Why up my protein?

The protein is important to help keep you full. I usually eat a high protein breakfast and will usually not even be hungry for lunch. Little protein snacks through the day (string cheese, almonds, eggs) are perfect to keep me satisfied and not binge.

Everyone is different. I really don't think there is a set amount of each nutrient that everyone needs every day. I'm a vegetarian and I am lucky if I eat 40-50 grams a day and I feel fine and have plenty of energy to run and do whatever else I want. Some days you'll eat more, some less. As long as you are meeting your calorie goal you are not going to be protein deficient. Don't overthink it.

There seems to be an echo in this thread

Generally, you want enough protein to maintain your muscles, so usually 1g per pound of lean mass. I have 106 pounds of lean mass so I aim for 106g of protein. The source does not matter. Protein shakes are generally the cheapest, gram for gram. Another reason I try to get most of my calories from protein sources is that its very difficult to overeat - as opposed to carbtastic foods which I can eat at an alarming rate..lol

You do want to get enough protein in general, and especially for weight loss- there's hormones that make your body prioritize burning fat that are reliant on consuming enough protein, and when in a calorie deficit your body can tend to break down muscle for energy instead of body fat if you aren't getting enough dietary protein.

It's not just for body builders and not just about feeling "full". The last thing you want to do is lose muscle and not lose fat, that's very unhealthy and will make it almost impossible to maintain any weight loss you do achieve.

Look online for daily protein intake recommendations based on your age, gender, height, weight, and activity level.
The amount of grams needed a day is different for everyone.

I know how you feel about eating meat- I don't like it much either, I can only eat a maximum of 3oz at a time and more like 1.5 most of the time. I've found protein powder/shakes to be very helpful. And you might want to try Greek yogurt and cottage cheese as an alternative to cheese, you get more protein for less calories & fat so it's easier to fit into your daily calorie allowance.

To protect your lean muscle mass (and therefore your "metabolism") and to feel full and stay that way.

cwolfman13 wrote: »

It depends a lot on how active you are. Someone more active is going to benefit from taking in more than the RDA...someone who is sedentary is likely to have little benefit from taking in more than the RDA.

This is true, but I'd add that it's also beneficial when one is at a deficit (being more important when you are close to goal or at a higher deficit). Increasing protein up to about .65-.85 g per lb of body weight (if already at a healthy weight) or goal weight (if you are overweight) can be helpful in preserving muscle mass and avoiding more loss of muscle than necessary. Obviously other things, like strength training or other, analogous, types of exercise can be helpful too, and increasing protein may not matter if one is especially sedentary, for example.

I also think it's more important as one ages, as it gets harder to maintain muscle (or add any) and muscle loss is natural. As a result, I have focused on getting around .8 g/lb of current or goal weight, depending (about 95-100 g, and that's consistent with the 1 g/lb of LBM for me too). I am active, but if I weren't I'd probably let it drop a bit lower when not trying to lose/recomp IF it were difficult for me to manage. (I played around with a plant based diet for a while and let the protein drop lower, since there was no way for me to keep it at that level regularly without really changing my eating habit. I don't think this would have been a bad thing.)

OP, ultimately, you have to just decide whether the possible benefits of a little more protein would outweigh how you'd have to change up your diet and whether it would be sustainable for you. Goals may be part of that. You can certainly lose weight and end up with a fine BF% with a little less protein, however. Many people don't bother counting and just focus on eating a balanced, healthful diet.

A key to my transformation was shooting for .75g of protein per lb of body weight, 20-30% fats and carbs filled in the rest. That and determining the proper caloric deficit. Shooting for .5-2lbs lost per week will slow metabolic adaptation and ensure longer more sustainable results but definitely get that protein in. It helps with muscle repair and keeps you full longer which is important on a deficit.