How do I figure out my protein I need to eat?

(Cheryl) #1

Thanks I’m not sure how to figure it out :confused:

(Ernest) #2

You mean amount of protein?
Start with 4 to 6 ounces of fatty meat per meal and adjust from there.
No need to stress over it unless you have some type of an issue.

(Karen Fricke) #3

One gram per kilogram of lean body mass. Usually works out to 50-60 grams for female and 75-85 for males. Sometimes a little higher or lower, but it’s a good starting point.

(Cheryl) #4

I’m a female 5’4" 144 lbs.

how do I figure out my lean body mass?
So if I’m figuring this out right…
taking the 60 grams = 2.11 ounces ?
So that’s 2.11 oz. for the day?

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #5

It’s not as bad as is sounds. For example, suppose you’re eating a meat that contains 22% protein. Sixty grams of protein would thus be around 272 grams of meat, or just under 10 oz. Even if your meat were 50% protein, that would still be 4 oz. of meat a day.

(Karen Fricke) #6

If you use an app like my fitness pal, it will figure it out for you. Logging your food keeps you from accidently getting more carbs or protein than you thought. Unless you are very lean, you’re not likely to be more than 45-50 kg lean body mass, and maybe less, but it’s hard to stay under 50 grams of protein.

(Tim W) #7

Like others have said, you don’t have to stress this too much unless you are a competitive/extreme athlete and maybe not even then, there is good indication (in my mind) that much of the supplement industry hypes protein needs just to ensure sales, it’s not the end all to be all nutrient.

BUT, to answer your question, to determine your LBM and protein for that LBM…

#1. You need to estimate your body fat %. It’s not a perfect science so don’t get wrapped around the axle about wanting to know it “for certain” it’s actually varies day to day based on water retention, sodium intake, etc. etc. etc. So, just estimate using height/weight and neck/waist measurements etc. There are single point calipers that can be helpful or google “body fat estimation pictures” and use them as a reference. I think the body fat scales are junk, as are the bioelectrical impedance devices, they are maybe in the ball park of your true body fat but they have too many variables to be very accurate, my point being, don’t wast money on them when a tape measure/pics on the net can get you just as close (IMHO). Also, paying lots of money for BODPOD and other things… why? I’m too cheap for that AND, play with the calculators (links below) and you’ll see that a % of BF up and down doesn’t change much as far as calorie/ratio needs. So, save your money and estimate.

Now, once you have those estimates, find a calculator that you like to determine how many grams of xxxx and yyyy and zzzz you want to eat.

I prefer ketogains macro calc because you can really play with the variables:

BUT, I use several calculators to “verify” the results of the others. They all use a similar calc and I’ve built excel sheets to verify their “maths” and they are all “close enough”.

Just plug in your variables, be honest with your settings and adjust things up and down to see how little difference there is in say 22% BF and 24% BF… same for protein grams, getting .9 per gram of LBM and .11, not the biggest chasm to overcome.

Bottom line, play with this stuff long enough and you might decide that staying in a “range” is probably more likely and easier than trying to hit perfect “macros”.

Good luck!

(Cheryl) #8

Thanks everyone for all your help :grinning:

(Marty Kendall) #9

Most people get enough protein without having to consciously worry about it.

It’s very hard to get less than the RDIs, especially if you are eating mainly whole foods. Your appetite will also limit how much you take in because it’s hard to convert ‘excess protein’ to use for energy.

If you are diabetic and injecting insulin you should be aware that protein does require insulin to metabolise, but I don’t think this is a reason to consciously limit protein.

Some more thoughts on protein in this recent post.

#10

i am new to this way of eating and all the talk about grams of protein and etc reminds me of my weight watchers days. I dont want to count anymore, log my food anymore. I am not sure if i am full keto either. I eat only real food, stay away from starches best i can, make my meals meat and veggies cooked in butter or coconut oil, olives, cheeses, nuts as little as possible because i tend to go overboard.

(Sjur Gjøstein Karevoll) #11

That’s what I do as well. I could worry about my protein intake or carb intake or calorie intake, but to me it’s not worth the effort or stress. I stay away from sugar, grains and starchy vegetables (for the most part) and anything that’s packaged in cardboard.

(Damon Chance) #12

I rarely track anymore but new things I eat I do look them up. I did track for a while to get a grip on what I was eating and after some time I gravitated towards the same things so it was easy to gauge carb limits. I found my protein intake was naturally falling into line and although not always within the bounds of the calculated macros it was never excessive so I don’t worry about it. So spot checking your meals in the beginning is useful and you don’t have to be anal about it or obsess.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #13

I’ve never calculated macros, since starting this way of eating. Is there any benefit to doing so?

(Damon Chance) #14

There is for me… i tend to overeat even on Keto so tracking from time to time helps me avoid that. I do notice weight gain if I go ad-libitum because I don’t get satiety signals or haven’t learned to recognize them (most likely this). Tracking and keeping within some loose boundaries keeps me on the right track.

(Tim W) #15

If you are “pushing the boundaries” (in my case trying to get to around 10% BF or lower) or otherwise doing more “extreme” stuff then calculating macros might help with achieving some of those goals.

(Liz ) #16

FWIW as a woman I find I need to be more careful with macros & I’ve seen other women say the same thing. Of course not all women, not all men etc etc but I see a lot of dudes eating ad libitum & having success while a lot of women don’t seem to have the same freedom. I like tracking because I find it fascinating & helpful. Also I don’t have full faith in my satiety signals yet even 7+ months in.

(Karen Parrott) #17

I agree with @Marty_Kendall!!! 10000% :wink: To answer your question @Dis2cruise use your body’s data and your goals, then adjust. I know how hard this is, trust me.

What I needed in weight loss is different from what I needed in weight maintenance.
I’ve had to adjust my protein & fat grams according to

  1. Scale body weight (too much fat and I need to get equalized with protein or I’ll regain or not lose)
  2. Maintaining muscle mass (important as I age, I’m 51)
  3. Body fat % (I stay lean if I am optimal with items 1-2)
  4. How I"m feeling (too much protein = bloat and joint pain for me)
  5. I know my why’s and use deep problem solving skills for my goals

I was almost diagnosed T2D, but I don’t see the protein /glucose problems so far.

I’m in weight maintenance, but I have to cycle into weight loss because my body really, really wants to regain. But I won’t let it I have a complex weight loss/gain history. I have to go super deep in problem solving.

Deep Why’s: Since I’m a reformed binge eater, I still don’t get the right off signals 100% of the time like most folks do. But If I mind my bloated feeling and joint pain, I know I’ve had too much protein. I can look at my tracker and see. I’ve been maintaining a 73 pound weight loss for 5+ years. Menopause for 4+ years. Previously obese/overweight 40 years. Protein is a surrogate marker for stop eating signal for me .Because I can overeat fat a lot easier than protein.. There’s a huge assumption that our “satiety” signals work 100% of the time. I can tell you mine don’t. You can see it in the LCHF/Keto space. Lots of us are in the same boat.

Best reason for me to eat optimal protein, optimal fat and using keto and fasting as a tool = 85% of the time I can get my best hungry/ full signals. I can easily overeat fat. Protein is harder to overeat, but I can do it weirdly enough. Optimizing protein is a goal for me. It’s essential to #weightmaintenance & a lean body.

Okay, long answer, just pick a protein to body fat ratio that give you optimal health and be ready to adjust here or here. My body rewards me. Marty is right, It’s much harder to overeat protein. Powerful tool. Don’t shy away from the difficulty of the protein/fat adjustments for your goals. Optimizing will give you great rewards. KCKO. :slight_smile:

Egads, long response, but a very, very important input to health. Onward!