Sport Crap, I'm confused.. how much protein?

Sport Fitness
B

Blackcub

0
So I'm 211lb right now, just got my PowerBlocks and bench in the mail. Now all I need to do is get my diet proper so I can start my workout. So far..

Monday: Cardio (15min) + FBW Dumbells (1 Hour) + Cardio (1 hour)
Tuesday: Cardio Interval Training (1 Hour)
Wednesday: Same as Monday
Thursday: Same as Tuesday
Friday: Same as Monday
Saturday: Same as Monday (no typo, this way I hit weights 4 times a week)
Sunday: Same as Tuesday

Now my problem is what to eat. I've been reading through so many threads and I made a list of foods but I'm lost as to how much protein I need. From the about.excercise.com site I figured I need 2950 calories a day (to maintain my weight).

So I'm going to do 2300 calories on weight training days and 1800 calories on cardio days. I'm just trying to figure out how much protein. Reading on another health site it told me I should be shooting for 115 grams of protein on weight training days and 90 grams on cardio days.

Breakfast: Egg Beaters, 1 Slice Cheese, Sliced Turkey, Applesauce (350 cals)
Meal 2: 1 Slice Wheat Bread, Peanut Butter (1 half), Organic Jam (1 half), Cup of Milk (350 cals)
Meal 3: Half Serving Rice, Skinless/Boneless Chicken Breast, Vegetables (320 cals)
Meal 4: Same as Meal 2
Meal 5: Same as Meal 3

Then throw in a whey protein shake (120 calories, 24 grams of protein) before working out, after working out, and before going to sleep.

On days I just hit cardio I just remove 1 whey shake.


Am I ready to start? Any suggestions?
 
that's not a lot of protein. And you're a big guy, why so low on the kcals? 3000 kcals to maintain, and then you go 2300 and 1800, that's a big deficit.
I also don't get the 500 calorie difference between weight lifting and cardio days..

Protein recommendations for people who train are usually between 1.4-2.0 g/kg/day
You're about 100kg, so that's between 140 and 200 a day.
The reason for this value being higher than the RDA is that when you train your body uses some protein for fuel, and when you weight train you need some more protein for anabolism.

EDIT: that's mostly based on nitrogen balance studies, BTW, so how much protein is needed to maintain nitrogen balance. There aren't a lot of studies looking at nitrogen balance compared with performance in sports. A lot of people assume that having a positive nitrogen balance is not needed, you just need a balance, but I don't think there is a lot of research on that.
 
Last edited:
I am 206 lbs and I aim for 300 grams of protein a day. Most days however I get more like 250 grams. Most sources I have seen recommend a MINIMUM of 1 gram per pound of bodyweight but it is better to get closer to 1.5 to 2 grams per pound. This can be hard though if you are dieting. I wouldnt worry about getting too much protein only worry about not getting enough. I get about 2800 to 3000 calories a day. And I have been leaning out. I noticed you dont have a rest day. Do you do your FBW and your hour of cardio back to back? I would be afraid of over training. It is usually recomended not to work out longer than an hour at a time. After an hour your body starts to produce catabolic hormones like cortisol.
 
Last edited:
Protein shakes are fine. You want most of it to come from natural sources though. So I wouldnt take in more than two protein shakes a day. Most shakes are only going to give you 30 - 50 grams of protein. But I think it is pretty easy to get in 250 grams it just takes some planning. I also think you want to take into consideration your lean body mass. I mean if you had a guy that was 500 pounds and 300 of it is fat I dont think he is going to need a minimum of 500 grams of protein. He would probably do fine on 200 to 300.
 
voodoochild863 said:
Protein shakes are fine. You want most of it to come from natural sources though. So I wouldnt take in more than two protein shakes a day. Most shakes are only going to give you 30 - 50 grams of protein. But I think it is pretty easy to get in 250 grams it just takes some planning. I also think you want to take into consideration your lean body mass. I mean if you had a guy that was 500 pounds and 300 of it is fat I dont think he is going to need a minimum of 500 grams of protein. He would probably do fine on 200 to 300.
Click to expand...

Im 242lbs. Been lifting heavy for 6 months with a propper routine and I can see peck muscle comming on and arms getting bigger. I dont think I would need so much protein then.
 
Karky said:
that's not a lot of protein. And you're a big guy, why so low on the kcals? 3000 kcals to maintain, and then you go 2300 and 1800, that's a big deficit.
I also don't get the 500 calorie difference between weight lifting and cardio days..
Click to expand...

I want to slim down. Want to drop to 180ish, I started at 260 and I'm almost there. I drop the calories on my cardio only days because I'm exercising less and don't want to overeat.

rideandshoot said:
Hi there.

The answer to your question would depend on what your goals are.
Are you looking to gain weight?
Click to expand...

Trying to lose weight, and thank you for the info.

voodoochild863 said:
I am 206 lbs and I aim for 300 grams of protein a day. Most days however I get more like 250 grams. Most sources I have seen recommend a MINIMUM of 1 gram per pound of bodyweight but it is better to get closer to 1.5 to 2 grams per pound. This can be hard though if you are dieting. I wouldnt worry about getting too much protein only worry about not getting enough. I get about 2800 to 3000 calories a day. And I have been leaning out. I noticed you dont have a rest day. Do you do your FBW and your hour of cardio back to back? I would be afraid of over training. It is usually recomended not to work out longer than an hour at a time. After an hour your body starts to produce catabolic hormones like cortisol.
Click to expand...

Karky recommended 140-200 grams a day (if I read correctly) but if I go off bodyweight its 316ish.. I don't want to overeat and gain weight, want my body to use the fat there to help build muscle and focus on non-fat food and protein.

Whats a proper protein intake? If I can't do my cardio after my FBW can I do the cardio later that evening and my FBW in the morning? As far as rest days I skip the weights every other day, do I really need more than that? I'm aiming to drop 12-15lb a month and be at my goal weight in about 3 months with some added muscle, would be awesome.
 
I just said for a 100kg guy the 1.4-2.0 p/kg bw would be 140-200g of protein, to put most people in nitrogen balance. If being in a positive nitrogen balance (eating more protein than that, of course, it will vary a lot by individual) is good for performance, I don't know, it could be. But basically, you probably could use some more protein.

And I don't think you burn 500 more cals weight training than doing cardio. Weight training doesn't really burn a hell of a lot of cals.

How much weight are you losing per week now? If you know.

Are you focusing on not eating dietary fat, why not? Fats are important.

The fat you have on you won't really build muscle, fat doesn't turn into muscle and muscle doesn't turn into fat.
 
Beaver:
begginers will see results pretty much no matter what they are doing. I wouldnt think 250 grams for a 240+ person would be a lot. I mean 10 oz of chicken is like 90 grams of protein. I am not saying you cant build muscle on less than a gram per pound either. I am just saying most sources agree that for OPTIMAL results you would want atleast one gram per pound. Plus why wouldnt you want a lot of protein. We are made of protein, every time you eat protein your metabolism is fired up and it tastes great! Here is a bunch of protein articles:
 
Last edited:
Karky said:
I just said for a 100kg guy the 1.4-2.0 p/kg bw would be 140-200g of protein, to put most people in nitrogen balance. If being in a positive nitrogen balance (eating more protein than that, of course, it will vary a lot by individual) is good for performance, I don't know, it could be. But basically, you probably could use some more protein.

And I don't think you burn 500 more cals weight training than doing cardio. Weight training doesn't really burn a hell of a lot of cals.

How much weight are you losing per week now? If you know.

Are you focusing on not eating dietary fat, why not? Fats are important.

The fat you have on you won't really build muscle, fat doesn't turn into muscle and muscle doesn't turn into fat.
Click to expand...

Sorry, just woke up and misread. Running on the my elliptical machine after an hour I burn about 600 calories.

I do include fat in my diet, milk and cheese, just try to keep it to a minimum. My diet is clean as in I don't drink beer, eat sweets, or break from my diet ever.

I didn't mean to insist my fat would turn into muscle just emphasize I don't want to pack on MORE pounds (fat pounds) and would rather exchange fat for muscle. I'm losing about 2lb a week right now off dieting but I don't want to reach my target weight with dieting I want to have a healthier look by adding weights.

So at 211lbs.. 96kg I need about 192 grams of protein to be in nitrogen balance. How much should I go over to build muscle? The calculator from the Bodybuilding article recommended 381 grams.. which seems like a great deal of food.
 
Blackcub said:
I want to slim down. Want to drop to 180ish, I started at 260 and I'm almost there. I drop the calories on my cardio only days because I'm exercising less and don't want to overeat.



Trying to lose weight, and thank you for the info.



Karky recommended 140-200 grams a day (if I read correctly) but if I go off bodyweight its 316ish.. I don't want to overeat and gain weight, want my body to use the fat there to help build muscle and focus on non-fat food and protein.

Whats a proper protein intake? If I can't do my cardio after my FBW can I do the cardio later that evening and my FBW in the morning? As far as rest days I skip the weights every other day, do I really need more than that? I'm aiming to drop 12-15lb a month and be at my goal weight in about 3 months with some added muscle, would be awesome.
Click to expand...

I would not recomend losing 12-15lbs a month. Healthy weight loss is no more than 2lbs a week. That is 8 lbs a month. They say you cant lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. This is because to gain muscle you need a surplus of calories and to lose fat you need a deficit. However begginers can usually do both. But if you are losing more than 2 lbs a week you are most likely losing muscle, alot of it. You also need to make a lifestyle change not a quick fix. You have to do something you can live with otherwise youll gain it all back. And if you lose muscle while dieting this will slow your metabolism and you be more likely to be fatter than you were before because muscle burns fat. You weigh about 250? If you eat 250 grams of protein that is only 1000 calories you still have plenty of room for carbs and fats and still be at a calorie deficit. Its great that you are lifting weights even though it doesnt burn a lot of calories it speeds up your metabolism so you burn more calories at rest so dont stop. But if you want to lift and do cardio I would do one in the morning and the other in the evening. It is contraversal but I like to do my cardio in the morning on an empty stomach. You burn more calories. I also do HIIT. It only takes about 20 minutes and it amps up your metabolism. You burn less during exercise but you burn more through out the day. So I do HIIT in the morning before breakfast then I wait an hour after I workout to eat breakfast. This keeps you burning more calories. If you workout after you have eatin you are mainly burning the food that you just ate and not the fat. Some argue that this is catabolic though. that you arent burning fat but muscle. But from most of what I have read and from my own experience this works the best. I have been doing this for a while and my strenth has only gone up. If this was catabolic I dont think I woud be getting stronger. But I think the main thing is that you have to find something that you enjoy and believe in. Even if you find the best routine you wont get the results you want if you dont believe and stay motivated. I think this is the most critical. People can debate over the best routines and the best diets but what really matters is your belief in yourself and your determination. I am not telling you to ignore the latest science but find what works for you and run with it.
 
Last edited:
voodoochild863 said:
I would not recomend losing 12-15lbs a month. Healthy weight loss is no more than 2lbs a week. That is 8 lbs a month. They say you cant lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. This is because to gain muscle you need a surplus of calories and to lose fat you need a deficit. However begginers can usually do both. But if you are losing more than 2 lbs a week you are most likely losing muscle, alot of it. You also need to make a lifestyle change not a quick fix. You have to do something you can live with otherwise youll gain it all back. And if you lose muscle while dieting this will slow your metabolism and you be more likely to be fatter than you were before because muscle burns fat. You weigh about 250? If you eat 250 grams of protein that is only 1000 calories you still have plenty of room for carbs and fats and still be at a calorie deficit. Its great that you are lifting weights even though it doesnt burn a lot of calories it speeds up your metabolism so you burn more calories at rest so dont stop. But if you want to lift and do cardio I would do one in the morning and the other in the evening. It is contraversal but I like to do my cardio in the morning on an empty stomach. You burn more calories. I also do HIIT. It only takes about 20 minutes and it amps up your metabolism. You burn less during exercise but you burn more through out the day. So I do HIIT in the morning before breakfast then I wait an hour after I workout to eat breakfast. This keeps you burning more calories. If you workout after you have eatin you are mainly burning the food that you just ate and not the fat. Some argue that this is catabolic though. that you arent burning fat but muscle. But from most of what I have read and from my own experience this works the best. I have been doing this for a while and my strenth has only gone up. If this was catabolic I dont think I woud be getting stronger. But I think the main thing is that you have to find something that you enjoy and believe in. Even if you find the best routine you wont get the results you want if you dont believe and stay motivated. I think this is the most critical. People can debate over the best routines and the best diets but what really matters is your belief in yourself and your determination. I am not telling you to ignore the latest science but find what works for you and run with it.
Click to expand...

I'm 211 right now. I mentioned 12lb a month because I've seen/read a lot about people on calorie deficit, hitting cardio, hitting weights, burning some serious calories, up to 3lb a week (through focused exercise and NOT through starvation).

I'm not worried, I only have about 40lbs to go and I've already lost half of it so I'm not in any rush just want to do it right.

I like the idea of cardio on an empty stomach. I'll try cardio in the morning, weights at night, cardio-only the next day, and right now about 200 grams of protein to get me started on weight/cardio days.. less on cardio-only days. I'll find a way to include more protein/calories once I've dropped more weight and don't have the fear of gaining.

Thanks everyone.
 
Good to hear. Just be careful. I would take measurements of your arms and record the weight youre lifting. If you are losing strength and muscle size I would increase your calories a little bit.
 
If you are over 25% body fat, you have a clean diet and you do HIIT and Metabolic Strength Training you should lose more than 2lbs a week. That 2lbs a week max BS was created to stop people from having eating disorders in times when cardio was the law of fat loss. Now cardio is not that useful for fat loss only for beginners.

The more you have to lose the more you will when you do things right.In a good program you should see results every week( this is only true when the right nutrition is followed).


Test yourself one week use X amount of protein and the other week use Y amount. You will find an optimal amount and then you decrease the total amount of calories if you want to get to 180.

Optimal amount means not only that you lose fat but that you feel good while you work out. This is why working out on an empty stomach is another BS. I haven't seen a study on fasted cardio that shows results, but I have seen many in post-workout nutrition.


Get a good pre and post-workout nutrition meal and you will increase your results in strength, muscle and fat loss. 14 or more grams of carbs and 10grams of protein for pre-workout. then 8 to 10 grams of carbs and 25 grams of protein on post-workout.


breakfast, pre and post-workout are the only times you really need carbs in your body.

Check this out if you are worried about losing muscle.
Hunter et al
Resistance Training Conserves Fat-free Mass and Resting Energy Expenditure Following Weight Loss.
Obesity (Silver Spring). 2008

This study compared three groups:

Diet only, Diet plus aerobic training and a Diet plus resistance training group to determine what effect diet-induced weight loss in combination with exercise training has on body composition and resting energy expenditure.

With similar weight loss - the results showed that only the resistance training group maintained their lean mass and increase their resting energy expenditure (metabolism). The aerobic training and diet only group actually lost muscle and lowered their metabolism. In other words - the strength training group lost more fat and maintained metabolism and muscle - meaning that if the program continued for a longer period of time or a greater fat loss, they could continue to lose more fat than the other groups.

The diet and aerobics group may have lost some weight but they also lost muscle which contributes to their weight loss.

Protein does not determine your muscle. As long as you have a good strength training program and you eat good 5 to 6 times a day (2 of them pre and post workout) you shouldn't worry about losing muscle.

Good luck and never stop getting results
 
Last edited:
Great knowledge, thank you Rick!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top