Regarding Protein-to-Body Weight Ratio

So we all know that higher protein amounts = better. We also know that BBers should be lookin' to consume 1-1.5 g of protein per lb of body weight.

BUT! What if your body weight is high because of fat, not muscle? Like, say you still weigh a fatso 240...should you really be taking in 240 g's of bro'tein?!

The reason I ask:

I started working out last year as a fat guy who no longer wanted to be a fat guy. Now that I've been at it for a while, I'm much less of a fat guy and my goals are becoming more focused on the muscle gain side of things.

That said, I'm not "there" yet, so I still primarily want to lose fat. But, since my long term goal is focused on muscle buildin', should I really be attempting to take in whale-sized amounts of protein?

Btw - I've been a lurker here for a while and decided it was finally time to join...this place rocks!

people generally say use your lean body mass when calculating how much protein you need.

So look online or have a doctor do a lean body mass index and get a rough estimate and go slightly above

just my .02

[QUOTE=Rob711;468145701]people generally say use your lean body mass when calculating how much protein you need.

So look online or have a doctor do a lean body mass index and get a rough estimate and go slightly above

just my .02[/QUOTE]

this

Fatties should be looking at their lean body mass, so if they're 300lbs with 30%bf, they're lean mass is 210lbs.

Really everyone here should be eating at least 1x lean body mass in grams of protein.

[QUOTE=Rob711;468145701]people generally say use your lean body mass when calculating how much protein you need.

So look online or have a doctor do a lean body mass index and get a rough estimate and go slightly above

just my .02[/QUOTE]

That certainly makes sense.

Not to mention, trying to take in such epic proportions of protein without going over my daily goal of 1,700-1,900 calories seems pretty tough...

[QUOTE=Bonestorm;468146881]That certainly makes sense.

Not to mention, trying to take in such epic proportions of protein without going over my daily goal of 1,700-1,900 calories seems pretty tough...[/QUOTE]

It is pretty tough, but there are key foods/supplements that have a high % of protein to fat/carbs.

Chicken, fish, lean red meat, cottage cheese, skim milk, and protein shakes to name a few. Beware of the high calories of nuts. I haven't tried to use them on a cut yet because at least for my cashews, it's 20g of protein with 640cals. Perfect for my bulk, but tough when I go to cut.

[QUOTE=lod254;468151661]It is pretty tough, but there are key foods/supplements that have a high % of protein to fat/carbs.

Chicken, fish, lean red meat, cottage cheese, skim milk, and protein shakes to name a few. Beware of the high calories of nuts. I haven't tried to use them on a cut yet because at least for my cashews, it's 20g of protein with 640cals. Perfect for my bulk, but tough when I go to cut.[/QUOTE]

Thanks, man!

I think I'm on the right path - my diet is chock full of chicken breast and tuna. I fill in the gaps with whey shakes, and snack on stuff like dry-roasted soy beans. I'll eat a handful of almonds here and there, but avoid cashews and other high cal nuts. I limit myself on lean red meats as well.

This usually brings me in at about 180-195 g of protein/1800 cals a day. Protein could probably be a bit higher though...

[QUOTE=Bonestorm;468157921]Thanks, man!

I think I'm on the right path - my diet is chock full of chicken breast and tuna. I fill in the gaps with whey shakes, and snack on stuff like dry-roasted soy beans. I'll eat a handful of almonds here and there, but avoid cashews and other high cal nuts. I limit myself on lean red meats as well.

This usually brings me in at about 180-195 g of protein/1800 cals a day. Protein could probably be a bit higher though...[/QUOTE]

Eating more protein than you need won't hurt you, just maybe your wallet.

What is your bf%? I'd use it to calculate down to what your minimum protein requirement it.

This site ([url]http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm#[/url]) will help you with finding your maintenance calories. Subtract 500cals to find your calories for cutting. This will help easily drop 1lb/week.

Thanks again! According to that calculator, I'm coming in well below maitenance (actually fitting into the "extreme fat loss" category).

I actually don't know my bf% (never bothered to measure before, but also didn't realize it's importance until joining this site).