Confused about how much protein?

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erinelizabeth882
erinelizabeth882 Posts: 102 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I’m confused about how much protein I should be aiming for. I am 5”3’ female, 133 pounds. My goal is to lose about 10 pounds, though I am less concerned about my actual weight as I am with losing fat. I would like to “tone up” as well. I am doing 3-5 workouts per week with weights and cardio, plus walks and yoga. I see online recommendations of about .4 to .6 grams of protein per pound of body weight which is about 50-70 grams. However, I’ve also read 30% of your calorie intact being protein which ends up being around 100 grams! I’m definitely more in the 50 range right now. What should I be aiming for?

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  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,088 Member
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    .4 to.6 is fine. Protein helps fill you up and can help you stay full. Many people up theirs. Its entirely up to you.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    The recommendation from Eric Helms, the PHD who has done extensive research and published multiple papers on this topic, is .88 grams per lb of body weight. The sweet spot is .75 and the .8 gives a little buffer.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,395 MFP Moderator
    edited April 2019
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    mmapags wrote: »
    The recommendation from Eric Helms, the PHD who has done extensive research and published multiple papers on this topic, is .88 grams per lb of body weight. The sweet spot is .75 and the .8 gives a little buffer.

    Pretty much this while you are losing weight. If one is really active or working to build muscle, than .8-1.2 g/lb is a good target.

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