Protein per Day

Kathryn41057

Hi all....
Just wondering how much protein a person should have every day? I'm 60 years old, 5'9" and weigh 202. I've been told different things, and thought that I would check with those who know a heck of a lot more than me.. Thanks

lemurcat12

Kathryn41057 wrote: »

Hi all....
Just wondering how much protein a person should have every day? I'm 60 years old, 5'9" and weigh 202. I've been told different things, and thought that I would check with those who know a heck of a lot more than me.. Thanks

Good rule of thumb if you are losing weight is around .8 g/lb of your healthy goal weight. That (along with activity and having a sensible deficit, not too aggressive) helps protect against muscle loss, which is more and more important as we age.

Kathryn41057

Thanks. Someone told me that I should be eating roughly 100 - 125 gms per day.

AnnPT77

Seconding the .6-.8g or so minimum per pound of healthy goal weight, the higher end of that range being better to preserve muscle while losing weight. Even more won't hurt a healthy person, as long as it doesn't drive out other necessary nutrition while in a calorie deficit.

I'd go for .35-.45g minimum of fat per pound (as much as possible from healthy sources), and an absolute minimum of 5 daily servings of varied fruit/veggies for micronutrients and fiber, and that'll add up to fairly well-rounded nutrition.