Protein help?

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sarahmichelle876
sarahmichelle876 Posts: 94
in Health and Weight Loss
How much protein should you have in a day? I exercise every single day with sometimes 1 day off a week. MFP numbers seem low compared to what I've heard.

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  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
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    MFP's protein is set on the FDA minimum recommended amount of 15% of your calories from protein. A good rule of thumb for people that work out is 1g protein/1 lb lean body mass.
  • sarahmichelle876
    sarahmichelle876 Posts: 94
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    How do you figure lean body mass?
  • tehzephyrsong
    tehzephyrsong Posts: 435 Member
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    You're not wrong. The general consensus among people more knowledgeable than I is that MFP way lowballs your protein requirements. As for how much you "should" have, that depends on what your fitness goals are and what sort of diet plan you choose to follow. I encourage you to do your own research. Protein keeps you fuller longer and you need to eat more of it if you're trying to build muscle, so generally speaking more is better. It's really hard to eat "too much" protein, so don't worry too much about it.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
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    How do you figure lean body mass?

    You have to test for it. Easiest way is a bathroom scale or handheld that reads it by bioelectrical impedance analysis. It will get you in the ballpark. If you have a gym memberships, most gyms can do this for you.

    Other ways are calipers (skin fold) or having it tested, but I'd suggest getting a bathroom scale with that feature so you can easily do it whenever you want. It isn't the most accurate method, but it gets you close and as long as you use the same scale it workd for comparison purposes.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
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    FYI, you can buy skin fold calipers pretty cheap and do it yourself, but there is some technique involved and lots of people do it wrong, making it less accurate than a scale. If done properly, it is considered more accurate, though.
  • CatMagnet71
    CatMagnet71 Posts: 3
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    FYI, you can buy skin fold calipers pretty cheap and do it yourself, but there is some technique involved and lots of people do it wrong, making it less accurate than a scale. If done properly, it is considered more accurate, though.

    I'll agree with a lot of folks doing the calipers wrong. There's one trainer that's definitely been doing it wrong at the gym I go to. I think he's just inflating numbers so that he can sell more personal training, but that's just me.
  • runningfromzombies
    runningfromzombies Posts: 386 Member
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    How do you figure lean body mass?

    You can also take measurements and figure it out that way. (: This is a good calculator, it'll get you close enough: http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bf/. It'll give you your body fat percentage and pounds of lean body mass by taking specific measurements.

    Or you could just go into the "goals" tab under "my home", click on "change goals", and do the "custom" route--up your protein to 25-30%, put your carbs down to 40-50%, and your fat up to 25-30%.

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