How much Protein do you really need?
Bizurke51
Posts: 190 Member
Headline says it all. I've heard between .6-1 gram per pound.
I've recently switched from dieting to maintaining and I want to know how much protein I need to eat to maintain and build muscle. I'm pretty good at hitting the 1 gram per pound mark, but it takes a lot of chickens and I've recently seen people saying that 1 gram per pound is a waste. Does anyone have any thoughts/suggestion?
I've recently switched from dieting to maintaining and I want to know how much protein I need to eat to maintain and build muscle. I'm pretty good at hitting the 1 gram per pound mark, but it takes a lot of chickens and I've recently seen people saying that 1 gram per pound is a waste. Does anyone have any thoughts/suggestion?
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http://bayesianbodybuilding.com/the-myth-of-1glb-optimal-protein-intake-for-bodybuilders/
What do you mean by maintain and build muscle? Bulking? Recomp?
Basically how much do I need to maintain the muscle mass I already have?
And, when I do decided to bulk up (add 10 pounds of lean muscle) how much should I eat?
If you need more info, Im pretty activie, I run or lift everyday. I've been doing my best to hit the 1 gram per pound, but there are just some days where I can't hit it. Like if i run out of Tuna or Chicken, FML haha0 -
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Headline says it all. I've heard between .6-1 gram per pound.
I've recently switched from dieting to maintaining and I want to know how much protein I need to eat to maintain and build muscle. I'm pretty good at hitting the 1 gram per pound mark, but it takes a lot of chickens and I've recently seen people saying that 1 gram per pound is a waste. Does anyone have any thoughts/suggestion?
Why do you say it takes a lot of chicken? Almost every food out there has some protein in it. All the protein youeat, even from "non meat" sources counts.
For example, I easily hit 120 grams of protein a day, and I don't pig out on meat. A serving of greek yogurt with oatmeal for breakfast, rice and a chicken breast for lunch, couple slices of pizza for supper, maybe a glass of milk before bed, and no problem.
Also, you do not need 1g/pound of protein. It is too much. Good articles have been linked above.
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0.60 g per 1 lb. bodyweight on the low end.
0.82 g per 1 lb. bodyweight target to hedge your bets.
1 g per 1 lb. bodyweight if you have money to throw around.
...more if you are a professional bodybuilder or sponsored athlete eating 6k plus calories per day.
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I found this post quite helpful on this subject: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=1563801830
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1-1.7 grams per kg of body weight. No need for any more.0
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If hitting your daily protein macro seems impossible unless you resort to ton of chicken and whey shakes, then you need to relearn how to eat. Like a previous poster said, it should be quite easy to hit 120 g protein.0
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Headline says it all. I've heard between .6-1 gram per pound.
I've recently switched from dieting to maintaining and I want to know how much protein I need to eat to maintain and build muscle. I'm pretty good at hitting the 1 gram per pound mark, but it takes a lot of chickens and I've recently seen people saying that 1 gram per pound is a waste. Does anyone have any thoughts/suggestion?
This should answer most of your protein questions0 -
If hitting your daily protein macro seems impossible unless you resort to ton of chicken and whey shakes, then you need to relearn how to eat. Like a previous poster said, it should be quite easy to hit 120 g protein.
Well it's easy to get to 120, but I've been trying to hit 180 and that's my point. A disparity of 60 grams per day is a lot
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When you guys are referring to grams of protein per pound of body weight, is that LBM or total body weight? Sometimes people use the terms interchangeably and they aren't so just making sure for my own sanity.0
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ruggedshutter wrote: »When you guys are referring to grams of protein per pound of body weight, is that LBM or total body weight? Sometimes people use the terms interchangeably and they aren't so just making sure for my own sanity.
Bodyweight is total weight
LBM is bodyweight minus fat.
Thanks
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I saw that when I posted my reply. You must have a friend out there somewhere...0
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This is just from my own experience, I do not have any studies etc to back it up. I'm 6Ft, Weigh 200lbs so I eat 200g of protein a day. If I'm under by a bit I don't worry. On days that I do not work out I still try to get roughly the same but I don't stuff myself with protein if I've missed my target for the day. When bulking I believe it's a combination of the excess cals (From whatever macro) and the high protein that adds the muscle. When cutting it's a good idea to keep the protein high, but maybe be in a 250 cal deficit. I eat chicken, fish, steak etc with a complex carb source and veg. But protein can come from your carb sources too. I eat bread with 8g of protein per slice. That means a chicken sandwich can sometimes be 60g of protein etc with cheese. I eat a yogurt for breakfast with 20g in as well and 1 shake a day.0
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If hitting your daily protein macro seems impossible unless you resort to ton of chicken and whey shakes, then you need to relearn how to eat. Like a previous poster said, it should be quite easy to hit 120 g protein.
Well it's easy to get to 120, but I've been trying to hit 180 and that's my point. A disparity of 60 grams per day is a lotIf hitting your daily protein macro seems impossible unless you resort to ton of chicken and whey shakes, then you need to relearn how to eat. Like a previous poster said, it should be quite easy to hit 120 g protein.
Well it's easy to get to 120, but I've been trying to hit 180 and that's my point. A disparity of 60 grams per day is a lot.
What is your height, weight, age, gender, and activity level? Are you bulking, maintaining, or cutting?
You might not need all that protein.0 -
If hitting your daily protein macro seems impossible unless you resort to ton of chicken and whey shakes, then you need to relearn how to eat. Like a previous poster said, it should be quite easy to hit 120 g protein.
Well it's easy to get to 120, but I've been trying to hit 180 and that's my point. A disparity of 60 grams per day is a lotIf hitting your daily protein macro seems impossible unless you resort to ton of chicken and whey shakes, then you need to relearn how to eat. Like a previous poster said, it should be quite easy to hit 120 g protein.
Well it's easy to get to 120, but I've been trying to hit 180 and that's my point. A disparity of 60 grams per day is a lot.
What is your height, weight, age, gender, and activity level? Are you bulking, maintaining, or cutting?
You might not need all that protein.
I'm 6'0 180, been dieting for the past year at 500 cal def, but I'm gradually increasing calories to my maintain level. I'm just going to stick to the 1 gram per day. Should be easy with the extra 500 soon0 -
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ruggedshutter wrote: »When you guys are referring to grams of protein per pound of body weight, is that LBM or total body weight? Sometimes people use the terms interchangeably and they aren't so just making sure for my own sanity.
Bodyweight is total weight
LBM is bodyweight minus fat.
And more flags for me
Aren't the mods supposed to punish people senselessly flagging others?0 -
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Depends on genetics. There is an actual test to find out but only offered in th UK.
But the basic is 1 pound per body weight minus fat percentage.0 -
If you are an athlete or highly active person currently attempting to lose body fat while preserving lean muscle mass, a daily intake of 1.5-2.2g/kg bodyweight (0.68-1g/lb bodyweight) would be a good target.
If you are an athlete or highly active person, or you are attempting to lose body fat while preserving lean mass, then a daily intake of 1.0-1.5g/kg bodyweight (0.45-0.68g/lb bodyweight) would be a good target.
If you are sedentary and not looking to change body composition much, a daily target of 0.8g/kg bodyweight (0.36g/lb bodyweight) and upwards would be a good target.
Two other things should be noted as follow-up:
Studies have only really intensively looked at dosages up to 1.5g/kg bodyweight, and others have touched down on dietary intakes in the 2.2g/kg or 3.0g/kg range. That being said, there do not appear to be any apparent negative effects to a higher protein intake. See this FAQ topic for more information.
If you are obese, using a protein intake relative to body weight is a bad idea. Either calculate your lean mass (overall weight after subtracting fat mass, which can be calculated by body fat percentage) or use your goal/target weight for calculations.
Source=Examine.com0 -
BenjaminMFP88 wrote: »If you are an athlete or highly active person currently attempting to lose body fat while preserving lean muscle mass, a daily intake of 1.5-2.2g/kg bodyweight (0.68-1g/lb bodyweight) would be a good target.
If you are an athlete or highly active person, or you are attempting to lose body fat while preserving lean mass, then a daily intake of 1.0-1.5g/kg bodyweight (0.45-0.68g/lb bodyweight) would be a good target.
If you are sedentary and not looking to change body composition much, a daily target of 0.8g/kg bodyweight (0.36g/lb bodyweight) and upwards would be a good target.
Two other things should be noted as follow-up:
Studies have only really intensively looked at dosages up to 1.5g/kg bodyweight, and others have touched down on dietary intakes in the 2.2g/kg or 3.0g/kg range. That being said, there do not appear to be any apparent negative effects to a higher protein intake. See this FAQ topic for more information.
If you are obese, using a protein intake relative to body weight is a bad idea. Either calculate your lean mass (overall weight after subtracting fat mass, which can be calculated by body fat percentage) or use your goal/target weight for calculations.
Source=Examine.com
Great explanation and thank you for digging this up
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If hitting your daily protein macro seems impossible unless you resort to ton of chicken and whey shakes, then you need to relearn how to eat. Like a previous poster said, it should be quite easy to hit 120 g protein.
Well it's easy to get to 120, but I've been trying to hit 180 and that's my point. A disparity of 60 grams per day is a lotIf hitting your daily protein macro seems impossible unless you resort to ton of chicken and whey shakes, then you need to relearn how to eat. Like a previous poster said, it should be quite easy to hit 120 g protein.
Well it's easy to get to 120, but I've been trying to hit 180 and that's my point. A disparity of 60 grams per day is a lot.
What is your height, weight, age, gender, and activity level? Are you bulking, maintaining, or cutting?
You might not need all that protein.
I'm 6'0 180, been dieting for the past year at 500 cal def, but I'm gradually increasing calories to my maintain level. I'm just going to stick to the 1 gram per day. Should be easy with the extra 500 soon
Based on your stats:
If Sedentary, little or no exercise, desk job, then your TDEE is about 2199 calories per day.
If Lightly Active, light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week, then your TDEE is about 2520 calories per day.
If Moderately Active, moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week, then your TDEE is about 2840 calories per day.
If Very Active, hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week, then your TDEE is about 3161 calories per day.
If Extra Active, very hard exercise/sports and physical job, then your TDEE is about 3482 calories per day.
TDEE is basically maintenance calories; what you would need to consume each day to stay roughly the same weight.
If cutting, subtract a safe 10-20% from your TDEE. If bulking, add 10-20% to your TDEE.
You will know it's working when the scale starts budging. If not, then you are counting your calories wrong or overestimating your activity level.0 -
If hitting your daily protein macro seems impossible unless you resort to ton of chicken and whey shakes, then you need to relearn how to eat. Like a previous poster said, it should be quite easy to hit 120 g protein.
Well it's easy to get to 120, but I've been trying to hit 180 and that's my point. A disparity of 60 grams per day is a lotIf hitting your daily protein macro seems impossible unless you resort to ton of chicken and whey shakes, then you need to relearn how to eat. Like a previous poster said, it should be quite easy to hit 120 g protein.
Well it's easy to get to 120, but I've been trying to hit 180 and that's my point. A disparity of 60 grams per day is a lot.
What is your height, weight, age, gender, and activity level? Are you bulking, maintaining, or cutting?
You might not need all that protein.
I'm 6'0 180, been dieting for the past year at 500 cal def, but I'm gradually increasing calories to my maintain level. I'm just going to stick to the 1 gram per day. Should be easy with the extra 500 soon
Based on your stats:
If Sedentary, little or no exercise, desk job, then your TDEE is about 2199 calories per day.
If Lightly Active, light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week, then your TDEE is about 2520 calories per day.
If Moderately Active, moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week, then your TDEE is about 2840 calories per day.
If Very Active, hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week, then your TDEE is about 3161 calories per day.
If Extra Active, very hard exercise/sports and physical job, then your TDEE is about 3482 calories per day.
TDEE is basically maintenance calories; what you would need to consume each day to stay roughly the same weight.
If cutting, subtract a safe 10-20% from your TDEE. If bulking, add 10-20% to your TDEE.
You will know it's working when the scale starts budging. If not, then you are counting your calories wrong or overestimating your activity level.
Im just following MFP for the calorie budget gotten me this far.
This whole macros thing is still odd to me. I basically just want to make sure that if Im eatting enough protein, hitting the weights and I don't go over my calorie budget I won't get fat.
My biggest fear is staying at my weight (180) but some how gaining body fat even though I'm under budget.
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Iv been lifting for 15 years and don't recall ever hitting 1g per lb ever, i'v also never had that kind of money or time to cook and eat that much even with shakes and gainers. I'v never put myself on a "diet" and i'v managed to put on just enough muscle to turn a few heads. Sure it took me longer but it never felt like work to eat.
I'v read from pro's those stats are all *kitten* designed by supplement companies to make you buy and use more than is necessary. Try for yourself for a bit and judge your gains. Is the money/pain to gain ratio worth it.0
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