Protein intake...So much different advise....

Carolyn2017mfp

How much protein is roughly needed per day.
Some advise 0.8g to 1g per lb of body weight.... Some say
1g to 1.5g per kg of body weight???
I know protein is the most important macro so I want to sort this out first, then worry about what I have left in fats and proteins carbs

TavistockToad

Carolyn2017mfp wrote: »

How much protein is roughly needed per day.
Some advise 0.8g to 1g per lb of body weight.... Some say
1g to 1.5g per kg of body weight???
I know protein is the most important macro so I want to sort this out first, then worry about what I have left in fats and proteins carbs

The difference in calculations isn't that great...

Old_Cat_Lady

" For a 50-year-old woman who weighs 140 pounds woman and who is sedentary (doesn’t exercise), that translates into 53 grams of protein a day."
from: http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-much-protein-do-you-need-every-day-201506188096
I consider that to be a minimal amount and shoot for 70 grams a day.
Here is a protein calculator from that usda: https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/interactiveDRI/
The calculator even suggests how many cups of water to drink. It also takes into account if you are active or sedentary. Try it.

cwolfman13

A few things...the RDA is a minimum requirement and it is generally ok for someone who is maintaining weight and not particularly active. More protein is beneficial during weight loss as it helps to preserve muscle mass. For physically active people, particularly people who are regularly performing more vigorous physical activity, the RDA is inadequate at best.

IMO, 1 gram per Lb of body weight is overkill...1 gram per Lb of LBM is pretty ideal if you're a strength athlete. .8 grams per Lb of body weight will be pretty close to 1g per Lb of LBM for most people. I tend to get .6-.8g; I'm usually somewhere in between. I'm more of an endurance athlete who does a little strength training so I'm not particularly concerned with getting 1g per Lb of LBM.

http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/how-much-protein-do-you-need-every-day-201506188096

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is a modest 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. The RDA is the amount of a nutrient you need to meet your basic nutritional requirements. In a sense, it’s the minimum amount you need to keep from getting sick — not the specific amount you are supposed to eat every day.

For a relatively active adult, eating enough protein to meet the RDA would supply as little as 10% of his or her total daily calories. In comparison, the average American consumes around 16% of his or her daily calories in the form of protein, from both plant and animal sources.

The Protein Summit reports in AJCN argue that 16% is anything but excessive. In fact, the reports suggest that Americans may eat too little protein, not too much. The potential benefits of higher protein intake, these researchers argue, include preserving muscle strength despite aging and maintaining a lean, fat-burning physique. Some studies described in the summit reports suggest that protein is more effective if you space it out over the day’s meals and snacks, rather than loading up at dinner like many Americans do.

Based on the totality of the research presented at the summit, Rodriguez estimates that taking in up to twice the RDA of protein “is a safe and good range to aim for.” This equates roughly to 15% to 25% of total daily calories, although it could be above or below this range depending on your age, sex, and activity level. That range fits nicely into the recommendation from the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans that we get 10% to 35% of daily calories from protein.

http://bayesianbodybuilding.com/the-myth-of-1glb-optimal-protein-intake-for-bodybuilders/

The picture below summarizes the literature. As you can see, 1.8g/kg (0.82g/lb) is the point at which additional protein intake ceases to yield any benefits.

But I train harder!
If you still think you need more than 0.82g/lb because you think you train harder than these test subjects, think again. Lemon et al. (1992) studied bodybuilders training 1.5 hours per day, 6 days per week and still concluded 0.75g/lb is the highest intake at which body composition benefits could occur.

But what about when cutting?
A final objection that is often heard is that these values may be true during bulking or maintenance periods, but cutting requires more protein to maintain muscle mass. Walberg et al. (1988) studied cutting weightlifters and they still found 0.73g/lb was sufficient to maintain lean body mass.



A perhaps even more telling study is by Pikosky et al. in 2008. The researchers took a group of endurance trained subjects and had them consume either 0.41 or 0.82 g/lb of protein per day. They also added a thousand calories worth of training on top of their regular exercise. So these guys were literally running on a 1000 calorie deficit while drastically increasing their training volume. Talk about a catabolic state… Of course the nitrogen balance in the low protein group plummeted. However, the protein intake of 0.82 g/lb in the other group completely protected the subjects from muscle loss. Nitrogen balance, whole-body protein turnover and protein synthesis remained unchanged.

joeybrid

How much do you weigh and how often do you workout per week? How long?

Carolyn2017mfp

I'm 5ft 2" 108lbs (very small frame).
I work out 3 to 4 times a week for about 45mins to 1hr. Strength training.
I want to gain a bit more muscle.

joeybrid

100-120 grans

Carolyn2017mfp wrote: »

I'm 5ft 2" 108lbs (very small frame).
I work out 3 to 4 times a week. Strength training.
I want to gain a bit more muscle.

Honestly you can't really go wrong going a bit on he high side, 110-120 grams should be enough for both gaining strength and gaining muscle for your build.

rybo

Carolyn2017mfp wrote: »

I'm 5ft 2" 108lbs (very small frame).
I work out 3 to 4 times a week for about 45mins to 1hr. Strength training.
I want to gain a bit more muscle.

You'd be fine at 80 grams. Going higher won't hurt, but it also won't make you gain muscle faster or easier.

mmapags

rybo wrote: »

Carolyn2017mfp wrote: »

I'm 5ft 2" 108lbs (very small frame).
I work out 3 to 4 times a week for about 45mins to 1hr. Strength training.
I want to gain a bit more muscle.

You'd be fine at 80 grams. Going higher won't hurt, but it also won't make you gain muscle faster or easier.

This! If you like protein, eat more. But 1 gram per lb of lean body mass is enough to accomplish your muscle building goals.

Carolyn2017mfp

Thank you all for your replies.
I've set it at 92g as that's about 25% according to mfp. That about as near as I can get with their rounding up. Any lower it goes down to 74g..

psuLemon

Aiming for 92-110g is fine. you can always go over the 92g (you can use it as you minimum). Also, if your goal is recomp or muscle gain, what does your lifting program look like?

joemac1988

Carolyn2017mfp wrote: »

How much protein is roughly needed per day.
Some advise 0.8g to 1g per lb of body weight.... Some say
1g to 1.5g per kg of body weight???
I know protein is the most important macro so I want to sort this out first, then worry about what I have left in fats and proteins carbs

It depends on your goals...and you'll never get everyone to agree.

Step 1 - Protein
.8-1g per lb bodyweight
(1.3 if dieting. This is to retain lean mass)

Step 2 - Fat
20-35% of total cals
(15-25% if dieting to keep carbs higher.)

Step 3 - Carbs
Balance of remaining cals.

Carolyn2017mfp

I'm trying to recomp. I'm just started doing 5x5 3 days a week at home using my own bench, barbell and dumbells but also going to the gym twice at least using the machines and going for a quick swim.
I have trouble gaining weight. But I need to loose fat around my middle and turn it into Muscle. Which I know is the hardest to do. I'm only 108lbs.