Protein

Meetmygoal1

I noticed that my protein level seems low. I did not set any levels but used default settings in MFP. Are the defaults ok and accurate?

concordancia

The default protein tends to be on the low side, you really should try to reach it, barring any medical reason to limit protein.

AnnPT77

The defaults are a decent start for most people. You can fine-tune over time if you like.

"Best" protein level is a frequent source of disagreement around here, and you'll see everything from the "I believe FreeLee the Banana Girl" crowd who think humans need very little protein, like maybe 10% of calories (and that should be all from plants, dadgummit! ); to USDA/WHO RDAs (from memory, I think they're something like 0.8g daily per kg of bodyweight, or maybe it's 1g); to a pretty common MFP idea that a good level while lossing weight is 0.6-0.8g per pound of healthy goal weight, which equates to about 0.8-1g per pound of lean body mass; to a mostly bodybuilding-sourced belief that 1-1.5g per pound of bodyweight is best.

I'd say, start with the default, read some arguments, come to a conclusion.

The arguments will be complicated by the fact that some people say 0.8g per lb, others say 0.8g per kg and insist that the first group just misunderstand the units for bodyweight (which is not necessarily true); and that some say you must use LBM as the base even though most people don't accurately know their LBM (even though the gram multiplier can be adjusted to account for average bodyfat ranges and be applied to healthy goal weight: that calculation change makes typically only single-digit differences in daily grams for most people, at most).

One thing I'm pretty sure of: If you start calculating goals based on body weight, using a multiplier for body weight with the appropriate body weight measure (kg, lb, stone, whatever), then you want to be using a healthy goal body weight in that calculation, not a current obese bodyweight. Trying to get (say) 0.8-1g protein for every pound of a seriously obese bodyweight, while eating significantly reduced calories, is a recipe for frustration. It's unnecessary, because we need protein to maintain our lean tissue; we don't need extra protein to maintain extra fat.

Go with the protein default to start, treat it as a minimum, then join the collective "protein religious wars" at you leisure.

Meetmygoal1

great stuff thanks

tiffanyleilarsen

Try to listen to your body as much as possible. I try to surpass mine because I'm anemic and extra protein is a natural remedy to anemia. But honestly, it's really hard to meet because I love pasta, so it tends to take up a lot of my calories.

AnnPT77

tiffanyleilarsen wrote: »

Try to listen to your body as much as possible. I try to surpass mine because I'm anemic and extra protein is a natural remedy to anemia. But honestly, it's really hard to meet because I love pasta, so it tends to take up a lot of my calories.

Have you tried chickpea, pea, or lentil pasta? It may not suit you, but if it does, it could be a help.