Protein Confusion
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zukkiz
Posts: 362 Member
I so thought I had this one down, but no!
So my daily calories are 2300, I do 40/30/30 so that puts me at 174g of protein. I thought I was doing well because I weigh about 167 so 1g per pound. Well now I keep reading that it is 1g per LBM, so that would put me at about 115g. If I do that my macros would be shot to heck.
If there is anyone out there that could shed some light on this matter. I would so appreciate it!!! Thanks!!!
So my daily calories are 2300, I do 40/30/30 so that puts me at 174g of protein. I thought I was doing well because I weigh about 167 so 1g per pound. Well now I keep reading that it is 1g per LBM, so that would put me at about 115g. If I do that my macros would be shot to heck.
If there is anyone out there that could shed some light on this matter. I would so appreciate it!!! Thanks!!!
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I have the exact same question.0
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I'd like to know the answer to this as well.0
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Ditto!0
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I am going with 1 gram per lb body weight. That's what Lucia told me as well.0
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I did a little research. Kiki and Lucia promote 1 gram per pound of body weight and I'm guessing it's because:
"In an ideal world protein requirement is calculated on Lean Body Weight and the protein ingested has a biological value of 100%.
Unless we have been tested at a specialized clinic it is very difficult to know our lean body weight and much of the protein we eat will never make it past the intestines.
To be sure we are getting the protein we need we generally will use full body weight to determine our protein requirements. A little more is better than not enough."
Does that help?
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It helps a lot! Thanks so much!0
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That confuses me more! I don't think it's possible to eat that much protein in one day if I go by body weight...I weigh 198lbs and don't eat meat. I don't understand why I would want/need to eat 198g of protein a day.
If I have a pretty good idea of my LBM, would it be ok to eat near that? I had a dEXA scan in January and I'm having another one in a week.0 -
That confuses me more! I don't think it's possible to eat that much protein in one day if I go by body weight...I weigh 198lbs and don't eat meat. I don't understand why I would want/need to eat 198g of protein a day.
If I have a pretty good idea of my LBM, would it be ok to eat near that? I had a dEXA scan in January and I'm having another one in a week.
Most of us had trouble eating enough protein at first, but it gets easier once you figure it out. Lots of people in this group don't eat meat and still make their protein requirements. So, it's certainly possible but we totally understand why you say that! :happy:
Even if you do know your LBM, you still don't know how much of the protein you ingest is actually making it into the body. (absorption factor) so that's the other reason they say using your full body weight works. But I guess as long as you factor that in somewhat (do your research on the absorption factors of protein for different sources) you should be able to then (if the above assumption is correct) use your LBM and calculate your needs that way with the corrections for absorption.0 -
I think asking everyone to eat at a 40-30-30 macro and target protein at 1 g per body weight feels more like a one size fits all. One of the things I love about this group is that each person has individual goals. There are a variety of methods to go about macros that depends highly on your age, size, body composition, activity level and type of activity.
The standard way of computing the protein that you need is to take 0.37g/body weight in pounds. This is the minimum amount of protein recommended by nutritionists. The LBM method isn't quite 1 g/LBM despite it being a quick easy recommendation. It should also take into account your activity level:
Sedentary - multiply lbs of lean body mass by .5
Light activity (e.g. walking) - multiply by .6
Moderate (30 minutes of vigorous activity 3 days per week) - .7
Active (1 hour per day 5 days per week) - .8
Very Active (10 hours of vigorous activity per week - .9
Athlete - multiply by 1.0
Another option out there (although there is still debate) is that people doing heavy lifting or endurance cardio need more protein - 1.2g/kg LBM to 1.4g/kg LBM for endurance athletes and 1.7g/kg LBM to 1.8 g/kg LBM for body building/lifting weights. (To convert your weight to kg divide by 2.2.)
There doesn't appear to be a risk of too much protein in your diet. Everything I know I learned from google...but I have an engineering background so accurate sources are important to me. I don't think the 1 g/body weight is a bad recommendation, but it's not the only healthy option.0 -
My current TDEE is 2655 so with a 30% protein ratio it's 198 or 199 grams of protein a day... I weigh 154, up from 148. I actually went over protein yesterday because I had 3 protein shakes throughout the day. But yeah... there's quite a difference from my 30% macro (199) to my weight, so I hope I'm not overeating protein!0
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My macros are currently at 45-25-30 (carb, protein, fat). I tend to be a big carb eater, so I've trimmed it down from 50 and have slowly increased the other 2. This sets my protein goal at 100, which is doable for me on any given day without trying too hard or going out of my way to have a protein shake. In that regard, it works for me because I don't want to always be thinking about hitting a number, but if I eat normally and just make sure to add proteins here and there without too much effort, I know I'll be okay.0
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My current TDEE is 2655 so with a 30% protein ratio it's 198 or 199 grams of protein a day... I weigh 154, up from 148. I actually went over protein yesterday because I had 3 protein shakes throughout the day. But yeah... there's quite a difference from my 30% macro (199) to my weight, so I hope I'm not overeating protein!
This example is a perfect way to show that just going off a specific ratio may not be the best method for you personally. I think targeting 200 g of protein when you weight 154 lbs seems unnecessary. Is this what you want to target in the long run for a lifetime? Try targeting something that you can live with in the long term.
(I think there is a small risk of kidney disease with too much protein, but I haven't really done the research on that. Also make sure you drinking plenty of water to help your kidneys process that much protein.)0 -
bump for more answers0
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My current TDEE is 2655 so with a 30% protein ratio it's 198 or 199 grams of protein a day... I weigh 154, up from 148. I actually went over protein yesterday because I had 3 protein shakes throughout the day. But yeah... there's quite a difference from my 30% macro (199) to my weight, so I hope I'm not overeating protein!
This example is a perfect way to show that just going off a specific ratio may not be the best method for you personally. I think targeting 200 g of protein when you weight 154 lbs seems unnecessary. Is this what you want to target in the long run for a lifetime? Try targeting something that you can live with in the long term.
(I think there is a small risk of kidney disease with too much protein, but I haven't really done the research on that. Also make sure you drinking plenty of water to help your kidneys process that much protein.)
I'm only eating at this ratio because it's what was so recommended here! I find myself always going over on carbs, under on fat, and usually under on protein (with the exception of yesterday, but, again, I had 2 protein shakes and mixed it into my oatmeal). What's a more appropriate ratio, do you think? (What do you personally do?)0 -
I target 130 g of protein at a minimum because I know my BF% and can estimate my LBM (I weigh 174 lb and have 26% BF). I also currently target 50-25-25 for carb-fat-protein as a general ratio, which puts me at a maximum of 156g of protein. I think this is reasonable since I lift heavy and do a lot of exercise. This range of protein puts me right around all the recommendations I've read about (1.7-1.8g/kg of LBM, targeting 10-30% of total calories for protein, targeting 1-1.5g/lb LBM).0
