How much protein?

[wyst]

How many grams a day per pound of bodyweight do you eat when you're in a building phase?

How much of that protein is in supps?

Do you eat more on heavy lift days than on light or rest days (I don't, but have friends that do)?

Just doing a little tweaking...tweaking the diet that is.

Thanks!

Wyst

PS: I did do some searching around, but I seem to be search-engine challenged today. I keep ending up on carb threads!

 

[diamonddiceclay]

300g a day of protein is good when bulking. ALL should be from real food. On non-lifting days, cut carbs a bit

 

[wyst]

Thanks for the answer, D-Dice. That's a lotta damned protein, lol.

That's regardless of size? I'm only like 5'5" and weigh about 125 give or take, and am a size 4. That's maybe a little more muscley than it sounds, given that I have a punk-ass Asian build (waaaaah).



What are the rest of you ladies eating for daily protein?

Wyst

 

[wyst]

Thanks, spatts...

Hey could you (or anyone) recommend a good site that can help me break down what I ate into protein, carbs, calories, etc? You know, a nutrition calculator kinda thing? I'm pretty good at this, but I think it's time to re-examine the ol' diet.

Anybody else care to post how much protein they chow down on per day?

Wyst

 

[Gladiola]

I aim for at least one gram per lb of body weight - which is about 135 lb (5'4"). Typically I'd rather be closer to 200, I set 135 as my minimum. I also try to have it be at least 30-40% of calories. I use www.fitday.com to track it all. I admit I'm not nearly as careful with all the #'s as I should be, but I aim for a little more carbs on a day where I do both lifting & cardio. Otherwise I don't alter much.

It's all from real food except maybe one shake OR one bar - which is for convenience usually on the way home from the gym. 175-200 is difficult for me to achieve, I really don't like meat & fish all that much. I might go higher, but I'm still working on that whole force-feeding thing....

In case she doesn't post, my sister, VDL, aims for a minimum of 200g protein.

 

[wyst]

Heehee. Spatts is a protein monster, then, in other words.

LOL.

I get the image of Cookie Monster, shouting "cookie" with bits of chocolate chips flying out of his mouth

crossed with:

The image of Leeloo from fifth element zapping her second whole chicken in under a half hour and saying "Chi-kan! Good!"

Lol. Don't be mad, Spatts! I aspire to this!

Thanks Gladiola! Honest, VDL is your sister? How cool! None of my family is interested in either computers or fitness, lol.

I think (again, need to really keep a diary again for a few days to check) that I'm at 200-225 g of protein at the moment, after ramping up a bit. I think I could hit 300 if I pushed it (and cheated with a shake OR bar per day) but 400 just blows my mind!

You're pretty tall and have a relatively big frame, though, right spatts? In addition to a sa-weet ghetto bootay.

Wyst

 

[wyst]

Unless you go to fitday and preprogram your ratios off the actual packaging, I wouldn't trust a program that gives its own numbers. A notebook and a pen work great for me.

I don't mind doing the preprogramming. I am occasionally kinda obsessive/compulsive. Plus I sometimes write about the Internet, so it's a good thing for me to check out. Plus I'm a totally compulsive journal/diarist. So maybe a mix?

Wyst

 

[wyst]

Do you fill this in every day? Compulsive as I can be, I can only do spot checking of my diet. A couple days a week here and there. Otherwise the joy goes out of my life and I go off my diet, lol.

Wyst

 

[VeggieLifterChick]

Wyst,
Be careful not to overdo the protein because it can really mess up your kidneys. Make sure you drink a lot of water. Be wary of eating 300-400 grams of protein at 125 lbs. There's a guy (forgot his handle) on the diet board who has kidney damage from overdoing the protein, and now he can't eat over 50g a day, and therefore can no longer bodybuild. When creating a diet, try to keep health in mind. Remember what you'd eat naturally (I don't mean fast food, I mean what is healthy) - about equal carbs and protein, a little bit of fat. For instance, consider a 40/40/20 diet.
To answer your question more directly, 1-1.5 grams per pound of body weight is a good marker. So for you, that's 125g - 187.5g protein.

PS: Do what works for you - if you find that you can build muscle with less, then eat less. If you need more, eat more. There are no conclusive studies, as far as I know, evaluating the effects of 150g protein vs. 300g. But remember, moderation moderation moderation!

 

[wyst]

So you mean 1.5-2.0 grams per pound by that right?

Thanks,

Wyst

 

[MS]

I eat 100-150g per day when bulking, lots more when cutting. I'm an old fashioned kinda gal that likes to save money and let the carbs do the work directly, rather than having to convert them from protein to glucose. But I eat mostly low GI carbs all the time. Ultimately, you may have to play around and find what's optimal for you. Officially, male BBs need, on average, 1.2g protein (minimum) per lb bodyweight. Females that are not on AAS may do fine on less than this, but better to eat too much than too little.

 

[crazyfit1]

So you mean 1.5-2.0 grams per pound by that right?

Thanks,

Wyst

I agree with this ! 1.5 to 2.0 g of protein per body weight is about what you want to consume. At least this is what I do and it seems to work for me. I'm 5 ft 1, 120 lbs., so I eat about 150-200 grams a day. It may sound like a lot, but if you break it down into 5 meals, it just about 30 grams a sitting. 30 grams is nothing per sitting. Hope this helps.....

 

[MS]

Oops, my bad. That's 1.6-1.7 grams per KG (not pounds) that male BBs need to take in to optimize muscle gains/nitrogen balance. There is no known advantage of eating more than this unless you're taking AAS or have a digestive disorder/wasting disease. However, there is no solid evidence that eating more than this will kill your kidneys either. I think this amount is a good minimum starting point for "bulking".

 

[MS]

That figure (which is pretty solid in theory and practice) is grams per KILO, not per pound bodyweight. It works out to around 0.8 grams per pound. I think that even if you're on the chunky side that this is not an overkill for protein, and all bodybuilders would do well to set this as their minimum. I get in between 0.8 and 1 gram protein per pound when bulking, but it's actually hard to take in less than this when you're eating 2500-3000cals per day!

So your 400 lb fat slob would only take in 300-400 grams of protein (which is still a lot of chicken breasts.......). But then again, a fat 5'3" slob would hardly be on a "bulking" diet.

 

[Gladiola]

Thanks Gladiola! Honest, VDL is your sister? How cool!

Yup - indeed! She's the one who told me about this board in the 1st place & also first took me to the gym to lift. I can still remember triceps so sore from skull crushers that I couldn't lift my arms above my head, let alone bend at the elbow. But I loved it!

Regarding protein for an athlete - doesn't a strength athlete need more protein than an endurance athlete?

I thought the strain on the kidneys was only really an issue if you were in Ketosis (no carbs) - but with lots of protein & some carbs, is there still risk?

 

[dieslgrl]

1.5-2g protein per pound bodyweight....

whole food is always best... shakes after training and before bed.

I would eat the same amnt protein on off days as well.. maybe you can skip the one shake though.

when bulking, I like to keep a 1:1 ratio carbs to protein... most carbs upon waking and after training...

my 2cents

dg

 

[Arioch]

An athlete's needs will vary based not only on their type of activity, but training volume as well. Just by comparing resistance training programs, someone who trains 10 - 14 times a week vs someone who trains four times a week should be doing far more damage to their muscles and will probably require a much higher nutritional profile overall, not just protein.

I have never seen any conclusive evidence that high amounts of protein cause damage to the kidneys in healthy individuals. Their is quite a bit of evidence supporting the higher protein requirements for athletes (particularly by Lemon).

 

[MS]

Yup, Arioch is correct. I think misunderstandings happen when we talk about what constitues "high protein".

Here's a chart drawn from Lemon's work on strength athletes:

Based on his review of the research, Lemon reports that if you're strength training on a regular
basis, you'll need to consume roughly 0.8 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight (or 1.7
grams of protein for every kilogram). Endurance athletes need around 0.6 grams per pound of bodyweight (1.4 grams per kilogram).

The table below gives you an idea of how much protein you need on a daily basis:

Your Weight Strength Training Endurance Training
150lb (68kg) 120 grams 90 grams
160lb (73kg) 128 grams 96 grams
170lb (77kg) 136 grams 102 grams
180lb (82kg) 144 grams 108 grams
190lb (86kg) 152 grams 114 grams
200lb (91kg) 160 grams 120 grams


If we take someone who weighs 180lb, that works out at 144 grams of protein each day. If
you're into serious strength training, that figure will probably rise.

Dr. Lemon also points out that, "dietary protein needs are likely to be greatest if exercise occurs
when carbohydrate stores are limited."

Your body is pretty smart. It can get its energy from several different fuel sources. If there's less
carbohydrate, your body simply burns more fat AND protein.

And guess where your body gets the protein from? That's right -- it starts eating away at your
muscles -- slowing your metabolic rate, reducing your strength AND bringing muscle growth to a
grinding halt.

What about safety? After all, don't high protein diets damage your kidneys?

Although this myth is still very popular, there's very little evidence to support it. Sure, patients
with impaired kidney function shouldn't consume large amounts of protein. However, there's no
evidence to suggest that healthy kidneys can't handle the levels of protein recommended by
Dr. Lemon.

An increase in protein intake also increases your need for fluids, so make sure that any rise in
protein consumption is accompanied by an increase in water intake.

If you've been training with weights without seeing much in the way of results, make sure you're
eating enough protein -- either in the form of whole food (such as chicken, fish or lean red meat)
or a protein supplement.

 

[dieslgrl]

and if you aren't using AS, your protein synthesis will be much lower, so your needs are less....

when I said Shake before bed.. I should have clarified to the TYPE... you guys are too flippin picky... stick with a mixed (whey, casien, egg) shake for immediate, slower, and slow absorbtion of amino acids through the night.

dg

 

[wyst]

Beautiful.

LOL...thinking about this, 175 X 2.0 DOES come to 350! So I'm right on track!

Heh. When Giants Walked the Earth!

I guess if I hit 250g I'll be okay for my 125 lbs, then, by that calculation, and my current 200-225, isn't too far off either anybody's set of recommendations.

Cool.

Thanks so much for all the info everybody, this is much much appreciated!

I'd give you all karma if the system would let me!

xoxoxo

Wyst

 

[dieslgrl]

Spatts! good going girl!!! keep up your hard work.. such a pretty girl, and all that dedication.. get that protein in and GROW!

dg

 

[dieslgrl]

hey spatts! NO WAY GIRL! I am just butterin' you up because I am sooooo damn close to that avatar! hehehe

dg

 

[lil k]

Heh. When Giants Walked the Earth!

I guess if I hit 250g I'll be okay for my 125 lbs, then, by that calculation, and my current 200-225, isn't too far off either anybody's set of recommendations.

Cool.

Thanks so much for all the info everybody, this is much much appreciated!

I'd give you all karma if the system would let me!

xoxoxo

Wyst

i think you are right on the $$ wyst....i take in roughly 200-250mg a day while "off" and close to 300 while on....and i am roughly the same weight as you....

keep it clean and train hard girl!