Protein Help?!?

nsavard21

Hi everyone, I'm just hoping that someone can help me figure out how much protein I should be eating each day. Alot of websites recommend 0.36gm/lb of body weight which I'm pretty sure is along the lines of what MFP recommends but my trainer suggests that I eat 1gm/lb of body weight which seems excessive and would require alot of supplements for me to keep that up daily. A friend of mine who recently finished a nutrition course said that your protein intake should be approximately 30% of the calories you eat per day.....does anyone know which is right? I am doing a 40 day Yoga challenge right now as well as going to Crossfit 3x a week.
Thanks for your help!

crystaltrejo

good question, I just asked my trainer at the gym the same thing today and he said the same thing, 1 gm for each pound of body weight, I said wouldn't that be hard on her liver? he said no. And he also said it's lean protein so you will never gain from it? I will stick to what MFP suggests, if I am over a bit then so be it but I don't think I'll get excessive with it.

fteale

You turn excess protein into fat, so it's pointless to eat more than you need.

tross0924

Protein is used to repair your muscles and provide your body with essential amino acids (things your body can't make itself). Protein is broken down into these acids in your liver, (so if you have liver problem, large amounts of protein can be bad, but if you don't then it's fine) and distributed through your body. Unused acids are dumped to waste, they can't be stored. Protein also can't be stored or burned by your body or muscles. Once again the liver comes to the rescue and converts protein into carbs through a long and involved process. Those carbs can be stored as fat but your liver can only convert so much per hour. Unlike carbs you eat, which can be converted and stored very fast and and at an nearly unlimited rate.

1 g/lb is usually the amount needed for muscle repair on a regular basis. If you're working out a ton and lifting weights to tone up and or bulk up then 1 g/lb is a good rule of thumb. Normal diets have protein usually 20-35% of your caloric intake. Usually you have to bump it up to 40% or so to hit the 1g/lb target. Also you need to keep a steady supply of the amino acids to your muscles while they repair. So for muscle growth you need to keep up the intake even on off days. You may not have to hit exactly 1 g/lb, but don't be afraid of being over the 30% mark, or the .36 g/lb mark.

Isa25

Protein is used to repair your muscles and provide your body with essential amino acids (things your body can't make itself). Protein is broken down into these acids in your liver, (so if you have liver problem, large amounts of protein can be bad, but if you don't then it's fine) and distributed through your body. Unused acids are dumped to waste, they can't be stored. Protein also can't be stored or burned by your body or muscles. Once again the liver comes to the rescue and converts protein into carbs through a long and involved process. Those carbs can be stored as fat but your liver can only convert so much per hour. Unlike carbs you eat, which can be converted and stored very fast and and at an nearly unlimited rate.

1 g/lb is usually the amount needed for muscle repair on a regular basis. If you're working out a ton and lifting weights to tone up and or bulk up then 1 g/lb is a good rule of thumb. Normal diets have protein usually 20-35% of your caloric intake. Usually you have to bump it up to 40% or so to hit the 1g/lb target. Also you need to keep a steady supply of the amino acids to your muscles while they repair. So for muscle growth you need to keep up the intake even on off days. You may not have to hit exactly 1 g/lb, but don't be afraid of being over the 30% mark, or the .36 g/lb mark.

Great advice! I aim for 1g/lb body weight. I work out 6+ days a week and lift at least 3x's a week, so the excess protein goes right to muscle repair. I get my protein from lean chicken, salmon, eggs, Greek yogurt, etc., and protein shakes.

dragonbug300

You turn excess protein into fat, so it's pointless to eat more than you need.

If you eat excess of anything it'll be stored as fat. There's no magic substance that has a tendency to do so more than any other (well, this is a lie: alcohol is not a major nutrient, the body doesn't use it, and therefore it is either disposed of or stored).

As Tross said, protein is necessary. I'm guessing that you're working your muscles, since you have a personal trainer, so it'll be fairly difficult for you to get too much.

nsavard21

Thank you for the breakdown...that makes so much sense!!