Yes, Another Protein Question!..

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sarahmartin2013
sarahmartin2013 Posts: 91
in Health and Weight Loss
So how much protein should a female consume? Like what would be a good goal? I also am looking to shed weight and tone up.. Look nice, be healthy, and have muscle... Would you recommend drinking protein shakes? & if you do, what kind would you recommend?

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  • sarahmartin2013
    sarahmartin2013 Posts: 91
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    bump.
  • sarahmartin2013
    sarahmartin2013 Posts: 91
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    no opinions?
  • tricksee
    tricksee Posts: 835 Member
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    Depends on your goals!!! they reccomend 1gram per lbs of bodyweight I believe!

    More if you're trying to to BUILD SERIOUS MUSCLE THO!!!
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    Roughly 100g per day. You don't NEED shakes, but many people find them handy.
  • smattillion
    smattillion Posts: 33 Member
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    go to gnc.com and check out their protein number calculator. i take protein on the days that i weight train, which is an important component in any diet and exercise regimen! i like dymatize iso whey in chocolate and muscletech's nitrotech whey isolate in cookies and cream flavor. mix them with water or into a fruit smoothie. they taste pretty good :)
  • knowwhentoshutup
    knowwhentoshutup Posts: 318 Member
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    It depends. Some sites (like Beachbody/P90x - which are trying to sell products) say that protein shakes are the way to go. Other sites swear the best way is to get them from food.

    I personally use a mix.

    I set my macros at 40/30/30 and it works for me. My diary is open if you are curious.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
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    The range is 0.8-1 g protein per lb of lean body mass, some studies say even 0.6 g/lb LBM, in order to maintain/build muscle.

    The minimum to avoid nutrient deficiency is 0.36 g/lb LBM which is probably close to what MFP has as the default.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
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    Approximately 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass to help maintain muscle. You can up that to about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight if you want to try to put on muscle.

    That said, it will be very difficult to lose weight/fat and put on muscle. As in, don't count on it happening. You can maintain most of your LBM, but don't expect any actual growth. If it does happen, it will be very minor.

    Unless you can't meet your protein goals, or just want the convenience, protein shakes are unnecessary.
  • staplebug
    staplebug Posts: 189
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    I work protein shakes into my calories as a meal or snack replacement and not as a supplement. This helps you feel full longer. If you supplement protein in addition to your daily calories, your body will build up and repair muscle after exercise in addition to burning fat.

    As for how much you should eat, I went into my food diary settings and set my goals to 30, 30, 40; 30% fat, 30% carbs, 40% protein. I have a hard time eating that much protein (and those few carbs), but it's good for weight loss.
  • healthyfitjenn
    healthyfitjenn Posts: 36 Member
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    It depends - on your weight and your activity. I'm following the New Rules of Lifting for Women, which suggests 1 gram of protein for 1 pound of body weight. BUT, since I still have a lot of weight to lose, I modified that because that was just too much protein for me to consume.

    I would strive for about 30% of your total calories from protein.

    I do use whey protein shakes, they make it easy to hit my protein goals without consuming a lot of fat or carbs.
  • Kyle_CM
    Kyle_CM Posts: 4
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    General rule of thumb that I follow....

    Calories in > Calories out = Gain weight

    Calories out > Calories in = Lose weight
  • datnewf
    datnewf Posts: 3 Member
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    This is a post on a UFC fighter training, but it gives some ideas of calorie splits - I would use the calorie targets from Fitbit or MFP, then adjust the goal to hit the splits.

    These are based on someone trying to gain as well.

    the 55 (c), 25(p), 20(f) split seems like a good starting point in my mind

    http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2013/01/27/eating-with-ufc-champion-georges-st-pierre-the-diet-he-used-to-transform-himself-2/#more-8913



    “When determining a client’s macronutrient split, at Precision Nutrition we use body-type specific guidelines. In essence, we plan someone’s nutrition according to their somatotype, as follows:

    Ectomorphs — around 25% p (protein), 55%c (carbs), 20%f (fat)

    Mesomorphs — around 30%p, 40%c, 30%f

    Endomorphs — around 35%p, 25%c, 40%f”

    Definitions:

    Ectomorph – Thin build, challenging to put on weight (muscle or fat); Example: long-distance runner.

    Mesomorph – Muscular build, can lose or gain muscle easily (fat gain minimal); Example: sprinter or gymnast.

    Endomorph – Large build, easy to put on weight (both good and bad); Example: shotputter or football lineman.
  • datnewf
    datnewf Posts: 3 Member
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    (duplicate post)
  • lcuconley
    lcuconley Posts: 734 Member
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    the recommendations for protein consumption are all over the board, so you need to figure out what works for you. Do you lift weights? If so, you should consume more to support that. I thing .75g- 1g per pound of body weight works.

    If not, you need to figure out how much keeps you satisfied. I thought the default goals on MFP were low, but I am a lifter.
  • kimmianne89
    kimmianne89 Posts: 428 Member
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    I aim for about 100-120g of protein a day.
    Protein shakes are useful to boost your intake, though try to get as much as you can naturally.
    Saying that, I have a protein shake every day as I find it hard to reach my goal, also I'm addicted to milkshakes so having one of these stops me craving the sugarloaded ones :D
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets
  • wrotruck
    wrotruck Posts: 72 Member
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    My suggestion is to figure it one of two ways:

    1. To maintain lean muscle during weight loss. Consume 1 gram per pound of lean muscle weight. (You'll need your boday fat percentage for this.)

    2. If you are working hard for strength/muscle gains you may want to consider 1 gram per pound of your target weight.

    I am personally using the 1st option right now and have cut about 2% of my body fat in the last 3 weeks.
  • erg2013
    erg2013 Posts: 84 Member
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    Roughly 100g per day. You don't NEED shakes, but many people find them handy.

    I agree with this. I try to consume between 100-120 grams a day because I am strength training 3x per week.
    This equates to meat with every meal and usually a protein smoothie (which I love, so I consider it a treat).

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