How many grams of protein should I really be eating a day?

strive2behealthy

I've been hearing "Don't go over 90 grams.. it's bad for your liver, and you don't even lift a whole bunch." or "Dude, eat atleast 130 if you plan on lifting.

Let's get this straight. I'm aiming to exercise 4-5 times a week, 3-4 of those days involving strength training. I'm 5'7", and I weigh around 153 pounds.

Making a diet high in protein and low in carb is REALLY frustrating & time consuming... I just want a good idea of how much I should be eating.

dunlunicor

Depends on the individual. There is conflicting info all over the place, so the best thing to do is to figure out what works for YOU. Do everything you're currently doing on high protein for a week or two, then do everything the same on lower protein. Then base where you end up on which one makes you feel better and look better.

DopeItUp

Most people recommend 1g per 1lb of lean body mass. So I'm guessing 100-125g a day for you, plus or minus a bit. I try to average 200g myself. It works quite well for me.

mustgetmuscles1

Most people recommend 1g per 1lb of lean body mass. So I'm guessing 100-125g a day for you, plus or minus a bit. I try to average 200g myself. It works quite well for me.

^ Yep. I usually see this recommended as a minimum for males. Women could probably get away with a little less. Maybe around .8 per pound of lean mass. Getting more than this would be totally fine also but anything above what the body needs to maintain or grow muscle will simply be converted to energy and used.

Very high protein might be a problem if you have some kind of medical condition or if it is excessively high for long periods of time. .8-1.5 would be safe for almost everyone.

marceguerrero

I workout 6 days a week, (6-cardio, 3-weights), consuming 90-95g of protein per day. My problem is I don't eat enough Carbs. Most of my Carbs come from legumes (beans) (lunch&dinner), so I understand your frustration with balancing your diet plan. I agree with dunlunicor, if you feel "good" and not overly fatigued or hungry prior to going asleep, I wouldn't stress over it.

rawfull

I stay above 5% of my calories come from protein, and below 10%... Approximately 25 grams a day...

Protein is an industry, that sells protein, mainly from waste dairy products from manufacturing cheese...
It's called casein... And is linked to cancer growth...
Plant protein is best...

Source: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casein

T. Colin Campbell's The China Study (2005), a book, describes a direct correlation between casein administered to rats and the promotion of cancer cell growth when exposed to carcinogens. Aflatoxin (a potent carcinogen) was administered to these rats over a 2 week dosing period. The rats were given a 1 week post-dosing period before beginning the test (promotion period). During the promotion period, one group of rats was put on a 5% casein protein diet and another group on a 20% casein protein diet. None of the rats on 5% casein protein developed foci, precursors to cancerous cell growth, and every rat on 20% casein protein developed the pre-cancer foci. It should be noted that all test groups were fed a 20% casein diet for a total of 5 weeks (2-wk acclimation, 2-wk dosing, 1-wk post-dosing) prior to the 12 week promotion period in order to survive the initial aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) dosing, regardless of whether they were in the 5% or 20% test groups.

Other studies conducted by Campbell on humans confirmed this correlation between the amount of casein protein consumed and the promotion of cancerous cell growth. Campbell claims to have found a correlation between cancer growth and the amount of casein protein in diet.[20]

This study was funded by the dairy industry...
A 2001 study suggests another milk protein, whey protein, may play a protective role against colon tumors in rats.[21] According to a study from the Australian Dairy Council, casein has antimutagenic effects.[22]

SideSteel

I've been hearing "Don't go over 90 grams.. it's bad for your liver, and you don't even lift a whole bunch." or "Dude, eat atleast 130 if you plan on lifting.

Let's get this straight. I'm aiming to exercise 4-5 times a week, 3-4 of those days involving strength training. I'm 5'7", and I weigh around 153 pounds.

Making a diet high in protein and low in carb is REALLY frustrating & time consuming... I just want a good idea of how much I should be eating.

Based on your training and based on (presumably) your goal of maintaining LBM, I would set your intake roughly as follows:

125g protein minimum
60g fat minimum

Set your carbohydrate intake to a level such that you hit your desired caloric intake with the above minimums covered.

Gallowmere1984

I stay above 5% of my calories come from protein, and below 10%... Approximately 25 grams a day...

Protein is an industry, that sells protein, mainly from waste dairy products from manufacturing cheese...
It's called casein... And is linked to cancer growth...
Plant protein is best...

Source: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casein

T. Colin Campbell's The China Study (2005), a book, describes a direct correlation between casein administered to rats and the promotion of cancer cell growth when exposed to carcinogens. Aflatoxin (a potent carcinogen) was administered to these rats over a 2 week dosing period. The rats were given a 1 week post-dosing period before beginning the test (promotion period). During the promotion period, one group of rats was put on a 5% casein protein diet and another group on a 20% casein protein diet. None of the rats on 5% casein protein developed foci, precursors to cancerous cell growth, and every rat on 20% casein protein developed the pre-cancer foci. It should be noted that all test groups were fed a 20% casein diet for a total of 5 weeks (2-wk acclimation, 2-wk dosing, 1-wk post-dosing) prior to the 12 week promotion period in order to survive the initial aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) dosing, regardless of whether they were in the 5% or 20% test groups.

Other studies conducted by Campbell on humans confirmed this correlation between the amount of casein protein consumed and the promotion of cancerous cell growth. Campbell claims to have found a correlation between cancer growth and the amount of casein protein in diet.[20]

This study was funded by the dairy industry...
A 2001 study suggests another milk protein, whey protein, may play a protective role against colon tumors in rats.[21] According to a study from the Australian Dairy Council, casein has antimutagenic effects.[22]

Good thing all of my protein comes from meat sources...even my shakes are 'bio-beef'.

Don't get it twisted man. Everyone is trying to sell something, including the plant branches of agribusiness.