1g of protein per pound of body weight?

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heyzoey
heyzoey Posts: 10 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I've recently gotten into weight training and want to get stronger and have a leaner body. I read online that I should be getting 1g of protein per pound I weigh...which means I should be getting around 122g a day. I'm 5"7, 122lbs, female and I usually get in around 60g of protein a day. I go to the gym twice a week and since I go to school and volunteer the rest of the week, I would say I'm on my feet a lot. I do some dumbbell exercises and pilates at home sometimes as well. Should I be getting in this much protein?
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  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
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    0.8-1g/pound of body weight is acceptable.
  • heyzoey
    heyzoey Posts: 10 Member
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    jenilla1 wrote: »
    You don't really need that much, because you're workouts aren't that intense to be honest, but it won't hurt you to eat that much. There are several different recommendations.

    There's the general dietary guidelines of 0.8 - 1 gram per kilogram (not pound) of body mass - that would mean your 60 grams a day was pretty close to target. That's for normal, everyday people.

    Then there's a more aggressive intake for building lean mass and enhancing performance - that's often in the range of 1 gram per pound of lean body mass (not total weight). There are different versions of this, but they're all just opinions. Experiment and find out what works best for you. I use the lean mass calculation personally. You have to know your body fat %, convert it into pounds and then subtract that from your total mass to get your lean mass.

    That 1 gram per pound of total weight recommendation is really hardcore and unnecessary for most people, it sounds like it's elite athlete/bodybuilder level as far as I'm concerned. I think a lot of the time people are confusing the general dietary guidelines amounts by thinking it's based on pounds when it's really based on kilograms. But again, if you want to eat that much, it shouldn't hurt you. And there are tons of opinions out there. Do your research before taking my advice or anyone else's.

    Examples for your weight: I don't know your lean mass, so I'm just going to pretend you are 25% body fat, just for the sake of the example. (I'm 140 pounds and 28% BF.)

    General Dietary Guidelines: 55g (63g for me, and this is my bare minimum)

    Based on Lean Body Mass: 92g (101g for me, this is what I usually eat, and it's fairly easy to hit this target)

    1g/pound: 122g (140g for me, this would require massive supplementation because that's a ton of protein IMO. I'd have to drop carbs to stay within my calories and I love my carbs.)

    Thank you! That's really helpful :) I think i'll stick to what I'm doing now, and maybe a bit more. I find it really hard to get close to 100g and since I don't work out all the time, it should be good.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    my RD recommends 1-1.2g of protein per lb of LMM (for me that is 112lbs) - I take in 130g a day, and easily fit it within my calories (I avg 2200 for a 5'3" 149lb female and losing at .25-.5 a week)
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
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    https://breakingmuscle.com/fuel/how-much-protein-do-you-need-science-weighs-in
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    cathipa wrote: »
    https://breakingmuscle.com/fuel/how-much-protein-do-you-need-science-weighs-in

    From the link: "The MINIMUM amount of protein for athletes should be at least .55 grams/pound/day. Depending upon your sport or training regimen, the daily requirement can go as high as .9 to 1 grams/pound."

    Yup. For an elite athlete, the optimum protein intake can go as high as 1g per pound. The OP isn't an elite athlete. That kind of intake is unnecessary, but not harmful.

    The article itself states that .55 g is the minimum for athletes. That's about what the OP was already eating, and she's not even an athlete. So she's good to go then, right? :)
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    deannalfisher wrote: »
    my RD recommends 1-1.2g of protein per lb of LMM (for me that is 112lbs) - I take in 130g a day, and easily fit it within my calories (I avg 2200 for a 5'3" 149lb female and losing at .25-.5 a week)

    That's the lean mass calculation. That's what I eat, too.
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
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    She has started weight lifting and wants to get stronger and have a leaner body. The minimums won't typically get you there. And yes her goals are adequate if they meet her needs (cut/maintain/bulk). Just ask the low carb group how much protein they consume. I bet it's more than the RDA recommendations.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    cathipa wrote: »
    She has started weight lifting and wants to get stronger and have a leaner body. The minimums won't typically get you there. And yes her goals are adequate if they meet her needs (cut/maintain/bulk). Just ask the low carb group how much protein they consume. I bet it's more than the RDA recommendations.

    OK, but she says she does "some dumbbell exercises and Pilates", that she only works out "a couple of times a week," and that she has a hard time getting those higher protein numbers. She wanted to know if she was OK eating less than the max amounts. In her case, I think she's OK eating less. Some dumbbell work is not really weight lifting. I've been lifting heavy for years and have found that eating more than the amounts I get from the lean mass calculation doesn't provide that much more benefit for me, personally. I don't eat the minimum RDA, I eat a lot more than the minimums and a lot more than the OP, but I don't max out like I'm doing elite training. I might feel differently if I had different goals. I'm not bodybuilding or trying to be competitive, and neither is the OP. I'm just getting stronger, leaner and more defined. This works for me and it should work fine for most typical fitness scenarios. Like I said in a previous post, she should experiment to see what works for her. :)
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    @heyzoey can you open up your food diary here - ppl may be able to give you advice on how to reach your goal
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,987 Member
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    There is nothing WRONG with taking 1g or more of protein per pound of body weight. The general "rule" is 0.8-1g per pound of LBM but that's not an ABSOLUTE rule.

    There are reasons other than muscle development -- appetite suppression and weight loss for example -- for being on a high protein diet and you have to eat an EXTREME amount of protein over a LONG period of time for it to ever become a hazard to your kidneys or other body organs.

    I've been averaging 170g of protein intake daily for the past 9 months starting at 196lbs down to my current weight of 160, which currently represents 1.0625g/pound of body weight and about 1.21g/pound of LBM (at 12% BF).

    I've lost a lot of weight and gained LBM while doing this and have not suffered any negative medical or physical consequences in the process. So, I suggest that people not be so quick to claim that anything over 0.8-1g per pound of LBM is TOO MUCH protein. It's really not as simple as all that.

  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
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    You don't need the whole gram per pound. I personally prefer it, or to shoot for it. Plus, 122 grams of protein is not difficult to get. But you should definitely be eating more than 60 grams.
  • griffinca2
    griffinca2 Posts: 672 Member
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    She should also be lifting heavier weights than just DBs. I eat around 80 - 95 g protein (on avg) per day; I'm over 60, do weights three days a week (use heavy as I can w/o injury), moderate amts of cardio and do not feel I'm eating too much protein. Trying not to lose muscle mass (and maybe put on a little more if poss).
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
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    cathipa wrote: »
    She has started weight lifting and wants to get stronger and have a leaner body. The minimums won't typically get you there. And yes her goals are adequate if they meet her needs (cut/maintain/bulk). Just ask the low carb group how much protein they consume. I bet it's more than the RDA recommendations.

    Pfft, I'm not even low-carb and I eat 230+g/day when cutting, and have been known to hit 400+g/day when bulking. Why? Because meat and fish are delicious, that's why.
  • BootCampC
    BootCampC Posts: 689 Member
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    I only need about 50% of that to have firm muscles and for repair
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
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    Try .8-1g/lb of lean body mass. At least that's what I try to stick to. I weigh about 185 lbs @ 13% body fat. That's about 160 lbs of lean body mass so I try to hit between 128-160g/day of protein. Going over is not a problem as long as I stay within my calorie goals and it happens most days because protein keeps me satiated more than carbs.
  • king_laceyii
    king_laceyii Posts: 28 Member
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    I was told that the goal is to get 1g per 1lb of body weight on days you workout. Depending on how much you weigh, that can be a tall task.
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
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    king_laceyii wrote: »
    I was told that the goal is to get 1g per 1lb of body weight on days you workout. Depending on how much you weigh, that can be a tall task.

    If you go that route, try to do 1g/lb of your target body weight otherwise if you're 300 lbs trying to get 300g of protein per day is a tall task, and is overkill. So if your ultimate goal is say 190lbs go with that as a max per day (190g).
  • heyzoey
    heyzoey Posts: 10 Member
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    thanks everyone for your input! you guys raise some good points :) I guess I need to decide what my goals are in terms of working out and how much effort I am willing to put in, realistically. I'm still totally new at this and want to try different exercises! I also need to figure out a good diet plan including high-protein foods (I don't eat meat often and am intolerant to dairy products).
  • Rusty740
    Rusty740 Posts: 749 Member
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    Did anyone mention that getting more protein is more important for losing weight and keeping muscle than it is for just pure gaining muscle while gaining weight. i.e. eat more protein while trying to lose weight, eat less than that while trying to gain muscle.

    I see you lean more towards vegetarian proteins, give Edamame a try, it's a really high protein source.

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