Do I need enough protein for my current weight or my goal weight?

Verity1111

For example, I am aiming for 127lbs and would be okay with anywhere 15-24% fat. Yes, I know this will take a lot of time, but that is the range I read is between Fit and Athlete and I want to be Fit once all is said and done. I am still losing weight right now and I'm 180lbs or so. My lean body mass right now could be anywhere from 100-130lbs give or take but for goal it would be 96-108lbs. Do I need to eat 130g of protein or could I eat less and still maintain a decent amount of muscle? Today I hit 80g on 1300calories which to be honest is good for me because I was reaching way lower before (and I'm a vegetarian) but I'm still working on it. Thanks for any help! If you could give me your opinion for how many g of protein to eat at 1300, 1500 and 1700 calories I'd really appreciate it (I plan on upping my calories to those second two levels over the next couple months).

rybo

It's more of a good, better, best situation. High protein diets during weight loss have been shown to preserve more muscle as you lose weight. That said, there is no magical formula. Stick with the recommended .8 to 1 gram/lb body weight (current weight) if you can. The article below is pretty good at citing studies, and uses .7 gram/lb as the minimum but if you can get more that's probably better.
Also I would aim for the same protein grams regardless of your overall daily calories

https://drivennutrition.net/how-much-protein-during-dieting/affiliates/488/

Verity1111

rybo wrote: »

It's more of a good, better, best situation. High protein diets during weight loss have been shown to preserve more muscle as you lose weight. That said, there is no magical formula. Stick with the recommended .8 to 1 gram/lb body weight (current weight) if you can. The article below is pretty good at citing studies, and uses .7 gram/lb as the minimum but if you can get more that's probably better.
Also I would aim for the same protein grams regardless of your overall daily calories

https://drivennutrition.net/how-much-protein-during-dieting/affiliates/488/

Thank you. I thought it was 1lb per lean body weight, not full body weight? I keep seeing arguments back and forth. Theres no way I can do full body weight though Im 180 and I can barely hit 100g.

Verity1111

This is what I mean:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/489271-minimum-protein-intake-per-lean-body-mass/

I keep being told both and it makes a very big difference.

rybo

The differences in recommendations between body mass & LBM, typically are adjusted so they come out the same. If you ate .7 gram/lbs @ 180, you would eat the same amount if you went 1 gram/lb of lean body mass at 180 and had a 30% body fat.

The bottom line is, if you struggle to hit the lowest recommended dose, what does it matter what the higher end is? Try to eat as much as you can, that's all.

Verity1111

rybo wrote: »

The differences in recommendations between body mass & LBM, typically are adjusted so they come out the same. If you ate .7 gram/lbs @ 180, you would eat the same amount if you went 1 gram/lb of lean body mass at 180 and had a 30% body fat.

The bottom line is, if you struggle to hit the lowest recommended dose, what does it matter what the higher end is? Try to eat as much as you can, that's all.

126 is way better...okay plus it's almost exactly my goal weight so .7 for 180 = the high end for 127 right? 126g is basically that? Thank you so much again! I will probably stick to 80g for a week or two, then up it to 100 and so on until I can hit 126 without a lot of effort.