Protein needs - how to calculate when very overweight/obese

jemhh

I have seen/read plenty about how to calculate your protein needs when you are somewhat overweight or at a healthy weight. However, I do not know what the suggestion is for people who are very overweight or obese. Can anybody make a suggestion or send me in the right direction for this? (I am searching too but thought somebody here might already know.)

lemurcat12

My understanding is that the usual formula (.65-.85 g/lb of healthy body weight or maybe .8 g) should use goal weight when very overweight. It's a way of roughly approximating the .8-1 g/lb of LBM for people who don't know their LBM.

The Examine.com site has information: http://examine.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-do-i-need-every-day/

If you are obese, using a protein intake relative to body weight is a bad idea. Either calculate your lean mass (overall weight after subtracting fat mass, which can be calculated by body fat percentage) or use your goal/target weight for calculations.

kimmie2128

It really depends if you want to go by the recommended dose or if you are trying to lose weight or gain muscle.

Protein is 4 calories / gram. So... Say you're at a caloric intake of 2000/day and want say 35% of your calories to come from protein. 2000 x .35 = 700 calories. Divide that by 4 and you get 175g of protein per day.

Like I said, it really depends on what you're trying to accomplish. If you want to lose weight, then you will probably go with 35% protein, 40% carb, and 20% fat.

Going off the 2000 calories that would be...
175g protein (4 calories/gram)
200g carbs (4 calories/gram)
44g fat (9 calories/gram)

Does that make sense?

jemhh

lemurcat12 wrote: »

My understanding is that the usual formula (.65-.85 g/lb of healthy body weight or maybe .8 g) should use goal weight when very overweight. It's a way of roughly approximating the .8-1 g/lb of LBM for people who don't know their LBM.

The Examine.com site has information: http://examine.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-do-i-need-every-day/

If you are obese, using a protein intake relative to body weight is a bad idea. Either calculate your lean mass (overall weight after subtracting fat mass, which can be calculated by body fat percentage) or use your goal/target weight for calculations.

Great. Thanks! I think I have seen this recommendation before but forgot about it.

capaul42

kimmie2128 wrote: »

It really depends if you want to go by the recommended dose or if you are trying to lose weight or gain muscle.

Protein is 4 calories / gram. So... Say you're at a caloric intake of 2000/day and want say 35% of your calories to come from protein. 2000 x .35 = 700 calories. Divide that by 4 and you get 175g of protein per day.

Like I said, it really depends on what you're trying to accomplish. If you want to lose weight, then you will probably go with 35% protein, 40% carb, and 20% fat.

Going off the 2000 calories that would be...
175g protein (4 calories/gram)
200g carbs (4 calories/gram)
44g fat (9 calories/gram)

Does that make sense?

This.

beatyfamily1

macro calculator: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/macronutrients_calculator.htm?searchTerm=macro calculator