Eating your goal weight in grams of protein?

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SayRah
SayRah Posts: 104
in Food and Nutrition
Has anyone heard of this? I read an article that said in order to lose weight, you should eat your goal weight in grams of protein per day. Meaning, if your goal is 130 lbs, you eat 130 grams of protein a day.....

Is this overkill? At the moment, I am eating 55% carbs, %15 protein, and %30 fat. I'm always up for trying something new but I think upping my protein percent to %35/%40 is kind of crazy. Not to mention that I really don't focus on my carbs/protein/fat anyway. Honestly, I focus more on the calories.

Thoughts, advice, experience?

Replies

  • ouryear002
    ouryear002 Posts: 325 Member
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    I read that too, and thought it sounded crazy! There is no way I could eat 130 grams of protein a day without a supplement. I pretty much focus on calories and fat. Once I get that under control consistently I'll decide if I want to worry about the rest!
  • mrscates
    mrscates Posts: 559 Member
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    I am NOT a nutritionist, but I do have a husband with a kinesiology degree and he says that women shouldn't consume as much protein as men...he doesn't ever tell me to count my proteins because well...lets face it, I am not eating to much, lmao. My brother in law was a personal trainer (not nutritionist) and he never recommended certain things to women (but guys would take). I personally would just eat healthy and see where that gets you. If you really want to know a FOR SURE correct answer ask a licensed nutritionist. I know it wasn't much help, but hey I am here if ya need me =)
  • I_amnr
    I_amnr Posts: 129 Member
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    Its not to hard with a supplement

    i was on 200 grams when my diet was 1900-2000 calories

    im on 130-170 grams of protien on a 1700 calorie diet

    also on only 30 grams of carbs on week days and what i want on week ends
  • RMinVA
    RMinVA Posts: 1,085 Member
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    There are definitey benefits to increasing protein in your diet, but if it doesn't fit the way you like to eat, you won't stick to it.

    I usually come in @ about 60-70g or so a day. I will have an egg or an egg/2egg white fritatta or omelette for BF, some chicken or fish @ lunch or dinner, and a few nuts for a snack. On days I have a protein smoothie for breakfast I'll come in a little higher. I'm not a big meat eater so bumping up my protein is just not a viable option.
  • Goal_Seeker_1988
    Goal_Seeker_1988 Posts: 1,619 Member
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    People who lift alot of weights that are tryin to increase muscle mass will eat alot of protein 1 to1.5 times their body weight in protein by usin alot of protein supplements and eating lean high in protein meats. I try to eat bout 50% of my body weight in protein a day.
  • Goal_Seeker_1988
    Goal_Seeker_1988 Posts: 1,619 Member
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    People who lift alot of weights that are tryin to increase muscle mass will eat alot of protein 1 to1.5 times their body weight in protein by usin alot of protein supplements and eating lean high in protein meats. I try to eat bout 50% of my body weight in protein a day.
  • heathersmilez
    heathersmilez Posts: 2,579 Member
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    You can eat about 2g protein per day per lb before potential problems arise (just an FYI, does not specifically address your question but is a common concern) but you should definitely be eating more than 15% protein. MFP'ers agree the default is too low.

    I'm set to 45/30/25 and I don't quite meet my daily goals on protein but I make sure to get at least 100g a day. I do that with a protein shake for breakfast, 1/2 can tuna at lunch and chicken breast for dinner. Some cottage cheese and yogurt usually find there way into my snacks.
  • DianneInPa
    DianneInPa Posts: 4 Member
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    I read that it should be 40-50% of your weight, which is more reasonable. I find that hard enough!
  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
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    I eat around 115-126 g of protien a day, not my goal weight, but more than most people eat! Look at my stats!
  • jillybeanruns
    jillybeanruns Posts: 1,420 Member
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    I'm at 50-25-25 and lower than my goal weight (currently at 119). But I highly encourage you to eat more protein. I'm not sure how hard you're working out, but protein is GOOD for you and is hard for most people to take in too much protein. Also, you can certainly get 130g of protein without a supplement. Cottage cheese, lean chicken/fish, Greek yogurt are the staples of my diet...I rarely use a protein powder or any supplement and I got 129g of protein yesterday and 126g the day before.
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
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    I'm set at 40/30/30 which gives me 90g a day. I do take a whey protein powder in the morning to make sure I make that. The weight I'd like to lose isn't much. I'm here to keep my an eye on my nutrition because that's where my issues are.
  • mkrafick
    mkrafick Posts: 68
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    I almost fell over when my personal trainer told me to eat close to 200g of protein a day. But here is the logic why.

    I am counting calories here, but also going to the gym 3x a week - while there I do 30m of weights and 30m of Cardio (in that order). I am in no way a gymrat or bodybuilder.

    The increased protien is for two reasons (as it was explained to me) - its the hardest nutrient for your body to turn into fat, so the body turns to fat to burn first. Second, after a workout your body is craving certian nutrients and protien to rebuild. He told me to drink one of those protien shakes within 20m of each workout.

    On days I don't workout, I use them as my snacks.

    What I discovered over the past year (I kept my 2010 resolution) is that I started building more muscle (no, I don't look like a gymrat or bodybuilder, just more "healthy") and that the extra muscle burns fat much more efficiently just by sitting. For example, in being out of the gym for a month recovering from surgery I am still losing close to 2-3lbs a week because my metabolism is cranked up and I have more muscle burning the fat.

    If your interested, the shakes I buy are from WalMart and cost $15.00 for a 2lb jug. You can see it here - http://tinyurl.com/25cu8ug .

    My only requirement is the drink not taste horrible. I hate the taste of Whey drinks. However, this truly tastes like a vanilla shake.

    Hope this helps.

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