Tell me how important protein is
luminajd
Posts: 64 Member
My group, I am a lurker, first time poster in your group. I have fallen off the lifting wagon so many times, but am determined to be on it for good this time.
Anyway, I have read 5,193 times that I "should" be eating at least 1 gram of protein/pound of LBM or even 1 gram/per pound of body weight. I eat greek yogurt, eggs, chicken, cottage cheese, protein shakes etc to boost my numbers but somedays I suck at it. And only hit 100 grams even though I weight 165.
Got any studies or first hand experience that more protein will speed my results (lose fat primarily)? Some days I just want to eat carbs, carbs, and more carbs, KWIM?
Thanks
Anyway, I have read 5,193 times that I "should" be eating at least 1 gram of protein/pound of LBM or even 1 gram/per pound of body weight. I eat greek yogurt, eggs, chicken, cottage cheese, protein shakes etc to boost my numbers but somedays I suck at it. And only hit 100 grams even though I weight 165.
Got any studies or first hand experience that more protein will speed my results (lose fat primarily)? Some days I just want to eat carbs, carbs, and more carbs, KWIM?
Thanks
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Replies
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100g consistently on average is probably fine as a minimum for you.
Protein is going to help you in recovery if you're lifting and is important if you do resistance training obviously. It'll also help you curb your carb cravings since meals higher in protein help you feel satisfied much longer.
I personally think 1g/lb body weight is excessive for non-body builders. I have mine set for appx 1 g/lb LBM but if I'm in between that and 100g someplace I call that a good day. If I actually hit my MFP goal, then that's a really great day. 0 -
100g consistently on average is probably fine as a minimum for you.
Protein is going to help you in recovery if you're lifting and is important if you do resistance training obviously. It'll also help you curb your carb cravings since meals higher in protein help you feel satisfied much longer.
I personally think 1g/lb body weight is excessive for non-body builders. I have mine set for appx 1 g/lb LBM but if I'm in between that and 100g someplace I call that a good day. If I actually hit my MFP goal, then that's a really great day.
I think its excessive for a LOT of people.
So here's the skinny on protein.
Everyone needs SOME. Active people need *more* but active people also need more calories, period, so unless they get those additional calories entirely from some kind of protein-less food (pure sugar or fat?) they'll gt some.
Muscle repair and recovery needs SOME. There's a formula but it works out to somewhere int he range of 20-30 grams for an average sized person. Muscle repair and recovery also needs SOME carbs. Ideally within 2-3 hours on either side of lifting, you should have a normal snack/meal (meaning not pure sugar or pure protein or pure fat) which most people do ANYWAY.
And here's the one that's big - When eating at a deficit, your body WILL use existing muscle for fuel. However, this can be majorly mitigated by 2 things. 1 is proper protein intake. 2 is resistance training. You're getting the resistance training via SL. And proper protein intake works out to ROUGHLY 1.4-1.6 grams per kg of bodyweight. Its .8grams per pound (at 1.6). So I think that because 1 gram per pound was a commonly tossed around number, and .8/lb is CLOSE to that, people just kept saying 1g/lb.
But its lower than that. So I usually calculate 1.4 and make htat my minimum goal, and mentally keep in mind that going higher is better for most people. I also eat dinner after I lift.
So.
Short version is: Protein is important. But 1g/lb is not.0 -
Also, if you're finding you are short of whatever your personal goal is, this is a great post for different protein sources:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/926789-protein-sources0 -
A good macronutrient starting point is to eat 40% carbs, 30% Protein, 30% Fat. As mentioned, protein is needed for muscle synthesis. Like anything, you have to see what works for you. Personally I take in about 180 grams of protein a day (I weigh about 130 lbs). That's just what I need to fit my macros.0
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A good macronutrient starting point is to eat 40% carbs, 30% Protein, 30% Fat. As mentioned, protein is needed for muscle synthesis. Like anything, you have to see what works for you. Personally I take in about 180 grams of protein a day (I weigh about 130 lbs). That's just what I need to fit my macros.
People like percentages, but it is not NECESSARY to eat that much protein. It also doesn't hurt you, per se, unless it affects adherence.
This is long but:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/diet-percentages-part-1.html0 -
I do know someone who started eating crazy amounts of protein and was hospitalised with jaundice.. not sure if they were connected or not!
anyway, mine are set to 175 or something, but I go for 100g/day, which is way more than I was getting and I'm sure is ample. Like with anything, I'd go slow and steady and try not to overdo it!0 -
My group, I am a lurker, first time poster in your group. I have fallen off the lifting wagon so many times, but am determined to be on it for good this time.
Anyway, I have read 5,193 times that I "should" be eating at least 1 gram of protein/pound of LBM or even 1 gram/per pound of body weight. I eat greek yogurt, eggs, chicken, cottage cheese, protein shakes etc to boost my numbers but somedays I suck at it. And only hit 100 grams even though I weight 165.
Got any studies or first hand experience that more protein will speed my results (lose fat primarily)? Some days I just want to eat carbs, carbs, and more carbs, KWIM?
Thanks
If your training is not suffering, there is probably no need to change your macros. Purely strength sports require a higher percentage of protein. Mixed sports require more even amounts of protein and carbs. Purely endurance based sports require more carbs. Everyone needs a little fat.
In terms of weight loss, someone already pointed you in the right direction - Lyle MacDonald's site. However, my experience is that eating more protein won't speed weight loss. It is possible that it might be more muscle-sparing, however.0 -
People like percentages, but it is not NECESSARY to eat that much protein. It also doesn't hurt you, per se, unless it affects adherence.
Agree, that's why I said that's what works for me
I probably take in a lot more calories than most (hard gainer) so to hit my macros I have to eat a lot of protein. 0 -
Thanks for all the replies, guys!
Eating lots of protein does affect my diet adherence. I get so focused on getting a ton of protein that I dont have any treats, and after a few days I binge like crazy. Whereas if I try and eat a decent amount of protein but not necessarily 1gram/1pound of body weight and still can fit in a few treats within my calorie limit. I do better.
Thanks again!0
