I’m a Dieitian, and THIS is How Much Protein I Eat
A huge topic amongst our Functional Elements’ clientele is protein.
It typically starts with something like, “Jaime, how much protein do you eat per day?”
It’s an easy question for me to answer, but let’s first explore WHY it’s such an important question.
Protein is a vital component to our results. You want to build strength? Protein is key. You want to build muscle mass? Protein is key. Heck, even if your goal is weight loss, protein is key!
Eating the optimal amount of protein can result in muscle maintenance or gain, increased satiety within meals, and is part of and the building block of all enzymes and chemical reactions in the body.
But HOW MUCH protein is needed to correlate with desired results?
It’s a question I, as a registered dietitian, answer for my clients every day. And let me stress, it is an individualized number. How much I consume or how much your neighbor should consume are probably gonna be totally different answers than how much protein you should consume.
But to give you a general idea, let me walk through my personal, daily consumption.
The first thing that’s important is what I’m trying to accomplish at the moment. If I'm trying to MAINTAIN my overall weight, my protein intake is a little less than if I'm trying to LOSE body fat.
Simply put, if I'm trying to lose weight I need to find an energy deficit. The greater my energy deficit, the higher my protein consumption must be to offset protein/muscle being used as energy.
If I'm trying to maintain weight and muscle mass, I'll use my lean body mass of ~150lbs (68kg) multiplied by 1.8g/kg protein, equalling a minimum of 120g/day.
On the other side of the coin, if I'm trying to lose weight/body fat mass and maintain or increase muscle mass, I'll use the same lean body mass amount (68kg) multiplied by 2.3g/kg, equalling ~160g/day.
That's a 40g range in daily protein intake dependent on my goal!
Either way, assuming 120-160g is my target, how do I make sure I get there get there?
First, every time I eat, I have a PROTEIN-FIRST focus.
I'll shoot for 4 meals/snack per day of 30-40g/meal. This can come from something as simple as a whey protein isolate powder to more "real" food options like ground beef, eggs (a lot of them), yogurt, a little fish, a little chicken (I'm sick of chicken!), and tofu, occasionally.
(Sidenote: Meat/fish = about 7g/ounce; 1 egg = about 6g)
Whether you're trying to lose weight while maintaining muscle (you should always try to maintain muscle), trying to gain strength and bone mineral density, or just trying to stay in shape and maintain what you have, eating enough protein is a key component.
It takes awareness and discipline over a long period of time. So be patient and the results will come to you.
Remember, GIVE YOUR BODY WHAT IT NEEDS, WHEN IT NEEDS IT!
Jaime Rothermich, RD, CSSD, LD, PPSC*KB, CSCS
Functional Elements Training and Nutrition
TRAIN FOR LIFE
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