how much protein are you eating?

redraidergirl2009

I see so many poor people here saying someone told them to eat tons of protein to lose, but so many of them I see basically living off of protein shakes or eating far too many calories. So I am wondering how much protein you all eat and are still losing wright. If you are not losing weight, you need not comment. Thanks.

StaticEntropy

I aim for 1:1 in terms of weight in pounds to grams of protein. And yes, getting your protein from 6 servings of a protein shake is not advisable. It is better to eat your food than to drink it, for satiety purposes, at the very least.

NaomiJFoster

I'm losing. Losing very slowly, but losing. I don't do the protein shake thing, but I do try to look at my protein intake each day. I have read that MFP grossly under-recommends how much protein you should aim for. I changed my settings to 30% carb, 40% protein, 30% fat. And I still have a very hard time eating that much protein. I ate a protein fortified cereal for breakfast yesterday, tuna sandwich for lunch, 3 eggs for dinner. i thought I had really gone over with that much protein. But I still was only at 86 grams of protein, when my goal thingie says I should have had 150.


So anyway...I average between 70 and 100 grams, I guess. I'm probably losing about 1/2 pound a week. Sometimes more, sometimes less.

It does help me though, when I am choosing what foods to include in a meal, I'm mentally thinking 'protein' instead of 'carbohydrates' now. So, I'm sure it's helping with my blood-sugar (which had been starting to go slightly high, according to my doctor). And lowering how much sugar I'm eating, I'm sure will be beneficial to my weight and pot-belly.

If you're specifically eating to build muscle, you need protein. But I think it's also a very good thing for general weight loss. Not specifically to 'eat a lot of protein'. But to make protein the larger percentage of your diet, so that carbs and fats are lower percentages.

msleanlegs

It varies on the day, really. Some days I'm around 50-60 grams and other days it's over 100 grams. I feel fine and my body hasn't turned into a pile of mush yet, lol. I keep reading here how protein gives people energy, but honestly that was never true for my body. Bananas are my energy food. I wonder why the CDC says we need 46 grams (for women) to 56 grams (for men) a day, yet so many here say to eat more protein.

redwulf

I aim to eat around 0.7g to 1.2g protein per lb of body weight , working on a 40% Protein 30%Carb & 30%Fat ratio for a grand total of 1800Kcal approx.

I eat eggs or oatmeal with protein supplement for breakfast (Bench Pressed Oats for ease of use), Chicken for lunch and either Fish, Turkey or Steak for dinner.

I normally have a protein shake or a can of tuna post workout depending on how late it is. I also tend to have a double scoop mid afternoon if I know I am a bit short of protein or just to limit my carb intake after lunch.

cappri

I'm not sure why you want to know or care, but I have been aiming to eat at least 100+ grams of protein every day. Yes I use protein powder and bars to accomplish this goal. I also eat a lot of other foods as well. You can take a look at my diary if you are really interested and not just posting to criticize.

jacksonpt

160g is my daily minimum.

wikitbikit

People are eating far too many calories for what?

I average about 110g/day, but I actually aim for 120+. Getting better!

redraidergirl2009

I like how many people didnt answer if they are actively losing weight or not...I know many people here have reached their goal weight and hang around, but I am talking to people actively losing. I am also curious if before you thought you needed so much protein(if you're one who has upper their protein) if it has effected your weightloss in anyway?

bumblebums

I aim for about 120 g of protein a day. Don't do protein shakes (have nothing against them, except the stuff just costs so damn much I'd rather spend that money on meat or a tasty cheese). I am at a 22% body fat, give or take.

jacksonpt

I like how many people didnt answer if they are actively losing weight or not...I know many people here have reached their goal weight and hang around, but I am talking to people actively losing. I am also curious if before you thought you needed so much protein(if you're one who has upper their protein) if it has effected your weightloss in anyway?

No, my protein intake has no bearing on weight loss. Weight loss is about total cals, protein is just a subset of those cals. So if protein needs to go up for whatever reason, I'll cut something else back (usually carbs) to hold total cals constant.

monty619

around 220g a day at around 200lbs... when i get leaner il probably up it more when my caloric intake goes down.

wikitbikit

I didn't mention that I was actively losing weight because you made it clear in your original post that you only wanted answers from people who were, so I thought it went without saying.

I find that eating the amount of protein that I do keeps me away from empty carbs and satisfies me at meals, which keeps me happier, which keeps me dedicated to maintaining a healthy calorie deficit, which leads to weight loss.

JenMc14

I'm currently slowly losing the weight I gained around the holidays. I lifted heavy and ate at a surplus, although it was mostly crappy holiday food, so I gained way more than I would've liked. I am struggling at times to be on a "cut", I'm mentally unprepared for it right now, so Ican't say I'm really "losing". I aim for no less than 80 g of protein a day, I don't do shakes/bars to get there (I do eat them, but not every day), and I really try to get in the 90s every day. That being said, to answer the OP, I went back and looked at my food logs from August of 2011 (I started actively losing in April 2011, starting at 164, I hit my original goal weight of 120 in January 2012, I believe. I ultimately got down to where I was hovering around 117 before I gained. I also did not log here, I used another site.). I was under 1500 calories daily, and seemed to have consumed in the 70s for grams of protein most days (a few in the 60s, some in the 80s and 90s). So, I don't know if eating lots of protein aids in weight loss or if eating less doesn't, but I ate a decent amount and lost 45 pounds in 8 months. I focused more on staying under 1500 calories, though.

StaticEntropy

I like how many people didnt answer if they are actively losing weight or not...I know many people here have reached their goal weight and hang around, but I am talking to people actively losing. I am also curious if before you thought you needed so much protein(if you're one who has upper their protein) if it has effected your weightloss in anyway?

I didn't mention that I was actively losing weight because you made it clear in your original post that you only wanted answers from people who were, so I thought it went without saying.

I'm shedding about one pound per week. The high protein affects my weight loss in terms of better body composition (losing fat and maintaining lean body mass), which is my actual goal.

Cjmcquillan

I'm right around 145g-185g each day. Average 1,900 calories total. I'm not looking to lose weight, but am looking to gain some muscel and lose body fat. I have one whey shake after my workout and a casein serving at night.

cappri

I like how many people didnt answer if they are actively losing weight or not...I know many people here have reached their goal weight and hang around, but I am talking to people actively losing. I am also curious if before you thought you needed so much protein(if you're one who has upper their protein) if it has effected your weightloss in anyway?

I increased my protein not to speed up or increase weight loss, but because I want to get my body leaner. I'm only on week 3 of upping my protein, so it's really to soon to tell what results I'm getting from it, other than I feel awesome.

bcattoes

I have just begun to actively try to lose a few more pounds after maintaining for a couple of years. When I lost weight initially, I was eating a little over the MFP recommendation. Honestly, I didn't give protein much thought at that time and was not using any type of shake or supplements. But I was usually over the 15% default.

I currently have mine set to 25% and usually eat pretty close to that. I added 1 - 1.5 scoops of protein powder per day when I decided to up protein because I don't like to eat a lot of meat or eggs.

Honestly, I'm not sure the protein makes any difference for my weight loss. But I do believe it helped me decrease my fat and increase my muscle while maintaining. Or it could have just been the calisthenics and Turbo Fire.

EmoJew

I'm losing. Losing very slowly, but losing. I don't do the protein shake thing, but I do try to look at my protein intake each day. I have read that MFP grossly under-recommends how much protein you should aim for. I changed my settings to 30% carb, 40% protein, 30% fat. And I still have a very hard time eating that much protein. I ate a protein fortified cereal for breakfast yesterday, tuna sandwich for lunch, 3 eggs for dinner. i thought I had really gone over with that much protein. But I still was only at 86 grams of protein, when my goal thingie says I should have had 150.

You didnt include your tuna in your diary, so you're over 86. =]

mryak750

180-190g....I have a shake that equals 50g a day...the rest come from food...and yes I'm losing weight

_Lori_Lynn_

Bump