1g of protein per lb of lean body mass (apologies if repost)

stumblinthrulife

ETA : Since posting this, someone has pointed out that I misinterpreted the article, which is actually talking about g per pound of total body mass, not lean body mass as I originally thought. It's still a good read though, just keep that in mind before coming to any conclusions.

I've been reading around this for a while, because it just seemed like such a convenient number. A little too convenient. Also, I blindly followed it for the last few months and I've been finding that -

a. It leaves me horribly constipated, to the point that I have to mix miralax into protein shakes.
b. It's offset carbs so much in my diet that I seem to have less energy (could be psychosomatic).
and
c. It leaves me a little too full, and it's actually resulting in my calorie intake being a little lower than I'd like.

As with everything, for the layman 'research' really means 'deciding who you believe'. From my reading thus far, I've found this to be the most convincing article, with the most rigorous back up -

http://mennohenselmans.com/the-myth-of-1glb-optimal-protein-intake-for-bodybuilders/

The conclusion is that, issues of satiety aside, 0.8g of protein per lb of LBM is more than sufficient. The figure already includes a good safety margin - 0.6g per lb is the highest amount with demonstrable benefits for normal folks.

Personally, I'm going to drop to around the 0.6g mark and probably only go above 0.8g if I happen to want a giant steak for dinner or something. I'm not saying that you should. We all have to pick who we believe, and if you want to believe someone else - more power to you.

SideSteel

First of all menno did a great write up but my understanding is that there are a few studies that he excludes from that link. I wouldn't fault anyone for taking his advice but there are other people who are very well researched who are concluding that in certain contexts, additional protein can be beneficial, but again this is context dependent.

Secondarily: .82g/lb is what menno basically claims is the current ceiling based on the set of studies he linked.

This is .82g/lb bodyweight.
1g/lb LBM, in MOST contexts, will be a reasonable approximation to this.

In other words, these values are not that far from each other in most situations and in the case of most people on this site, 1g/lb LBM will be lower than .82g/lb bodyweight.

3laine75

in answer to the problems you mentioned,

a. i always have lemon in my water - this seems to help with any constipation issues.

b. i see it as a bonus keeping the carbs down - i have mostly veg, a bit of fruit and half a slice of toast in the morning (and the odd snickers ). try getting a bit more fat for energy.

c. haven't experienced this.

stumblinthrulife

First of all menno did a great write up but my understanding is that there are a few studies that he excludes from that link. I wouldn't fault anyone for taking his advice but there are other people who are very well researched who are concluding that in certain contexts, additional protein can be beneficial, but again this is context dependent.

Secondarily: .82g/lb is what menno basically claims is the current ceiling based on the set of studies he linked.

This is .82g/lb bodyweight.
1g/lb LBM, in MOST contexts, will be a reasonable approximation to this.

In other words, these values are not that far from each other in most situations and in the case of most people on this site, 1g/lb LBM will be lower than .82g/lb bodyweight.

Well would you look at that - I missed probably the most important subtlety of the article. I was so entrenched in the g/lb of LBM way of thinking that I missed that he was talking about pure body mass. Just goes to show that most arguments are caused by mismatching terminology.

Calculating from pure body mass that would put me in the range of 108g (0.6g/lb) to 144g (0.8g.lb). Since my LBM is around 135lb, I guess that would be about right.

Man, hard choice to make now. I'm not sure I can stand the negative effects I'm seeing, even as a trade off for the positive effects. Perhaps I'll drop to the lower end of that range and see how it goes. I obviously want to maximize fat loss, but I don't think it's worth constant constipation.

KBSwinger

Protein kind of leaves me hungry at times even if I have a good sized steak etc. I think the 1g/lb is good to with but even that I find a bit too much for the average person who is strength training and just wanting to look good.

SideSteel

First of all menno did a great write up but my understanding is that there are a few studies that he excludes from that link. I wouldn't fault anyone for taking his advice but there are other people who are very well researched who are concluding that in certain contexts, additional protein can be beneficial, but again this is context dependent.

Secondarily: .82g/lb is what menno basically claims is the current ceiling based on the set of studies he linked.

This is .82g/lb bodyweight.
1g/lb LBM, in MOST contexts, will be a reasonable approximation to this.

In other words, these values are not that far from each other in most situations and in the case of most people on this site, 1g/lb LBM will be lower than .82g/lb bodyweight.

Well would you look at that - I missed probably the most important subtlety of the article. I was so entrenched in the g/lb of LBM way of thinking that I missed that he was talking about pure body mass. Just goes to show that most arguments are caused by mismatching terminology.

Calculating from pure body mass that would put me in the range of 108g (0.6g/lb) to 144g (0.8g.lb). Since my LBM is around 135lb, I guess that would be about right.

Man, hard choice to make now. I'm not sure I can stand the negative effects I'm seeing, even as a trade off for the positive effects. Perhaps I'll drop to the lower end of that range and see how it goes. I obviously want to maximize fat loss, but I don't think it's worth constant constipation.

Just try and maintain some common sense about it, and what I mean by that is this:

Suppose you're consuming 20-30g under what is "recommended". You might not have any negative effects regarding LBM retention if your calorie deficit is reasonably sane and your training is solid (and you're not already very lean).

Now if your suggested intake were 140g and you are consuming only 15g protein, I would expect less than ideal results.

I'm mentioning this for perspective. If you believe your protein intake is causing issues that interfere with your life and thus wreck your adherence, then lower your protein.

I'd start with about 20g and see what happens from there.

_noob_

Do you use powders for a lot your protein, like more than like a 1/4 or 1/3 your protein intake? I had problems when I used too many powders, but don't with meats.

I also find that ALL my carbs from fruits and vegetables also leaves me constipated or loose (would vary from day to day). I do much better eating some grains in my diet.

I guess being a big guy it is nice that I get to eat more calories, but I've not found the lack of carbs from eating 1g/lb of bodyweight to be that energy depleting.

myofibril

Man, hard choice to make now. I'm not sure I can stand the negative effects I'm seeing, even as a trade off for the positive effects. Perhaps I'll drop to the lower end of that range and see how it goes. I obviously want to maximize fat loss, but I don't think it's worth constant constipation.

Drop the protein a little.

You'll be fine. The choice is de minimis.

stumblinthrulife

Just try and maintain some common sense about it, and what I mean by that is this:

Suppose you're consuming 20-30g under what is "recommended". You might not have any negative effects regarding LBM retention if your calorie deficit is reasonably sane and your training is solid (and you're not already very lean).

Now if your suggested intake were 140g and you are consuming only 15g protein, I would expect less than ideal results.

I'm mentioning this for perspective. If you believe your protein intake is causing issues that interfere with your life and thus wreck your adherence, then lower your protein.

I'd start with about 20g and see what happens from there.

Yes, that's pretty much precisely the conclusion I had come to. Scale it back until I get the optimum balance of results, and sustainability for me.

stumblinthrulife

Do you use powders for a lot your protein, like more than like a 1/4 or 1/3 your protein intake? I had problems when I used too many powders, but don't with meats.

I also find that ALL my carbs from fruits and vegetables also leaves me constipated or loose (would vary from day to day). I do much better eating some grains in my diet.

I guess being a big guy it is nice that I get to eat more calories, but I've not found the lack of carbs from eating 1g/lb of bodyweight to be that energy depleting.

I'd not say I'm getting an excess amount of protein from shakes, except on days where my natural protein intake has run low and I 'top up' with shakes and/or bars. But I certainly do use them.

Typical day -

Breakfast -
Banana
Protein shake mixed in a cup of 2% milk
Oats mixed in a cup of 2% milk + 2tbsp of PB2

Lunch -
5g to 10g lean meat with mixed leaf salad, tomato and onion. Olive oil and balsamic dressing.

Dinner -
5g to 10g lean meat, with either veg and spuds, pasta and tom sauce, or noodles/rice/quinoa with veg

Snacks -
Almonds, or a zone perfect nutrition bar.

concordancia

Don't feel bad, I have seen a lot of people who misunderstand and insist we need 1g/ lb of total body weight. I would basically be eating protein and just getting my other nutrients as a side effect of the fat in meats and carbs in beans.

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

Taking into consideration all the research there is on the subject of protein intake, I eat almost 1g/lb body weight right now (low body weight, eating at slightly over TDEE, body recomposition in progress), and I've discovered that I need to incorporate a good amount of high fiber whole grains or high fiber fruits and vegetables to meet my daily requirements. Avocado has been invaluable in this regard. I've switched to foods like Joseph's pitas and La Tortilla's smart & delicious tortillas, use lots of fresh cilantro, etc., in other words, foods that have a higher fiber punch per calorie than other veggies and grains.