How much protein is enough?

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Keenkick43
Keenkick43 Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I’m 150lb trying to lose 20lb through calorie counting. Looking into protein powder/shakes. I have yet to find one I liked and in the past have found myself forcing myself to sip it. How much protein should I try to get per day, and any recommendation for a good protein shake or supplement?

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  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,374 Member
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    I would suggest using this calculator and seeing what it recommends:
    https://examine.com/nutrition/protein-intake-calculator/
  • positiveyou146
    positiveyou146 Posts: 7 Member
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    i would say herbalife is a good option, but any whey based is great, as for protein you should be looking at
    weight 150lbs = 40-55 grams of protein
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited February 2022
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    A lot depends on how active you are and what those activities consist of. I generally try for around .6-.8 of my usual healthy maintenance weight which is around 110g - 145g...on average I'd say I'm usually around 120-130g. I can typically get that without supplementation. I supplement mostly on lifting days when I shoot for a bit higher.
  • Thewonderofitall
    Thewonderofitall Posts: 97 Member
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    This is my go to:

    USA-WarriorBlend4-375g-Choc-Front_540x.png?v=1643737553
  • Keenkick43
    Keenkick43 Posts: 4 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    A lot depends on how active you are and what those activities consist of. I generally try for around .6-.8 of my usual healthy maintenance weight which is around 110g - 145g...on average I'd say I'm usually around 120-130g. I can typically get that without supplementation. I supplement mostly on lifting days when I shoot for a bit higher.



    Silly question, clearly I’m just getting into it all. What does activity have to do with protein intake?
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,898 Member
    edited February 2022
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    Keenkick43 wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    A lot depends on how active you are and what those activities consist of. I generally try for around .6-.8 of my usual healthy maintenance weight which is around 110g - 145g...on average I'd say I'm usually around 120-130g. I can typically get that without supplementation. I supplement mostly on lifting days when I shoot for a bit higher.



    Silly question, clearly I’m just getting into it all. What does activity have to do with protein intake?

    Break down your muscles via exercise activity, need protein to repair them. Everyone needs protein, and everyone's muscles need maintenance and repair, but when stressing the muscles, many people like to get more protein to maximize odds of optimizing body composition and performance benefits from the exercise.

    ETA: There's some research-based reasons to think it's may be beneficial to get extra protein while losing weight, as we age, and if getting lots of one's protein from plant sources, in addition to when very active with exercise or a physical job.

    The calculator linked above (which I also like) has a related article explaining all this, in layperson-accessible terms. Article link:

    https://examine.com/guides/protein-intake/
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,654 Member
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    Also, why torture yourself getting protein from something you clearly don't like? You can get protein from chicken, fish, meat, eggs, beans, nut butters (altho those are more a source of fat), even vegetables and bread.

    Here's an amazing list of proteins no one should be without. :)

    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12LrMGp8HiWl2FW-odoexKBMxeDTMUhwd4ooT6VoolJk/edit#gid=0
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,004 Member
    edited February 2022
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    Keenkick43 wrote: »
    I’m 150lb trying to lose 20lb through calorie counting. Looking into protein powder/shakes. I have yet to find one I liked and in the past have found myself forcing myself to sip it. How much protein should I try to get per day, and any recommendation for a good protein shake or supplement?

    While you can certainly meet a reasonable protein goal without PP, it can be easier to do so with this. Many protein powder contain artificial sweeteners like sucralose, which I find disgusting, and "natural" sweeteners like stevia, which I can't stand either.

    Are the brands you've previously tried flavored or sweetened? That may be the issue. (Or it may not.)

    I like protein powder late-spring through early fall in smoothies that completely disguise the taste, and I use practically unflavored PP to start. (There's a hint of vanilla.)

    I shoot for 400 - 500 calories of exercise per day (I'm heavier than you and my goal weight is higher than yours), and when I achieve that, using the MFP default of 20% protein aligns with the protein recommendation from examine. If I were completely sedentary, I'd need to bump it up to 30%.
  • AlekseyMorrow
    AlekseyMorrow Posts: 5 Member
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    How much protein should I try to get per day?
    That is a great question. That of course will depend on each individual and how active they are. I am going to use your weight as an example.

    Minimum protein intake for sedentary, generally healthy adults is .8 g of protein per kg of body mass. Which translates to about 55 g of protein per day for a 150 lb. individual. This is just to cover the basic daily requirements for protein turnover.

    During high intensity training or periods of low energy intake, these needs may be increased to about 1.6 to 2.0 g of protein per kg of body mass. This translates to between 110 and 135 g of protein per day for a 150 lb. individual.

    Research has suggested that higher amounts of protein in the diet may be vital for immune function, metabolism, satiety, weight management, and performance.

    As for as protein shake, BPN is a great company to check out and they have great flavors.

    If you have any other questions feel free to reach out to me.
  • pikeofthenile
    pikeofthenile Posts: 1 Member
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    A protein shake isn't your only option, for sure. I haven't had a protein shake in months and I hit my protein target most days. Instead, one of the biggest helps for me is collagen powder (aka hydrolized collagen peptides). I stir a scoop of it into my morning coffee and/or mid-afternoon tea every day, giving me 9-15g of protein in my beverage, depending on the collagen brand. I often add 1 scoop to my unsweetened dairy-free yogurt (I also sprinkle a little stevia on it so I can control the sweetness). You can add 2-4 scoops of powdered collagen to most baked goods recipes without affecting taste or texture. But it's good to be aware that it is a beef product, even though it's flavorless. If you are vegan or vegetarian, there may be some plant-based unflavored protein powders out there as well. Hope this helps!

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