is my protein requirement too much?

sadafmano · May 2014

Hi guys, im new to mfp. Im a 23 yr old, 5'7.5", 139 lb female. I used the IIFYM calculator for my daily macros. It suggests that I should be eating 139 gms of protein a day. My goal is to maintain my weight. Previously I was on a veryyy restricted diet of around 800 to 900 calories. Im trying to increase it to 1600 calories. I don't do any kind of strength training. So if I do hiit 3 to 4 times a week how much protein should I eat. Im so confused because some websites say I should be eating somewhere between 50 to 60 and some give me a figure above 100 gm. Plus I have a hard time eating more than 70 gms/day. Any help would be great guys. Im new to the whole heatlhy eating thing. these macro requirements are beyond confusing.lol!

sadrithmora · May 2014

The macros are largely influenced by what kind of diet plan you're following. For example, the usual 50/25/25 is fine for most, but if you're following any variation of low card diet, it's gonna look very different. If you're exercising in order to build muscle, high protein is a must. If you're doing long hours of cardio, you will need your carbs.

Now then, for a 1600 cals limit and 140 grams of protein, the rest of your macros would look like this: your protein would be pretty much 35% which means there's still 65% you can put into carbs and fat. If you eat a low carb diet, then your carbs would be anywhere between 20 and 30%, with rest in fat. And vice versa, of course. If you would like to eat more carbs, you'd have less fat to eat. Just remember to have some.

Just a note though, you don't need to be doing body building to be eating protein, it's good in it's own right.

Edit: to answer the topic question (that i forgot to do): it's not 'too much' if that's the kind of meal plan you're following. It's the same type of macros I use (the low carb version)

sadafmano · May 2014

Thank you so much. I have another question how do I determine what type of diet plan is suitable for me? And if im within my calorie limits but im not reaching my protein goals and substitute them with other macros, would that make me gain weight?

TavistockToad · May 2014

0.8 x your bodyweight in pounds is enough protein.

i would recommend you look into adding some resistance/strength training into your routine.

butlersoft · May 2014

you will NOT gain weight if eating at a calorie deficit....

sadrithmora · May 2014

You will not gain weight if you're on calorie deficit, as butlersoft has pointed out. The diet plan that's right for you is something quite hard for others to determine really, as there are a lot of factors to take into account. Allergies and intolerances are one of those things, as well as other medical conditions such as diabetes. Things like gut inflammation should also be taken into the account. If you think you might have that, try no-grain diets.

The type of physical activity you do is very important as well. If you like long hours of cardio, you need your carbs. If your activities are more burst in nature, or not much in general, you can go low-carb. Most importantly it also depends what you like to eat. That's why it's a great idea to log what you eat so you can take some vitamin supplements for the things you don't get enough of. Or, adjust it so you do get enough of everything. One of the things often overlooked is omega-3, for example.

If you find yourself not reaching the right amount of calories, you can always add a few healthy snacks into your meal plan, like nuts (esp almonds, as long as you're not allergic), protein shakes (if you dont mind the taste) and such.

richardheath · May 2014

Hi guys, im new to mfp. Im a 23 yr old, 5'7.5", 139 lb female. I used the IIFYM calculator for my daily macros. It suggests that I should be eating 139 gms of protein a day. My goal is to maintain my weight. Previously I was on a veryyy restricted diet of around 800 to 900 calories. Im trying to increase it to 1600 calories. I don't do any kind of strength training. So if I do hiit 3 to 4 times a week how much protein should I eat. Im so confused because some websites say I should be eating somewhere between 50 to 60 and some give me a figure above 100 gm. Plus I have a hard time eating more than 70 gms/day. Any help would be great guys. Im new to the whole heatlhy eating thing. these macro requirements are beyond confusing.lol!

As an adult female, you should be getting at least 46 g or protein per day. You need this much to replace the normal amount of protein that gets repaired/replaced everyday. This is the recommended amount for a "typical" person not exercising or dieting. http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/protein

If you are in a calorie deficit, your protein requirement goes up, as your body will use extra protein to replace some of the calories you are not eating (it doesn't just burn fat when you are in a deficit).

If you are exercising, you will need more protein to repair the muscle damage exercising does.

The exact amount of protein you need will depend on your deficit and your activity level/type. But, as a general rule of thumb, 1 g/lb of lean body mass (0.8 g/lb total body weight for non-obese people) appears to be optimal to support retention of lean body mass while exercising and/or dieting. Retaining muscle is good, of course!

Adding resistance training of some kind (i.e. weights, bands, body weight etc) helps you to retain lean body mass. It doesn't have to be "heavy lifting", although that will give you the best bang for the buck in terms of body composition (fat loss and muscle retention/growth).

Ideally, you would be shooting for 112-140 g protein per day. To help you get there (and since you are upping calories anyway) try adding some high protein snacks like meat (jerky is good!), eggs, dairy, nuts etc. Or consider a protein shake if you really can't eat enough "real" food.

Don't forget your fat too. Aim for about 0.4 g of fat per lb body weight. Then the rest of you diet can be carbs and/or more protein & fat.

On a 1,600 cal budget, that means (as an example):

Protein = 120 g = 480 cals = 30%
Fat = 56 g = 504 cals = 31%
Carbs = (1600-480-504 = 616 cals) = 154 g = 39%

sadafmano · May 2014

As an adult female, you should be getting at least 46 g or protein per day. You need this much to replace the normal amount of protein that gets repaired/replaced everyday. This is the recommended amount for a "typical" person not exercising or dieting. http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/protein

If you are in a calorie deficit, your protein requirement goes up, as your body will use extra protein to replace some of the calories you are not eating (it doesn't just burn fat when you are in a deficit).

If you are exercising, you will need more protein to repair the muscle damage exercising does.

The exact amount of protein you need will depend on your deficit and your activity level/type. But, as a general rule of thumb, 1 g/lb of lean body mass (0.8 g/lb total body weight for non-obese people) appears to be optimal to support retention of lean body mass while exercising and/or dieting. Retaining muscle is good, of course!

Adding resistance training of some kind (i.e. weights, bands, body weight etc) helps you to retain lean body mass. It doesn't have to be "heavy lifting", although that will give you the best bang for the buck in terms of body composition (fat loss and muscle retention/growth).

Ideally, you would be shooting for 112-140 g protein per day. To help you get there (and since you are upping calories anyway) try adding some high protein snacks like meat (jerky is good!), eggs, dairy, nuts etc. Or consider a protein shake if you really can't eat enough "real" food.

Don't forget your fat too. Aim for about 0.4 g of fat per lb body weight. Then the rest of you diet can be carbs and/or more protein & fat.

On a 1,600 cal budget, that means (as an example):

Protein = 120 g = 480 cals = 30%
Fat = 56 g = 504 cals = 31%
Carbs = (1600-480-504 = 616 cals) = 154 g = 39%

Thank you so much! I will definitely add some resistance training once I get my diet plan sorted out.

is my protein requirement too much?

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