Beware the Protein Calculator Quiz

leanmalika

I took the the protein calculator quiz and got some very conflicting info. I am a 74 yo 5'2" female. I weigh 128 lbs (58 Kilos). Their computation said I should eat 144 grams of protein daily. Their story said a 150 lb person should be eating 82-136 grams daily. Clearly I am 20 lbs less than the example and should not be eating that much protein (excess protein is the source of gout and kidney stones, so no thanks). From another source, I got a computation of 60 grams of protein a day which seems more likely and is something I can actually achieve without messing up my caloric intake. So my advice is do your own math and do what makes more sense to you. MFP is not always right. Good luck on your weight loss/gain/maintenance goals.

AnnPT77

Well . . . maybe. I don't know about the MFP calculator. I tried it, couldn't seem to get the same answer twice, but maybe that's just me messing up because software doesn't usually do that. 😆

The USDA recommendations here are usually at the low end, IMO way too low, as compared with more recent research results.

https://www.nal.usda.gov/human-nutrition-and-food-safety/dri-calculator

They suggest 48 grams for me. Recent research suggests that's too low. Research also suggests relatively more than that is beneficial if one is athletically active, aging, losing weight - among other cases. As a generic source for an evidence-based recommendations that takes some of those factors into account, I think this calculator and guide is useful:

https://examine.com/guides/protein-intake/

Depending on what I tell it my goals are, it suggests something from 72 to 96g daily is optimal, with up to 144g potentially providing extra body composition benefits in some circumstances, based on limited evidence.

In addition, I think there's something that matters for our demographic (I'm female, 69, 5'5" (165 cm), 132 pounds (60 kg) this morning, active). There was an international group of experts convened to review protein needs of aging people. Their report is here:

https://www.jamda.com/article/S1525-8610(13)00326-5/fulltext

That's quite nuanced and multi-factorial, so I won't try to boil down their recommendations into one number or range for me, but what I read there made me reasonably comfortable with what the protein calculator above suggested for me. I shoot for 100g protein minimum, and usually exceed it. I avoid going below it.

An additional factor for me that probably doesn't apply to you is that I'm vegetarian. I won't go into detail under the assumption it doesn't apply to you, but essentially it's that getting a bit extra protein can better balance amino acid completeness of one's overall protein intake, when there are a lot of plant sources of protein in the mix. How much extra would be good for a plant-based eater depends on details about food choices.

neanderthin

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10936692/beware-the-protein-calculator-quiz

The poor body building community with all the gout and kidney stones that must be reeking havoc. ☺️