Macros and Protein

Are you trying to lose weight AND build muscle, or just build muscle?

You can reset MFP protein goals to whatever percentage you want. Default MFP is set more for the minimum crowd, as in keep inactive people healthy, rather than the dedicated heavy-exerciser or the muscle-gainer.

That said, you'll hear wildly different ideas on how much protein is actually required to build muscle, from looking at lean body weight to actual body weight to some arbitrary number. I weigh 186 and have seen sites telling me I need to consume as much as 250g of protein per day to get results. That much may get MORE results or FASTER results than I have experienced, but I have been able to sustain myself with goals of ~120 on non-training days and ~150 on days I lift. Doing this over the past year, I've lost almost 10 pounds, multiple inches off my waist, and continued to improve my lifts. Would more protein have ended up with more results? Who's to say? But I still enjoy my daily meals, I don't feel pressured by my macros/calories, and am still progressing.

There's an evidence based protein needs calculator here (from a site generally regarded as unbiased):

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

. . . and their explanation here:

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

The recommendations from that usually overlap with the "1g per pound of bodyweight/lean mass" rules of thumb, or come close.

I'd also note that for quite a range of people, 0.8g per pound of goal weight is roughly equivalent to 1g per pound of lean mass, or close. I mention that because most people don't have a great estimate of their lean mass, and BIA home scales aren't that great at estimating it. (OTOH, the scale estimate is probably close enough for most people, for the purpose of estimating protein needs, once one does the math.)

If you get extra protein within calorie goal, but it doesn't prevent you getting an adequate minimum of healthy fats and veggies/fruits, you're fine. Also, close (plus or minus a few grams) is also fine, especially if you're a little low one day, a little high the next.

With only 4 pounds to lose, I hope your calorie deficit - if you have a deficit at all - is super tiny, not very much below maintenance calories. Purely recomposition would be likely to get you there, at maintenance calories or close. It wouldn't be fast loss, but it would be more complementary to your goals. More info here:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1

Also, this thread is super helpful for identifying calorie-efficient, good-quality protein sources:

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

After tweaking my eating patterns for a bit, I'm not having much trouble reaching/exceeding 1g/pound lean body mass routinely on maintenance calories, even as a vegetarian, mostly without much thinking about it any more (and without using protein powder, bars, or other supplements). (In fact, I'm trying to reduce protein intake a little to stay closer to 1g/pound LBM, since I'm often more like 25% above that, but that's a whole other digression.)

Remember that it's not just about your "one big protein source per meal" kind of thing, but you can also choose snacks, sides, etc., that contribute a small amount of protein. They add up! And for sure, getting a fair amount of protein in each meal makes it easier to hit a total (vs. overloading protein into just one meal, like dinner.)

To my mind, the best strategy is to think in terms of adjusting routine eating patterns (default habits), not just looking at it as structured, rigid meal plans. The structure can be helpful at first for figuring out a good track, sure . . . but long-term reliance on that detailed planning can be less sustainable, and too-monotonous eating to reach protein goal potentially has nutritional and sustainable downsides, too.