Why are MFP's protein recommendations so high?

leericle

"The MINIMUM amount of protein for athletes should be at least .55 grams/pound/day." That's for ATHLETES, not office dwellers who work out 6 days a week. And MFP's recommendation, for me at least, is even higher: 0.67 grams/pound/day.

Yes, I read the article. Like most people, I'm not an avid strength-trainer. (Maximum I lift is 5 pounds per hand.) I'm not an endurance athlete. (I walk 3-5 miles at a stretch.) So why should I be treated like one in MFP's recommendations? And by people who look at my food diary, I might add...

What if you’re an avid strength-trainer? What if an endurance or sport-playing athlete? The daily menu of intense, energy-depleting training components such as lifting, running, and practicing, taxes the skeletal-muscle system way beyond the average sedentary Jane and Joe. Will .36 grams/pound/day of protein be enough for growth and repair? NO!

did you read your own link?

when you are eating reduced calories, eating higher protein will prevent some of the normal muscle loss that occurs while dieting.

Do you "have" to do it for health? No. But most people prefer to lose 10lbs of fat instead of 7lbs of fat and 3 lbs of muscle, because it makes their bodies look better at that same weight.

You can stick to the bare minimum if you don't care about that.

Iron_Feline

Every day, human adults need 0.36 of protein grams per pound of weight.

For me, that's 60 grams of protein per day.

But MFP wants me at 135 grams of protein per day!

If that's happening to everyone else, it explains all the attention on protein bars and protein powders and other so-called boosts that are barely recognizable as food.

Are the MFP formulas victims of meat industry propaganda?

*** Source: http://breakingmuscle.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-do-you-need-science-weighs-in

MFP sets your protein at 15% unless you change it.

If it suggested 136g a day you must be eating 3600 cals - or is my maths off? :huh:

If you're eating 3600 cals and only want to eat 60g of protein that's only 6.6% of your calorie allowance which seems incredibly low.

What is your aim here?

amusedmonkey

If you are not very athletic or active, why are you eating more than 3500 calories anyway? Regardless.. you could just tweak the goals to fit your needs.

miss_jessiejane

In for Big Meat

Me too.

leericle

There's a difference between carrying a bag of groceries a few yards and doing a workout with weights.

Sure, I could lift heavier. I could run faster. I could workout longer. I could eat less. But I'm good with the goals I have right now.

You must make a lot of trips to carry in your groceries.

And there are other forms of strength and resistance training you could do without a gym. You could work on heavier..much heavier..dumbbells or even body weight exercises that have variations to make it harder as you progress.

maz504

What is on your face?

I died. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

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Holly_Roman_Empire

What is on your face?

This was my first thought. Black paint/makeup on a white guy?

Eff me, gif won't work.

TKhamvongsa

... I don't think it's high and it all just depends on your goal and what you want to achieve. I'm currently consuming 1g per 1lb of my body weight. I have to increase my protein to maintain lean mass as well as to aid muscle growth. This also helps keeps me fuller so much longer and I feel a lot more energetic than when I was on a low carb/fat/high carb diet/1200 calorie diet etc. And when I was on a carby diet.. LOL I love carbs but I just have to reduce my intake for me to reach my goals of lowering body fat/increasing muscle growth.

Zaftique

In for Big Meat

I agree with Big McLargeHuge. In for big, thick meat.

ami5000psu

MFP sets your protein at 15% unless you change it.

If it suggested 136g a day you must be eating 3600 cals - or is my maths off? :huh:

If you're eating 3600 cals and only want to eat 60g of protein that's only 6.6% of your calorie allowance which seems incredibly low.

What is your aim here?

To educate the sheeple.

capnrus789

If you're actually working out 6 days a week....I mean, REALLY working out, not just doing a set of 5lb pink dumbell curls in the squat rack and leisurly stroll around the retention pond....you're basically an athlete.

"The MINIMUM amount of protein for athletes should be at least .55 grams/pound/day." That's for ATHLETES, not office dwellers who work out 6 days a week. And MFP's recommendation, for me at least, is even higher: 0.67 grams/pound/day.

PikaKnight

MFP sets your protein at 15% unless you change it.

If it suggested 136g a day you must be eating 3600 cals - or is my maths off? :huh:

If you're eating 3600 cals and only want to eat 60g of protein that's only 6.6% of your calorie allowance which seems incredibly low.

What is your aim here?

I was going to say...

You're going to need to open your diary so we can see what you're dealing with here. Before you criticize something, make sure you're using it properly. User error is a common issue.

Yeah. Definitely want to see the diary. Also, OP, what are your stats (height and current weight)? Are you here to lose, maintain, or gain?

BrainyBurro

No trolling. The meat and diary industries have been influencing government nutrition recommendations for decades:

http://grist.org/food/protein-propaganda-its-whats-for-dinner/

d'oh! you tipped your hand too soon. you have to hold off on the vegan cray-cray until at least page 6. :ohwell:

ItsCasey

How did you go from this:

If that's happening to everyone else, it explains all the attention on protein bars and protein powders and other so-called boosts that are barely recognizable as food.

To this?

Are the MFP formulas victims of meat industry propaganda?

leericle

3,500 calories? My daily goal before exercise is 2,240 calories.

If you are not very athletic or active, why are you eating more than 3500 calories anyway? Regardless.. you could just tweak the goals to fit your needs.

ThickMcRunFast

In for Big Meat

I agree with Big McLargeHuge. In for big, thick meat.

:drinker:

leericle

It's the other way around. Dietary recommendations around protein were initially influenced by the meat industry. But I guess people are looking for protein shortcuts now, and/or don't want slab of meat every day, and go for the powders instead...

How did you go from this:

If that's happening to everyone else, it explains all the attention on protein bars and protein powders and other so-called boosts that are barely recognizable as food.

To this?

Are the MFP formulas victims of meat industry propaganda?

PikaKnight

3,500 calories? My daily goal before exercise is 2,240 calories.

If you are not very athletic or active, why are you eating more than 3500 calories anyway? Regardless.. you could just tweak the goals to fit your needs.

Then how are you getting 135g of protein? that's not 15% of 2240.

Iron_Feline

3,500 calories? My daily goal before exercise is 2,240 calories.

If you are not very athletic or active, why are you eating more than 3500 calories anyway? Regardless.. you could just tweak the goals to fit your needs.

If you were on the standard MFP settings you'd be on 84g of protein, as they do 15% of your calorie goal.

Open your diary and let us look...


Edit: Damn it Pika :laugh:

amusedmonkey

No trolling. The meat and diary industries have been influencing government nutrition recommendations for decades:

http://grist.org/food/protein-propaganda-its-whats-for-dinner/

d'oh! you tipped your hand too soon. you have to hold off on the vegan cra-cra until at least page 6. :ohwell:

You mean the big soy industry?

PikaKnight

3,500 calories? My daily goal before exercise is 2,240 calories.

If you are not very athletic or active, why are you eating more than 3500 calories anyway? Regardless.. you could just tweak the goals to fit your needs.

If you were on the standard MFP settings you'd be on 84g of protein, as they do 15% of your calorie goal.

Open your diary and let us look...


Edit: Damn it Pika :laugh:

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

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PaleoPath4Lyfe

I always thought their recommendations were pretty low...

Me too

leericle

Sure, I can share my numbers. I haven't customized anything on MFP. I'm 43 years old, 5'11, starting weight 175, goal weight 165, and tend to wear mud masks. Here are the goals MFP gave me:

2,240 calories
280 carbs
75 fat
112 protein
2,300 sodium
84 sugar

MFP sets your protein at 15% unless you change it.

If it suggested 136g a day you must be eating 3600 cals - or is my maths off? :huh:

If you're eating 3600 cals and only want to eat 60g of protein that's only 6.6% of your calorie allowance which seems incredibly low.

What is your aim here?

I was going to say...

You're going to need to open your diary so we can see what you're dealing with here. Before you criticize something, make sure you're using it properly. User error is a common issue.

Yeah. Definitely want to see the diary. Also, OP, what are your stats (height and current weight)? Are you here to lose, maintain, or gain?

PikaKnight

Sure, I can share my numbers. I haven't customized anything on MFP. I'm 43 years old, 5'11, starting weight 175, goal weight 165, and tend to wear mud masks. Here are the goals MFP gave me:

2,240 calories
280 carbs
75 fat
112 protein
2,300 sodium
84 sugar

MFP sets your protein at 15% unless you change it.

If it suggested 136g a day you must be eating 3600 cals - or is my maths off? :huh:

If you're eating 3600 cals and only want to eat 60g of protein that's only 6.6% of your calorie allowance which seems incredibly low.

What is your aim here?

I was going to say...

You're going to need to open your diary so we can see what you're dealing with here. Before you criticize something, make sure you're using it properly. User error is a common issue.

Yeah. Definitely want to see the diary. Also, OP, what are your stats (height and current weight)? Are you here to lose, maintain, or gain?

Could you also make your diary public, please. And did you custom change your macros? Because I even went into MFP and entered your #s and it's giving me 84g of protein.

Annie_01

I'll keep that in mind if I ever become a woman. I don't lift heavy weights because I don't like lifting heavy weights, I don't have a weight room to go to, and I don't want to do it wrong and injure myself.

Yes, I read the article. Like most people, I'm not an avid strength-trainer. (Maximum I lift is 5 pounds per hand.) I'm not an endurance athlete. (I walk 3-5 miles at a stretch.) So why should I be treated like one in MFP's recommendations? And by people who look at my food diary, I might add...

You should start lifting heavier weight, don't worry, women don't get bulky by accident!!! You might see a little gain in weight at first and during your time of the month but that's normal!!!

Totally assumed you were a chick...

Hey...even some of us old and weak chicks lift more than 5lbs!

Iron_Feline

Sure, I can share my numbers. I haven't customized anything on MFP. I'm 43 years old, 5'11, starting weight 175, goal weight 165, and tend to wear mud masks. Here are the goals MFP gave me:

2,240 calories
280 carbs
75 fat
112 protein
2,300 sodium
84 sugar

MFP sets your protein at 15% unless you change it.

If it suggested 136g a day you must be eating 3600 cals - or is my maths off? :huh:

If you're eating 3600 cals and only want to eat 60g of protein that's only 6.6% of your calorie allowance which seems incredibly low.

What is your aim here?

I was going to say...

You're going to need to open your diary so we can see what you're dealing with here. Before you criticize something, make sure you're using it properly. User error is a common issue.

Yeah. Definitely want to see the diary. Also, OP, what are your stats (height and current weight)? Are you here to lose, maintain, or gain?

Could you also make your diary public, please. And did you custom change your macros? Because I even went into MFP and entered your #s and it's giving me 84g of protein.

Yeah - that's 20% of his calories goal and is not standard MFP settings.

BUT

If you don't like the amount just change it yourself.

/thread

QuietBloom

Sure, I can share my numbers. I haven't customized anything on MFP. I'm 43 years old, 5'11, starting weight 175, goal weight 165, and tend to wear mud masks. Here are the goals MFP gave me:

2,240 calories
280 carbs
75 fat
112 protein
2,300 sodium
84 sugar

A good rule of thumb is 1 g protein/kg of body weight, or per lb of lean muscle mass. This assists in retention on lean body tissue while in calorie deficit, and as well, protein is very satiating. I aim for my protein goal first, then my fat. While my calories do increase with exercise, I mentally keep my protein goal the same and eat more carbs and maybe more fats. MFP will just raise everything up as it does everything by percentage of total calories.

Here is a study done on young Chinese adults and protein needs:

Evaluation of the protein requirement in Chinese young adults using the indicator amino acid oxidation technique.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23981551

Their conclusion: recommendations of 0.87 and 0.98 g/(kg•d) of mixed protein are estimated to be reasonable and suitable for Chinese young adults. I think it is safe to assume that this also applies to other races.

leericle

Apologies to the group. MFP's protein goal for me is 112 grams/day. I initially wrote 135 grams/day. I must've copied the wrong number. Sorry about that. But still, I think that's high given my non-athlete status.