If you have spent than five minutes looking at fitness stuff online you have probably felt really confused by all the different advice about protein. Every fitness person, diet expert and supplement company seems to be saying something
On one side you have people saying that long as you eat a balanced diet you do not have to think about protein at all. On the side you have bodybuilders who carry around big jugs of water and eat plain chicken breast all the time saying you need a lot of protein to see any progress.
So where is the middle ground?
The truth is that protein recommendations online are over the place because they are often missing one important thing: you. The right amount of protein is not a one-size-fits-all number that you find on a food label. It depends on your goals, your body and how much you move around every day.
Let us break down how to find the amount of protein for your body without all the hype from supplement companies and without making things too complicated.
The Baseline: How Protein You Need for General Health
So we want to talk about getting in shape and things like that.. First we need to think about what our bodies need to survive. Protein is really important for our body not just, for building muscle. Our hair and skin and nails and the parts of our body that keep us from getting sick all need protein to fix themselves and work right.If you do not work out a lot and you just want to stay healthy you do not need a lot of protein. The amount of protein you need to stay healthy is actually pretty low if you are not very active. Health organizations say that you need 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight which is about 0.8 grams per kilogram. For a 150-pound person that is 54 grams of protein per day.
To put that into perspective you could easily get that amount of protein by eating a cup of yogurt for breakfast a turkey sandwich for lunch and a small piece of salmon for dinner. It is really easy to get protein if you eat a balanced diet.
However there is a catch that most people miss. That 0.36 grams per pound number is the amount of protein you need to prevent a nutritional deficiency. It is the amount you need to keep your body from breaking down its muscle tissue just to survive. It is not necessarily the amount you need to feel good have lots of energy or change the way your body looks.
The Sweet Spot: Protein for Building Muscle and Losing Fat
Once you start exercising, running or trying to change your body the baseline rules do not apply anymore. If you are actively breaking down muscle tissue through exercise your body is going to need a lot of protein to rebuild that tissue and make it stronger.This is where we get into the evidence-backed ” spot” for protein. For people who are lifting weights doing endurance training or trying to lose fat a good target is between 0.7 and 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.
For a 150-pound person that is 105 to 150 grams of protein per day.Why do you need much protein? It comes down to two goals:
1. Recovering from exercise and building muscle
When you lift weights you are creating tears in your muscle fibers. You do not build muscle in the gym; you build muscle in the hours and days after your workout when you are recovering. Protein gives your body the amino acids it needs to repair those tears and make your muscles stronger. If you exercise a lot but do not eat protein you will feel sore, tired and your progress will stall.
2. Preserving muscle when you are losing
This is a big benefit of eating a lot of protein that many people do not understand. When you are trying to lose weight your body is looking for energy wherever it can find it. If you are not careful it will burn through your muscle tissue as easily as it burns through your fat.
Eating a lot of protein while you are losing weight helps protect your muscles. It tells your body to hold onto your muscle tissue and burn fat for energy instead.. Protein is very filling so it can help you feel full and satisfied while you are dieting.. Protein has a thermic effect, which means your body burns a lot of calories just breaking it down and digesting it.
The “More is Trap: Do You Really Need 300 Grams of Protein?
If 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight is good then 2 grams per pound must be even better right?
Not exactly. This is where the fitness industry tends to exaggerate things because supplement companies want to sell you protein powder.Scientific studies show that there is a limit to how protein your body can use. Once you hit that threshold of 0.7 to 1 gram per pound of body weight the benefits of protein level off. Eating protein than that does not necessarily mean you will build more muscle.
So what happens to all that protein if you eat 250 grams per day but your body only needs 150 grams? Your body will use what it needs for muscle repair and other functions. The rest will be broken down and used for energy or stored as fat.Eating much protein is not bad for you but it can be expensive hard on your digestive system and mean you are not eating enough carbohydrates and healthy fats which are important for energy, hormones and overall health.
Practical Tips: How to Hit Your Protein Target
Hitting a target of 120 or 150 grams of protein per day can seem intimidating at first especially if you are used to eating a diet that’s heavy on carbs and fats.. It does not have to be hard.
The easiest way to hit your target is to build your meals around a protein source. Of thinking, “What do I want for dinner?” think, “What protein am I having for dinner?” Once you decide on a protein you can build the rest of your meal around it.Try to space out your protein throughout the day.Your body can only handle much protein at one time. So it is an idea to eat 30 to 40 grams of protein per meal. Try to spread this out over three or four meals. This will keep your body fueled. Your hunger levels stable.
Focus on eating foods like eggs and chicken and turkey and lean beef and fish and Greek yogurt and cottage cheese and lentils and beans. Protein powders and bars are okay when you need them. For example you can have them when you are, in a hurry or after you finish a workout.
The Bottom Line
Stop letting the internet make nutrition too complicated. You do not need to memorize formulas or worry about every gram of protein.If you do not exercise much and just want to stay healthy focus on eating a diet and do not worry too much about protein. If you are exercising, trying to build muscle or lose fat aim for that spot of 0.7 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.
Think of these numbers as a guide, not a rule. Some days you might eat a little protein, some days a little less. The goal is to be consistent, in the term not perfect. Figure out what makes your body feel good strong and recovered and stick with it.