1 gram protein per pound bodyweight?

[Cedric]

My personal trainer told me that I should be eating 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight if I'm trying to put on muscle. This seems like a lot.

Right now, I weigh 125 pounds and eat around 100-110 grams of protein a day which is already an increase from the 80-90 that I used to consume. If I increase my intake even more, I'm afraid that the excess might be stored as fat.

Has anyone tried eating this much protein and, if so, what were your results with it?

 

[The Warmth]

I'm not an authority on health by any means, however I do know that excess protein isn't stored as fat, excess calories are.

 

[onetwothreefour]

Sounds like a lot. And I think too much protein isn't good for your liver. I'm a vegetarian so people used to worry when I was a kid that I didn't get enough protein, but looking at labels, you realize it's one of those things you probably don't have to worry about not getting enough of. I think most people probably get too much.

Then again, I've never been in intensive physical training.

 

[kallipolis]

My personal trainer told me that I should be eating 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight if I'm trying to put on muscle. This seems like a lot.

Right now, I weigh 125 pounds and eat around 100-110 grams of protein a day which is already an increase from the 80-90 that I used to consume. If I increase my intake even more, I'm afraid that the excess might be stored as fat.

Has anyone tried eating this much protein and, if so, what were your results with it?

Your reference to protein intake is far too vague.

What are your protein sources? Beef? Poultry? Eggs? Cheese? Protein powder?
What is the ratio of each protein source?

Your personal trainer's recommendation is correct, when recommending 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight, for building substantial muscle.

I eat a very light diet, and weight 176 pounds, or 80 kilos, or 12.5 stone.
I am 1.80m tall, or about 5 feet 11 ins.

I work out on one part of my body each day. Yesterday I worked on my chest.
Today I will focus on dips, and pull ups.

My work out period is about 30 minutes. I always use very light weights. The result is much superior, to using heavy weights. I am past the age where big muscles are a sign of virility. I work out to maintain good health, strength, and an attractive appearance.

I am also a practitioner of Kung fu (Wing chun) I much prefer to remain lean, so that I can move rapidly, when engaged in my martial art training sessions.

Dietary considerations:

Breakfast: I eat porridge, with a sliced banana, garnished with a sprinkling of ginger powder and cinnamon powder. Followed by a milky espresso coffee.

Lunch (every day): cooked mixed vegetables: carrots, broccoli, peas, legumes, Brussels sprouts. Late morning snack will be an apple, followed by by a pear, followed by another banana.

Afternoon snack an apple, and a banana/

Dinner whole wheat pasta with tomato sauce, garnished with grated Greek cheese. Or, canned tuna with olives, dolmades (a Greek food consisting of rice, wrapped in vine leaves), and a red, or green pepper. An oily fish should be consumed at least twice weekly, even thrice weekly during the Winter months.

Late evening snack: a handful of walnuts, almonds, 2 dried figs, 3 dried dates

I consume a banana milkshake at midday mixed with one scoop of a protein powder drawn from five different food sources.

After a weight training workout I consume a simple milk/water shake mixed with a high quality whey isolate protein.

Before bed I consume a tiny measure of liquid amino acids.

I eat no other snacks, chocolate, cookies, biscuits, cake. Nothing.

This programme would appear rather obsessive, and yet with practice is easy to adapt too.

You will note that my dietary needs are almost monastic.

I consume walnuts, and almonds to keep my cholesterol, and triglycerides levels within recommended parameters, to avoid elevated blood pressure, and heart disease.

 

[Cedric]

^Thanks for your very detailed response. I do try to get my protein from a variety of sources, balancing plant and animal sources (tofu, nuts, beans, etc. with meat, chicken, fish, eggs). I'm not really into protein shakes since I would rather get my nutrition from real food, but I'd be open to trying them.

 

[kallipolis]

^Thanks for your very detailed response. I do try to get my protein from a variety of sources, balancing plant and animal sources (tofu, nuts, beans, etc. with meat, chicken, fish, eggs). I'm not really into protein shakes since I would rather get my nutrition from real food, but I'd be open to trying them.

Your nutritional needs are different from mine. You must act accordingly.

I am happy to address all your questions.

 

[conroeguy]

I'm not an authority on health by any means, however I do know that excess protein isn't stored as fat, excess calories are.

The problem is extra protein equals extra calories, extra calories are stored as fat!
1gram of protein has 4 calories. Doesn't matter where it comes from.
Same with fat 1gram fat has 9 calories.

The one gram per pound of body weight has never been correct. Elite athletes and highly trained individuals ( like actively training Navy Seals) can use 1 gram per kilogram of body weight.

 

[kallipolis]

^A calorie is a unit of potential energy. Calories are not bad for us. On the contrary we need calories to enable us to execute physical actions.

Eating too many calories, and not burning them off with physical exercise, leads to the development of excess levels of unsightly fat.

Those of us engaged in weight training, or any form of sport absolutely need to consume extra calories, to be able to sustain us through our training programme.

The optimum objective is to balance our calorie intake, with our calorie burning activities, such as weight training.

Experience and expert advice guides us to eat a balanced diet that addresses our calorific needs, while ensuring that we do not consume excessive amounts of calories, which would lead to the storage of unnecessary fat levels.

Those engaged in a challenging weight training programme absolutely need to consume 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. Adjustment can be made to the protein intake should the exercise regime be more demanding, or less demanding.

Those engaged in hyper active training regimes are obliged to adjust their protein/calorie intake accordingly.

 

[conroeguy]

Eating too many calories, and not burning them off with physical exercise, leads to the development of excess levels of unsightly fat.

Those engaged in a challenging weight training programme absolutely need to consume 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. Adjustment can be made to the protein intake should the exercise regime be more demanding, or less demanding.

It is "absolutely" true that not burning or using excess calories leads to fat, it's how the body stores these calories for a rainy day. Those are the basics.

I would love to see something other than "Muscle and Fiction" magazine recommending a gram of protein per pound of body weight. It's funny you can google it and sure as shit, you will find articles recommending the 1:1 protein ratio, but where does this come from? The supplement business is a multi-billion dollar industry and it is full of experts.

I have 2 certifications from The Cooper Institute and have been a fitness instructor for 10 yrs as a part of my job, I don't consider myself any kind of expert.
One thing is absolute; there are very few things that are "absolute" in life.

You are a small guy at 125, I don't know what your age is, but you are not going to be a bodybuilder. You can be lean, muscular, healthy and stronger and you can get there with a balanced diet with a little extra quality lean protein thrown in. If your aware of it and make sure you eat regularly and each meal as a good source of protein, then your are ahead of the game.

check my blog at http://www.copfitness.blogspot.com/

 

[kallipolis]

^Kindly note that no one, including me, is recommending that the 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight is sourced entirely from protein supplements. No where on this thread has anyone made this suggestion. No legitimate body building magazine, or gym personal trainer recommends that a body builder, or other sports practitioner obtain all of their protein needs from supplements.

The 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight should be sourced from a broad range of food, such as dairy products, poultry, meat, vegetables and also, according to need, a high quality protein supplement.

 

[conroeguy]

I didn't mean to imply that supplements should be used, but I do believe that the supplement companies are behind some of the hype about protien requirements.
The ACSM recommends 1.2 to 1.7 grams per kg of body weight for active males.
That would be:
weight in pounds divided by 2.2= weight in kg
Weight in kg X .8 -1.7 = grams of protein

.8 being for sedentary individuals up to 1.7 for active adults

http://books.google.com/books?id=UZ...v=onepage&q=ACSM protein requirements&f=false

Your personal trainer should have a ACE, Cooper or ACSM certification, he should know better.
Ok I'm done

 

[kallipolis]

^ I note your comments.