Protein Intake - Some questions

jogirlruns · June 2013

Hi there,

I have been reading up a bit on diet for weight lifting and I have some questions about protein intake - I have read that for my weight (around 72 kg / 158 lbs) that I should aim for anywhere from 90 to 160 g of protein per day (from a low of 1.2 g/kg to a high of 1 g/lb body weight).

My questions are:

1. Do you focus on upping your protein intake to a specific amount? If so, what do you aim for? Why?
2. If you do this - particularly if you aim for the higher end of the range - HOW on earth do you do this? Can you do it using food alone / no supplements? What are the effects on your body of doing this (Stuffed /bloated? Constipated? Awesome and energetic? Any changes in your blood work - positive/negative - I'm thinking lipids, primarily)?
3. Would you be willing to share a sample day of meals to illustrate how you make this happen?

Too many questions??

Thanks for any insight you can share - you guys are awesome, by the way!!

(I just realized that I should have searched for this first - but now that I've done all this typing, I'm going to post this then go back and check old posts)

Joanne

lwoodroff · June 2013

hm. well from what I've read even with people trying to build muscles an excess of protein isn't helpful. You need sufficient (but what that equates to has plenty of definitions), personally I shoot for 100g+ a day. I think this is plenty! I think the figure .8g/lb of lean body mass is often used or 1g/kg of body weight (I may be completely making this up, I'm sure one of the clever girls will have an answer!).

the group eat, train, progress will have more useful info and knowledgeable people

auddii · June 2013

I do the gram per lb LBM, but they all work out to be about the same amount, which for me is around 130g. I am happy if I get over 100g each day, but I'm often over my goal. Feel free to check out my diary (ignore protein from yesterday, apparently I chose the world's stupidest entry for chinese chicken and broccoli). I cook up a ton of chicken in spices in the crockpot on weekends, shred, and freeze in 100g portions. I can have one on a salad, with BBQ sauce, salsa on tacos or whatever (typically I do salad). I'll also sometimes use it as a side dish for lunch. I replaced my veggie snacks with cottage cheese, and I chose to have a protein shake in the morning. The shake isn't necessary to hit my protein goals, but it's nice because it's fast, I can drink it in the car, and damn it's tasty!!

jstout365 · June 2013

I aim for 130 ish grams a day. If I go over that amount, I find I have issues with gas. That for me is 1 gram/ lb of body weight. So more than plenty for what I do.

I do this with mostly regular foods, but I do enjoy a Clif Builder bar after the gym that gives me 20 g of soy based protein. For the rest I make sure I have protein with each meal and snack.

So today is: Egg white, cheese, and bacon breakfast sandwich, greek yogurt, chicken stir fry, builder bar, salmon for dinner. I also get a good amount of protein from plant sources like spinach, quinoa, and nuts. It is possible to eat 130 grams of protein without getting into protein shakes. Even if I dropped the builder bar I could hit the same protein with 3 oz of tuna.

My diary is open, but you will need to do some digging past this previous week. I've been on and off logging for a few months now. The days I log, I log accurately. June 10-14 are logged.

cleotherio · June 2013

I have my macros set to 40-30-30 (carbs-protein-fat) with a calorie goal of 1850/day. That makes my MFP protein goal 138 g, which I rarely hit. Usually I'm around 110-120. I try to eat 20-30 grams per meal, with snacks having 8-15 grams. I rarely eat any carb-only snacks during the day. A few times a week I'll have icecream or some chocolate in the evening.

Typical breakfast - smoothie with spinach, PB, banana, unsweetened cocoa, milk and protein powder (tastes like a chocolate shake), eggs with salsa or veggies, or oatmeal with berries and nuts
Lunch - salad w/ deli or leftover chicken/turkey, canned salmon or chickpeas; or deli meat/veggieburger & cheese on WG bun, or leftovers.
Dinner - grilled chicken, steak or fish, steamed or grilled veggies, sometimes with a baked potato. Or chili, homemade pizza, occasionally pasta.
Snacks - protein bars (I've been eating Zone perfectly simple), nuts, veggies and hummus, cottage cheese, greek yogurt

nexangelus · June 2013

My protein is set to about 158 g per day. I usually hit it, but aiming for 130 minimum is fine for me. I have no problems hitting it with normal foods (cottage cheese, fage greek yoghurt, chicken, beef, pork, bacon, lamb, fish, eggs) Sometimes if I am feeling lazy I do protein shakes, puddings or cookies. My diary is open if you want to peek, although you might have to look about 14 days and more back to get my logging days, have just starting logging again today after my sprint tri...I used to have issues with bloating and wind, etc but this was due to the whey protein I was using, it was naff compared to the combo and type I use now. You have to experiment a little to get it right. I also eat up to 6 eggs a day if needs be and if I feel like it. Hope this helps.

BikerGirlElaine · June 2013

I use 1.2g per pound of LBM, which is 130g. I have a friend who is a doctor of nutrition and I have worked with her for years, and this is what she tells me LOL. I think of it as 1.0g per pound of LBM plus a cushion in case my LBM calculation is off. Or 1.0g plus a cushion for the strength training that I am doing. Studies have never shown that there is any upper limit for protein for healthy individuals who are lifting weights.

I have protein with every snack and meal. I use a protein powder at breakfast and after my workout, but otherwise I use real foods

You can look at my diary for February through May, but ignore June, I was on a two-week vacation and then it took me another week to get my groove back.

I feel great, but I have been eating enough protein for a long time -- maybe 15 years. I love meat LOL

I cook large amounts (think 3 lbs of chicken breast, a whole roast, a whole turkey breast) of proteins in advance and freeze them in the right portion sizes. Since I started working on losing fat, I keep chicken and turkey breast, pork loin, and taco meat made with part ground beef, part ground turkey. I make a lot of marinades and I use herbs and spices to season things and keep the flavors interesting. Most of them don't add any calories woth counting -- so I don't. LOL When you look at my diary, you'll mostly just see an amount of meat listed, but you can be sure that I put some seasonings of some sort on it.

I actually have a goal of 175g in MFP, but I do not count proteins from plant sources. So each day in the Notes I put down what my "Dense Protein" was. This is just a personal quirk and I am not necessarily recommending it for anyone else. I realize that my protein amounts are pretty high, and I am not saying that my way is the "right" way, it's just what's right for me.

I think small steps are great for this. Just try to increase your protein a little bit at a time, maybe focus on getting enough protein at lunch, or adding some more to a snack, etc.

And here are some relevant posts from the Eat, Train, Progress group in case you are interested in some more info:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/823505-research-on-protien-intake

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/869015-fundamental-flaws-with-rda-recommendations-for-protein

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/926789-protein-sources

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

jogirlruns · June 2013

Thanks everyone for taking the time to answer! It is much appreciated!

Joanne

Stronglifts 5x5 for Women

Protein Intake - Some questions

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