Will your joints hurt if you don't get enough protein?

[paulinkansas]

I've been trying to cut for the last 4-5 weeks, and have lost 8 pounds. Some days I unintentionally don't get enough protein. It's probably around .5 grams per pound of my target body weight that I get. The last few days my joints have been hurting.

I'm also intentionally not progressing in my lifts. I've been doing the same amount of sets, reps and weight for the last 4-5 weeks.

[Heisman2]

Why are you intentionally not progressing on your lifts? Can you bump your protein intake up?

What joints have been hurting? Do they correlate with exercises you have been doing?

[paulinkansas]

Why are you intentionally not progressing on your lifts? Can you bump your protein intake up?

What joints have been hurting? Do they correlate with exercises you have been doing?

I just want to maintain the muscles I have during this cut. Yes, I can bump up my protein, but some days I know I didn't get enough when I'm going to bed.

Shoulders and knees. They both started hurting at about the same time. On a scale of 1-10, it would be a 2. It's not painful, just noticeable. The only thing that I've done recently is unintentionally not get enough protein.

[rhadam]

I've been trying to cut for the last 4-5 weeks, and have lost 8 pounds. Some days I unintentionally don't get enough protein. It's probably around .5 grams per pound of my target body weight that I get. The last few days my joints have been hurting.

I'm also intentionally not progressing in my lifts. I've been doing the same amount of sets, reps and weight for the last 4-5 weeks.

What's your weight and what's your fat intake?

[paulinkansas]

What's your weight and what's your fat intake?

5'8" 224. I shoot for 160 grams of protein and around 140 grams of fat. Carbs are around 30-50. I lay in bed and add up my numbers, and some days I barely get 100 of protein.

[Strawng]

Yes. I used to be vegan & I i Initially didn’t get enough protein. I got between 70-100 g per day and had sore joints/muscles after my workouts & had decreased recovery. As soon as I upped my intake, the problem disappeared. At your weight, I’d be willing to bet you’re undereating protein if you train with intensity.

[alec935]

Undernutrition in general causes aches and pains. If you don't eat for a while, just like if you don't sleep for a while, random unexplainable aches will pop up. Try going to maintenance for a day or two if they're bothering you a lot

[paulinkansas]

Yes. I used to be vegan & I i Initially didn’t get enough protein. I got between 70-100 g per day and had sore joints/muscles after my workouts & had decreased recovery. As soon as I upped my intake, the problem disappeared. At your weight, I’d be willing to bet you’re undereating protein if you train with intensity.

Thanks, that's the answer I'm looking for. Will post back in 2 weeks my results if I can up the protein intake while dieting.

[George2100]

Used to get bad joint pain when I got “too lean”. I increased protein from 0.8g per pound to 1.25g per pound. Haven’t had a problem since.

[smokinal]

All good answers above.

I'll add; when you're on a cut, the most important thing to do (besides lose fat) is salvage as much hard-earned muscle as possible. I believe the 2 best things you can do to do this is to keep your lifts heavy and keep your protein high. Don't back off your lifts OP.

Remember, your TDEE is like your bank account; when your income is low you have to choose between paying your mortgage, car loan, heating oil etc.. and buying new fishing lures, car accessories etc... If you're smart, you choose the mortgage and car loan options. Well, when you have to cut calories, the smartest, in my opinion, places to cut are your carbs and fats so you can spend more calories on proteins. So do whatever you have to do to keep your protein count high; and just a tip but in bed, after the fact, is not the time to decide this....