Do I need more protein?
mom2ava07
Posts: 186 Member
I've lost just under 40 lbs, and I've been in maintenance for a couple of months. I started off doing cardio 5 days per week with no strength training. I gradually slacked off the cardio to the point of nothing. Now I'm basically what I feel is "skinny fat." I blew way past my weight goal, and in fact despite trying to maintain I keep gradually losing more. Long story short, I'm starting to do strength training in an effort to build lean muscle and just tone up, meanwhile I'm trying to make myself get into running again.
My questions revolves around protein. I keep reading online that protein requirements per person vary greatly, but that a good rule of thumb for someone not overweight and looking to build lean muscle they should be eating at maintenance and consuming approx. 1 gram of protein per pound of weight. I'm currently 127 pounds. I log everything I consume. I looked back over a 2 week period and I'm only consuming on average 60 grams of protein per day. Do I need to up this amount to aid me in toning up? I am a fan of protein shakes, but I know they can be overused when they shouldn't be and lead to gaining fat.
My questions revolves around protein. I keep reading online that protein requirements per person vary greatly, but that a good rule of thumb for someone not overweight and looking to build lean muscle they should be eating at maintenance and consuming approx. 1 gram of protein per pound of weight. I'm currently 127 pounds. I log everything I consume. I looked back over a 2 week period and I'm only consuming on average 60 grams of protein per day. Do I need to up this amount to aid me in toning up? I am a fan of protein shakes, but I know they can be overused when they shouldn't be and lead to gaining fat.
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0.8g per pound of bodyweight0
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Unless you are a bodybuilder you don't need 1g protein per body weight. Should be for lean body mass. Try 0.8g/lb.
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Unless you are a bodybuilder you don't need 1g protein per body weight. Should be for lean body mass. Try 0.8g/lb.
Well I'm definitley not that :-)
Sounds like I'm still not getting nearly enough, and at 127 lbs I should shoot for around 100 grams per day. I've just known way too many people drinking protein shakes all the time as if they were a bodybuilder and then they get fat.
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0.80 grams per lb. of lean body mass will be different than 0.80 grams per lb. of bodyweight.
Go by a healthy range of 0.60-0.80 grams protein per 1 lb. bodyweight. This range is supported by science.
If you actually know your Lean Body Mass, then you will realize that 1 gram protein per 1 lb. lean body mass will pitch roughly the same protein target as 0.80 g/lb. bodyweight.0 -
No I don't actually know my lean body mass. I wondered if it meant just per pound or per pound of lean mass.0
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It's not .8g/# it's .8g/kg lean body mass - which equates to ~.36g/#. The bottom line is that is a minimum. It doesn't matter if you are body building or not (but it is absolutely essential in bodybuilding when teamed with carbs) - it matters from the perspective of retaining muscle mass as you create a deficit - deficits cause muscle loss - you can't retain mass if you are deficient in protein - and another thing - protein has the highest rate of consumption via it's own source - in other words - it costs protein calories to process protein - up to 1/3rd of protein cals is used just to process it - so it's only beneficial to eat protein.0
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I've just known way too many people drinking protein shakes all the time as if they were a bodybuilder and then they get fat.
Weight gainer shakes are not the same as protein shakes. Protein shakes typically average around 120-160 calories per scoop. Take a protein shake out of convenience if desired, but remember that it is a processed food. I would stress focusing on a variety of whole, minimally processed foods to fill 80-100% of your daily calorie target.
Also, people wishing to gain muscle need to bulk, so they will be less svelte for a time because of the excess calories required to gain more mass (mainly from whole foods).0 -
Unless you are a bodybuilder you don't need 1g protein per body weight. Should be for lean body mass. Try 0.8g/lb.
Well I'm definitley not that :-)
Sounds like I'm still not getting nearly enough, and at 127 lbs I should shoot for around 100 grams per day. I've just known way too many people drinking protein shakes all the time as if they were a bodybuilder and then they get fat.
If the calories in the protein shakes result in you consuming more calories than you need, yes, you will get fat over time.
However, if they fit into your caloric goals and they contribute to a desired protein intake? Why not (could think of some more tasty options though)
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.8 to 1 gram per lean body weight is what I read last. This is hard to determine so I keep to just under my body weight knowing that excess protein is normally flushed via urine if you get plenty of water. Another weird quirky truth is that it takes more effort for the body to digest protein (instead of fat or carbs) and that extra work actually helps you to lose a small amount of weight too.
If you aren't a big fan of shakes you can look to food for most of your protein. Great sources include fish, chicken, pork, eggs, peanut butter, most seeds, cottage cheese and soy. If you still watch your calories it is still possible to lose fat and keep lean muscle weight by strength training. However, without sufficient protein and exercise the lean muscle shrinks over time giving and unpleasant deflated balloon look to loose skin. This is what most people don't understand about weight loss and it can be a real surprise to be "skinny" but look fat due to poor muscle definition.0 -
That is the minimum for a sedentary individual that is eating at maintenance calories... the 0.8grams per lb of lbm is much more realistic if you are in a deficit and want to maintain muscle, or eating at a surplus and trying to gain muscle.tedboosalis7 wrote: »It's not .8g/# it's .8g/kg lean body mass - which equates to ~.36g/#. The bottom line is that is a minimum. It doesn't matter if you are body building or not (but it is absolutely essential in bodybuilding when teamed with carbs) - it matters from the perspective of retaining muscle mass as you create a deficit - deficits cause muscle loss - you can't retain mass if you are deficient in protein - and another thing - protein has the highest rate of consumption via it's own source - in other words - it costs protein calories to process protein - up to 1/3rd of protein cals is used just to process it - so it's only beneficial to eat protein.
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Yes, I feel like a deflated balloon! Lol
I don't look fat but definitley not as lean as one would think someone would looking weighing in the 120s.
I looked back and accordi ng to this app, I eat about 14 percent protein on a weekly basis. Should I just strength train, try to hit 20 percent daily protein whether it be from food or shakes, and make sure I'm not eating under my maintenance to tone? I always eat about 1650 calories (maintenance for me at sedentary setting) but my fitbit hr always adds in 300-600 calories per day from my general activity (I'm probably not really sedentary) and I never eat them back. There are so many differing opinolns, but to me it sounds like I'm eating slightly too low protein, eating below maintenance, and therefore looking like a deflated balloon.
My diary is open, so feel free to judge away.0 -
Unless you are a bodybuilder you don't need 1g protein per body weight. Should be for lean body mass. Try 0.8g/lb.
Well I'm definitley not that :-)
Sounds like I'm still not getting nearly enough, and at 127 lbs I should shoot for around 100 grams per day. I've just known way too many people drinking protein shakes all the time as if they were a bodybuilder and then they get fat.
they aren't getting fat from the protein shakes...protein shakes don't make you fat...no food item makes you fat...consuming energy (calories) in excess is what makes you fat.
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tedboosalis7 wrote: »It's not .8g/# it's .8g/kg lean body mass - which equates to ~.36g/#. The bottom line is that is a minimum. It doesn't matter if you are body building or not (but it is absolutely essential in bodybuilding when teamed with carbs) - it matters from the perspective of retaining muscle mass as you create a deficit - deficits cause muscle loss - you can't retain mass if you are deficient in protein - and another thing - protein has the highest rate of consumption via it's own source - in other words - it costs protein calories to process protein - up to 1/3rd of protein cals is used just to process it - so it's only beneficial to eat protein.
you need to stop telling people this...it's only for sedentary people eating at maintenance (as mentioned above)0 -
srslytedboosalis7 wrote: »It's not .8g/# it's .8g/kg lean body mass - which equates to ~.36g/#. The bottom line is that is a minimum. It doesn't matter if you are body building or not (but it is absolutely essential in bodybuilding when teamed with carbs) - it matters from the perspective of retaining muscle mass as you create a deficit - deficits cause muscle loss - you can't retain mass if you are deficient in protein - and another thing - protein has the highest rate of consumption via it's own source - in other words - it costs protein calories to process protein - up to 1/3rd of protein cals is used just to process it - so it's only beneficial to eat protein.
you need to stop telling people this...it's only for sedentary people eating at maintenance (as mentioned above)
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cwolfman13 wrote: »Unless you are a bodybuilder you don't need 1g protein per body weight. Should be for lean body mass. Try 0.8g/lb.
Well I'm definitley not that :-)
Sounds like I'm still not getting nearly enough, and at 127 lbs I should shoot for around 100 grams per day. I've just known way too many people drinking protein shakes all the time as if they were a bodybuilder and then they get fat.
they aren't getting fat from the protein shakes...protein shakes don't make you fat...no food item makes you fat...consuming energy (calories) in excess is what makes you fat.
Good point...that's how I lost weight so it's obvious nothing is different now. I always have calories leftover daily anyway, so if I throw in a protein shake and stay in my calorie limits sounds like I will be ok.
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So much misinformation in this thread. Let me clear it up for you, OP:
Take your weight, in stones, divide by Pi, add the number of Duggar children NOT embroiled in scandal, multiply by your weight on the moon. That's your protein requirement.
Unless, of course, we're in a month that ends in "Y", then we need to do a conversion.0 -
OP: Make your goal ~100 grams of protein, fat and carbs can be adjusted to your personal preference but you should get a minimum of ~35 grams of fat.0
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So much misinformation in this thread. Let me clear it up for you, OP:
Take your weight, in stones, divide by Pi, add the number of Duggar children NOT embroiled in scandal, multiply by your weight on the moon. That's your protein requirement.
Unless, of course, we're in a month that ends in "Y", then we need to do a conversion.
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*peeks in to point out you're not trying to maintain if you know you're still losing and not eating any exercise calories back*0
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_benjammin wrote: »OP: Make your goal ~100 grams of protein, fat and carbs can be adjusted to your personal preference but you should get a minimum of ~35 grams of fat.
Thanks...my fat intake seems to vary but seems to average in the 40s in grams daily. Looks like my diet is usually 25 percent fat, 15 percent protein and 60 percent carbs.....I love carbs too much.0 -
So much misinformation in this thread. Let me clear it up for you, OP:
Take your weight, in stones, divide by Pi, add the number of Duggar children NOT embroiled in scandal, multiply by your weight on the moon. That's your protein requirement.
Unless, of course, we're in a month that ends in "Y", then we need to do a conversion.
Weight on the moon in lbs or kg?0 -
_benjammin wrote: »OP: Make your goal ~100 grams of protein, fat and carbs can be adjusted to your personal preference but you should get a minimum of ~35 grams of fat.
Blanket recommendations for protein and fat don't help either, unfortunately. And unless you were 90 lbs. or less, 35 grams of daily dietary fat is far too low for optimal health. Unless you're obese, the bare minimum is 0.40-0.45 grams dietary fat per 1 lb. bodyweight.0 -
*peeks in to point out you're not trying to maintain if you know you're still losing and not eating any exercise calories back*
Technically I am trying to maintain in theory, but what happens is I eat well within my standard caloric range and I will fluctuate up 3 pounds in a week for no apparent reason (and I eat the same stuff almost daily and it won't be time of the month) and then I will fluctuate down and lose what I gained and then some without trying. Whenever I eat any of my exercise calories, and I'm talking 100 or less, I tend to lose. It's odd.
*sigh* trying to maintain is harder than losing in my opinion
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Since you're skinny fat, you should aim for 127g of protein. You can go down to .8 of your body weight after you're content with the amount of muscle you have, if you want.0
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Might be worth reading this piece as it cites numerous studies rather than offering opinion:
http://bayesianbodybuilding.com/the-myth-of-1glb-optimal-protein-intake-for-bodybuilders/- There is normally no advantage to consuming more than 0.82g/lb (1.8g/kg) of protein per day to preserve or build muscle. This already includes a very safe mark-up. There hasn’t been any recorded advantage of consuming more than 0.64g/lb. The only exceptions to this rule could be individuals with extraordinarily high anabolic hormone levels.
- Optimal protein intake decreases with training age, because your body becomes more efficient at preventing protein breakdown resulting from training and less protein is needed for the increasingly smaller amount of muscle that is built after each training session. The magnitude of this effect is unclear.
Do the study results apply to you, the OP or anyone else? It would seem so. Most of the studies followed elite body builders, and the findings were further confirmed by other studies on endurance althletes.If you still think you need more than 0.82g/lb because you think you train harder than these test subjects, think again. Lemon et al. (1992) studied bodybuilders training 1.5h per day, 6 days per week and still concluded 0.75g/lb is the highest intake at which body composition benefits could occur.
And...A perhaps even more telling study is by Pikosky et al. in 2008. The researchers took a group of endurance trained subjects and had them consume either 0.41 or 0.82 g/lb of protein per day. They also added a thousand calories worth of training on top of their regular exercise. So these guys were literally running on a 1000 calorie deficit while drastically increasing their training volume. Talk about a catabolic state… Of course the nitrogen balance in the low protein group plummeted. However, the protein intake of 0.82 g/lb in the other group completely protected the subjects from muscle loss. Nitrogen balance, whole-body protein turnover and protein synthesis remained unchanged.
Most folks on MFP probably have their protein goals set too high. Will it harm you? Nope, and often it is tasty.0 -
I blew way past my weight goal, and in fact despite trying to maintain I keep gradually losing more.
If you actually ate up to your calorie goal on a regular basis you wouldn't struggle so much to hit a reasonable protein target. You are hundreds below goal most days.
You are also eating quite a lot of what I would call "Diet Foods" - fat free, lean cuisine, skinny cow....
If you are struggling to meet your calorie goal with normal food then a protein shake makes a lot of sense in your case. First choice would be to overhaul your food choices though.0 -
I blew way past my weight goal, and in fact despite trying to maintain I keep gradually losing more.
If you actually ate up to your calorie goal on a regular basis you wouldn't struggle so much to hit a reasonable protein target. You are hundreds below goal most days.
You are also eating quite a lot of what I would call "Diet Foods" - fat free, lean cuisine, skinny cow....
If you are struggling to meet your calorie goal with normal food then a protein shake makes a lot of sense in your case. First choice would be to overhaul your food choices though.
I'm a sucker for convenience, hence the lean cusines and the like. Easy to take to work and keeps me on track....probably not the *best* choices for every single day though.
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Congrats on your weight loss! Nice job!
I looked at your diary and the most noticeable absence were fresh foods like fruits and vegetables, and whole foods like beans, brown rice, eggs, minimally processed dairy products, etc. I think by substituting some of your existing choices with leafy green vegetables, beans, etc., you can increase your protein without actually adding any "proteins". A lot of these whole foods have more protein per calorie than things that come from packages--and a lot of great vitamins and minerals too.
Here are some ideas to boost your protein and other nutrients without increasing calories:
Replace your coffee and breakfast cookie with a "coffee" smoothie in the morning: use your existing coffee (ground beans, not prepared) and some cocoa powder, a half a banana, a little yogurt (for protein), and optional add in's: protein powder (protein), oats (fiber), coconut (flavor and iron), fruit (sweetness and vitamins), etc.
For lunch, replace the chips with a spinach and/or kale side salad--add some toppings like Edamame beans, chickpeas, etc.
Another great option to replace chips is Edamame because it delivers the same saltiness and really boosts protein, and it's cheap. Super easy to make: buy the frozen in-shell Edamame, cook it by boiling or microwaving (directions on the package), sprinkle with salt, and eat the beans by sucking them from the pods. Yum! You can store it for lunch and eat it cool too.
Or, a handful of whole nuts: almonds, walnuts, etc.
Replace all of the regular yogurt you eat with Greek style since it has more protein and add your own fruit and a sprinkle of oats. Alternatively, stir in a little bit of vanilla protein powder to your yogurt.0 -
I blew way past my weight goal, and in fact despite trying to maintain I keep gradually losing more.
If you actually ate up to your calorie goal on a regular basis you wouldn't struggle so much to hit a reasonable protein target. You are hundreds below goal most days.
You are also eating quite a lot of what I would call "Diet Foods" - fat free, lean cuisine, skinny cow....
If you are struggling to meet your calorie goal with normal food then a protein shake makes a lot of sense in your case. First choice would be to overhaul your food choices though.
I'm a sucker for convenience, hence the lean cusines and the like. Easy to take to work and keeps me on track....probably not the *best* choices for every single day though.
Not trying to labour the point but if you look back at your diary they aren't keeping you on track - they are keeping you under!
Convenience foods don't have to be low calorie. Those diets foods often have worse nutrition profiles than their regular equivalents. It simply makes no sense to choose low calorie options of regular foods like milk, yoghurt etc. when you are losing weight and don't want to.
Think you still have to make the mental adjustment from dieting to maintaining.0
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