Protein Requirements

cat_ty

Hi everyone,

I have a question regarding protein requirements. I have been weight training (3 full body workouts a week) for about two months now and have read that I need to meet at least 1g of protein per lb of body weight in order to build muscle. Being a vegetarian and around 154lbs there is currently no way that I can meet this target (I struggle to get 80g a day). Does anyone know if I definatley need to aim for 1g per lbs of bodyweight or if I should just aim for as high as I can and I will still get results?

Thanks!

SideSteel

Hi everyone,

I have a question regarding protein requirements. I have been weight training (3 full body workouts a week) for about two months now and have read that I need to meet at least 1g of protein per lb of body weight in order to build muscle. Being a vegetarian and around 154lbs there is currently no way that I can meet this target (I struggle to get 80g a day). Does anyone know if I definatley need to aim for 1g per lbs of bodyweight or if I should just aim for as high as I can and I will still get results?

Thanks!

Dietary adherence should trump just about everything, but having said that I would recommend getting in as much protein as you can (if you are going to be under the recommended intake).

There's several factors that go into protein recommendations including but not limited to:

-Genetics
-Age (older people will may require more)
-Activity (protein oxidation can increase with activity)
-Caloric balance (deficit size will increase protein needs, eating at a surplus will lower protein needs)
-Leanness (lean individuals may require more)


Having said all of that, I think that a practical minimum for someone who is not obese and on a reasonable caloric deficit would be somewhere around 1g/lb LBM (this means I would try not to go below that value and I'd probably try to go a bit above it when possible).

Now again, I still believe that dietary adherence should be your biggest concern. Find a way to get near that value but if it makes you miserable and makes you fall of your diet, then don't.

Chief_Rocka

Requirement for positive nitrogen balance: .8g/kg of bodyweight
What research has shown to be beneficial for muscle gains/lean mass retention 2-3g/kg of lean body mass

If you don't know your LBM, you can use target bodyweight as a rough approximation.

You can still build muscle on a sub-optimal protein intake, but your gains will not be as good had your protein intake been higher.

jaz050465

I thought it was 1g per pound of LEAN body mass. I'm in a similar position. Look at the replies to my posts:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/807164-vegie-needing-to-increase-protein

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/807522-what-protein-do-you-eat