Hey Ladies..How much protein do I need?

I realize that I am not incorporating enough protein in my diet (yesterday only 17 grams) soooo....I went to GNC today and bought some low calorie protein powder and liquid which tastes aweful but willing to get it down. I work out quite a bit and need to know how much I need to get lean muscle mass so I don't sit on my butt at the computer trying to figure it out. I work out an average of 60-120 minutes a day (strength, cardio and basketball, etc.)  do take a day off.

Also is there such thing as getting too much protein? I am a thyroid cancer survivor and don't want to over do anything and screw myself up.

I am 5'10 and 207 pounds (have lost 51 pounds and lots of inches). The muscles are there (showing all over) but still have too much fat. I don't want to bulk up... just have some definition and get very toned. My goal is 150 pounds. I am also getting about 25-35 grams of fiber which is good.

Thanks!

some people say you should try and get in your body wiehgt in protien so for you that would be 207gms ... personally i think thats abit much i try and aim for about 30-40% of my daily intake instead.

WOW! I have been low on the protein...it's a wonder I have any muscles at all! Where do you get your protein? I am allergic to eggs so that is not an option...Darnet!

Thank you!

Hi Leslie

I have struggled with this also trying to get the right amount of protein I also was not getting much so I went and bought a Protein supplement and make a smoothie with it you don't even taste it and a smoothie after working out is great my protein supplement has 24gr aso it is a good start to the day then I add some chicken or turkey in the through out the day I agree it is hard to find protein in the right foods without adding to many calories.

Myself I also try to get between 30 and 40 percent for my protein a day

Cottage Cheese, chicken , lean meats and fish are all great sources of protein,

Protien shakes can also help i have some but i don't use it that often, only when im really really low and struggling to make some up, most of the time i find by picking my foods carefully i can get the protien in.

 

Hi Leslie!

What brand of protein powder did you buy and what doyou drink it with?  I bought the GNC chocolate brand and I drink it with skim milk. That gives me over 50 g in just one tiny meal (my pre-workout breakfast).  I think my shake tastes just like chocolate milk!

At lunch I eat a can of tuna, with a tiny bit of mayo. I guess if you're allergic to eggs you can't add mayo, but it tastes fine without it.  That's another 30 g of protein. Trust me, I HATE tuna, but I eat it everyday just to get enough protein.

For my afternoon snack I eat 10 almonds and some unprocessed cheese... that's even more protein.  You can also have some cottage cheese with a bit of fruit.

Then for dinner I make sure I eat some kind of meat or fish.  Just make sure you have a little bit at a time, all day.

Woah, when people say your weight in protein they mean kg!!! NOT lbs

For most people 0.8g of protein per kg is sufficient, so 75g for you.  But athletes doing lots of endurance training (not weight lifting, common misconception) metabolise protein differently and so can need up to 1.2 - 1.8 g protein per kg of body weight.

So start off by trying to get over 75g a day.  Tinned tuna / mackerel is a really good reasonably low cal/ low cost source.  Other fish is good as is lean meats and eggs.  If your veggie it's important to note that things like lentils/peas/beans aren't complete sources of protein and need to be combined with either grains: 'rice/pasta/wholewheat' or nuts and seeds to get the 8 essential amino acids you need.  Whey and soy supplements are Ok but try not to get the majority of your protein from them.

You'll feel so much better once you up your protein as it makes you feel fuller and helps muscle recovery after working out.

Note:  Studies have shown that continuous consumption of over 2g per kg per day on a regular basis (190g for you) can be hazardous to health.

Oooh and as baby_creature highlighted dairy is also an excellent (complete!)source, low fat cottage cheese, yoghurt, skim milk etc...

Have fun!

now, im sure someone will correct me if im wrong, but i think the body can only ingest 30 grams of protein in one sitting (not too sure if that's by the hour or what). but 17 grams a day is waaaay low. id be a bit concerned that you may not be getting enough other nutrients if you can only get 17 grams from your diet. im not trying to be nosey but since we are all here for health

If you don't eat meat you can buy textured soya protein from a health food store. You just soak it some vegetable stock or warm water and herbs and ypu have instant mince.

Try combining pulses (beans, lentils etc) with brown rice. I was lcking protein really badly so my nutritonalist told me to eat this :)

xXx

Wow, 17 grams sounds really low.  Like others here, I would agree you need much more than that in a day.  Even one serving of chicken or fish would provide more than you have been getting in a day.  Have you thought about beans?  They are cheap, versatile and good in just about everthing.  Black beans are particularly good for you I've read, and they are good in anything:  chili, quesedillas, dips, soups, alone as a side with salsa.  I even make black bean burgers, which are awesome! 

I had a masseuse who was training for a figure competition and she was on a very serious training program.  She was told by her trainer to eat 1 gram of protein for every pound she was while she was training.  I would say most regular people need what others have recommended, which is like 70 grams or something.  Good advice here on dairy, nuts and soy as great sources of protein.

I bought GNC Pro Performance Whey Protein (Vanilla) but it only has 21 grams of protein. I add it to 1/2 cup 2% milk and it does not taste bad. The liquid crud I bought tastes horrible (worse than Geritol, so I gave it to my husband..LOL)  I had the GNC powder and milk with a half of a PBJ and went out to weed the garden and it must work cause I have more energy today. I eat fat free mayo. It is just when I try to eat eggs cooked (scrambled, poached, hard boiled) I end up in bed for hours with a horrible stomach ache. I only had 1 flu shot in my life and within 2 hours I had 104 temp. I was told I must be allergic to eggs, although I can eat a bit of mayo. It is no fun when I see chickens all over the yard knowing what they have on board! I do miss eggs!

I love sardines so I plan on endulging on that for a snack and tonight is SALMON night! I eat a few almonds here and there. Just having to keep check of my calories. Wish I liked cottage cheese. Maybe I will learn to love it. I just read so much about needing 200-300 grams of protein then I read where too much is bad for your kidneys. So confusing! That is why I wanted others opinions. Thanks a bunch!

That is strange...cause I have been getting A's on my analysis. I eat a bunch of vegetables, fruit, 3-4 oz servings of chicken or fish once a day. I don't eat too much meat. It (analysis) does show I am not getting enough iron and sometimes not enough calcium. On the days I see I do not have enough vitamins,  I take a pre-natal vitamin. (Nope I am not impregnated..LOL...I will be 50 in September) OOPS not impossible to get that way. Time to re-think!!!

Anyway thank you for bringing up that point. I will keep a better check on it and not go by the report card on the analysis.

I don't see how you are getting 17g of protein if you're eating 3-4oz of meat.  You should be eating at least 60-75g if you're eating that much meat.  But you still need more to support your exercising and weight loss.

And as the experts here say, you won't bulk up from adding protein to your diet if you're eating at a calorie deficit.  You will protect your body from losing muscle and protein helps satiate your appetite, a lot more than carbs. 

 

I can't promote beans enough, I think I will make "beans" my generic answer to every question I ever read here.   As a former binger that ate big giant 3-egg omelettes with steak/ham and cheese or chicken fried steak and eggs, beans have provided me a lifeline. 

 

Eat your beans!!! Better yet, make a chili with beans and lean hamburger.  That's really good. 

Hehe, when I didn't watch what I ate, I only got 20g of protein a day (unless I ate a burger or something with a bit more). 

The Whey Protein taste great with milk (I can't stand Vanilla).  Also, there's ways to get more protein in your diet...cheese, fish & chicken, beans, yogurt, Luna protein bars (they're yummy).  I noticed that beforehand, I would only eat meat at dinner.  Now, I make sure I get something with protein in ever meal.  It makes it easier to get more in a day.

Thank you. That clears up my question. Yesterday and today, I am at 107-109 grams protein. I feel good so far!

Thanks again!

Leslie

Original Post by mrsdagle:

I don't see how you are getting 17g of protein if you're eating 3-4oz of meat.  You should be eating at least 60-75g if you're eating that much meat.  But you still need more to support your exercising and weight loss.

And as the experts here say, you won't bulk up from adding protein to your diet if you're eating at a calorie deficit.  You will protect your body from losing muscle and protein helps satiate your appetite, a lot more than carbs. 

 

I can't promote beans enough, I think I will make "beans" my generic answer to every question I ever read here.   As a former binger that ate big giant 3-egg omelettes with steak/ham and cheese or chicken fried steak and eggs, beans have provided me a lifeline. 

 

Eat your beans!!! Better yet, make a chili with beans and lean hamburger.  That's really good.

 Thank you! I goofed up that day and did not eat any chicken or fish. I was on a low activity day and was not very hungry. OOPS! I can peas and green beans so I better start eating more of them. They are good! Sometimes when I cook a lot or do a lot of canning, I tend to lose my appetite plus it's crazy hot here in Texas which makes for loss of appetite...I guess I will go swimming and work up a good "want to eat appetite".

Some of my favorites...I'm becoming something of a protein junkie. I'm 5'11, 164lbs and just today have 132g of protein on my log, which will be a little over 33% of my calorie intake for the day. I try to get most of my protein from poultry, but fall back on the shakes if it isn't happening.

• poultry:

turkey (columbus peppered turkey 13g per 65 cal)

Chicken (trader joes grilled chicken strips 16g per 90 cal)

• fish

Salmon patties (17g per 90 cal)

(Kroger) Tilapia fish (23g per 100 cal)

• Shakes:

Muscle Milk light (20g per 150 cal)

Natures Plus Spirutein Protein shake (14g per 100 cal)

Worldwite Nutriention Pure Protein Shake (35g for 180 cal)

your age, current height, weight and level of physical activity determine how much you need. 0.8grams/kg is the average and you can go up to 1.2g/kg if you are doing heavy weight training.  That means that a 150 pound woman needs about 60-70 grams average if she is working out.
hope that helps.

Absolute Whey Protein made by Interactive Nutrition.

30g scoop = 110 cals and 23 g protein and tons of amino acids

no artificial anythings!

I add it to a smoothie with frozen blueberries, banana, and natural yogurt. Helps disguise the funny aftertaste of the powder.

I also have trouble getting in enough protein while watching calories and fat. It's quite a balancing act eh?

I love Optimum Whey in Chocolate... with half a frozen banana, 3-5 frozen strawberries or cherries, some water and ice in the blender, it's really quite tasty.

If you want to build muscle or at least keep a decent level of muscle while losing weight, you need to be sure that you are eating enough protein. Someone else suggested about one gram per pound body weight, which is about right. Otherwise, you risk endangering your metabolism. I know, because I've done it! I attempted to become vegetarian last fall and was getting what I thought was an appropriate amount of protein at the time... only as much as 60 to 70 grams (and I was 150 pounds or so). Between the dieting and the exercise that I was doing, I actually lost a significant amount muscle and put on a gut that I never had before in my life, even though I lost ten pounds of "weight" on the scale. Then, when I stopped being so strict with my diet (which was 1500 calories a day, so it wasn't anything extreme or unhealthy), I gained ten pounds--- of solid fat! It's a good thing that you're considering increasing your protein now, so you don't end up like I did!

By the way, it's virtually impossible for a woman to "bulk up", especially when she is on a diet and having a caloric deficit. It's important to lift heavy weights properly,which will get you that "toned" look that you want, but you don't need to be concerned with looking like a bodybuilder on steroids. Good luck!