Do we get far too much protein?

[IvankaGrump]

Hi everyone, I decided to start weight training with the goal to build muscle and lose fat and I've been reading this site religiously. At 5'6" I weigh between 135 and 140 (I don't have a scale, so I'm guessing) with about 30% body fat (another guess! I haven't trained before so I don't really have much muscle).

I hope that in time I will weigh 120 pounds with changed body composition. So I should calculate my protein needs for that weight, and not my present weight because I don't need protein to feed fat

But then, according to some sport medicine professionals, I won't need more than 110 grams of protein (more than 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is useless for muscle building, apparently), and it's optimal that I get around 90 grams! That's 360 calories, and way below 40% of caloric intake in any reasonable diet.

So why is it that bodybuilders get so much more protein than this? Is it just a matter of staying full, because more protein is more filling? And the fact that our body hates using protein for energy, so it will rather start melting off our stored fat?

[Amanda76]

If you ate your "at minimum" need of all macronutrients as laid out by health organizations, you likely wouldn't be eating enough to cover calorie expenditure.

The recommendation of .8 - 1.2g of protein per kilogram of lean body mass is based on an estimate of what endurance athletes need to MAINTAIN their current lean body mass, not build it. And again, that's an "at minimum" need. Making sure you get 1 gram per pound of bodyweight will have you surpassing that minimum need to ensure you are eating enough to grow. Might you do best getting the 1.5 to 2 grams some bodybuilders get? Maybe. Every body is different. Are some people totally overdoing it? Probably. But you could argue the same for any macro a person chooses to focus on over another. The bigger issue is whether your consumption of one macro gets in the way of you consuming enough of any other, which would also effect the variety of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that you should be eating along with the other macros.

A higher protein diet also has other positive effects that will effect body composition for people who want to lean up. If coming from whole sources, it's difficult to break down which causes you to burn more calories simply breaking it down to a form your body can use. It is a satiating macronutrient because it will keep your blood sugar more stable than, say, simple carbs. It raises your body's need for water, so it works as a diuretic (you do need to drink enough water to keep that from causing your body to hold water, of course). Your body can use protein for energy if it must (I would eat enough carbs to keep that from being a must), in addition to needing it to produce hormones and enzymes needed for weight loss, immune system and nervous system functions.

[IvankaGrump]

Thanks for the reply! So it looks like jury is still out on this one, then. I guess I will try and see what works for me the best.

[Tiffany_P]

Protein is far more important when you're losing weight than when you're building muscle or maintaining. If you're in a calorie deficit, it is essential to make sure you eat protein so that your body doesn't have to use its own protein to fulfil its needs. It also keeps you full far better than any other macronutrient in my experience. Eating low protein while in a calorie deficit is painful.

Having said that, 1 g per pound of lean mass is all you really "need." You'll find dieting a little easier if you get a bit more though.