3J
Musclechemistry Member
It’s one of the most confusing and debated questions in the bodybuilding community. As a sports nutritionist I have seen so many different ways to come up with the correct protein intake for individual needs that I can understand why it would make someone who is new to dieting so helpless. Ratios of gram to kg in weight on one side, the U.S.D.A’s baffling recommended daily allowance of 0.36g protein/1 lb bodyweight ratio, and the popular 1-2g per kg ratio that I have seen in the amateur bodybuilding community. One of the biggest issues with any ratio of protein to bodyweight is that it does not take body fat into consideration. You could be 200lbs at 7% bodyfat or 200lbs at 27%, there is a big difference in the needs of one vs the other person.
There are those who will recommend large doses of protein, and there are those who will recommend mediocre doses. Who has it right? In my professional opinion I think they both have it wrong. If I was a 200lb guy the USDA recommended amount of protein would be about 12 ounces of chicken. Hey, I could eat that in one sitting and be good for the day right? Nothing could be further from the truth.
Here is the real truth, protein intake requirements fall greatly on the specific needs of the individual. If youre just an average joe who doesn’t do any exercise but wants to stay healthy 120g of protein should actually do you right. If youre an athlete then your intake has to go up. What type of athlete you are and what kind of athletics youre doing is going to weigh heavily on how much protein you need. Also your other macros, mainly your carb intake (which means the philosophy of dieting youre following), will also affect the amount of protein you should be taking in.
Lets state some obvious facts. If youre trying to lose weight, you are likely cutting your calories down. Technically, most people will reduce carb in take (not necessary for weight loss btw) to help reduce calories. A higher protein intake would be more suitable for cutting than a lower one. Research has shown that a higher protein intake on a caloric deficit increases fat loss and reduces catabolism. A great rule of thumb to keep in mind is that the lower your carb intake is, the higher your protein intake should be. For example, if I was running 200g protein and 300g carbs to maintain and I decided to cut, I would likely take my protein up to 250-300 and carbs down to 150. Because carbs and protein have a synergistic effect on muscle growth there has to be a balance. When one is lacking, the other must pick up the slack. That is also the reason why ketogenic (no carb) diets have such high protein intake requirements. Protein also causes a very important hormone to come into play, glucagon. Glucagon has been shown to activate released stored fat into the bloodstream for fuel. Higher protein levels do help glucagon release which, in turn, helps fat loss.
In retrospect, if you are trying to gain weight your main focus should be a higher carb diet. So If I were a 200lb male at 15% body fat and I started a bulk I would likely have a very high carb and moderate protein diet. 200g protein while at 400 to 500g carbs is very acceptable. The bigger you are and the more intense your exercise is, the higher that protein intake would have to be. Yet I have never seen a client who has needed to eat more than 300g protein a day. Usually that is overkill for most of the population.
So where does that leave us? Let me give you a specific guideline for the average joe working out
1. Never reduce your protein intake lower than 200g, I don’t care if youre 150lbs and have never lifted in your life. 200g is a great place to start and stay for a while when trying to add muscle
2. The lower your carb intake, the higher your protein intake should be (with a limit of 300g a day for those with more lbm)
3. If youre over 200lbs and under 12% bodyfat, I recommend no less than 230g protein. If youre bigger than 230lbs at 12% I recommend no less than 250g protein.
4. These estimates are for BODYBUILDING ONLY and again are just ESIMATES! No one will know what your needs are as much as you or a professional who is helping you along the way. Different types of athletes will have different needs. A basketball player doesn’t want to end up looking like Arnold, nor does a swimmer. Those people have much different needs than you do.
So forget all this bodyweight to protein per gram ratio non-sense. If youre new, starting at 200g protein evenly divided throughout the day in 4-6 meals is a great place to be. If youre experiences, have more muscle, or are at a very strenuous and advanced level of training take your protein intake up.
One thing you definitely want to keep an eye on is your creatinine/bun levels when on higher protein intake diets for long periods of time. High protein diets sustained for long periods of time HAVE SHOWN to negatively affect your kidney function. I recommend cycling from higher to lower intake of protein based upon your carb intake and goals.
If interested in my professional services please contact me at [email protected]
Or click the link below for my website
www.3jsdiet.com
