Macro for protein diet

Hi. Did you ever see the Galveston diet? Dr. Haver created an eating program for women in menopause and beyond. Her program has some ideas on the macro distribution. It is more like 75% fat, 20% protein and 10% carbs. That is not exact but close. She really offers a wealth of information for women in our age range.

Personally, I think it's hard to tell without knowing your size and calorie goal. For myself, I think in terms of protein grams, rather than percent of calories. I also prefer a high-ish protein goal for myself, being older (67), of course post-menopause at this stage, and quite active. I like the rule of thumb of 0.6g-0.8g of protein daily per pound of healthy goal weight, which is loosely approximate to 0.8g-1g per pound of lean body mass, for quite a range of people.

35% of too-few total calories could be less than an ideal amount of protein, or 35% of a higher calorie goal could be unnecessarily much protein, though that latter's less likely when losing weight. Percents are hard to evaluate on their own. Besides, as you've discovered, there's some individual flexibility about best macro mix, within certain guard rails.

This is an evidence-based calculator from a well-respected site, as another possible guide to consider (usually its results are close to that rule of thumb):

https://examine.com/protein-intake-calculator/

And here's their analysis and reasoning, including links to the research they're relying on:

https://examine.com/guides/protein-intake/

Recent research suggests that as we age, we metabolize protein less efficiently, so it can be helpful to spread it through the day (even though protein timing appears to be less necessary for younger folks). Here's a report from an international research group discussing those recommendations:

https://www.jamda.com/article/S1525-8610(13)00326-5/fulltext

I figure I have roughly something in the 90-some pounds range of lean body mass (a little more muscular than average for my demographic), and am 5'5", GW mid-120s ponds, currently upper 120s pounds (holidays😆) so I shoot for at least 100g protein daily. I also keep it on the higher end because I'm vegetarian, so some of my protein is from sources that are less complete in essential amino acids (EAAs), and a bit higher grams gives some insurance. Since my calorie goal is fairly high (now overall in weight maintenance), that amount in grams usually amounts to 20-25% of calories. I got a little less than that - 80s-90s grams, mostly - while losing, because I had fewer calories to work with, and I was still dialing in my target eating patterns.

If you're working on finding additional calorie-efficient protein sources, this is a good thread, in case you haven't seen it:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also

Unless you've cut calories super low (for aggressive weight loss) or have some unusual personal situation, it seems like 35% ought to be enough, but it's hard to evaluate without more info. I'd say try it, see how it goes. Wishing you great results!

I agree with Ann above - it depends on how many calories you’re taking in. I only have about 22% protein but that’s about 110-130g each day at 119 pounds. I’m peri rather than menopause and I do lift so I need the protein and calories. I do also eat a lot of carbs as that suits me. I think you just need to try it for a while and see how you feel - enough protein is definitely important, but the actual macro split will depend on your total intake and how you feel.