Protein

chulipa

How much protein do you eat do you go by what MFP set for you or do you eat more? I also posted this with my friends so I am sure to get an answer

Davidsdottir

I eat approximately 1g/lb of LBM. I'm 140 lbs and have my macros set to at least 125g protein a day.

kimny72

I look at the mfp default goal as a minimum I need to exceed.

The prevailing wisdom here is to shoot for at least 0.8g protein per lb of goal body weight while eating in a deficit to assist in muscle retention. Some folks also find protein satiating, making it easier to stay in a deficit.

chulipa

Mine is set at 69 but a online calculator has it at 162 or something like that how can I eat less and get that much protein? Im not very active right now due to foot and knees and im 267 lbs 5'7" and 54yrs

RoxieDawn

I do a minimum of .8 gr per body weight (which is close to 1gr/LBM). I basically hit 100 min a day but usually eat more.

kimny72

chulipa wrote: »

Mine is set at 69 but a online calculator has it at 162 or something like that how can I eat less and get that much protein? Im not very active right now due to foot and knees and im 267 lbs 5'7" and 54yrs

Macros are mostly personal preference. If it's difficult for you to eat that much protein, don't eat that much protein.

Lean sources of protein might be shrimp, canned tuna, egg whites, chicken breast, tofu, low fat greek yogurt, or protein powder.

I usually end up getting 75 - 105g in @ 1800 cals.

RoxieDawn

chulipa wrote: »

Mine is set at 69 but a online calculator has it at 162 or something like that how can I eat less and get that much protein? Im not very active right now due to foot and knees and im 267 lbs 5'7" and 54yrs

How many calories did you MFP give you to lose weight and what rate of loss per week?

Even being more sedentary, we still need higher protein intake as it helps support minimizing muscle loss while in a calorie deficit.

chulipa

1330 cals a day is what MFP gave me

MichelleSilverleaf

Right now I aim to hit about 80g of protein since that's what I tend to struggle with, hoping to eventually boost it up to 100g.

melissa6771

5'7, 160 pounds, I eat 125-140 grams on 1350 calories most days, a little higher on Sundays, 1450/day average for the week.

lynn_glenmont

I treat the U.S. RDI of .8 g/kg BW /day as a minimum. In practice a typical day for me is around .9 to 1 g per kg BW, and I hit something in the neighborhood of 1.2 to 1.3 g/kg on the one or two days a week when I happen to have a meat-centered meal (I eat a lot of vegetarian meals, or meals where the meat is more of a minor element) or on refeed/maintenance days. It wouldn't be all that hard to hit those levels (1.2 to 1.3 g/kg) on deficit days without meat, and indeed it does happy now and again, but as I don't see any evidence I'm suffering from a protein defict, it doesn't seem worth it.

Research studies with less than consistent results run over short terms with small cohorts of subjects who are mostly young, male, bodybuilding/advanced-lifting individuals running larger caloric deficits than me have not convinced me that, as a late-middle-aged beginning-level-lifting woman, I need to aim for an amount that's more than twice the US RDI (such as the oft-recommended .8 to 1.2 g per lb BW or more).

RoxieDawn

chulipa wrote: »

1330 cals a day is what MFP gave me

I would definitely try to increase your protein intake with trying to lose 2 pounds per week. I know this is going to be difficult at such a low intake. Perhaps your knee/foot issues will get better and you become more active? You will be able to add exercise cals to your intake so you can eat more and still lose weight.