Protein ...

graelwyn
graelwyn Posts: 1,340 Member
edited December 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I am guessing that even though bodybuilders eat around Ib of protein per Ib of lean bodymass or more, to bulk up, someone who is eating at maintenance or a caloric deficit won't find they gain weight from eating a Ib of protein per Ib of lean mass?

I ask as I noticed I gained a little weight when I added protein powders to my diet, upping my protein to about 140g (I am 126), even while still eating within my maintenance goal.

Replies

  • sonny368
    sonny368 Posts: 61
    It depends...if you workout seriously you'll drop weight, usually proteins powder is used in a diet when calories are low and you need strenght to workout and to recovery after it, but if you do not exercise and you use it as meal replacement yes you can gain..
  • shivles
    shivles Posts: 468 Member
    As far as I know your body needs so much protein to build muscle, if you're getting extra protein and working out you may well be building muscle.
  • RaeN81
    RaeN81 Posts: 534 Member
    I am around 140 pounds (on maintenance) and just recently upped my protein to 100 g a day and I often workout a couple hours a day. This is the equivalent of four chicken breasts everyday and I cannot see needing anymore than this unless I started bodybuilding or something like that. Right now I am finding it necessary to use supplementation with protein powder and bars which I would eventually like to phase out if possible. One thing to consider is that you will find it hard to fit in other important nutrients like fibre and vitamins if you up your protein too much. What are your maintenance cals?
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    As far as I know your body needs so much protein to build muscle, if you're getting extra protein and working out you may well be building muscle.
    Wrong, cannot build muscle on a calorie deficit.
    It depends...if you workout seriously you'll drop weight, usually proteins powder is used in a diet when calories are low and you need strenght to workout and to recovery after it, but if you do not exercise and you use it as meal replacement yes you can gain..
    wrong, I use protein powder in my diet because I need more protein, not because my calories are low. No, you will not gain weight if you do not exercise and have protein as a meal replacement. In fact most of the shakes are a lot smaller then a meal, so I wouldn't recommend that either. You will only gain weight if you eat to much.

    Protein does not make you fat, I am 120 and eat over 80g-100g a day. The highest recommended value of a exercising adult I have seen is 1.8g of protein per 1kg of body mass, not 1g for every lb. If you're a sedentary adult they recommend at least .8g/kg body mass (health canada and FDA)

    Body builders are not eating protein to bulk up, they are eating more everything to bulk up and eating lots of protein to support their lean body mass.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I have been using the 1g per pound of lean mass as a rule. My lean mass has went from 84lbs to 87lbs in a a month of working out, so I have been able to maintain my calorie deficit.

    I have added hemp protein powder to my diet to up my protein, and it's helped me to get enough protein each day.
  • Spartan_Maker
    Spartan_Maker Posts: 683 Member
    Research suggests that daily protein requirements for sedentary people are 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight, and for active people, it is as much as 1.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. For serious athletes, it may be considerably more. I'm aware of one pending research study that is testing athletes at 1.6 vs. 2.8 grams per kilogram of body weight.

    I would think that you would be fine at around 102 grams per day (57 kg x 1.8 g); that is to say, you'll retain your muscle while losing fat.

    As for whether the three macronutrients affect weight loss differently, they most certainly do, and it depends on your phenotype. In order to determine to what degree, just open a spreadsheet, record your macronutrients and weight for a few weeks, and run a simple correlation study.
  • Spartan_Maker
    Spartan_Maker Posts: 683 Member
    Re: CoderGal

    Anyone with significant body fat (especially an obese person) can gain plenty of muscle on a calorie deficit. All that is needed to build muscle is adequate protein intake and available calories. Body fat is stored calories. Someone who is 100 lbs. overweight, for instance, has 350,000 stored calories available to build muscle. A person can build a lot of muscle with 350,000 calories.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    Re: CoderGirl

    Anyone with significant body fat (especially an obese person) can gain plenty of muscle on a calorie deficit. All that is needed to build muscle is adequate protein intake and available calories. Body fat is stored calories. Someone who is 100 lbs. overweight, for instance, has 350,000 stored calories available to build muscle. A person can build a lot of muscle with 350,000 calories.

    Perhaps I should have given this as a better answer:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/690414-building-muscle-on-a-calorie-deficit

    I apologize.

    I was more thinking about the poster, who definitely doesn't fall between those lines. My point is she's not going to turn into a she hulk consuming protein while she's on a deficit. Thanks for catching my mistake.
  • Athena413
    Athena413 Posts: 1,709 Member
    Is there creatine in your protein powder? Creatine causes a minimal amount of water retention so if you noticed the weight gain when you started on the powder, it's possible that it's just water retention.
  • Spartan_Maker
    Spartan_Maker Posts: 683 Member
    Re: CoderGal

    I thought that may be the context for your answer. Many people, however, too often spew the general bromide that people cannot lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, without any context. It's true for a bodybuilder or athlete who is already relatively lean, but it certainly isn't true for an obese, overweight, or untrained person.
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