1g of protein for each pound of body weight???....maybe not

I like to error on the side of caution, plus i find my (n=1) recovery is complete **** if im less then 1.5g/lb. I also just like meat so i try to eat as much as possible.

I think it's .8-1gr per pound of LEAN BODY MASS... not body weight. This is where I made the mistake and was eating 180-190 gr protein a day (obviously supplementing).

It totally depends on my training day, .8 is my rest day intake, I don't stress going above that usually unless I'm cutting and have training either the day before or after that's strenuous, on workout days I aim for 1-1.5g, hasn't affected me negatively. I wouldn't trust Mens Health magazines though or that article, it seems like their always coming up with something "new" that's really "old" and they rewrite it to fill space. I personally think for me my body seems to thrive more on protein and carbs and a moderate fat intake. I enjoy meats/cheeses etc more than I do nuts and grains.

I use this link for setting all my macros/calories. http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703921

I'm certainly not "experienced" yet, but for the past 3 months I've been researching my brains out on this type of subject. I first learned "1g per lb of LEAN body mass" which gets me to 118g. Pretty easy to hit.

I then started seeing a lot of people saying 1g per lb of weight. That would be 170 for me. I would have to supplement with powder.

If you take your low multiplier - .7g per lb of weight - that gets me to 119g of protein - exactly the LEAN number that I see most often.

So if you are 200lbs, it is 140gm vs 200gm if you use the .7 (I think). I guess I figure if I am somewhere in between I am safe.

I was confused with this yesterday and I asked a question about protein intake. It is confusing still, but I decided to just go by 40/30/30. My current weight is 121.4lb, I don't really have an ideal weight, I would say it's a pretty decent weight, but I want to build a bit of muscle and burn off the excess fat that is on my abs and chest. I am noticing it quite often in the mirror and I am happy with my results. I just need to work more on muscle building.

My current protein intake goal is 122g a day. It has increased a bit today because I did some cardio so it's shot me up to 142g. I think I can manage to get that. I did have a protein shake earlier. I had 1 egg in the morning and I just had 3 eggs scrambled with 100g of chicken breast cut up and plopped it in with my scrambled eggs. I've got 29g left for the day. So I think I can achieve this with 100g of chicken or other forms of lean meat's and scrambled egg. It is quite filling as well.

Anyway, I'm going off topic slightly lol. I did a bit of research yesterday and I've seen my protein intake go from 88g to 170g. It's hard to tell how much you really need. So I just went with 40/30/30 and it seems reasonable and easy to hit with proper protein sources.

I too thought it was lbm not total weight for the calculation (dietary fat was the one I used total weight for).

I shoot for between 175 and 200 g of protein a day, seems to be working for me.

I've been wondering lately what was more important, the percentage (i.e. 40/30/30) or the actual grams (1g per LBM or body weight) Here 's a link to an interesting article that differentiate needs based on activity level. I saw something similar elsewhere, but can't recall where.

http://competitiondiet.org/?p=128

Here is an excerpt
How to Calculate Amount of Protein Needed

Most studies suggest that in the face of adequate calories and carbohydrates, the following protein intakes are sufficient:

STRENGTH training – 1.2 to 1.6g per KG bodyweight (about .6 / pound)

ENDURANCE training – 1.4 to 1.8g per KG bodyweight (about .8 / pound)

ADOLESCENT in training – 1.8 to 2.2g per KG bodyweight (about 1g / pound)

But protein intake becomes more important when total number of calories or carbohydrates has been lowered.

Protein should be calculated based on the amount of lean body mass, but can be calculated with only the total body if needed.

If body fat is known, use 1.25-1.5g per LEAN weight
If body fat percentage is unknown, but is average, use 1-1.25g per pound weight.


If you are very lean or if you are on a low calorie diet then protein becomes more important so stay toward the higher levels:

Body fat known, lower calorie intake = 1.33-2 x pounds lean mass
Average body fat, lower calorie intake = 1.25-1.5 x pound total mass

If you are very overweight or very inactive and not on a low calorie diet, stay towards the lower end of the level:

Protein = approximately 1 x total weight (can go down to 1 x LEAN MASS).

If you are looking to build muscle, you need protein. This is because your entire body is made from amino acids and fat. It is powered by glucose (taken from the complex chains of glucose found in all carbs). To grow muscle one must consume more protein than suggested by many on this thread.

Think of your body as a house. Basic government guideline amounts are for maintenance and will simply replace broken tiles, smashed windows etc. However, if you want to extend on this house, think of it as a extension. You need the bricks and tiles to build the extension with, this is the extra protein.

So since I'm cutting and zigzagging calories on training & rest days, would I need 1g/lb body weight? Or 1g/lb LBM?? I'm lifting weights 3 days per week, eating at a caloric deficit, and trying to maintain LBM (while taking advantage of newbie gains).

Body weight. No one here has a system to measure their body weight unless they use sophisticated techniques that few of us can afford!