calorie surplus, protein deficit?

[dirtysteve864]

If I am getting 500 calories above maintenance but my protein intake is lower than it should be, how does that affect muscle growth and/or overall weight gain distribution?

I currently weigh in at 152 lbs. Yesterday I had ~2800 calories and about 90 g of protein. From what I've read I should be shooting for around 150 g of protein, right? If my diet continues with lower amounts of protein than recommended, will my weight gains be composed of more fat than muscle or does it really matter? I've always had a hard time gaining weight and getting high amounts of protein can be difficult because I have a severe milk allergy.

[Weston1985]

No one will be able to give you a definitive answer on this. Here is my 2 cents: if you are getting the 90 grams from quality whole food sources then I wouldn't worry about it. If you are a vegan or something and only getting it from powder and/or incomplete sources like soy then I would consider fixing that.

If you are really worried about it, and depending if you are already using protein supplements you might be interested to know that whey is a cheap and complete protein that can easily be mixed in a shaker bottle with water. Good luck.

[Penetrate]

Shoot for at least .82g/lb and you will be fine brother

[WonderPug]

As long as you're getting 90 grams of protein from quality sources (animal protein), you should be fine. To be totally, extra, extra safe, try for 0.8 grams per pound of bodyweight.

[dirtysteve864]

No one will be able to give you a definitive answer on this. Here is my 2 cents: if you are getting the 90 grams from quality whole food sources then I wouldn't worry about it. If you are a vegan or something and only getting it from powder and/or incomplete sources like soy then I would consider fixing that.

If you are really worried about it, and depending if you are already using protein supplements you might be interested to know that whey is a cheap and complete protein that can easily be mixed in a shaker bottle with water. Good luck.

Thanks for your answer. My protein comes pretty much entirely from meat. Whey would be a good option but unfortunately I am allergic to it.

[Weston1985]

Thanks for your answer. My protein comes pretty much entirely from meat. Whey would be a good option but unfortunately I am allergic to it.

Have you tried Greek Yogurt? If you can stomach it plain, no fat greek yogurt is an excellent source of protein. If you cannot stomach the taste try something like this in a blender:

2 big handfuls of spinach
8 oz nonfat plain greek yogurt
1 cup of frozen blueberries
4 oz of water
1 tablespoon fresh ground flax or chia seed

This would be relatively cheap (assuming you go to Costco) and a great way to add quick protein to your day.

[dirtysteve864]

Have you tried Greek Yogurt? If you can stomach it plain, no fat greek yogurt is an excellent source of protein. If you cannot stomach the taste try something like this in a blender:

2 big handfuls of spinach
8 oz nonfat plain greek yogurt
1 cup of frozen blueberries
4 oz of water
1 tablespoon fresh ground flax or chia seed

This would be relatively cheap (assuming you go to Costco) and a great way to add quick protein to your day.

Yogurt contains milk, I can't. I'm not talking about an intolerance where it just makes my stomach hurt, it would cause eso****eal swelling and a trip to the hospital if I'm lucky.

[RustedIron]

As long as you are in a calorie surplus, you will continue to build muscle. You just won't build it as quickly if you do not have the right amount of protein available when the body needs it.