26 y/o female new to weight lifting, struggling to hit my 150g of protein target

[sally_wheeler]

I’m 5 foot 6 and 63kg. I’m trying to put on a little bit of weight and grow my glutes. I want more definition and that nice hour glass figure. I have a fast metabolism and can lose wait quickly if I don’t stay on top of eating a balanced full diet. So I’m also doing minimal cardio - just 5 minutes of HIIT to start as a warm up before weights. I do also regularly walk each day.

I have a personal trainer and we train 2 times a week - lower body/core and upper body/core. Then I hit the gym by myself another 2/3 times a week. So roughly 4-5 times a week. She worked out all of my macros and has given me 50% carbs, 30% protein and 20% fat at 2000 calories a day hitting 150g of protein per day.

I can get my calories up, it’s a struggle and A LOT of food, I feel like I’m just eating all the time. But I’m really struggling with hitting the 150g of protein, I’m getting between 110-130g a day.

For example I’ll be training legs again today and today’s food is:
Breakfast - tofu scramble, mushrooms, onions, ketchup and potato cubes.

Snack - protein shake - 2 scoops and a protein bar.

Lunch - chorizo vegan style sausages, basmati rice and sweetcorn with a teaspoon of siracha Mayo.

Dinner - Lentil soup with plant chef style chicken pieces.

Post gym snack - apple and a protein shake with 2 scoops.

• This is a lot of food to me and it’s only 130g of protein, but I only have 28 calories left so I can’t really hit the other 20g of protein, plus I wouldn’t know what else to eat anyway. It’s lunch time and I’m already sick of eating (but I’ll adjust eventually). I’m also a bit over on my fat today, that’s probably because I added butter and extra oil to up my calories for breakfast.

Does anyone have any tips or ideas where I’m going wrong? Thank you!

 

[dawn16]

@sally_wheeler 110g-130g is actually plenty for your height and weight! the general suggestion is .8g-1g per lb of lean body mass. you don’t need to get 150.

 

[warriorofyahweh]

@dawn16 This. Even 1g per lb is slightly over kill.

 

[sally_wheeler]

@dawn16 I think my trainer suggested that as I’m trying to put on weight and gain muscle. Or is 110-130g still going to help me achieve that?

 

[dawn16]

@sally_wheeler it will! i’ve seen many people build muscle on much less protein than what’s suggested by the general bodybuilding population. someone might be able to link studies but essentially it’s been proven that there’s a max on how much protein you need each day before it has no beneficial affects on your muscle building capabilities.

 

[sally_wheeler]

@dawn16 That’s like music to my ears because I just can’t seem to hit 150 it seems far too much. I think I shall do some research myself rather than just relying on my trainer. Thank you.

 

[dreamylala]

@sally_wheeler Seconded here just keep doing what you can consistency is key! Well done your diet looks good.

 

[raef]

@sally_wheeler You don't need as much protein when you're in caloric surplus. The research suggests 2.2 g/kg of lean body mass is about the maximum benefit. Assuming you have 15% percent body fat, you would max out protein benefit at 63 * .85 * 2.2 = 117g of protein.

And thats the high end. Not all research agrees, and everyone's body is different. This article summarizes the research and provides sources:

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-per-day#negative-effects

Now, if you're in caloric deficit, some research indicates that protein benefits max out at 2.2g-3.3g /kg of lean body mass. But, there are diminishing returns. I personally don't think it's necessary. I'll stick to 2.2 g/kg of lbm even in deficit.

 

[dawn16]

@sally_wheeler Especially if you're a beginner it will be more than enough..8g/lbs is maximum benefit, you get nothing extra as far as muscle growth from going over (other than appetite suppression benefits etc)

You can build muscle on like 0.5g/lbs even, there just are benefits up to 0.5. A lot of people (like myself) will aim for 1g/lbs with a "better safe than sorry" outlook.

 

[dirtbikegirl]

@sally_wheeler If you want to stick to that amount of calories you probly need to eat more protein powders or high protein low calorie foods like tofu and edamame but
The question really is do you need 150g most studies i have seen say 1.6g-2g per kg which for you would be 100-126g which suggests what you are doing is well within the range imo.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1844991/

 

[dubschanging]

@sally_wheeler Seconded that you don't need that much protein, especially as an absolute beginner. The optimal range is likely between 0.7-1g/lb bodyweight. You can still build muscle with less.

Also - doing cardio is good for you, even if you're trying to gain weight, and the calories lost by doing a decent amount of LISS cardio can easily be eaten back with a spoonful of peanut butter.

 

[sally_wheeler]

@dubschanging It seems the general consensus is that 150 is a bit too much. I will definitely look into this and not be too hard on myself. Thank you.

 

[eufrats]

@sally_wheeler Yeah, I have found that I really don't need the "one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight" maxim. YMMV though. I went vegan 8 months ago, and I ditched all the protein bars and drinks and stuff and I basically just follow the "Daily Dozen" for diet (includes three servings of beans/legumes per day), I am actually putting on muscle--and I am 55 years old.

 

[growingheart]

@sally_wheeler I’m in my forties and make very little effort to get a lot of protein. I do eat lot of beans and lentils, but only because I like them. I’ve packed on quite a bit of muscle in the past couple years as a vegan. I’m not sure excess protein is as important as many in the fitness world think.

 

[dawn16]

@sally_wheeler The largest meta analysis to date. anything over 0.7g/lb 1.6g/kg for muscle building does nothing to assist with muscle building.

 

[raef]

@sally_wheeler To get around 180g of protein, I cut the grains. I stick to tofu, beans, fake meats. I sprinkle nutritional yeast/flax/hemp on the tofu/beans. Ezekiel bread is also high protein. That gets me to 150 or so. Then I drink one soy protein shake. I think I'm reasonably under 2000 calories.

 

[jjweekz]

@sally_wheeler My big tip to reach whatever protein goal you have is to start your day with protein oats, you can easily make that into 40-50g, and then a protein shake around midday (make it a double: 50g). Then you'll be around 100 grams already by lunch and then just eat whatever you want the rest of the day.

 

[jamzies]

@sally_wheeler That sounds like a lot of protein, even with your stated goals. Listen to your body. Not everyone handles protein the same way. I feel that importance of protein is grossly overstated.

 

[lambrini]

@sally_wheeler hi! your trainer probably knows more than i do but gaining weight with 2000 calories/day is going to be pretty tough, and 30% of protein is actually quite a lot for a beginner, i think you'd be just fine with 25%

 

[sally_wheeler]

@lambrini Hi, thank you for your comment. How many calories do you think would be a good amount?