How much protein do you actually need?

In america they seem to recommend incredible amounts of protein, like at least 1g per lb of lean body mass... even in a really lean individual that could easily be like 120-170g... how the **** do you get that much protein without resorting to shakes? I mean, this is for day to day life not any sort of nutrion plan for weight gain/loss.



SField said:

In america they seem to recommend incredible amounts of protein, like at least 1g per lb of lean body mass... even in a really lean individual that could easily be like 120-170g... how the **** do you get that much protein without resorting to shakes? I mean, this is for day to day life not any sort of nutrion plan for weight gain/loss.

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In America? Who, American Gladiators? I'm 5'9 150lb, America* recommends 55g.

*USDA

I usually do about 1.5g per lb. My breakfast was a pound of steak and tomatoes and my lunch was a pound of stake and 300ml of greek yoghurt and my dinner is gonna be a roast chicken and potatoes. Its not that hard to do, just have to eat a lot of meat and very little of anything else really.

It's pretty easy on an isocaloric diet. (ie: 33% for each macro)

Real meat with every meal, and a non-baby proportion of it, should do the trick, or at least get you close enough that one periworkout shake will do the rest.

Now, the USDA/CDA/etc recommend like .8g/kg or something (.36g/lb), and nitrogen balance studies support this number for sedentary people, up to .7g/lb. However, most strength coaches see better success with numbers higher than this - like 1g/lb to 1.5g/lb. So: test which uses a proxy, or results?



fuji said:

I usually do about 1.5g per lb. My breakfast was a pound of steak and tomatoes and my lunch was a pound of stake and 300ml of greek yoghurt and my dinner is gonna be a roast chicken and potatoes. Its not that hard to do, just have to eat a lot of meat and very little of anything else really.

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Are you trying to gain a massive amount of weight?

I had a similar crisis a couple of years ago when I realized that at least if I counted my calories, I was probably way under eating. I like meat a lot but often I'll go many days only eating vegetables and a few fats like cheese and olive oil. I just took stock of what I've been eating again recently and it's definitely under 2000 calories. People told me more protein but jesus I can't just be shoving meat into my face all the time.

Fuji tends to err on the more extreme side since he's an ectomorph trying to put on slabs of mass.

Even if you're not trying to add some lean mass, though, the recommended amount of protein (50 grams) is ridiculously low. People who actually adhere to that are likely getting the rest of their calories from junk. That doesn't mean you have to go a gram of protein per pound of body weight (assuming you're just trying to maintain a decent looking body). Find a middle ground.

Another positive for eating more protein is that it's more satiating than carbs and most fats. A thousand calories in a lean meat is going to fill you up a lot more than a 1,000 calories of bread.



APK said:

Fuji tends to err on the more extreme side since he's an ectomorph trying to put on slabs of mass.

Even if you're not trying to add some lean mass, though, the recommended amount of protein (50 grams) is ridiculously low. People who actually adhere to that are likely getting the rest of their calories from junk. That doesn't mean you have to go a gram of protein per pound of body weight (assuming you're just trying to maintain a decent looking body). Find a middle ground.

Another positive for eating more protein is that it's more satiating than carbs and most fats. A thousand calories in a lean meat is going to fill you up a lot more than a 1,000 calories of bread.

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Yeah, the part about satiety I understand, but I just don't want to be eating meat all the time. Also, as much as I like beans, if I were to eat them in sufficient quantities that I'd meet even .8/lb I'd be farting all ******* day.

Beans are an overrated source of protein, anyway.

.7g/lb seems about right for civilians.

if you live in a developed country and are not vegan, you shouldn't ever have to worry about how much protein you need.

Seriosuly, eating too much meat (crappy chicken, red meat) makes me feel like ****. I rather do shakes. Chicken Breast/Seafood are perfectly fine, but pretty expensive.

Chicken breasts aren't expensive. Couple bucks a pound at the most around here.

Chicken, beef, cottage cheese, eggs/egg whites. Make friends with your butcher or stock up when the deals come around. Whey shakes are pretty crapulent outside of PWO, and powders (casein or w/e) in general may not agree with people + are expensive + not sustainable. For an average 150lb guy getting 200+g of protein daily to support the demands of lifting and growing is not that hard if you alter what you eat. Considering most people eat at or above maintenance anyways, taking out bad food sources and adding in protein can do great things. Even if you aren't lifting, protein is good.

Sure, you don't "need" excess protein, just like you don't "need" excess carbs. I hate to quote studies, but

There is convincing evidence that a higher protein intake increases thermogenesis and satiety compared to diets of lower protein content. The weight of evidence also suggests that high protein meals lead to a reduced subsequent energy intake. Some evidence suggests that diets higher in protein result in an increased weight loss and fat loss as compared to diets lower in protein, but findings have not been consistent. In dietary practice, it may be beneficial to partially replace refined carbohydrate with protein sources that are low in saturated fat. Although recent evidence supports potential benefit, rigorous longer-term studies are needed to investigate the effects of high protein diets on weight loss and weight maintenance.

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http://www.jacn.org/content/23/5/373.abstract

Not a slam dunk but uhh yeah there isn't really a good reason to eat less protein if you are at all concerned with body comp, athletic performance, general well-being or anything past complete apathy towards your body.

My own daily intake not counting dinner:
4 eggs, 1 cup cottage cheese, 8oz any given meat, 2 scoops casein totals roughly 150g of protein, and thats not even counting "coincidental" protein from other food sources ie. cheese, bread, rice etc. throw in a PWO shake and more meat for dinner and you're well over 200g.

Greek yogurt man, ~23g of protein per cup. Soooo tasty.



APK said:

Fuji tends to err on the more extreme side since he's an ectomorph trying to put on slabs of mass.

Even if you're not trying to add some lean mass, though, the recommended amount of protein (50 grams) is ridiculously low. People who actually adhere to that are likely getting the rest of their calories from junk. That doesn't mean you have to go a gram of protein per pound of body weight (assuming you're just trying to maintain a decent looking body). Find a middle ground.

Another positive for eating more protein is that it's more satiating than carbs and most fats. A thousand calories in a lean meat is going to fill you up a lot more than a 1,000 calories of bread.

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Quick note: protein gives **** satiation. Protein is filling but not satiating, and fat (especially saturated fats) fill and satiate.