Protein macro

Noxxys
Noxxys Posts: 26 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
at the moment I'm eating a 40%c/20%f/40p macro split and was just wondering if 40% protein is too much? there are some days I do feel like it's a struggle to get in my protein in certain days like when I go to the gym and my activity is very high. should I drop the protein down to 35% and up my fats to 25% ? if it helps my goal is to recomp.

Replies

  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
    What is your overall calorie goal? 40% protein does seem excessive. I don't think it's necessarily bad for you but you also won't really see any benefit of it. .6 to .8 grams per pound of your maintenance weight is sufficient.
  • Noxxys
    Noxxys Posts: 26 Member
    2500 cals on normal days but can reach up to 3000 cals on gym days
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
    Noxxys wrote: »
    2500 cals on normal days but can reach up to 3000 cals on gym days

    250-300 grams of protein is completely unnecessary IMO. I imagine it would be hard to hit so I am not surprised you struggle with it.
  • Noxxys
    Noxxys Posts: 26 Member
    alright, i'll drop it down to 35% and up my fats to 25% and see how that works out then.
  • Cahgetsfit
    Cahgetsfit Posts: 1,912 Member
    2.2P per kilo bodyweight is plenty for someone on the gainz train. If you just want to maintain 2P per kilo bodyweight.

    Too much protein just gets pissed out anyway.
  • Cahgetsfit
    Cahgetsfit Posts: 1,912 Member
    What you can use is 2- 2.2P per kilo bodyweight, then 0.8 - 1F per kilo bodyweight and the leftovers are carbs.
  • InsertFunnyUsernameHere
    InsertFunnyUsernameHere Posts: 271 Member
    edited March 2019
    Protein is a minimum. Meet the minimum and you're fine. Instead of trying to balance it as a percentage of your daily intake, try this:

    Calculate or estimate your BF%. Figure out how much of your weight is fat. Subtract that from your weight. What's left is called Lean Body Mass (LBM). A minimum protein intake of 1g/lb of LBM should be sufficient to retain muscle mass on a deficit, or build new mass on a surplus.

    e.g.,

    You weigh 225lbs. You estimate your BF% by looking at photos on a chart as 35%. This isn't perfectly accurate, but as an estimate for this purpose it's likely ok. If you have an accurate method to measure your BF%, you can do that instead.

    35% of 225 is 79.

    225 - 79 is 146. That's your LBM.

    Set your daily goal at 146g of protein no matter how many calories you eat and you'll be fine. Unless you're a bodybuilder or power lifter or professional athlete of some sort, that should be more than sufficient for your body. The trick then becomes, how to affordably incorporate that much protein into your daily diet? This explains why so many people turn to daily protein shakes.

    This is admittedly simplified advice. You can deep dive into this topic if you're really interested, but MFP probably isn't the place to find that info. Check PubMed and other peer-reviewed sources.
  • kytdkyt
    kytdkyt Posts: 16 Member
    edited March 2019
    If your goal is to recomp, simply begin by eating 1-1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight. You don't need to calculate your body fat percentage and all the rest. And you can find a LOT of very good "deep dive" information on recomping on MFP. Start with this thread:
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat
  • InsertFunnyUsernameHere
    InsertFunnyUsernameHere Posts: 271 Member
    kytdkyt wrote: »
    If your goal is to recomp, simply begin by eating 1-1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight. You don't need to calculate your body fat percentage and all the rest. And you can find a LOT of very good "deep dive" information on recomping on MFP. Start with this thread:
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat

    Using your bodyweight will mean your macro is set higher than it needs to be and meeting that goal will be harder and more expensive. It's ok to eat too much protein. The unused amount just gets flushed out, but why spend the extra money to meet a goal that's set too high?
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
    I’ve been following this thread with interest because I’m starting to recomp but am confused about how much protein is optimal. I don’t have access to calipers or other ways to measure my body fat. How do I estimate it? Where are the charts or pictures the other poster mentioned? Also, someone in another thread mentioned that older people (I’m 59) need more protein because they don’t absorb it as well. Any help is appreciated!
  • Dgil1975
    Dgil1975 Posts: 110 Member
    Unless you are a body builder there is no need for excessive protein, and even those guys go way overboard. Read a book by Dr. Garth Davis called Proteinaholic, interesting read definitely made me re-examine my thoughts on the issue. Myself I aim for 100 grams a day which seems to be more than sufficient.
  • tmpecus78
    tmpecus78 Posts: 1,206 Member
    Cahgetsfit wrote: »
    Too much protein just gets pissed out anyway.

    WHAT?????

    This is bro science spouted off by people who have no idea what the human body does. While you can't always utilize all of the amino acids for protein synthesis in the body, unless you have a severe pathology, you don't piss it out. You convert select amino acids into glucose via gluconeogenesis and then store it as glycogen. If your glycogen stores are full, your glucose gets converted to Acetyl-CoA, which is then synthesized into triglycerides, fat, and other compounds. Do you think we would have survived as prehistoric man if we pissed out all of our calories from the hunt?

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