Confused about protein

jelleigh
jelleigh Posts: 743 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
My hubby has recently decided to join me in weight loss efforts and I'm trying to meal plan for us while hitting macros. The problem is that there's so much conflicting info about how much protein he should be getting. Some sites say .5 grams per lb of lean body mass, some say .8-1 gram. Then other sites say .8-1 gram per KILO which is of course a very different thing.
Or goal is weight loss and we will be weight training to try to prevent muscle loss.
He's 6' and 280 lbs and wants to lose about 60 lbs.
I would estimate he is 35-40% body fat based on picture comparisons.
Thoughts?

Replies

  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
    Honestly, you'll hear different answers on here as well. When I search for peer reviewed articles, one comes up with the .8g per kilo, but the conclusion of the study suggests that higher is better. https://academic.oup.com/advances/article/8/2/266/4558082
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
    If your goal is weight loss I wouldn't worry about the macros so much. The 0.8 grams per kilo of body weight is the recommended daily intake by the NIH. But that is essentially a minimum for healthy protein intake, not a maximum. So he can certainly target higher. However he is a big guy so I don't think that .8 grams per pound is particularly realistic. 224 grams of protein a day would be a lot.

    What is his daily calorie goal?
  • jelleigh
    jelleigh Posts: 743 Member
    Ya that's what i was thinking. It's hard enough getting to 120 g of protein nevermind double that! His goal is 2150 calories per day.
  • Eternally_Hers
    Eternally_Hers Posts: 26 Member
    Usually when talking about how much protein per pound of bodyweight, it's per pound of lean bodyweight(your body with no fat left). For me, as a 6 foot 2 man, I estimate my lean bodymass to be at around 162 pounds so 120 protein a day is just over 0.7%

    From my experience that much protein is more then adequate to put some muscle on, no less maintain it. Of course genetics and age make a difference on how much muscle your body is willing to support. If you're having trouble getting enough protein, superstore and Wal-Mart have whey proteins by the pharmacy section. Diesel is by far my favourite whey protein outside of the gym store which is pretty cheap as well. Just mix it with a cup of water and enjoy. Chocolate toffee is my favourite. ^_^
  • jelleigh
    jelleigh Posts: 743 Member
    Thanks @Eternally_Hers . i did know about the lean body mass thing but just realized i was calculating it wrong! Thanks for the post. Ok i can hit 120 grams easily enough. We do already use a protein powder for morning smoothies. I'm a little concerned about using protein powder as a majority of the days protein but maybe that's no big deal? Does it make a difference if the protein is from a food source vs a powder?
  • Eternally_Hers
    Eternally_Hers Posts: 26 Member
    edited December 2018
    jelleigh wrote: »
    Thanks @Eternally_Hers . i did know about the lean body mass thing but just realized i was calculating it wrong! Thanks for the post. Ok i can hit 120 grams easily enough. We do already use a protein powder for morning smoothies. I'm a little concerned about using protein powder as a majority of the days protein but maybe that's no big deal? Does it make a difference if the protein is from a food source vs a powder?

    I don't think it really matters as long as it keeps him full for long enough. Generally speaking whole foods take longer for the body to breakdown/absorb then a powder.

    If he gets hungry fast after having the shake, you may want to try whole try switching to whole foods. Otherwise I'd just continue what you're doing.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    feel free to check my diary - i do 120-140g of protein a day with no protein drinks
  • jelleigh
    jelleigh Posts: 743 Member
    Thanks @deannalfisher i will!

    @Eternally_Hers I'm keeping an eye on how he's feeling. We are early into this but so far he had been full on too few calories. His fit bit days he's burning 4000 calories a day but he's been full around 1700 and I've been pushing him to have a few hundred more calories. I think it will level out in a bit though.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    .6-.8 grams per Lb of bodyweight...however, in his situation I would us .6-.8 grams per Lb of his goal weight or a healthy weight. In my case, .8 grams ends up being pretty much 1 gram per Lb of LBM...I'm usually closer to .6
    jelleigh wrote: »
    Thanks @Eternally_Hers . i did know about the lean body mass thing but just realized i was calculating it wrong! Thanks for the post. Ok i can hit 120 grams easily enough. We do already use a protein powder for morning smoothies. I'm a little concerned about using protein powder as a majority of the days protein but maybe that's no big deal? Does it make a difference if the protein is from a food source vs a powder?

    Whey protein powder is a food source...whey is a dairy bi-product of cheese making and then dried to a powder for convenience. Little Miss Muffett always ate her curds and whey...
  • Eternally_Hers
    Eternally_Hers Posts: 26 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    .6-.8 grams per Lb of bodyweight...however, in his situation I would us .6-.8 grams per Lb of his goal weight or a healthy weight. In my case, .8 grams ends up being pretty much 1 gram per Lb of LBM...I'm usually closer to .6
    jelleigh wrote: »
    Thanks @Eternally_Hers . i did know about the lean body mass thing but just realized i was calculating it wrong! Thanks for the post. Ok i can hit 120 grams easily enough. We do already use a protein powder for morning smoothies. I'm a little concerned about using protein powder as a majority of the days protein but maybe that's no big deal? Does it make a difference if the protein is from a food source vs a powder?

    Whey protein powder is a food source...whey is a dairy bi-product of cheese making and then dried to a powder for convenience. Little Miss Muffett always ate her curds and whey...

    Yeah, whey protein is a food source, but I'm talking about whole food sources that'll keep people fuller for longer should liquid calories not fill a person up that much. Whey protein goes through your small intestine in an hour and a half which is really fast. Either try mixing it with other things to slow it down or possibly drink milk/eat eggs.

    I personally just take it as it comes. If it keeps you full, then that's great but if it doesn't then there is no point in always feeling hungry when I could get other whole food sources which keep me fuller.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Eternally_Hers wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    .6-.8 grams per Lb of bodyweight...however, in his situation I would us .6-.8 grams per Lb of his goal weight or a healthy weight. In my case, .8 grams ends up being pretty much 1 gram per Lb of LBM...I'm usually closer to .6
    jelleigh wrote: »
    Thanks @Eternally_Hers . i did know about the lean body mass thing but just realized i was calculating it wrong! Thanks for the post. Ok i can hit 120 grams easily enough. We do already use a protein powder for morning smoothies. I'm a little concerned about using protein powder as a majority of the days protein but maybe that's no big deal? Does it make a difference if the protein is from a food source vs a powder?

    Whey protein powder is a food source...whey is a dairy bi-product of cheese making and then dried to a powder for convenience. Little Miss Muffett always ate her curds and whey...

    Yeah, whey protein is a food source, but I'm talking about whole food sources that'll keep people fuller for longer should liquid calories not fill a person up that much. Whey protein goes through your small intestine in an hour and a half which is really fast. Either try mixing it with other things to slow it down or possibly drink milk/eat eggs.

    I personally just take it as it comes. If it keeps you full, then that's great but if it doesn't then there is no point in always feeling hungry when I could get other whole food sources which keep me fuller.

    Ya, I mix my PP with chia seeds and dried coconut and it keeps me full for a good while.

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