300 grams of protein?

[thefinalsql]

1 gram per pound of body weight, is that any weight or lean body weight?

I ate 287 grams of protein today, 3811 calories, 199 grams of fat. This is not easy. Thank God I am on a low carb diet, I cannot imagine eating even more food.(That sounds very odd coming from me)

Started using Fitday. I feel this tool will be really helpful. This is making food into a substance of goals and accomplishments as opposed to eating for pleasure.

[dylanamus]

I've heard mention of going as high as 1.5xbw/lb when on a low carb diet. I am 135lb and I eat about 170g protein on average on the AD.

Fatty meat will help you out here. Check out the caloric profiles of lamb chops or bacon!

Fitday requires some getting used to and you'll have to adapt to creating custom foods a lot, but once you get rolling, it's extremely useful (and very easy to use).

[Tenmagnet]

If you're overweight, and trying to slim down, you don't want to be following diet advice that's designed for guys who are skinny and trying to get big. So 1g/lb of bodyweight wouldn't be good advice for you.

[dylanamus]

Tenmagnet: he's on the AD, where fat is the primary source of energy. Protein is an important part of the AD especially while eating under maintenance as it decreases the rate of atrophy.

It is fair to say that the OP should not take advice aimed at skinney guys who are trying to bulk without gaining fat.

However, I am not skinny by any means. I was 23% bf when I started eating low carbs. I may only weigh 135lb now, but I am 5'2 and this still places me in the overweight section of the BMI (which means nothing to any sensible persno anyway).

I look anything but skinney AND I am not trying to bulk. I am trying to cut, hence why I eat under maintenance. Believe it or not, but the AD works as a fat-loss diet not just a bulking diet.

Ketosis dieting follows the reverse mentality to convential low fat diets and the suggestion of eating a fatty chop is actually perfectly consistent with any literature that you could read about this type of diet.

Protein serves many purposes specific to fat-loss and it is sensible to consider consuming more rather than less while starving your body of its minimum maintenance caloric requirements.

[Bman1]

From what I've read, the actual recommended numbers for protein in the scientific literature are 1.6-1.8 g/Kg body weight (this assumes you are lifting), which translates to ~ 0.7 to 0.8 g/lb body weight. These numbers will allow you to preserve lean body mass while losing body fat. Everyone rounds up to 1 g/lb bodyweight because 1) it is easier to remember and calculate; and 2) there is no harm in consuming more protein than is necessary for retaining lean body mass, it will simply be used for energy.

At his site, www.bodyrecomposition.com, Lyle McDonald makes a good case that regardless of whether you go with a lower fat or lower carb-style diet, getting adequate protein is the most critical element for losing ody fat and retaining lean body mass. Therefore, definitely keep aiming for 1 g/lb body weight of protein.

[Sam277]

From what I've read, the actual recommended numbers for protein in the scientific literature are 1.6-1.8 g/Kg body weight (this assumes you are lifting), which translates to ~ 0.7 to 0.8 g/lb body weight. These numbers will allow you to preserve lean body mass while losing body fat. Everyone rounds up to 1 g/lb bodyweight because 1) it is easier to remember and calculate; and 2) there is no harm in consuming more protein than is necessary for retaining lean body mass, it will simply be used for energy.

Why would people take something so important and just round it so that the new figure is 30% out? No that's just someone elses view. However, all of the biggest guys in the world eat anywhere between 500 and 1000g. The only reason to not eat excess protein is food cost. Saying that, it's not really a budget sport.

[Tenmagnet]

Tenmagnet: he's on the AD, where fat is the primary source of energy. Protein is an important part of the AD especially while eating under maintenance as it decreases the rate of atrophy.
.

Fine, but if he's force feeding himself to reach some arbitrary quantity of protein, I don't think that's a good idea for a weight loss diet.

To the OP: I think we everyone agrees that eating 300g of protein does no harm. However, you shouldn't go over your weight loss calorie goals to reach it.

[dylanamus]

Tenmagnet: I fully agree with both your above points. You can easily reach the desired quantities of protein, allbeit 300g, while still eating under maintenance and definitely without force-feeding. It simply requires a more careful choice of the kinds of foods consumed.

While lean body weight is a rough guide, the amount of protein a body can synthesise will vary from individual to individual. Supplying the exact maximum your body can use would be ideal, but without rigourous sientific studies, few will ever know what this figure is at any given time. If you can put a price on minimising atrophy during weight loss, a little extra protein is a relatively cheap means of peace of mind.

[thefinalsql]

I am on Atkins, not AD. I do not count calories. I just mentioned what Fitday said I ate. I'll check out Lyle McDonald's site. Thanks for all the info!

[dylanamus]

I'm not sure how I ended up thinking you were on the AD... one of the flaws of Atkins is that it completely ignores protein. I guess it is marketed purely as fat loss/maintenance. As a guy on a strength training forum though, it was definitely a sensible idea to address the subject of protein. Just educate yourself on the richest sources of protein and try and work those foods into your Atkins way of eating. Very trim cuts of meat that are rather low in fat, tend to supply the highest density of calories from protein.

[thefinalsql]

Chicken is my new friend, I had over 400 grams of protein yesterday

[dylanamus]

I was doing some reading on the equations, convinced that only formulae that are based on lean body mass would be accurate. I found a few sites over the past days, but only recall one of the links. Anyway, they were all very similar to the below, which is a recommendation for someone engaging in regular high intensity weight lifting.

1g protein / Lb LBM*

So let's say for example you are 300lb and 30%bf, that's 90lb of fat and a LBM of 210lb.

1 x 210 = 210

I would rely on a formula like this as a minimum though - to compensate for the possibility of a higher requirement based on your genetics. No point taking risks when LBM is at stake.

*Source