I know protein is required for weight training and exercise in general. I've read that you need 1.6~ grams of protein, per pound of body fat to build muscle. Well for me, that's an awful lot of protein.

I've also read, and learned in college, that too much protein can be hard on the liver. Now this is my question:

Is my protein consumption AS important on the days I don't lift? How much protein should I REALLY be eating. I'm weight training on a calorie deficit. I'm sure some would advise against that, but it's what I'm doing and I don't feel run down or ravenous. Now, I love poultry, tuna, cheese, nuts etc. So getting it isn't TOO much of a problem, except that it would make me go over calories pretty greatly.

Any advice?

Protein recommendations start at around 0.8g per kg of body weight and go up to 1.6g per kg of body weight for athletes... So for you that's a range of between about 80 to 160g's of protein a day...

Where did you read 1.6g's per pound of body fat?

It depends somewhat on your goals. I'm seeing appreciable gains in strength and muscle tone taking in about 70g per day. I'm not much of a meat eater so it's hard for me to increase my protein intake. I do drink a protein shake after every workout. Interested to see what input others have...

Most of the protein recommendations are calculated for average weight, not overweight individuals. My understanding is that even extremely obese individuals should calculate protein needs by their lean muscle weight. This means you can use your ideal or desired weight rather than your actual weight to calculate your protein needs.

If your kidneys are healthy, protein overdose shouldn't be a problem, especially if you're drinking plenty of fluids ( any and all fluids count, except hard liquor). Water and beverages and foods containing water are your best defense against protein overdose.

Ahh. I didn't realize it was in kgs! *facepalm*. Seems a lot less daunting now! Thanks all. That cleared up A LOT of confusion, and makes me mad at myself for not realizing it. Haha where would I be without this site?

Thanks! :hugs:

Edit: I also didnt mean body fat. Don't know why I even typed that. I meant to say in pounds. That would mean 360g!!! I'm an idiot sometimes