2g of protein per kg to avoid muscle loss ?
weedspot
Posts: 29 Member
Hi!
I weigh 80kgs (176 lbs) I’m and currently at a 500 cal deficit. Which puts me at 1800 calories a day.
I workout 4 to 6 times a week.
So I’d like to know if I eat around 160-170g of protein per day and not eat back all of my burned during workout calories, could U lose muscle mass ? Or am I ok as long as I eat 2g of protein per kg of body weight ?
I weigh 80kgs (176 lbs) I’m and currently at a 500 cal deficit. Which puts me at 1800 calories a day.
I workout 4 to 6 times a week.
So I’d like to know if I eat around 160-170g of protein per day and not eat back all of my burned during workout calories, could U lose muscle mass ? Or am I ok as long as I eat 2g of protein per kg of body weight ?
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Replies
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I would shoot for 1 gram per target body weight. Need more info... Male? Activity? Bf?0
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psychod787 wrote: »I would shoot for 1 gram per target body weight. Need more info... Male? Activity? Bf?
I’m a man, pretty sedentary job outside of the 4-6 weekly workouts. No idea what my body fat is.
All I’m trying to know is can I lose muscle while being at a 500 calorie deficit, despite eating 2g of protein per kg (160g a day) ?
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psychod787 wrote: »I would shoot for 1 gram per target body weight. Need more info... Male? Activity? Bf?
I’m a man, pretty sedentary job outside of the 4-6 weekly workouts. No idea what my body fat is.
All I’m trying to know is can I lose muscle while being at a 500 calorie deficit, despite eating 2g of protein per kg (160g a day) ?
IMO, It's going to be difficult for anyone to say. Do your workouts include strength training with a well-designe progressive program? Is your nutrition adequate in other ways beyond the protein?
Fast loss generically increases risk of losing lean tissue. If you do what you say (which sounds like a 500 calorie deficit plus not eating back exercise calories, maybe?), will you lose fast for your current body size? I dunno. For one, you don't say how tall you are, or how much weight you have to lose in total. A pound a week could be fast-ish already if you're close to goal weight, and you don't say much about your workouts so if they're significant and adding to your deficit, you could be above the pound a week.
Strength training & adequate protein shift your odds of losing muscle toward minimizing its loss. Losing fast might shift it back a bit from there to slightly higher risk, maybe.
Just my opinion.psychod787 wrote: »I would shoot for 1 gram per target body weight. Need more info... Male? Activity? Bf?
I think you're talking lbs, nephew? But, yeah, 160-170g is a little under 1g per lb at 176lbs. Not a lot, though.5 -
psychod787 wrote: »I would shoot for 1 gram per target body weight. Need more info... Male? Activity? Bf?
I’m a man, pretty sedentary job outside of the 4-6 weekly workouts. No idea what my body fat is.
All I’m trying to know is can I lose muscle while being at a 500 calorie deficit, despite eating 2g of protein per kg (160g a day) ?
Yes, you will lose some, (ok, most likely)...but... eating higher protein as you suggested will help. The old rule of 1mg per pound of bw is a good one Make sure you are lifting for hypertrophy. Still try to get stronger. It will hopefully be very minimal lean mass loss..3 -
psychod787 wrote: »I would shoot for 1 gram per target body weight. Need more info... Male? Activity? Bf?
I’m a man, pretty sedentary job outside of the 4-6 weekly workouts. No idea what my body fat is.
All I’m trying to know is can I lose muscle while being at a 500 calorie deficit, despite eating 2g of protein per kg (160g a day) ?
Protein is just one factor and losing weight at double the rate you were aiming for makes muscle loss far more likely.
Training is also a big factor, effective weight/resistance training is a very strong signal to retain your muscle - use it or lose it applies.3 -
Don't listen to much to these other people, and don't worry about loosing to much muscle. psychod787 obviously don't know what he is talking about recommending 1g per kg, and then later talking about "The old rule of 1mg per pound of bw" haha
And as AnnPT77 says, "Strength training & adequate protein shift your odds of losing muscle toward minimizing its loss."
2g per kg is adequate, in fact, it is good enough to gain muscle mass, even while being calorie deficit. You might not gain as much as when having a surplus calorie intake, but you still may gain. Ofc, people are a little different, and might react differently to the same stimulus, but in theory, as long as you keep eating 2g protein per kg/bw and you are above 3-5% body fat, you should not lose muscle. And given that you are trying to lose fat, it is safe to asume that you are above that 3-5%.
Ofc, I am not god, and I might be wrong, but I doubdt it. And if you are loosing any muscle, it is absolutely minimal. But again, I doubdt it. If it is possible to gain muscle while restricting calories, it is definetly possible to keep muscle mass while restricting calories.
In other words, you are good mate.
And just to support my claim, I'll add these links
https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/build-muscle-and-lose-fat-simultaneously-yes-it-is-possible.html
https://www.livestrong.com/article/362906-can-you-build-muscle-on-a-calorie-deficit/0 -
Don't listen to much to these other people, and don't worry about loosing to much muscle. psychod787 obviously don't know what he is talking about recommending 1g per kg, and then later talking about "The old rule of 1mg per pound of bw" haha
And as AnnPT77 says, "Strength training & adequate protein shift your odds of losing muscle toward minimizing its loss."
2g per kg is adequate, in fact, it is good enough to gain muscle mass, even while being calorie deficit. You might not gain as much as when having a surplus calorie intake, but you still may gain. Ofc, people are a little different, and might react differently to the same stimulus, but in theory, as long as you keep eating 2g protein per kg/bw and you are above 3-5% body fat, you should not lose muscle. And given that you are trying to lose fat, it is safe to asume that you are above that 3-5%.
Ofc, I am not god, and I might be wrong, but I doubdt it. And if you are loosing any muscle, it is absolutely minimal. But again, I doubdt it. If it is possible to gain muscle while restricting calories, it is definetly possible to keep muscle mass while restricting calories.
In other words, you are good mate.
And just to support my claim, I'll add these links
https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/build-muscle-and-lose-fat-simultaneously-yes-it-is-possible.html
https://www.livestrong.com/article/362906-can-you-build-muscle-on-a-calorie-deficit/
I support your advice, with the caveat that I'd like to see cites on that 3-5% bodyfat thing (especially in women, or anything that says it's irrespective of size of deficit and level of exercise activity - some lean tissue loss is common, in common scenarios).
But Psychod787 knows a lot of stuff, though he does commit the occasional typo. Pretty sure he meant 1g per pound, not kg (read what he said, he didn't specify the measure, and 1g per pound is 2.2g per kg, pretty generic advice), and I don't even remotely "doubdt" that "1 mg per pound" was a mistype for "1g per pound". People do mistype. 😉9 -
To not lose muscle mass you need to do it slowly and continue to lift heavy, if not heavier than you used to.0
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Don't listen to much to these other people, and don't worry about loosing to much muscle. psychod787 obviously don't know what he is talking about recommending 1g per kg, and then later talking about "The old rule of 1mg per pound of bw" haha
And as AnnPT77 says, "Strength training & adequate protein shift your odds of losing muscle toward minimizing its loss."
2g per kg is adequate, in fact, it is good enough to gain muscle mass, even while being calorie deficit. You might not gain as much as when having a surplus calorie intake, but you still may gain. Ofc, people are a little different, and might react differently to the same stimulus, but in theory, as long as you keep eating 2g protein per kg/bw and you are above 3-5% body fat, you should not lose muscle. And given that you are trying to lose fat, it is safe to asume that you are above that 3-5%.
Ofc, I am not god, and I might be wrong, but I doubdt it. And if you are loosing any muscle, it is absolutely minimal. But again, I doubdt it. If it is possible to gain muscle while restricting calories, it is definetly possible to keep muscle mass while restricting calories.
In other words, you are good mate.
And just to support my claim, I'll add these links
https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/build-muscle-and-lose-fat-simultaneously-yes-it-is-possible.html
https://www.livestrong.com/article/362906-can-you-build-muscle-on-a-calorie-deficit/
I support your advice, with the caveat that I'd like to see cites on that 3-5% bodyfat thing (especially in women, or anything that says it's irrespective of size of deficit and level of exercise activity - some lean tissue loss is common, in common scenarios).
But Psychod787 knows a lot of stuff, though he does commit the occasional typo. Pretty sure he meant 1g per pound, not kg (read what he said, he didn't specify the measure, and 1g per pound is 2.2g per kg, pretty generic advice), and I don't even remotely "doubdt" that "1 mg per pound" was a mistype for "1g per pound". People do mistype. 😉
3-5% bodyfat is what is considered essential in men, in women it is around 10-12%. If you go below this your body will start consuming muscle instead of fat if you are in a calorie deficit state. Although, I reccomend that men stay at 10-20%, and women at 15-30% because it is gennerally considered moe healthy then the bare minimum. I got no cites for you unless you know how to read norwegian
And regarding psychod787, I bet you are right, but if he is going to give advice to people, he should be more spesific as to what he means. And regarding the g/mg "typo", I'll give him a pass because he is from the US. I know the metric system can be as confusing to you guys as the imperial/illogical system can be for us/the rest of the world, haha
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Doing this for decades and as a lifelong bodybuilder, just eating protein and lifting weights doesn't build muscle. There are so many variables such as hormonal balance, if signal pathways are stimulated correctly, etc.Don't listen to much to these other people, and don't worry about loosing to much muscle. psychod787 obviously don't know what he is talking about recommending 1g per kg, and then later talking about "The old rule of 1mg per pound of bw" haha
And as AnnPT77 says, "Strength training & adequate protein shift your odds of losing muscle toward minimizing its loss."
2g per kg is adequate, in fact, it is good enough to gain muscle mass, even while being calorie deficit. You might not gain as much as when having a surplus calorie intake, but you still may gain. Ofc, people are a little different, and might react differently to the same stimulus, but in theory, as long as you keep eating 2g protein per kg/bw and you are above 3-5% body fat, you should not lose muscle. And given that you are trying to lose fat, it is safe to asume that you are above that 3-5%.
Ofc, I am not god, and I might be wrong, but I doubdt it. And if you are loosing any muscle, it is absolutely minimal. But again, I doubdt it. If it is possible to gain muscle while restricting calories, it is definetly possible to keep muscle mass while restricting calories.
In other words, you are good mate.
And just to support my claim, I'll add these links
https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/build-muscle-and-lose-fat-simultaneously-yes-it-is-possible.html
https://www.livestrong.com/article/362906-can-you-build-muscle-on-a-calorie-deficit/
Is it possible to build muscle on a calorie deficit? Yes, but not probable for many average people. A deficit is a catabolic response. You need to be ANABOLIC for muscle building and that's the opposite of catabolic response. Now there is body recomp, but it's fine line and we're talking MAYBE a 2lbs gain of muscle a year even for a male if everything was done correctly.
As for losing muscle on a calorie deficit, it doesn't matter how much protein or lifting you do. Even the greatest bodybuilder ON PEDS lose some muscle when they diet for a contest. To say that it doesn't happen means you're not really educated on how the body actually works. There are many ANECDOTAL articles on it, but if it's actually measured, everyone is going to lose some muscle when they lose a significant amount of weight.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Don't listen to much to these other people, and don't worry about loosing to much muscle. psychod787 obviously don't know what he is talking about recommending 1g per kg, and then later talking about "The old rule of 1mg per pound of bw" haha
And as AnnPT77 says, "Strength training & adequate protein shift your odds of losing muscle toward minimizing its loss."
2g per kg is adequate, in fact, it is good enough to gain muscle mass, even while being calorie deficit. You might not gain as much as when having a surplus calorie intake, but you still may gain. Ofc, people are a little different, and might react differently to the same stimulus, but in theory, as long as you keep eating 2g protein per kg/bw and you are above 3-5% body fat, you should not lose muscle. And given that you are trying to lose fat, it is safe to asume that you are above that 3-5%.
Ofc, I am not god, and I might be wrong, but I doubdt it. And if you are loosing any muscle, it is absolutely minimal. But again, I doubdt it. If it is possible to gain muscle while restricting calories, it is definetly possible to keep muscle mass while restricting calories.
In other words, you are good mate.
And just to support my claim, I'll add these links
https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/build-muscle-and-lose-fat-simultaneously-yes-it-is-possible.html
https://www.livestrong.com/article/362906-can-you-build-muscle-on-a-calorie-deficit/
I support your advice, with the caveat that I'd like to see cites on that 3-5% bodyfat thing (especially in women, or anything that says it's irrespective of size of deficit and level of exercise activity - some lean tissue loss is common, in common scenarios).
But Psychod787 knows a lot of stuff, though he does commit the occasional typo. Pretty sure he meant 1g per pound, not kg (read what he said, he didn't specify the measure, and 1g per pound is 2.2g per kg, pretty generic advice), and I don't even remotely "doubdt" that "1 mg per pound" was a mistype for "1g per pound". People do mistype. 😉
3-5% bodyfat is what is considered essential in men, in women it is around 10-12%. If you go below this your body will start consuming muscle instead of fat if you are in a calorie deficit state. Although, I reccomend that men stay at 10-20%, and women at 15-30% because it is gennerally considered moe healthy then the bare minimum. I got no cites for you unless you know how to read norwegian
And regarding psychod787, I bet you are right, but if he is going to give advice to people, he should be more spesific as to what he means. And regarding the g/mg "typo", I'll give him a pass because he is from the US. I know the metric system can be as confusing to you guys as the imperial/illogical system can be for us/the rest of the world, haha
People are entirely capable of losing muscle when above those levels of body fat. It isn't that simple. No bright lines, just probabilities.
Size of deficit is relevant, and OP has not clarified what his workouts are. At 80kg/176 pounds, a 500 calorie deficit via eating, plus not eating back exercise (which would be an unknown additional deficit most days if he got his calorie goal from MFP), that's probably at least a moderately aggressive weight loss rate, and possibly more so (we also don't know how tall he is, or how much weight he has left to lose).
Without knowing more, it seems responsible to say that he's potentially increasing risk of losing relatively more lean mass, which may include muscle. That he's probably still above 3-5% body fat, and eating a decent amount of protein, is not enough by itself to eliminate or even greatly minimize that risk, IMO. He's certainly limiting his potential to gain muscle. If he *is* strength training with a good program, that shifts the odds in a more favorable direction. Ditto if he's quite short in stature, and has quite a lot of fat left to lose. Kinda ditto if his workouts aren't generating much calorie burn on top of the 500-calorie deficit. But we don't know those things.2 -
Don't listen to much to these other people, and don't worry about loosing to much muscle. psychod787 obviously don't know what he is talking about recommending 1g per kg, and then later talking about "The old rule of 1mg per pound of bw" haha
And as AnnPT77 says, "Strength training & adequate protein shift your odds of losing muscle toward minimizing its loss."
2g per kg is adequate, in fact, it is good enough to gain muscle mass, even while being calorie deficit. You might not gain as much as when having a surplus calorie intake, but you still may gain. Ofc, people are a little different, and might react differently to the same stimulus, but in theory, as long as you keep eating 2g protein per kg/bw and you are above 3-5% body fat, you should not lose muscle. And given that you are trying to lose fat, it is safe to asume that you are above that 3-5%.
Ofc, I am not god, and I might be wrong, but I doubdt it. And if you are loosing any muscle, it is absolutely minimal. But again, I doubdt it. If it is possible to gain muscle while restricting calories, it is definetly possible to keep muscle mass while restricting calories.
In other words, you are good mate.
And just to support my claim, I'll add these links
https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/build-muscle-and-lose-fat-simultaneously-yes-it-is-possible.html
https://www.livestrong.com/article/362906-can-you-build-muscle-on-a-calorie-deficit/
I support your advice, with the caveat that I'd like to see cites on that 3-5% bodyfat thing (especially in women, or anything that says it's irrespective of size of deficit and level of exercise activity - some lean tissue loss is common, in common scenarios).
But Psychod787 knows a lot of stuff, though he does commit the occasional typo. Pretty sure he meant 1g per pound, not kg (read what he said, he didn't specify the measure, and 1g per pound is 2.2g per kg, pretty generic advice), and I don't even remotely "doubdt" that "1 mg per pound" was a mistype for "1g per pound". People do mistype. 😉
3-5% bodyfat is what is considered essential in men, in women it is around 10-12%. If you go below this your body will start consuming muscle instead of fat if you are in a calorie deficit state. Although, I reccomend that men stay at 10-20%, and women at 15-30% because it is gennerally considered moe healthy then the bare minimum. I got no cites for you unless you know how to read norwegian
And regarding psychod787, I bet you are right, but if he is going to give advice to people, he should be more spesific as to what he means. And regarding the g/mg "typo", I'll give him a pass because he is from the US. I know the metric system can be as confusing to you guys as the imperial/illogical system can be for us/the rest of the world, haha
Thank you for the free pass! I will keep it, because one never knows when it will be needed. It's especially valuable because someone of such high esteem saw it in their graces to grant it. For future reference, please disregard anything I say as the "ramblings of a mad man." I am truly the "John Snow" of weight loss and muscle gain. I am a grand example of the Dunning Kruger effect. A topic I am sure someone like you is not familiar at all.. snoogins...😘3 -
Its great that you're aiming for a high protein intake, that should help in retaining lean muscle mass while you're cutting calories. Good luck in your weight loss journey.0
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