20 grams extra; once or twice a week I have close to double the NAS number.

http://iom.nationalacademies.org/~/media/Files/Activity Files/Nutrition/DRIs/New Material/8_Macronutrient Summary.pdf

So, it definitely won't hurt her to shoot for the .8 g/lb figure you found (unless she's paying for her own food--then it might hurt her pocketbook, because protein tends to be the most expensive macro).

As for protein being "stored as fat"--only if you eat too much overall and eat more protein than your body can use immediately. Excess calories are stored as fat (eventually) no matter the source. Getting a relatively larger percentage of the calories she needs from protein will not suddenly cause her to store fat.

1) I always come to these threads and I never see recommendations that high.

2) That guideline is the minimum for sedentary individuals maintaining body weight. The OP's daughter is not sedentary, is working out (I assume lifting weights considering the goal is to add definition which is done by either building muscle or losing weight to reveal the muscle already there) and would thus benefit from shooting for .8-1 grams per pound of lean body mass.

Carlos_421

lynn_glenmont wrote: »

Just realized the thread title is "Do I need more protein?" then OP asks about "her daughter." ??

I believe she is using the royal "I."

Sued0nim

lynn_glenmont wrote: »

Based on the trends for these sorts of threads, you'll likely get a lot of advice in the range of .8 gram per pound and 1 gram per pound and 1.4 grams per pound and even 1.8 grams per pound. The studies cited as support for these figures are generally studies that looked for the maximum amount of protein for which any benefit could be found at the margin for experienced lifters in building or retaining muscle mass (depending on whether they're on a calorie surplus or a calorie deficit).

The National Academies of Science recommend 0.85 grams per kilogram (not pound) of bodyweight per day for 14 to 18 year-olds. (There are 2.2 lbs in a kilogram, so if you divide weight in lbs by 2.2 and multiply .85, you'll get recommended number of protein grams.) This amount has been determined to meet the needs of almost all (97 to 98 percent) individuals in that age group. I treat the NAS recommendation as a minimum for myself--if at the end of the day I discover I somehow came up short, I'll eat something to at least get to that number. Most days I have at least 10 to 20 grams extra; once or twice a week I have close to double the NAS number.

http://iom.nationalacademies.org/~/media/Files/Activity Files/Nutrition/DRIs/New Material/8_Macronutrient Summary.pdf

So, it definitely won't hurt her to shoot for the .8 g/lb figure you found (unless she's paying for her own food--then it might hurt her pocketbook, because protein tends to be the most expensive macro).

As for protein being "stored as fat"--only if you eat too much overall and eat more protein than your body can use immediately. Excess calories are stored as fat (eventually) no matter the source. Getting a relatively larger percentage of the calories she needs from protein will not suddenly cause her to store fat.

Good post although I'd question the recommendations you've quoted I've never seen that high recommended but more the 0.6-0.8g per lb bw as a minimum

Your 16 year old daughter has different dietary and nutritional requirements to an adult ..also teach her the value of rest days and moderation in all things

Yi5hedr3

Any formula bed on total body weight, will be inaccurate. Protein requirement is based on LEAN BODY MASS. There is no protein requirement for fat.