1g of protein per lb of body weight?
kazane1
Posts: 264 Member
I have been looking online for the best amount of protein to be consuming and a lot of sites say 1g per lb of body weight and others say 1g per kg of body weight so it’s left me confused because there’s a big difference between the two. I weigh 128lb which is about 58 kg and I have been consuming 160g of protein a day, is this too much? Too little? What’s the adequate amount of protein I should be consuming? Thanks!
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Replies
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0.8 to 1 gram per pound of LEAN BODY MASS. So if you were 200 lbs with 20% body fat, you'd eat ~160 grams of protein.19
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Both numbers are recommended by various posters in different threads.
As stated above, the 1g/lb is lean, where the 1g/kg is usually considered total. Also, you have to take into account purpose. the 1g/kg is minimal intake, the 1g/lb is high intake when trying to maintain muscle while in a deficit, or when trying to build muscle on a surplus.
Anything from .8-1.7g/kg of total body weight is considered safe by the medical community, and has been extensively tested. Where on that range you should be depends on your goal.14 -
Just a suggestion, if you are truly training hard 1g per pound is a good target.5
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Yup what was said above is perfect!3
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Just eat a balanced diet with adequate total calories to reach your desired body weight.18
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Okay thanks for the help my target is is to bulk and build muscle and as I weigh 128lb would 150g of protein be okay or would that be too much? Also what is lean body mass? I’m currently eating in a surplus and I want to bulk and put on weight as well as muscle.0
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In a bulk, I would focus more on carbohydrate intake. Eat enough protein of course, but carbs are your friend during the bulk. I don't know how much lean muscle you have, but it certainly isn't more than 128lbs. Generally during a bulk you need less protein than during a cut. I would say shoot for no more than 128g, and you could likely eat fewer. Make up the rest of your surplus with carbohydrates (assuming you are eating a healthy fat intake as well).9
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I weigh 138 (currently) and generally eat around 150g of protein (in maintenance). My kidneys function perfectly.
I've found that during a bulk...I don't need to be so carb-phobic. During my last (most successful bulk), I was eating about 130g of protein and upped the carbs to 200+g.1 -
I need a protein shake today to hit my protein goal, adding a shot or 2 of baileys is ok isn't it? it is Christmas after all!9
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MINIMUM of 1g/lb of lean mass, therefore your 150g would be ok. Focus on carbs when bulking and keeping fats relatively low.5
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Whether you are cutting, bulking or maintaining, there is a range that you aim for, understanding that you don't need to be perfect everyday. And depending on how lean you are, will determine where you should be. As you will note below, there is variation in the recommendations. But the video is a bit more geared towards bodybuilders/competitors. So at least 1.5 to 2.2g/kg
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/apnm-2015-0549
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC6aG4dlRZg
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Okay thanks all I think I’ll stick with 150g a day then I think this will work good and I stick to 70g of fat and then make the rest up with carbs. Hopefully these are the right goals for me to be hitting.0
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Just re thinking my intakes after reading what everyone has said and do you think 120g of protein a day will still be enough to bulk and put on muscle? I’m currently eating in a surplus eating, 3,170 calories. And at the moment I have been eating 160g of protein, 70g of fat and 475g of carbs. I think my protein intake may be a little high and would I benefit more from eating 120g of protein and then eating more carbs? It’s just because this app breaks down your macros using % at the moment I’m eating at 20% protein which works out at 160g of protein and when I change it to 15% it goes down to 120g so I’m kinda left between having to pick one of those options I think. Thanks for all the good input so far everyone!1
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Just re thinking my intakes after reading what everyone has said and do you think 120g of protein a day will still be enough to bulk and put on muscle? I’m currently eating in a surplus eating, 3,170 calories. And at the moment I have been eating 160g of protein, 70g of fat and 475g of carbs. I think my protein intake may be a little high and would I benefit more from eating 120g of protein and then eating more carbs? It’s just because this app breaks down your macros using % at the moment I’m eating at 20% protein which works out at 160g of protein and when I change it to 15% it goes down to 120g so I’m kinda left between having to pick one of those options I think. Thanks for all the good input so far everyone!
You are putting way too much emphasis on all this stuff. It's not going to make a difference really.
Eat a balanced diet and get your daily calorie goal in every day. If you do this everything will fall in place.
Are you gaining weight? You should be gaining a lb. or so a week if you are eating 500 cals over your caloric breakeven (be sure to add back activity calories).
If you are not gaining weight then your calorie amount is off.
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At your size, 120g of protein a day is plenty enough. Once you go beyond 1g/lb of LBM, additional protein won't do much in regards to synthesizing new muscle mass.Just re thinking my intakes after reading what everyone has said and do you think 120g of protein a day will still be enough to bulk and put on muscle? I’m currently eating in a surplus eating, 3,170 calories. And at the moment I have been eating 160g of protein, 70g of fat and 475g of carbs. I think my protein intake may be a little high and would I benefit more from eating 120g of protein and then eating more carbs? It’s just because this app breaks down your macros using % at the moment I’m eating at 20% protein which works out at 160g of protein and when I change it to 15% it goes down to 120g so I’m kinda left between having to pick one of those options I think. Thanks for all the good input so far everyone!
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Honestly the research is all over the board when it comes to protein suggestions for resistance-training. I've read 1.3kgs / kg BW, 1.4kg's, 2.3kg's, 0.8gms / lb of BW, 1gm / lb; it's pretty crazy if you start reading. It was something I thought would be fun to study in school and it was not. LOL! Generally speaking I would say that the .8gm to 1gm per LB is a good target.
If you're consuming 120gm's now, then you're probably fine. If you feel like you need a little more for some reason it's not going to hurt you, just don't dwell on the subject. Make sure your overall nutrition supports what you want to achieve along with your training protocol, focus on the big-picture.1 -
As long as you're somewhere between 120g - 160g then don't sweat it.
20g servings spaced throughout the day is good place to start.
40g per meal, 4x per day gives optimal results.
Source: https://www.strongerbyscience.com/athlete-protein-intake/3 -
Thanks for the helpful advice everyone sorry I haven’t been back on here in a while but life got in the way recently but I really appreciate all your help and I will be using this advice1
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Better to have too much rather than too little protein. At your weight I would eat at least 150 grams of protein per day.
I personally like the rule of thumb of 1g of protein per pound of body weight. Especially in a sense of gaining muscle.
I currently weigh 190 lbs and eat 250 protein a day. As the saying goes, “Eat how you want to look.” You want to grow? You’re gonna want to eat like it.8 -
Okay thanks for the advice I’ll continue eating at 150g of protein then I think but you just said you go by the rule of 1g of protein to 1lb of body weight so as you weigh 190lbs shouldn’t you be eating 190g of protein not 250g ?0
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I have been looking online for the best amount of protein to be consuming and a lot of sites say 1g per lb of body weight and others say 1g per kg of body weight so it’s left me confused because there’s a big difference between the two. I weigh 128lb which is about 58 kg and I have been consuming 160g of protein a day, is this too much? Too little? What’s the adequate amount of protein I should be consuming? Thanks!
From what I've read for a healthy adult, eating too much protein won't be an issue, do you need to eat over a certain amount? not really but you do need enough to help build muscle so the 1 g per 1 lb of body weight is usually a good middle ground between someone wondering is it enough vs beyond the amount that I actually need, that's how I understand it.3 -
I have been looking online for the best amount of protein to be consuming and a lot of sites say 1g per lb of body weight and others say 1g per kg of body weight so it’s left me confused because there’s a big difference between the two. I weigh 128lb which is about 58 kg and I have been consuming 160g of protein a day, is this too much? Too little? What’s the adequate amount of protein I should be consuming? Thanks!
From what I've read for a healthy adult, eating too much protein won't be an issue, do you need to eat over a certain amount? not really but you do need enough to help build muscle so the 1 g per 1 lb of body weight is usually a good middle ground between someone wondering is it enough vs beyond the amount that I actually need, that's how I understand it.
Okay then thank you mate so your saying 130g should be enough for me to be eating then? Would it matter if I was to consume 150g a day?
That’s what I’ve been having lately.0 -
I have been looking online for the best amount of protein to be consuming and a lot of sites say 1g per lb of body weight and others say 1g per kg of body weight so it’s left me confused because there’s a big difference between the two. I weigh 128lb which is about 58 kg and I have been consuming 160g of protein a day, is this too much? Too little? What’s the adequate amount of protein I should be consuming? Thanks!
From what I've read for a healthy adult, eating too much protein won't be an issue, do you need to eat over a certain amount? not really but you do need enough to help build muscle so the 1 g per 1 lb of body weight is usually a good middle ground between someone wondering is it enough vs beyond the amount that I actually need, that's how I understand it.
Okay then thank you mate so your saying 130g should be enough for me to be eating then? Would it matter if I was to consume 150g a day?
That’s what I’ve been having lately.
If you feel fine, have good energy for workouts etc., you are fine. That is not excessive. It's all about preference and performance once you are above .8 to 1 gram per lb of lean body mass.2 -
Whether you are cutting, bulking or maintaining, there is a range that you aim for, understanding that you don't need to be perfect everyday. And depending on how lean you are, will determine where you should be. As you will note below, there is variation in the recommendations. But the video is a bit more geared towards bodybuilders/competitors. So at least 1.5 to 2.2g/kg
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/apnm-2015-0549https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC6aG4dlRZg
Best advice is get 3dmj's ebook both of their training and nutrition pyramids are the holy grail of training and dieting !3 -
While protein is necessary in a healthy diet (as are fats and carbs), in my opinion you will have success gaining weight/mass if you concern yourself with calories.
If you are not increasing your bodyweight consistently (1-2 lbs. per week) then you are simply not getting enough calories.
A balanced diet with enough calories will give you results and there is no need to focus on protein amounts.
You must get sufficient calories every day, whether you train or not. Don't forget to add back your activity calories.
Your lack of progress indicates you are not eating enough.7 -
The vast majority of studies show no effect once you're above 1.6g/kg, so at 58kg you maximize gains at around 95g/day.
http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2018/01/18/bjsports-2017-097608.full
You can of course consume more than this, but you won't be impacting your FFM or strength gains, and once you're above the capacity of the liver to convert the excess nitrogen to urea you just end up with expensive piss. Where you're providing >35% of your energy intake from protein you enter areas where you may be subject to other risks.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16779921
No amount of protein consumption above the 0.8g/kg required for basic body function will help with gains in FFM without the correct resistance training regime.5 -
While protein is necessary in a healthy diet (as are fats and carbs), in my opinion you will have success gaining weight/mass if you concern yourself with calories.
If you are not increasing your bodyweight consistently (1-2 lbs. per week) then you are simply not getting enough calories.
A balanced diet with enough calories will give you results and there is no need to focus on protein amounts.
You must get sufficient calories every day, whether you train or not. Don't forget to add back your activity calories.
Your lack of progress indicates you are not eating enough.
1-2 lb per week is very aggressive
Up to 10lb per month is not healthy0 -
While protein is necessary in a healthy diet (as are fats and carbs), in my opinion you will have success gaining weight/mass if you concern yourself with calories.
If you are not increasing your bodyweight consistently (1-2 lbs. per week) then you are simply not getting enough calories.
A balanced diet with enough calories will give you results and there is no need to focus on protein amounts.
You must get sufficient calories every day, whether you train or not. Don't forget to add back your activity calories.
Your lack of progress indicates you are not eating enough.
1-2 lb per week is very aggressive
Up to 10lb per month is not healthy
Agree. Anything over about 1/2 lb per week is just gaining fat and will make the cut that much harder.0 -
I have been looking online for the best amount of protein to be consuming and a lot of sites say 1g per lb of body weight and others say 1g per kg of body weight so it’s left me confused because there’s a big difference between the two. I weigh 128lb which is about 58 kg and I have been consuming 160g of protein a day, is this too much? Too little? What’s the adequate amount of protein I should be consuming? Thanks!
From what I've read for a healthy adult, eating too much protein won't be an issue, do you need to eat over a certain amount? not really but you do need enough to help build muscle so the 1 g per 1 lb of body weight is usually a good middle ground between someone wondering is it enough vs beyond the amount that I actually need, that's how I understand it.
Okay then thank you mate so your saying 130g should be enough for me to be eating then? Would it matter if I was to consume 150g a day?
That’s what I’ve been having lately.
If 150g is working for you then I don't see the harm. If anything 150 is right on the nail. Make sure you 're getting enough calories total though that's really important!1 -
While protein is necessary in a healthy diet (as are fats and carbs), in my opinion you will have success gaining weight/mass if you concern yourself with calories.
If you are not increasing your bodyweight consistently (1-2 lbs. per week) then you are simply not getting enough calories.
A balanced diet with enough calories will give you results and there is no need to focus on protein amounts.
You must get sufficient calories every day, whether you train or not. Don't forget to add back your activity calories.
Your lack of progress indicates you are not eating enough.
1-2 lb per week is very aggressive
Up to 10lb per month is not healthy
Agree. Anything over about 1/2 lb per week is just gaining fat and will make the cut that much harder.
I don't agree. The evidence demonstrates that up to 1% loss per week is not aggressive.0
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