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Help with protein requirement

coryh00
coryh00 Posts: 55 Member
edited November 2024 in Social Groups
I'm male, 38, 5'4'-5'5.5' depending on the day, and the scale said 168.2 this morning, and I'm T2 diabetic (working on reversing that permanently). I have read that means I need somewhere between 85 and 135g of protein depending on which calculation I go with, which is a pretty big spread. I am on my feet walking, up and down ladders, squatting and standing, using power tools, etc at work all day 50-75% of the time, and I do strength training and some walking/running at least 3 times a week. Sometimes I have more activity, sometimes (like being sick the last 2 days) I have a bit less. Where do you think I should be? I think I might be dealing with a combo of actual illness and low carb side effects at the moment, but not sure. Power aid and or extra salt don't seem to matter right now, and my potassium was fine when checked last week. I don't take supplements at the moment because I do take 500mg Metformin (diet change brought this down from 2000mg/day in 3 months), 10mg Lisinopril, and a generic Prilosec every day (unfortunately I may never get off the Prilosec due to extensive surgery on my guts) and don't know what will react with what, other than everything says don't add extra potassium with the Lisinopril because it makes you hold onto the potassium. Any help from all of you that know more about this than me would be appreciated.

Replies

  • FIT_Goat
    FIT_Goat Posts: 4,224 Member
    Active physical job, weight lifting, etc. I would recommend aiming for the top end of that. Only after you have repeated months with no body fat loss should you consider lowering it. Even going over likely isn't an issue. If you do lower it, you should watch for changes in body fat percentage and calculate fat free mass to be sure you're not just losing muscle by removing the protein.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    edited February 2016
    This was covered in the last half of this podcast.
    They recommended determining the amount based on your ideal weight, not your current weight. But take into consideration your activity from day to day. Meaning, if you're less active one day, you would adjust and not eat as much protein and eat more in more active days. Also, if your carb tolerance is lower your protein tolerance will typically be lower too.
    They explain how to calculate it. I don't remember that part.
    http://ketotalk.com/2016/02/10-autoimmune-disease-constipation-and-supplements-on-keto/

    It may have actually been this one.
    http://ketotalk.com/2016/02/11-diabetes-control-perfect-macronutrient-ratios-returning-to-ketosis/
  • coryh00
    coryh00 Posts: 55 Member
    Well, the 2nd podcast said I should calculate based on my ideal body weight....I'm not sure what that is yet, since I think the 135 (I think I weighed that once in grade school) the charts say would make me look like a starving ethiopian (no offence intended). I used my current goal of 160lb and it gives me 96g. Since I tend to stay in the 85-100 range unless specifically trying to get more or less, I guess I'm probably ok at the moment. I have a suspicion I may have tolerance issue when I'm higher and will have to go back and check how my protein levels correspond with my glucose level the next morning. Thanks for the replies.
  • camtosh
    camtosh Posts: 898 Member
    edited February 2016
    That ideal body weight on http://docmuscles.com/2015/11/15/take-just-a-moment-and-admire-then-calculate-your-ideal-body-weight/ is based on an "ideal" -- not what you are aiming for, Dr. Nally explained in later blurbs. It is used to set a protein goal that would work for your weight loss. If you eat too much protein, you risk stalling because excess protein can get turned into glucose and spur insulin release, which then stores fat on the hips :) So use that calculation as a minimum to spare your muscles and ensure you are getting enough. You don't need to strive to weigh as little as the calculator says.

    edit to add:
    Here is his reply to someone in the comments on the same question:
    DocMuscles
    Nov 16, 2015 at 15:46 pm
    Lynne,
    Ideal body weight is a “ballpark” average that gives one the ability to calculate protein and or caloric need based on averages. (I realize that neither you or I are “average” but it is a simplistic way to calculate baseline protein need without sending you for an extensive and expensive VO2 max test on a treadmill). It puts us in the range needed to determine protein intake for weight loss. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you should weigh 116 lbs. (However, you’d be surprised that losing fat and gaining muscle will often let you get pretty close to your IBW and not look emaciated like you would with a low fat diet. Low fat diets often cause fat loss and muscle wasting causing the emaciated look)
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    Great follow up info @camtosh
    That podcast was the first time I heard about using ideal body weight as the reference and it makes a lot of sense to me. I understood varying sensitivity from person to person is a given. I think this way of calculating will be helpful to a lot of people.
    I had previously heard of some using their TDEE at ideal weight as their calorie goal and thought that sounded very reasonable too.
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