How Important is Protein?

Raddichio

I consistently fail to meet my protein intake goals (macros set 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat). I am not, nor will I likely ever be a heavy lifter. I have recently begun doing some weight training for the first time in my life (I'm 60 years old), but I'm working with dumbbells, starting with mere 5 lb dumbells. I do hope to increase that, but within reason. I've never been much of a meat eater. I like a limited amount of cheese. I do drink a couple glasses of skim milk, which helps a little, but I don't think I've ever hit the protein goal.

I was wondering if someone like me would be well advised to get some supplemental protein. Bob's Red Mill has a whey protein concentrate that has 80 calories and 16g protein that I was considering trying for mixing in fruit smoothies? Or should I not worry about it?

By the way, I have a much too high percentage of body fat that I'm interested in reducing.

jlriffle

Protein is equally as important as carbs and fats in our diets. It is necessary for growth, repair and development of the human body. 10-35% of your total daily calories should be coming from protein (there are 4kcals in every 1g of protein). You can either figure out the range needed for your daily calorie goal (e.g. 2000kcals would be 200-700kcals of protein daily or 50-175g) or you can figure out how much protein you should eat in a day by taking your weight in kg and multiply it by 0.8 (e.g. 150lbs/2.2=68.2kg, 68.2kgx0.8=54.56g of protein per day).
Meat protein is very taxing on the kidneys, but the proteins in veggies/legumes/nuts are incomplete. If you go with non-meat options, be certain to eat from a variety of protein sources (beans, rice and nuts) throughout the day so you get all "types" needed. Egg whites, cheese, sunflower seeds, tofu, and spinach are great vegetarian protein options.
Best of luck to you.

Raddichio

Thank you so much for the information. Based on the information about how to calculate how much protein I need each day, it looks like I'm getting enough most days. So I guess no need for protein powder.

LabRat529

It kinda depends on what you're doing and how big your calorie deficit is too. When you diet, you lose fat, but you also lose muscle. You can't stop the muscle loss, but you can minimize it by lifting weights, eating a diet high in protein, and by keeping your calorie deficit small.

The 0.8 x body weight in kgs is one estimate...

But I've also seen a 1g per pound of lean body weight per day.

I'm not a big protein fan either... so I usually don't hit my goal. However, when I'm trying to be 'good', I try to eat 100 to 120 grams of protein per day. I arrived at that number using the following calculations:

Total body weight: 188 lbs.
Estimated % body fat: 41%
188 x .41 = 77 lbs
188 - 77 lbs = lean body weight = 111 lbs.

So it's really up to you. You're eating enough to meet your basic nutritional needs... but you could try to eat more to minimize muscle loss if you want to.

Raddichio

LabRat, Thanks for explaining this further. What I'm concerned about at this time is maximizing getting rid of body fat and minimize muscle loss--not simply meeting minimum dietary requirements. I just didn't know if things like protein drinks are just for those who are trying to build a lot of muscle and bulk up in that way. So now I think maybe I should try the whey protein concentrate to bring up my consumption a bit.

I recently got a body fat monitor and was unhappy to find that, even after losing a considerable amount of weight, my body fat is quite high---also 41%. I am very anxious to bring that number down. I've already started lifting weights, so I'll try adding some extra protein and see how it goes.

LiddyBit

I have tried a lot of protein powders and my favorites are Tera's Whey (which is obviously dairy and I'm not sure about gluten) and Vega, which is vegan, gluten, and soy free. I drink them with unsweetened almond milk as a meal replacement and they helped a lot in upping my protein. Also, if you eat eggs, that can help but they do add fat. I will just keep a half dozen carton of hard boiled eggs in my fridge for when I need protein. Another good way is to substitute a protein for a carb with your dinner, like make beans or even quinoa is better than rice or potatoes.

nicoletherese14

My protein is constantly above the recommended, is this a big problem? Carbs, fat, calories etc are always lower

Sarauk2sf

My protein is constantly above the recommended, is this a big problem? Carbs, fat, calories etc are always lower

No - protein is really a mimimum target. Fat also should be a minimum target.

LabRat529

LabRat, Thanks for explaining this further. What I'm concerned about at this time is maximizing getting rid of body fat and minimize muscle loss--not simply meeting minimum dietary requirements. I just didn't know if things like protein drinks are just for those who are trying to build a lot of muscle and bulk up in that way. So now I think maybe I should try the whey protein concentrate to bring up my consumption a bit.

I recently got a body fat monitor and was unhappy to find that, even after losing a considerable amount of weight, my body fat is quite high---also 41%. I am very anxious to bring that number down. I've already started lifting weights, so I'll try adding some extra protein and see how it goes.

Whey protein concentrate is just a convenience... you don't have to be a body builder to drink it and it won't do anything by itself to add muscle (you have to eat a calorie surplus to really 'bulk', and women in general have a hard time bulking due to lack of testosterone). Whey's just a protein source, and that's all your body will "see"- extra amino acids in the blood that it can use either as energy or to re-build the muscles you're stressing while lifting.

There isn't much down-side to drinking whey as far as nutrition goes, but it can get expensive and it's often nasty-tasting (in my opinion). I used to drink it, and sometimes I still do, but I try to get more protein from foods these days.

Raddichio

Liddy, I like to keep hardboiled eggs around all the time, too. I usualy have one each morning and, sometimes, I will add another in the evening if my protein seems low. As you said, though, I don't like to eat too many in one day because of the added fat. What makes me think I should just add Bob's Red Mill whey protein concentrate is that it has enough protein to supplement my daily protein so I'm eating the amount of protein I should be eating to preserve muscle and lose fat. Since it's unflavored, it seems like I could incorporate it into a meal or snack fairly easily. However, I've never had it before, so I may be wrong.

Sarauk, Fat recommendations are a minimum? Why is that? I know we need some healthy fat every day, but I've never heard that we should be eating more than the target amount. I have my macros set for 30% fat, which already seems a bit high, so it's hard to imagine going over that.

Sarauk2sf

Liddy, I like to keep hardboiled eggs around all the time, too. I usualy have one each morning and, sometimes, I will add another in the evening if my protein seems low. As you said, though, I don't like to eat too many in one day because of the added fat. What makes me think I should just add Bob's Red Mill whey protein concentrate is that it has enough protein to supplement my daily protein so I'm eating the amount of protein I should be eating to preserve muscle and lose fat. Since it's unflavored, it seems like I could incorporate it into a meal or snack fairly easily. However, I've never had it before, so I may be wrong.

Sarauk, Fat recommendations are a minimum? Why is that? I know we need some healthy fat every day, but I've never heard that we should be eating more than the target amount. I have my macros set for 30% fat, which already seems a bit high, so it's hard to imagine going over that.

It's not so much that you have to go over it, it's more that you can. Obviously if you just eat protein and carbs you will not be getting you micronutrients, but basically, as long as you have a relatively balanced diet e.g fruits and veg also for example, you do not have to worry about going over on fats.

Raddichio

Sarauk, Thanks for the explanation about the fats in the diet. I do occasionally go over the fat allowance by a few grams, but generally am within the 30% allowance. My personal feeling, not based on any research or facts, is that it's better to eat a wide variety of *normal* foods, not severely restricting any one category. For example, other than skim milk (which I prefer) nonfat sour cream, and occasionally low-fat yogurt and/or cream cheese, I don't tend to use a lot of reduced-fat items. So, for example, if I'm having cheese, I use the regular cheese, not reduced fat, and just have less of it (i.e., 1/2 slice on a sandwich). It seems like, over the years, as the diet fads have bounced from low/no-fat to low protein, to low/no-carbs, it always turns out that there is a reason why we shouldn't drastically cut any one of these from our diet.

However, because I am very concerned about the high body fat level, I am anxious to do whatever I can to give my body an edge in reducing fat and preserving muscle. I'm down to my last 12 pounds to lose to meet my doctor's recommendation (although I'm pretty sure I'm going to want to go down another 10 pounds after that), so I want to be vigilant about doing what I can to get my body fat down to a healthy level.