Lean Body Mass (LBM) & macros - Have I got this right?

AliceNov2011
AliceNov2011 Posts: 471 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Here's the big AHA for me recently:

Your protein & fat intake should be based on your lean body mass (LBM), which doesn't change much no matter how much weight you lose.

Protein calories = 1g per pound of LBM
Fat calories = 1/2g per pound of LBM

If you set those as daily targets, the only variable left is carbs. As you lose, you adjust your CARB intake only (adding fruit, vegetables, whole grains), leaving your protein & fat stable to support your LBM.

Did I get that right?

Replies

  • annie_banannie
    annie_banannie Posts: 65 Member
    Did I get that right?


    Where did you get the information?
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Here's the big AHA for me recently:

    Your protein & fat intake should be based on your lean body mass (LBM), which doesn't change much no matter how much weight you lose.

    Protein calories = 1g per pound of LBM
    Fat calories = 1/2g per pound of LBM

    If you set those as daily targets, the only variable left is carbs. As you lose, you adjust your CARB intake only (adding fruit, vegetables, whole grains), leaving your protein & fat stable to support your LBM.

    Did I get that right?

    Looks about right.

    For women i'd say .30-.70g of fat per LBM.
    Protein can go as low as .70g per LBM to still be quite effective.

    Carbs are starchy on workout days and green leafy on rest days.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    Not really. Couple of points.

    If you are concerned about weight loss - focus on reducing calories.

    If you do not want to lose muscle and are concerned about body composition - focus on the macros and you should lose while exercising resitence/weight training to maintain or develop muscle. For me (male, 40s) protein intake can vary from 0.7g to 1g per lb of LBM and not be an issue depending on the amount of training you are doing. 0.8 is reported to be good base for someone not carrying out heavy resistance training.

    And people do lose LBM which changes A LOT as you lose weight - muscle loss can be important if all you do is high volume, high intensity cardio.
  • AliceNov2011
    AliceNov2011 Posts: 471 Member
    Did I get that right?


    Where did you get the information?

    Distillation of reading these forums and everything I could find on "reputable" websites.
  • AliceNov2011
    AliceNov2011 Posts: 471 Member
    Not really. Couple of points.

    If you are concerned about weight loss - focus on reducing calories.

    If you do not want to lose muscle and are concerned about body composition - focus on the macros and you should lose while exercising resitence/weight training to maintain or develop muscle. For me (male, 40s) protein intake can vary from 0.7g to 1g per lb of LBM and not be an issue depending on the amount of training you are doing. 0.8 is reported to be good base for someone not carrying out heavy resistance training.

    And people do lose LBM which changes A LOT as you lose weight - muscle loss can be important if all you do is high volume, high intensity cardio.

    Great. Thanks for the clarification.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    Did I get that right?


    Where did you get the information?

    Distillation of reading these forums and everything I could find on "reputable" websites.

    Here try this:

    http://exercise.about.com/cs/nutrition/a/protein_2.htm

    What did you get?
  • AliceNov2011
    AliceNov2011 Posts: 471 Member
    Here's the big AHA for me recently:

    Your protein & fat intake should be based on your lean body mass (LBM), which doesn't change much no matter how much weight you lose.

    Protein calories = 1g per pound of LBM
    Fat calories = 1/2g per pound of LBM

    If you set those as daily targets, the only variable left is carbs. As you lose, you adjust your CARB intake only (adding fruit, vegetables, whole grains), leaving your protein & fat stable to support your LBM.

    Did I get that right?

    Looks about right.

    For women i'd say .30-.70g of fat per LBM.
    Protein can go as low as .70g per LBM to still be quite effective.

    Carbs are starchy on workout days and green leafy on rest days.

    Thanks!
  • AliceNov2011
    AliceNov2011 Posts: 471 Member

    Here try this:

    http://exercise.about.com/cs/nutrition/a/protein_2.htm

    What did you get?

    63-142

    I'm currently set at *1.4 (110g).
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Where are the numbers for fat coming from? I usually get twice that amount of fat, sometimes more. I have already been aiming for 80-115 grams of protein and hit at least 80 every day. My fats are set at 76 grams, but I often go over, which means I'm under on carbs since I am good at sticking to my calorie goal. Once in a while I go over on carbs and under on fat, but I always hit my protein and then some.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    As long as shes at a deficit it really doesnt matter.
    I think shes worried about LBM retention.
    And if she becomes a stickler for macros now, cutting at lower body fat will be easier.
  • AliceNov2011
    AliceNov2011 Posts: 471 Member
    As long as shes at a deficit it really doesnt matter.
    I think shes worried about LBM retention.
    And if she becomes a stickler for macros now, cutting at lower body fat will be easier.

    Yes. After losing 50 lbs., I reset for 7 weeks, and have just cut again to get me through the last 15-20. I am 54, so my numbers are a lot lower than yours! There is very little room between my current BMR and goal TDEE, so I calorie cycle on a weekly basis to keep it interesting. My LBM is somewhere between 112-120, depending who you ask. I'm doing pilates 3X/week and use a home gym and long walks in between. So I'd call myself just north of "sedentary."

    I'm comfortable with high protein - I eat a lot of seafood - and just added protein powder to my arsenal this week. How much? That is the question. ;c)

    You guys rock! Thanks for helping.
  • YoYo1951
    YoYo1951 Posts: 370
    bump
  • AliceNov2011
    AliceNov2011 Posts: 471 Member
    Where are the numbers for fat coming from? I usually get twice that amount of fat, sometimes more. I have already been aiming for 80-115 grams of protein and hit at least 80 every day. My fats are set at 76 grams, but I often go over, which means I'm under on carbs since I am good at sticking to my calorie goal. Once in a while I go over on carbs and under on fat, but I always hit my protein and then some.

    I'm set at 35% fat, which happens to match the 1/2g per LBM pretty closely. I'm usually under on that, but am trying to adjust to hit the perfect protein number. Carbs are easy. I'll be adjusting those forever. ;c)

    I'm taking all the information I've found here, Livestrong, MayoClinic.com and a bunch of other sites and trying to find the areas of agreement. In this case, whether you use a percentage of calories or an LBM formula, for me the numbers are pretty well-synched. So when I think about it, or try to communicate it to non-experts like me, I use the simplest numbers.
  • AliceNov2011
    AliceNov2011 Posts: 471 Member
    So, my takeaway from this conversation is that my protein should probably be set at .7-.8g/lb LBM, which is pretty much where it's been the last year, so that's good! Thanks!

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