How much protein do I REALLY need

I usually eat to match my muscle mass.. estimated muscle mass is 137lbs so I aim to eat 137g of protein everyday.

I'm also vegan and I drink at least 1 protein shake every day because there's no other way I've found to get anywhere near the amount of protein I need to feel healthy and alert. It's hardly a waste of calories, though. 1 scoop of vegan protein, which is 28 grams of protein, is 110 calories. Throw in a tablespoon of chia seeds and a cup of almond milk and it's still under 175 calories.

As an alternative I'm also looking into sources of organic, cruelty-free, free range eggs (somebody I know personally and trust has a farm outside the city, and gets her eggs from a neighbour whose chickens she has personally seen cared for).. If that's a possibility for you it might be worth considering.

113 sounds about right.

I am not a vegetarian, so I am probably not the best at giving you advice on getting to your goal, however here are some high quality vegetarian foods:

Eggs (not sure if you are the type would doesn't eat eggs?)
Quinoa
Nuts & Seeds
Peanut Butter
Oats
Beans

In to advocate protein shakes. I'm not vegetarian, but I still struggle with protein - I'm not a fan of huge slabs of meat. I do a protein shake for breakfast every morning, and it keeps me full until lunch. I usually blend it with fruit - berries, banana, etc. - and sometimes PB2, and since the powder comes in a lot of different flavors I can change it up so I don't get tired of it. Made with milk and with the fruit mixed in, it's about 250 calories and nutrient dense. Very worthwhile, IMO.

If you are trying to build muscle I believe it is 1g/LBM if you are trying to just preserve muscle I believe it is .6-.8/LBM.

Other way around - it sounds counter-intuitive, but you need to eat more protein when you are eating in a deficit to preserve what you have - your body is looking to break things down for energy, and muscle is expensive to keep. You need to discourage that by making sure those muscles get used and that there is more than enough amino acids around to keep them maintained.

When you are eating in a sufficient surplus, you just need enough amino acid building building blocks for the muscle, not extra to discourage muscle catabolism.

http://bayesianbodybuilding.com/the-myth-of-1glb-optimal-protein-intake-for-bodybuilders/

This guy recommends 0.82g per pound of body weight. Which works out to about 1 gram per pound of lean mass (assuming average body fat.) So... His article was a nice long winded blabber about semantics?