Protein Intake

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Suly09
Suly09 Posts: 88 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I feel like my protein is too low and I am always going over it. Is there anyway anyone can tell me if my protein amount is right? I am 5'0 and weight 151. MFP says my protein should be 60 grams on a 1200 calorie. Is it bad to always be going over it?

Replies

  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
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    Nope, over is fine - the protein and fat recommendations should be seen as minimums.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    Nope, over is fine - the protein and fat recommendations should be seen as minimums.

    This. Plus you can change your macro percentages to give you a higher protein goal.
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,384 Member
    edited February 2018
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    I believe the minimum protein goal is around 0.8g of protein per 1kg of body weight. This is mainly for Sedentary people, so more active people will have higher requirements.

    https://examine.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-do-i-need-every-day/
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited February 2018
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    MFP's default goal is 20% of calories (which is 60 g at 1200). I think it's usually too low for someone at 1200 (not for health, but for preserving muscle as you lose weight, and possibly for satiety). A good goal to preserve muscle as you lose is .7-.8 g per goal weight -- I don't know your goal, but 110-115 is the middle of the healthy BMI range, so I might aim for at least 80 g of protein or so. But mostly don't worry about going over your protein goal, it's more like a minimum if calories are in check.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,429 Member
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    toxikon wrote: »
    I believe the minimum protein goal is around 0.8g of protein per 1kg of body weight. This is mainly for Sedentary people, so more active people will have higher requirements.

    https://examine.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-do-i-need-every-day/

    That would be per kg of healthy body weight.

    Obese/overweight people don't need extra protein to maintain their fat mass.

    (I do agree that active people and some other subgroups - aging, in a calorie deficit - ought to get more per kg, but the basis is still healthy weight, not current weight if current is excessive.)

  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,384 Member
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    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    toxikon wrote: »
    I believe the minimum protein goal is around 0.8g of protein per 1kg of body weight. This is mainly for Sedentary people, so more active people will have higher requirements.

    https://examine.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-do-i-need-every-day/

    That would be per kg of healthy body weight.

    Obese/overweight people don't need extra protein to maintain their fat mass.

    (I do agree that active people and some other subgroups - aging, in a calorie deficit - ought to get more per kg, but the basis is still healthy weight, not current weight if current is excessive.)

    The link I posted suggests 0.8kg per kg of body weight, but that's not to say it's the only source out there. I don't think there's a definitive answer, and using a range is definitely the way to go!
  • YogiJear
    YogiJear Posts: 118 Member
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    Yeah MFP's default protein goal seems pretty low. One of the first things I did was manually tweak the protein % up to about 1g/lb.

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