Hi I was wondering about protein intake. I get over 50g of protein everyday (usually closer to 70g) but have read several places that say this isn't nearly enough. One place said that for my weight I should be consuming over 160g a day. Another place said that it should be over 46g. There's other places that range in between these 2. I was wondering if any of ya'll know what the recommended amounts are. I am tracking my foods in fitday and I always come out with way more carbs than protein because I eat mainly fruits and veggies. I only eat meat 1 or 2 days a week and even then it's a very small amount. I do use a soy protein protein powder to help with intake but there is no way I could get over 160g in a day. I'm doing good to get 70g. Any help would be appreciated.
Heather, yep, you're going to get opinions all over the place about protein intake. The current government recommendation is for protein to make up 10 - 35% of your calories. If you're tracking in Fitday, it can tell you what % of your calories are coming from protein right now.
If your goal is to build muscle, most people recommend more than the USDA number. Protein is what builds and repairs muscle, so it's critical if you're lifting weights. Two numbers you often see for bodybuilders are grams of protein = lean body mass and grams of protein = goal weight.
I lost my weight eating about 45% of my calories in protein (about 150g/day). It worked well for me because 1. protein keeps me fuller between meals, and 2. I was trying to maintain my muscle mass while I was losing fat. Now that I'm maintaining, my protein is still usually between 120 - 150 grams per day (which correlates pretty well with lean body mass and goal weight).
How do you feel at the level you're at now? Do you have energy in the gym? Are you lifting weights? Have you checked your body fat % to see if you're maintaining your lean body mass? A lot depends on your goals and how you're feeling at your current level.
If you're looking to add protein but aren't a huge fan of meat, there are lots of other protein sources out there - fish and seafood, eggs, cottage cheese, soy products ...
Thanks Meg that does help alot. I am lifting weights, well I just started again after about 2 1/2 months out from the gym because of complications from knee surgery, but I am back at it. Right now it's more about fat loss and toning what I do have than building. I do have energy, but I think I still need to try to up the protein a little more. Right now it's working out to anywhere from 23-30% of my calories daily with fats being 10-15% and carbs being the rest. I had my body fat measured several months ago and have an appt. to get it redone next week. I know I haven't lost any weight or gained any muscle in that time because I was unable to even walk for most of it, but at least I'll find out if I maintained what I did have. Thanks for your help.
Bumping this to add...my sister asked me today if consuming soy protein in a capsule is just as good as the protein powder form. I was telling her about how I dropped my cholesterol from 237 to 181 in 2 months with soy protein, and she needs to do the same and traditional meds are not working for her w/o causing other side effects. I was unsure if popping a soy isoflavone capsule would provide the same benefit, but could swear that I've read somewhere that "popping" soy does NOT give the same benefit, but can't remember why that was. Does anyone remember reading anything on this? TIA!
I imagine you would have to consume quite a few soy capsules in order to get the same amount you would from a serving of soy protein powder.
As far as general protein consumption is concerned, the general rule of thumb I see the most consistantly is 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound or per pound of lean body mass.
Thanks HM. Good point! 3 scoops would sure be an awful lot of pills, even if they are huge horse pills! I suppose there is someone out there making a mega dose or ultra dose, but how "Real" can you trust that to be?
As far as general protein consumption is concerned, the general rule of thumb I see the most consistantly is 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound or per pound of lean body mass.
That is true, but that figure has been inflated over time from the original recommendation of 1 gm/Kilogram (or 0.45gm protein/pound), and even that included a 2-fold increase as a fudge factor from the experimental data.
I would just try to get 30%+ of my calories from protein and not worry about it to much unless you are a really advanced trainee. Normal people don't need all that much protein to build muscle, IMHO. I have gone for months at a time consuming 30-50gm protein/day without losing appreciable muscle mass, and that was only around 0.2 gm/pound.
I'm more into weightlifting and building muscle, so that number would be suitable for me. But the average person probably doesn't need quite as much, depending on their goals.
OK, how about listing some of your favorite sources of protein? I got 87g today, but that was from eating 2 chicken breasts. Since my goal is not to cluck, I'd like other ideas. I don't like fish/sfood or ctg cheese. I even tried one today with the strawberries, and while I could have choked it down it i had persisted, I didn't like/enjoy it and that just seemed counter to the point here. I will try some hb eggs tomorrow and natural peanut butter. I love black eyed peas, broccoli, what else would you suggest?
Here's the list from BFL for Women, with approximate serving sizes:
Eggs, Cheese, and Dairy
Cheese, light or fat free = 2 oz
Yogurt, low fat and sugar free = 8 oz
Egg whites = 4
Eggbeaters = ½ cup
Cottage cheese, low-fat = ½ cup
Fish
Any fish or shellfish = 4 oz
Meat or Poultry
Skinless chicken or turkey = 3 – 4 oz
Lean beef or pork = 3 – 4 oz
Lean deli meat = 3 - 4 oz
Meat Substitutes
Soy chicken patty = 1
Soy burger = 1
Soy hot dog = 1
Soy cheese = 2 oz
Soy milk = 8 oz
Soy nuts = 1/3 – ½ cup
Tofu = 4 oz
My everyday staples are an egg and egg whites, a protein shake with 35g protein, salmon and other fish, and chicken and turkey. Sometimes I throw the dread cottage cheese in there too ... if you really want to eat CC but don't want it to taste like CC, try adding a T of natural PB and 1/4 packet dry SF chocolate pudding mix. Stir it up and it tastes like a Butterfinger. For total decadence, add 1/2 cup Kashi Go Lean to the mixture.
You need to be a little careful with vegetable sources of protein, like your peas and broccoli. All veggie protein - with the exception of soy - is incomplete protein, which means it doesn't provide all the essential amino acids in that food. But with food combining, you can create a complete amino acid profile. Some people consider veggie protein to be an inferior source for protein for that reason.
Thanks Meg. Yesterday my intake was an amazing 50% carbs - whoa! That's ok though, that's why I said last week that on Sept 1 I was going to go back to charting, hoping to have the time to get a good start on getting fitday loaded over the wet holiday weekend. Today I'm at a good 42P, 38C, and fat the rest which is pretty good. Did my ubwo this morning and still hope to hit the treadmill for 30mins, but the tetanus booster is kicking my bottom today. First it was just a hot spot welt on my arm and sore, but now I'm getting soooo tired & just want a nap. Yawn! I'm sure the weather isn't helping!
Fran, what helps me like cottage cheese better is to stir in a spoonful of yogurt. Seems to smooth it out. I eat it mostly with fruit stirred in, but it's also good with savory stuff. My favorite is peas and very finely chopped sweet onions (like vidalia).
I eat a hb egg and 1/2 c cottage cheese most weekdays as my snacks at work.
Thanks Pat, I like those Dannon Light cups and might try one more time to mix one of those in. I'm also cooking up my hb eggs tomorrow! DH told me to cook them for 20 minutes, does that sound right?
Hey, and what happened to your glittermaker name? I can't get my urls to work here anymore, are you having the same thing?
Yeah, mine quit working awhile ago, though I still see a few on other threads.
I put my eggs in cold water, turn on the gas, set the timer for 20 minutes. When it rings, I dump out the boiling water, run cold water over them, let them sit, maybe adding more cold water. When they're cold, refrigerate. Works for me most of the time.
Protein Intake
The current government recommendation is for protein to make up 10 - 35% of your calories. If you're tracking in Fitday, it can tell you what % of your calories are coming from protein right now.
