macro distribution...

There isn't one that is BEST. Each person will have their own individual needs based on their metabolic conditions and exercise routine. I tell my clients to start out with the AMDR ranges (45-65% carbs, 10-35% protein, and 20-35% fat) and then adjust as needed based on what is specifically going on with them.

---

16 years Certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor
9 years Certified Sports Nutritionist
Bachelors in Exercise Physiology with a Minor in Nutritional Science
ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist
NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

There isn't one that is BEST. Each person will have their own individual needs based on their metabolic conditions and exercise routine. I tell my clients to start out with the AMDR ranges (45-65% carbs, 10-35% protein, and 20-35% fat) and then adjust as needed based on what is specifically going on with them.

---

16 years Certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor
9 years Certified Sports Nutritionist
Bachelors in Exercise Physiology with a Minor in Nutritional Science
ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist
NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

Under what scenario would you recommend 10% protein? Would that be for someone not exercising at all?

Actually, the amount of protein is dependent on the type of activity and is based on grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. The average person doing a standard workout at the gym only needs 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, so if I were designing a nutrition plan for someone who is doing a standard workout at the gym (not a body builder or long distance runner or other athlete), then I would take their weight in kilograms and multiply it by 0.8 to get the amount of protein they should consume. After then figuring their Calorie needs, I would determine what % of their Calorie needs should be from protein based on the amount of protein grams they need. So, lets take the average 220 pound person with 25% body fat who does an hour long workout daily burning about 500 Calories in the gym in addition to their job which is active so we're setting them at lightly active.

220 pounds / 2.2 = 100 kilograms

100 kilograms x 0.8 grams = 80 grams of protein needed

100 kilograms x 0.25 = 25 kilograms of body fat

100 kilograms - 25 = 75 kilograms of lean body mass

75 x 24 = 1800 Calorie BMR

1800 x 1.5 activity factor = 2700 Calorie RMR (EER)

2700 + 500 = 3200 TDEE

For weight loss (since that is why most people are here), 3200 x 0.8 = 2560 Calorie per day intake for fat loss and muscle maintenance.

80 grams of protein x 4 Calories per gram = 320 Calories from protein

320 / 2560 = 0.125 or 12.5% from protein.

Because I prefer to give my clients a range, I would tell them 10-15% protein to meet their needs and would then adjust the percentages of their carbs and fat to fit in those recommended ranges based on their workouts and metabolic conditions.

If this patient had a kidney issue or high blood pressure (which is also a kidney issue but most people don't know about that component of it), then their recommendation would be lower because they are only recommended to have 0.6 grams per kilogram of body weight in protein. If this person were to take up a sport or focus their training more for body building, then I would increase their protein to somewhere in the 1-2 grams per kilogram of body weight range based on what they are doing.

---

16 years Certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor
9 years Certified Sports Nutritionist
Bachelors in Exercise Physiology with a Minor in Nutritional Science
ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist
NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

I've heard 40% 40% 20% (carbs, protein, fat) is good because you should eat anywhere from 0.8g protein per pound to 1.5g per pound. These percentages should allow that.

In response to both of you, yes, 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body mass is adequate for P90X because of the higher number of reps per set making it more muscular endurance then muscular strength or hypertrophy training. Now, if you were to up your weights and only do 6 to 10 reps per set (meaning the last of those reps would be all you could do because the weight is so heavy), then you could up it to between 1 and 1.5 grams per kilogram. Honestly, the macronutrient you need most for weight training, though, is carbs. Carbs are the primary source of fuel for the activity when doing resistance training. If you don't have enough carbs then the body will break down muscle to convert protein to carbs in order to fuel the activity. This can get rough on the kidneys and liver because of having to remove the nitrogen from the protein in order to use it for fuel. If you have adequate carbohydrate in your diet to replenish your glycogen and provide fuel for the weight training activities, then you don't have to eat as much protein because you won't have to use it for fuel and can use it all for muscle growth and repair and enzymatic activity.

As for a complete breakdown for you, I can't give you a recommendation for calories and such without a body fat %. But if you want to figure it for yourself, you can go to my blog to find your BMR, RMR (EER), and TDEE to determine your calorie needs. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/TrainingWithTonya

As for protein on P90X at 143 pounds, however, here is a little math for you.

143 / 2.2046 = 64.86437449 kilograms

64.86437449 kilograms x 0.8 = 51.89149959 grams of protein per day.

If you increase your resistance you can go as high as:

64.86437449 kilograms x 1.5 = 97.29656174 grams of protein per day.

Anything more then that, however, without the proper stimulus to muscle growth, will be stored as fat or broken down to convert to carbs for fuel.

---

16 years Certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor
9 years Certified Sports Nutritionist
Bachelors in Exercise Physiology with a Minor in Nutritional Science
ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist
NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

In response to both of you, yes, 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body mass is adequate for P90X because of the higher number of reps per set making it more muscular endurance then muscular strength or hypertrophy training. Now, if you were to up your weights and only do 6 to 10 reps per set (meaning the last of those reps would be all you could do because the weight is so heavy), then you could up it to between 1 and 1.5 grams per kilogram. Honestly, the macronutrient you need most for weight training, though, is carbs. Carbs are the primary source of fuel for the activity when doing resistance training. If you don't have enough carbs then the body will break down muscle to convert protein to carbs in order to fuel the activity. This can get rough on the kidneys and liver because of having to remove the nitrogen from the protein in order to use it for fuel. If you have adequate carbohydrate in your diet to replenish your glycogen and provide fuel for the weight training activities, then you don't have to eat as much protein because you won't have to use it for fuel and can use it all for muscle growth and repair and enzymatic activity.

As for a complete breakdown for you, I can't give you a recommendation for calories and such without a body fat %. But if you want to figure it for yourself, you can go to my blog to find your BMR, RMR (EER), and TDEE to determine your calorie needs. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/TrainingWithTonya

As for protein on P90X at 143 pounds, however, here is a little math for you.

143 / 2.2046 = 64.86437449 kilograms

64.86437449 kilograms x 0.8 = 51.89149959 grams of protein per day.

If you increase your resistance you can go as high as:

64.86437449 kilograms x 1.5 = 97.29656174 grams of protein per day.

Anything more then that, however, without the proper stimulus to muscle growth, will be stored as fat or broken down to convert to carbs for fuel.

---

16 years Certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor
9 years Certified Sports Nutritionist
Bachelors in Exercise Physiology with a Minor in Nutritional Science
ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist
NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

From what I have read it is 0.8g per pound of body mass for endurance. Not per kg.

ETA: not challenging - just trying to understand the discrepency.

In response to both of you, yes, 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body mass is adequate for P90X because of the higher number of reps per set making it more muscular endurance then muscular strength or hypertrophy training. Now, if you were to up your weights and only do 6 to 10 reps per set (meaning the last of those reps would be all you could do because the weight is so heavy), then you could up it to between 1 and 1.5 grams per kilogram. Honestly, the macronutrient you need most for weight training, though, is carbs. Carbs are the primary source of fuel for the activity when doing resistance training. If you don't have enough carbs then the body will break down muscle to convert protein to carbs in order to fuel the activity. This can get rough on the kidneys and liver because of having to remove the nitrogen from the protein in order to use it for fuel. If you have adequate carbohydrate in your diet to replenish your glycogen and provide fuel for the weight training activities, then you don't have to eat as much protein because you won't have to use it for fuel and can use it all for muscle growth and repair and enzymatic activity.

As for a complete breakdown for you, I can't give you a recommendation for calories and such without a body fat %. But if you want to figure it for yourself, you can go to my blog to find your BMR, RMR (EER), and TDEE to determine your calorie needs. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/TrainingWithTonya

As for protein on P90X at 143 pounds, however, here is a little math for you.

143 / 2.2046 = 64.86437449 kilograms

64.86437449 kilograms x 0.8 = 51.89149959 grams of protein per day.

If you increase your resistance you can go as high as:

64.86437449 kilograms x 1.5 = 97.29656174 grams of protein per day.

Anything more then that, however, without the proper stimulus to muscle growth, will be stored as fat or broken down to convert to carbs for fuel.

---

16 years Certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor
9 years Certified Sports Nutritionist
Bachelors in Exercise Physiology with a Minor in Nutritional Science
ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist
NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

From what I have read it is 0.8g per pound of body mass for endurance. Not per kg.

ETA: not challenging - just trying to understand the discrepency.

yeh, or 1g per pound lean mass. In Australia do the per kg of whole body weight.

In response to both of you, yes, 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body mass is adequate for P90X because of the higher number of reps per set making it more muscular endurance then muscular strength or hypertrophy training. Now, if you were to up your weights and only do 6 to 10 reps per set (meaning the last of those reps would be all you could do because the weight is so heavy), then you could up it to between 1 and 1.5 grams per kilogram. Honestly, the macronutrient you need most for weight training, though, is carbs. Carbs are the primary source of fuel for the activity when doing resistance training. If you don't have enough carbs then the body will break down muscle to convert protein to carbs in order to fuel the activity. This can get rough on the kidneys and liver because of having to remove the nitrogen from the protein in order to use it for fuel. If you have adequate carbohydrate in your diet to replenish your glycogen and provide fuel for the weight training activities, then you don't have to eat as much protein because you won't have to use it for fuel and can use it all for muscle growth and repair and enzymatic activity.

As for a complete breakdown for you, I can't give you a recommendation for calories and such without a body fat %. But if you want to figure it for yourself, you can go to my blog to find your BMR, RMR (EER), and TDEE to determine your calorie needs. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/TrainingWithTonya

As for protein on P90X at 143 pounds, however, here is a little math for you.

143 / 2.2046 = 64.86437449 kilograms

64.86437449 kilograms x 0.8 = 51.89149959 grams of protein per day.

If you increase your resistance you can go as high as:

64.86437449 kilograms x 1.5 = 97.29656174 grams of protein per day.

Anything more then that, however, without the proper stimulus to muscle growth, will be stored as fat or broken down to convert to carbs for fuel.

---

16 years Certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor
9 years Certified Sports Nutritionist
Bachelors in Exercise Physiology with a Minor in Nutritional Science
ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist
NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

From what I have read it is 0.8g per pound of body mass for endurance. Not per kg.

ETA: not challenging - just trying to understand the discrepency.

yeh, or 1g per pound lean mass. In Australia do the per kg of whole body weight.

I do the 1g per lb of LBM myself - with fats at 0.35g of total body weight. The balance falls 'wherever'. I set my macros at 40/30/30 because this approximates these targets but do not worry about going over on protein or fats as these are a minimum.

In response to both of you, yes, 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body mass is adequate for P90X because of the higher number of reps per set making it more muscular endurance then muscular strength or hypertrophy training. Now, if you were to up your weights and only do 6 to 10 reps per set (meaning the last of those reps would be all you could do because the weight is so heavy), then you could up it to between 1 and 1.5 grams per kilogram. Honestly, the macronutrient you need most for weight training, though, is carbs. Carbs are the primary source of fuel for the activity when doing resistance training. If you don't have enough carbs then the body will break down muscle to convert protein to carbs in order to fuel the activity. This can get rough on the kidneys and liver because of having to remove the nitrogen from the protein in order to use it for fuel. If you have adequate carbohydrate in your diet to replenish your glycogen and provide fuel for the weight training activities, then you don't have to eat as much protein because you won't have to use it for fuel and can use it all for muscle growth and repair and enzymatic activity.

As for a complete breakdown for you, I can't give you a recommendation for calories and such without a body fat %. But if you want to figure it for yourself, you can go to my blog to find your BMR, RMR (EER), and TDEE to determine your calorie needs. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/TrainingWithTonya

As for protein on P90X at 143 pounds, however, here is a little math for you.

143 / 2.2046 = 64.86437449 kilograms

64.86437449 kilograms x 0.8 = 51.89149959 grams of protein per day.

If you increase your resistance you can go as high as:

64.86437449 kilograms x 1.5 = 97.29656174 grams of protein per day.

Anything more then that, however, without the proper stimulus to muscle growth, will be stored as fat or broken down to convert to carbs for fuel.

---

16 years Certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor
9 years Certified Sports Nutritionist
Bachelors in Exercise Physiology with a Minor in Nutritional Science
ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist
NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

From what I have read it is 0.8g per pound of body mass for endurance. Not per kg.

ETA: not challenging - just trying to understand the discrepency.

In my Exercise Physiology Degree and my Nutritional Science Minor, every single book and class that spoke of nutrition and protein requirements used Grams per Kilogram. Unfortunately, too many people get their information from the internet and not actual textbooks or research studies. When that happens, there is a big margin of error from people not converting from pounds to kilograms or kilograms to pounds. If you are going by pounds of weight, it is actually only 0.36 grams per pound for the standard recommendation. A really good book that I recommend for people who are looking at their nutrition with exercise needs in mind is "Nutrition for Health, Fitness, and Sport" by Melvin H. Williams. It's actually a textbook for one of my nutrition classes, but it is an easy to read textbook that really breaks it down for why you need certain things.

---

16 years Certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor
9 years Certified Sports Nutritionist
Bachelors in Exercise Physiology with a Minor in Nutritional Science
ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist
NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

From what I have read it is 0.8g per pound of body mass for endurance. Not per kg.

It is .8g / lb. ----> 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)

Thanks - that was my understanding also.

Okay, go back and look at what was written here. 0.8 grams per pound for the standard recommendation, but only 0.6 grams per pound for strength training. Why would you go with less for strength training then you would for a standard recommendation? This is exactly what I'm talking about with where the confusion starts. All it takes is one person to mis-type pounds instead of kilograms and then it snowballs into several websites recommending the wrong amount. This is why I tell people, don't just blindly believe me or anything else you read online. Go buy the books and research journals and read the actual recommendations.

---

16 years Certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor
9 years Certified Sports Nutritionist
Bachelors in Exercise Physiology with a Minor in Nutritional Science
ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist
NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

Okay, go back and look at what was written here. 0.8 grams per pound for the standard recommendation, but only 0.6 grams per pound for strength training. Why would you go with less for strength training then you would for a standard recommendation? This is exactly what I'm talking about with where the confusion starts. All it takes is one person to mis-type pounds instead of kilograms and then it snowballs into several websites recommending the wrong amount. This is why I tell people, don't just blindly believe me or anything else you read online. Go buy the books and research journals and read the actual recommendations.

I think that the confusion comes in when a person gets too wrapped up in the ratios of the macronutrients and whether they went over or under. You only need to be "in the ballpark" at the end of the day your total energy balance will rule overall.

You are asking a question which is specific to each individual and varies widely. I will tell you the macro settings on MFP are quite conservative. I suggest you speak with your physician or nutritionist in the first instance. If you are comfortable doing so you might wish to consult www.freedieting.com which has calculators for you to run different scenarios. I'm sure there are other sites as well but this one is quite good.