Protein Help

[swc1293]

Protein help Please!

I have gotten serious about weight training and need some help figuring out protein for building muscle mass.

1) I’m a 250lb male, but at a healthy body fat percentage should weigh 220. So, 30lbs of body fat. Do I calculate my daily protein needs for building muscle on 220 lbs or 250 lbs?

2) I’ve learned from reading that the optimal protein amount per meal is 30 g, beyond that, excess protein isn’t useful . It takes two hours after the last meal for your body to be ready to use protein again to build muscle .
So in my case to get 200+ grams of protein in a day, I would need 7 meals of 30 g of protein every two hours. So 8 AM, 10, noon, 2pm, 4pm, 6pm and 8pm.

That seems a little bit nuts. Are my assumptions or math wrong?
Help! Thank you!

 

[lanman87]

@swc1293 I find it easiest to just go for 1 gram per pound and not worry about lean mass etc. The range broadly suggested is between 0.8-1.2.

The second point is not accurate really, or at least it's not that simple. A recent study showed that your body can absolutely make use of more than 30 grams of protein.

Basically, your body can absolutely use > 30 grams of protein from one meal. This doesn't mean you should just blast 100 grams all the time. The times when this is relevant really is if you are going to be unable to eat (fasting, sleeping). If you eat normal meals, one leads to the next and your levels will stay elevated over time.

 

[swc1293]

@lanman87 Ok. I’m overthinking the 30g cap. Two 50g protein smoothies to supplement would make everything waaaay easier. Thanks!

 

[lulito485]

@swc1293 FWIW: read this study recently about protein intake and no upper limit for consumption. Still have consideration for digestion and synthesis. But essentially you could consume more than 30 grams per meal and be good.

Egg and egg whites, chicken breast, steaks, tuna steaks, whey. Any combination of these would get you your intake to 175-200 grams a day. A good protein shake would get you 40-50 depending on your scoops and the brand you utilize for whey.

 

[swc1293]

@lulito485 Thank you!

 

[tpham0716]

@swc1293 It gets to a point where your weight isn't always a great indicator of protein needed.

How tall are you? A combination of 1.6g per kg or 1g per cm of height is another reasonable measurement for being on the higher end normally

 

[rsm777]

@swc1293 1) technically you should be calculating it for lb of lean mass not "healthy body fat." your lean mass would still be below 220.

2) you can eat as much protein per meal as you have to. you can do 50g a meal and have 4 meals or break it up however you want.

 

[sambarnett]

@swc1293 It’s best to get your protein from whole foods, but when not feasible I incorporate 30g protein shakes. Here’s a list of some good high protein hitters, but there’s more if you do more research. By implementing more frequents but smaller meals throughout the day also helps speed up your metabolism. Get an app like MyFitnessPal to help track macros. Carbs and fats are just as important to hitting your protein goals.

 

[bravenewworld]

@swc1293 1g per lb of estimated lean mass is enough (pro advice)

 

[beauryan]

@swc1293 You calculate related to your body weight. Usually five meals is the most efficient, four is a bit less than the most efficient. What I personally aim for is x1.7 of my bodyweight, but I sometimes go for more or less (Mostly more.) You may want to up your carb intake and cut down the fat intake (Minimum fat intake around 20%, 5% more or less of your calories.) You could even do with a x1.5, so long as you keep in mind that newbie gains period is one of the best periods to take advantage of. Do take many more things into consideration other than just the protein. You may want to take creatine into consideration as well. And you may want to take what type of protein you're taking in, as plant based won't be as efficient with the lack of amino acids, but that can be countered by intaking animal protein or balancing out the aminos either by pills or other types of food in the span of (If I remember correctly) 6-8 hours from that meal.

The amount of time inbetween meals around be around 5-6 hours. Eating more times will not be better for that~Greg Doucette (Said something like it.)

Note: Also you may want to keep in mind that most proteins you take will not be digested in 2 hours. In fact it might take much more than that to digest. (Fast absorbing protein aside.) And even the "Should take protein immediately after workout" is a myth. ~Greg Doucette.

~Note: Do keep in mind if you gain too much muscle mass you may have stretch marks.

~Note: There are studies being done related to max protein per meal is a myth. ~Jeff Nepard (If I recall correctly) talks about this. Though the minimum is 20g in my humble opinion.

~Note: Don't forget about your sleep, it's important. Nutrition too as it might hinder you. Lack of sodium will affect performance, lack of omega3 will affect recovery and so forth.

~Note: I can suggest a few meals for you to give you a perspective on how you can get the most out of it, both protein and carbs if you want more of it, but a good thing to consider is beans and beef, as beans is high in protein and carbs, and beef will add more protein and helps balance the aminos. You may want to consider what veggies or fruits to add depending on your end goal too, as calories may or may not matter to your end goal.

 

[swc1293]

@beauryan Thank you for taking the time to explain that. Much appreciated!

 

[severewx]

@swc1293 If you eat 50g protein in a meal your body will use roughly 30g at that point but the other 20g doesn't just disappear, your body stores this and will utilise it at a later point. To be 100% optimal 30g x7 meals would be the perfect way but life isn't optimal so don't stress the small stuff. Hit a good protein target every day and the results would speak for themselves. Good luck with the journey.