How much protein do you really need?

[Radiohead]

This is such a controversial subject.

On google, I've clicked on some 20 different links...Some websites recommend 2 grams of protein per lbs of body weight...IMO, that is just RIDICULOUS!!!!!

Other sites say 1.5 grams per lbs of body weight..others 1.2 (this seems more logical to me)...

What do you guys think?

 

[pikki]

I think everybody's different. But you can't go wrong if you try to include both protein + carbs with EVERY meal you have. About 6 small meals a day is supposed to be the best way to go (Don't worry too much about the exact numbers). A way to know you're consuming TOO MUCH protein is if you get diarrhoea. Happened to me when I was taking my protein shake more often than I needed.

P.S. Include fruit and veg with every meal.

 

[gosh]

pikki, you cannot get diarrhoea from too much protein. If you were using some cheap powder it probably could make some trouble, but with a good quality protein you won't have any problems. Also you should eat lots of fresh veggies and fruit to be healthy and not have problems with the stomach no matter how much protein you take.

Eating carbs in EVERY meal is not very smart in most cases. The last 1-2 meals of the day (out of 6) are best to be protein + fat (yea your body NEEDS fat, especially healthy fatty acids to be healthy). Most people eat way more carbs than they need. The amount of carbs you need depends on your metabolism and physical activities and your goals (getting lean, building more muscle).

Here are a couple of good articles:
article 1
article 2.

 

[Radiohead]

pikki, you cannot get diarrhoea from too much protein. If you were using some cheap powder it probably could make some trouble, but with a good quality protein you won't have any problems. Also you should eat lots of fresh veggies and fruit to be healthy and not have problems with the stomach no matter how much protein you take.

Eating carbs in EVERY meal is not very smart in most cases. The last 1-2 meals of the day (out of 6) are best to be protein + fat (yea your body NEEDS fat, especially healthy fatty acids to be healthy). Most people eat way more carbs than they need. The amount of carbs you need depends on your metabolism and physical activities and your goals (getting lean, building more muscle).

Here are a couple of good articles:
article 1
article 2.

Thank you for this.

Quote:
"Moderate to high intensity You're pushing yourself to build muscle, gain strength, and/or lose fat.
You need 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day."


Excellent, makes perfect sense.

 

[SydKitty]

So I would need about 165-170 gram of protein a day ( I weight that much in lbs)? Isn't a chicken breast only like.. 21 grams of protein? How much protein would one need if they weren't trying to build muscle but TONE muscle by losing some weight and burning excess body fat? You know, to avoid ugly manly obliques.

How would one get THAT much protein from several small meals that include sensible fast and slow burning carbohydrates as well?


Edit: Oh, seems a chicken breast is more than DOUBLE what I thought. http://www.weightlossforall.com/protein-chicken.htm And since boiled chicken isn't so hot, we should all grill it. D: I don't understand HOW oil rips away that much protein,

 

[Pegasus]

huh?

huh?

This is such a controversial subject.

On google, I've clicked on some 20 different links...Some websites recommend 2 grams of protein per lbs of body weight...IMO, that is just RIDICULOUS!!!!!

Other sites say 1.5 grams per lbs of body weight..others 1.2 (this seems more logical to me)...

What do you guys think?

I ignore anything from bodybuilding fullstop.
If you look at anything with science behind it you will come to lower figures.

 

[Radiohead]

So I would need about 165-170 gram of protein a day ( I weight that much in lbs)? Isn't a chicken breast only like.. 21 grams of protein? How much protein would one need if they weren't trying to build muscle but TONE muscle by losing some weight and burning excess body fat? You know, to avoid ugly manly obliques.

How would one get THAT much protein from several small meals that include sensible fast and slow burning carbohydrates as well?

It is a challenge, yes.

Just drink your protein shake, bro

and eat eggs.

 

[pikki]

Gosh: I wasn't saying you should only eat fruit and veg for protein. My point was that yes, they are extremely healthy and good sources of minerals, vitamins and even protein and you MUST include them in your diet for best results.

For the record, I only drink the best quality protein shakes. I found when I took too much of one it did give me the squids (and no, I was not drinking it with milk). My point was to go easy on the supplementing because you don't need as much as you think if you're including actual food with protein in your diet in every meal anyway.

Oh yeah and I agree actually, the last meal should never be too heavy. You can probably leave carbs out of it completely as they say it all turns to fat since you don't burn it off before you sleep. However if you're a super hard gainer (i.e. an Ectomorph) it won't make that much of a difference. You shouldn't eat ANYTHING 2 hours before bed anyway.

 

[gosh]

Gosh: I wasn't saying you should only eat fruit and veg for protein. My point was that yes, they are extremely healthy and good sources of minerals, vitamins and even protein and you MUST include them in your diet for best results.

Well, there's practically no protein in most fruits and vegs I mentioned them because, as you say, they are very important part of every diet and help your body stay healthy and especially if your having trouble with the stomach usually the problem is lack of fresh veggies in the diet, or at least that's my experience.

For the record, I only drink the best quality protein shakes. I found when I took too much of one it did give me the squids (and no, I was not drinking it with milk). My point was to go easy on the supplementing because you don't need as much as you think if you're including actual food with protein in your diet in every meal anyway.

That's cool. I just haven't heard of anyone having problems with protein shakes. I usually drink a lot during the week (3 shakes of about 35g powder a day), because I don't have the time to get normal meals and I feel excellent. Of course I have 3 other meals which are solid actual food and each has a good protein source. But yeah, it absolutely depends on the person and his training and eating habits how much of which supplements he needs.

Oh yeah and I agree actually, the last meal should never be too heavy. You can probably leave carbs out of it completely as they say it all turns to fat since you don't burn it off before you sleep. However if you're a super hard gainer (i.e. an Ectomorph) it won't make that much of a difference. You shouldn't eat ANYTHING 2 hours before bed anyway.

I agree about the hard gainers. But as for eating 2 hours before bed - well if the meal consists of only protein and a some fat it's actually a good thing if you are training hard, because this will give your body protein for the hours while you sleep and it will not have to use the protein that is in the muscles to maintain its functions. I wouldn't suggest drinking a protein shake before bed, because you'll probably wake up to pee earlier than you'd like, but something like a couple of whole eggs is great before bed.

 

[kakarotto]

For me 1 gram per Kilo seems to be my nice spot.

Brad Pilon (author of Eat Stop Eat and How Much Protein) claims that between 70 (for girls and smaller guys) and 120 grams (for bigger guys) is the range most people suits in.

Regards

 

[Dante311]

Being a physiologist in metabolism... I'll adequately respond to this post when I return to my apt near uni. I'm at home w/ my rents.

This is a 'controversial' issue as there is definitely no definitive, clear cut answer to this.

Depends on how 'active' your lifestyle is, but know that protein is a minimal contributor to ENERGY metabolism, but more of a 'key player and constituent' during anabolic growth ... based on insulin levels... cortisol response levels... natural gh/igfI levels... and norepi/epi in serum in response to high stress, taxing stressors placed on the in vivo environment...

there are 2 groups I trust... Jeukendrup and Tarnopolasky when it comes to protein consumption. he RDA (Recommended Dietary allowance) is .8 g/ kg BW... and I love Nancy Clark, Rd. Consensus goes... if you're active... 1-1.5 g/kg BW. If you're well above active... 2g/kg BW is good... and if you're a nut like me... bodybuilding etc etc... 2.76 g/kg BW - 3g /kg BW

The whole idea is to maintain a POSITIVE nitrogen balance (nitrogen out - nitrogen in = +)

nitrogen being cleaved from the protein and excreted in your urine

will continue this more later

 

[kingpole]

Being a physiologist in metabolism... I'll adequately respond to this post when I return to my apt near uni. I'm at home w/ my rents.

This is a 'controversial' issue as there is definitely no definitive, clear cut answer to this.

Depends on how 'active' your lifestyle is, but know that protein is a minimal contributor to ENERGY metabolism, but more of a 'key player and constituent' during anabolic growth ... based on insulin levels... cortisol response levels... natural gh/igfI levels... and norepi/epi in serum in response to high stress, taxing stressors placed on the in vivo environment...

there are 2 groups I trust... Jeukendrup and Tarnopolasky when it comes to protein consumption. he RDA (Recommended Dietary allowance) is .8 g/ kg BW... and I love Nancy Clark, Rd. Consensus goes... if you're active... 1-1.5 g/ky\
dig BW. If you're well above active... 2g/kg BW is good... and if you're a nut like me... bodybuilding etc etc... 2.76 g/kg BW - 3g /kg BW

The whole idea is to maintain a POSITIVE nitrogen balance (nitrogen out - nitrogen in = +)

nitrogen being cleaved from the protein and excreted in your urine

will continue this more later

It is really difficult to get in 1 gram of protein per one pound of body weight. for me that would be 188 grams per day. I like your science on this at least it is cheaper on the pocket book.

 

[Dante311]

It is really difficult to get in 1 gram of protein per one pound of body weight. for me that would be 188 grams per day. I like your science on this at least it is cheaper on the pocket book.

how much do you weigh KP?

I'm 196-204 lbs (depending on the day)...

so 196 / 2.2 = 89.1 kg (2.2 lb / 1 kg)...

89.1 x 2 (2 g / kg BW)

= 178.2 g protein / day just to maintain

 

[kingpole]

how much do you weigh KP?

I'm 196-204 lbs (depending on the day)...

so 196 / 2.2 = 89.1 kg (2.2 lb / 1 kg)...

89.1 x 2 (2 g / kg BW)

= 178.2 g protein / day just to maintain

188 pounds, i fluctuate between 188 and 191. Been losing weight, which is good. 178.2 grams to just maintain how can you afford that? Lets see a can of tuna in water cost 65 cents at 30 grams of lean protein per can. Whey proteiins vary in cost and levels of protein be tween 15-52 gramsof protein. And egg has 6-7 grams of protien. a large chicken breast whole not halved aroun 50 grams depending on the size of the breast.