how much protein do i need?

i am 160 pounds. trying to cut down 15-20 pounds of bodyfat. how much protein do i really need a day? i dont want to be overkill and eat more then i need

[QUOTE=warriors010;403972101]i am 160 pounds. trying to cut down 15-20 pounds of bodyfat. how much protein do i really need a day? i dont want to be overkill and eat more then i need[/QUOTE]

i'm not sure one becasue people say you need 1 gram per lb of body weight tp preserve muscle but i weigh 240 and i was eating 270-280 gams a day to keep my muscle so. i think it varies on the cut for some people but when i eat normal after cutting i can eat like 170 gram sof protein a day and don't notice to many effects of muscle loss, you know start with 160 grams a day if you feelm like your getting small up the protein till your not losing muscle, and trust me its very noticeable to yourself when your losing muscle/

[QUOTE=TheElephantman;403973421]i'm not sure one becasue people say you need 1 gram per lb of body weight tp preserve muscle but i weigh 240 and i was eating 270-280 gams a day to keep my muscle so. i think it varies on the cut for some people but when i eat normal after cutting i can eat like 170 gram sof protein a day and don't notice to many effects of muscle loss, you know start with 160 grams a day if you feelm like your getting small up the protein till your not losing muscle, and trust me its very noticeable to yourself when your losing muscle/[/QUOTE]

okay cool, ya ill do that. and now in terms of fat and carbs whats the deal? i want to get very lean

Just eat at least 1g/lb of bodyweight. Don't need to go higher than 1.5, since your muscles can't do protein synthesis fast enough to use it and it'll just turn into calories. You can get those calories more cheaply and easily from other sources.

For fat and carbs, try to cut down on carbs and keep fat levels normal. Keep total calories down, and exercise volume at maintenance.

[QUOTE=warriors010;403978331]okay cool, ya ill do that. and now in terms of fat and carbs whats the deal? i want to get very lean[/QUOTE]

basically you find out your total calories you need based on body weight. Depending on the ratio of protein to carbs to fat you want (hence where the 40-40-20 comes from)now i have found for myself 50 protein 25 carbs and 25 fat works best and i feel good, so i leave it there, its all taylor made right, trial and error. So you find your maintenace calorie intake then, you drop it by 500 cals for a cut i mean thats the scientific formula the bodybuilding community goes by i belive, because that's all i read about go by but i have deviated from these "precise" methods, as they don't really do it for me. The take your total calories and decide how many calories you want for protein carbs and fat, start with 40 40 20 then adjust as you see fit.

Here is what you should do.

You should not take a bulking or cutting mentality at 160 pounds.

You should focus on your lift progress and that will lead to your desired physique, in the mirror.

Eat 2300 calories, 160+ grams of protein/day.

You will make gains in the gym, lift-wise, you will plateau/slow down in over 2 months...

Once this happense, you can choose to either keep eating at 2300, body composition would still change, but you won't be gaining a lot more strength.

Or you can choose to keep going with lift progress, hault fat loss/body composition change and up calories to 2600/day.


So basically, if you eat at 2300 (your maintenance), and bust your butt in the gym, doing deadlifts, squats, rows, bench and shoulder press.
No cardio necessary, you will lose fat and gain muscle.

At 160, you aren't an experience lifter, (2 years+)...
So you still can make gains without having a cutting or bulking mentality if what you say is true, you have 15-20 pounds of fat to lose.

Good luck.

I know this because:
I was 160 4 months ago, and now I am still at 160, lower body fat, doubled my lifts.

Shoulder press was with 32.5 pound dumbells, now I press 70 pound dumbells.
My deadlift went up from 95 pounds to ~280 pounds.

And a lot more definition.
Eat at maintenance and you will see your newb gains, strength and size-wise, and you will shed fat.
Peace.