How Much Protein Should I Consume?

One of the most common questions I get from clients is "how much protein should I eat?" This is a very good and valid question. But we must learn what a protein actually is and what it does to the body.

What is a protein and why is it important? When it comes to fitness, protein is an essential macronutrient that we need in order to help repair our damaged muscles and tissues from exercise. Does this mean that you won't be sore if you consume enough protein? No. But it will help and speed up your recovery time. Not only does protein repair our muscles, it also helps maintain and build muscle. With adequate amount of protein and a consistent resistance training program, you can maintain and grow your muscles whether you're in a calorie deficit or not.

So the next question is "how much protein should I eat?" If you are trying to lose weight I recommend aiming for 0.8 grams - 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. For example, if you weigh 140 lbs and want to get 0.8 grams - 1 gram of protein per body weight, that would be 112-140 grams of protein a day.

Example:

0.8g x 140 lbs = 112 grams

1g x 140 lbs = 140 grams

I like having a range of protein to work with. It's a lot easier to hit your goal when you have a 20-30 gram range, rather than just having one hard number that must be hit daily.

Helpful side note: One gram of protein has 4 calories. So if you are using the example from above with having 112-140 grams of protein a day, that would be 448-560 calories from protein a day. That is just something to keep in mind if you are tracking calories. So when you see that a chicken breast has 20 grams of protein in it, you now know that is 80 calories.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. I hope this small amount of information on protein has been useful and helps you RYP! (Reach Your Potential).

- Brian