0.7g of protein per pound or less. Have you gained muscle?

[ramy6et]

Hi!

The longevity discussion is big these days. We want to be healthy and we want to look really good! We want to hit the gym hard and make sure we don't do something bad in the long run.

How little protein do you eat while still growing muscles and strength?

Edit: Thank you so much for all replies! Certain interesting and different views.

 

[scottmcc2]

@ramy6et I'm wondering the same thing. If anyone has any studies to support this or even profiles of people who eat less amounts of vegan protein and still see muscle definition, I would love to see!

 

[kathryn1209]

@ramy6et People are protein obsessed. And they don’t ever question why. The science only supports 1.6 g of protein per kg… beyond that is over kill. So just get 0.726 g per lbs and ur GOOOOOD. less and you’re still gonna be good.

 

[gabbythanks]

@kathryn1209 i try for higher just because i feel it keeps me fuller and i avoid craving processed snacks, but i often see people (especially non-vegans) suggest 1g/lb which is overkill

lol why am i getting downvoted

 

[sonyeondan_ello]

@gabbythanks i honestly feel more full from high fiber instead of protein

do you track your fiber?

 

[gabbythanks]

@sonyeondan_ello i track everything but i don’t really look at the fiber section. i use Macro Factor. also if i scan something and the fiber shows up incorrectly i don’t correct it as long as calories/protein/fat/carbs/sodium are correct

edit: just looked and target is set to 23.3g and i typically get between 150-250% of that

 

[pjpaker1]

@gabbythanks lmao a random downvote

But same here

 

[beniaminf]

@kathryn1209 Evidence seems to suggest that figure is a little higher for vegans. I agree people are obsessed with "optimal" protein intake though.

 

[mrswhite13]

@beniaminf I don't understand why it would be, I can get all the amino acid requirements with 1.6g per kg always more than enough i.e 5.5g of leucine.

EDIT: If you're talking about digestibility of protein this study explains it.

"The more precise data collected so far in humans, assessing real (specific) oro-ileal nitrogen digestibility, has shown that the differences in the digestibility between plant and animal protein sources are only a few percent, contrary to historical findings in rats or determinations using less precise methods in humans"

 

[peter_aka_00avenger00]

@mrswhite13 Due to pdcaas. You can check Renaissance Periodizations video on that

 

[mrswhite13]

@peter_aka_00avenger00 That has been debunked in more recent studies such as this https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6893534/ "The more precise data collected so far in humans, assessing real (specific) oro-ileal nitrogen digestibility,

has shown that the differences in the digestibility between plant and animal protein sources are only a few percent, contrary to historical findings in rats or determinations using less precise methods in humans"

 

[peter_aka_00avenger00]

@mrswhite13 Good to know!

 

[pddan]

@kathryn1209 1.6 lbs is the upper limit for highly trained individuals looking to maximize hypertrophy. For most people lifting hard and getting >0.3 grams/lbs is going to be fine. Unless your goals are putting on large amounts of muscle mass you are covered.

 

[felicitypenny]

@kathryn1209 Thank you. I usually keep quiet on this point cause it's contentious on this sub. This is the way

 

[fallenchristian]

@kathryn1209 You also only require protein for your lean mass, not your fat, organs, or bones.

 

[justagirl777]

@kathryn1209 This is only if you're not in a caloric deficit. You're leaving out important information.

 

[pnku002]

@ramy6et At one point I was getting around the RDA while in a calorie deficit (losing weight), training hard on the bike, and I got slower (lower power on hard intervals measured with a power meter). My sports vegan RD helped me figure out what the issue was - added some protein and my power came back. Aim for at least 1.2 gms/ kg of bodyweight. 1.6 is probably better. There is no consensus that higher protein causes problems.

Another example is in the Netflix doc "You are what you eat." Spoiler: The lean muscular twin eating less protein gains less muscle than his brother.

 

[gabbythanks]

@pnku002 i watched that doc and it was kind of disappointing that most of the vegan twins didn’t eat enough protein

 

[pnku002]

@gabbythanks I think they probably had at least the RDA, and probably a little more, but the twins I mentioned were training hard and had goals to add muscle. I thought that what they experienced is totally normal - the vegan group had a massive change in their diet, and it should be expected that things wouldn't be all roses. Figuring out how a make a new diet work for you takes some time.

 

[gabbythanks]

@pnku002 yeah it makes sense, i just worry anti-vegan people will watch and say “see! vegans don’t get enough protein!!”