How many grams of protein do I need daily?

lauraelizafit

Ok, sooo I really need some advice. I'm currently doing strength training 5 times a week for aprox 1hr every day. Mondays and fridays I do my core, so mostly sit ups, crunches, planks, those stuff. Then tuesdays and thursday's i do my arms, shoulders and legs. So stuff like bicep curls, shoulder presses, squats, lunges, split jumps and pushups and then wednesday i do 45min core workout. I also do some cardio. I'm 18 years old and weigh 48kg and I'm 5.1ft. Sooo what would you reccomend my protein intake to be? Oh, my goal is to gain muscle and get stronger. Also, do I really need 1500cals per day? Cause I can never seem to get there and if I do I feel sick and as if I ate wayyy to much.Thanks!

BigT555

its a debatable number, most agree on 0.8 g's per pound of lean body mass. so probably around 90 g's for you

yea you need to eat those 1500 cals/day. if you go lower you'll start to lose muscle mass.

eta; though at 48 kg's and 5'1 you may want to look for more of a body recomp (gain muscle and lose fat) then weight loss. your already borderline underweight

bas3dg0d

Bananas are a great source of natural sugar after work outs which helps you gain muscle, but like BigT555 said you will lose muscle if you eat below 1500 calories. I would make sure you are drinking enough water if you are feeling sick when you reach your calorie limit or change out some foods, possibly less protein shakes or add something into them.

BigT555

didnt notice your goal is to gain muscle, you'll need a calorie surplus to achieve that, and right now you are in a deficit, which means you need to eat more. probably close to 2000 daily

TavistockToad

i agree with at least 0.8 x your bodyweight for protein.

i also doubt that 1500 cals is a surplus, which is what you need if you wan tto gain muscle.

CorlissaEats

If you have a hard time eating 1500 cals then you may need to change what you eat, not the volume. Try adding calorie dense foods like nuts, full fat dairy, beef, olive oil, or coconut oil to your diet. If you want to gain muscle then its important to eat all the calories those calculators tell you your body needs. Eat like its your job.

sculli123

Personally I do 1 g / lean bodyweight. i.e. not my actual bodyweight, my lean mass only. So I don't need to eat 200g, I need about 180ish. Sometimes I do end up eating 1g / bodyweight but it's not necessary I just like to eat protein.