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Protein intake per day


Geralt

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Hey guys, I know nutrition is a discussion that can go for years. I would like to hear your guys insights on this, not looking for specific diets, I need to create something that works for me in combination with my life. 

General consensus is that a guy in strengthtraining needs roughly 200grams of protein whenweighing around 100kg/225lbs. Let's say 90kg lean bodymass. Now, my nutrition has been been far too low on intake of that amount of protein per day. Apart from other diet aspects, I need to up my protein intake per day but also want to do this manageable without making diet a big part of my day. 

So far, when calculating, I was shocked to find out how little proper nutrition I got to compliment my training. I am leaving a lot on the table, for instance regarding protein. 

So far, what I can do at least daily, is this:

1 scoop whey, cottage cheese, 4 eggs per day, breakfast, this all brings me up to around 110grams of proteine. Still much too little. Now there's lunch and dinner still but still, it is very hard to cram 100grams of protein in those last two, and this every day? 

Are you guys really shovelling dozens of eggs inside every day or what. What are your experiences in this? What is your daily reality, are you guys really getting this amount daily? And with all respect, I'm referring to the guys with family, kids and work and not the 20 years old living with parents. Simply different way of life in terms of time, finance etc.

In general when reading more and more about proper nutrition is see how little advantage I created by eating enough in hindsight to what I demanded from my body in training. Not so much quality, I've always been eating quite healthy. Problem is definitely quantity. 

Thnx! 

 

 

 

Edited by Geralt
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Carbs are definitely my go to. Ever since I started hoarding them my performance has been generally more consistent, and I feel better in the gym and more recovered. I am guessing this is because there is relatively little musculature involved in grip when compared to other things, so maybe not as much protein is needed to recover. About .8 g per pound bodyweight protein here, sometimes more or less. 

I eat steak daily, as well as tuna and chicken. Eggs make me bloated, and I don't take any powders. 

Edited by avasatu
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Thnx. I do twice per week regular training and once per week grip. So the proteine intake of 0.8 is i think minimal for me. Still, when starting to calculate, it is hard to achieve this amount daily. Big protein sources meals mostly offer between 20 and 30 grams of proteine, which is still needed x 6 in that case. This is what surprised me most when I dove into this matter.

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sounds familiar Geralt. Since I mostly eat vegetarian it seems even harder to hit 2gr for every kg of bodyweight. I'm guessing my intake hovers between 100-130grams per day(at 105kg bw). Mostly milk, cottage cheese, shakes and a little bit of nuts and tofu for me.

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I always tend to eat slightly more protein than I actually need, I find it the easiest one to get! I eat a lot of tuna and mackerel, lots of nuts, peanut butter, eggs,  chicken, steak and protein bars do the job. although I am only 80kg so I go for 140g/day so thats why I might find it easier than yourself. 

Some easy ways would be start snacking on nuts and protein bars, have an extra protein shake in the middle of the day?

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Add a greek yogurt between breakfast and lunch and lunch and dinner. Also I recommend buying some Casein protein (slow digesting) and take that immediately before going to bed. Right there is an extra 70 grams/day btw the yogurts and powder. I'm still trying to figure out this nutrition thing too but for me these things seem to help.

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I'm of the probably unpopular opinion that if you eat good clean food until you're super full 3-4 times a day, you're getting enough of everything in all likelihood.

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You have to be careful with your kidneys and too much protein. Unless you're a hard-core 5-6 days a week, beating up every body part kind of trainer, you should be fine with what you are taking now. 

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Thanks for the input guys, appreciate it. The 'problem' with more shakes is that a jar of protein powder is around € 35,-, so taking two shakes per day or more is getting pretty pricey and I am completely beating the purpose of training at home, it's the equivalent of a regular monthly gym membership over here. Not meaning to sound like a cheapskate, but I don't want to make my hobby a big cost post in the household if you catch my drift. Besides, I think that it's better to get most out of healthy food to which I prefer more  to spend my money on. I agree that it's a good supplement of course when I can't get anywhere near the daily dose. 

The nuts etc are good tips btw, We recently started buying some of that stuff on the local market. Not too expensive and it's a good quantity for a solid week. 

I also am breaking my usual 'bread at work' habit for eating a more filling salad from a weckjar/preserving jar. In such a jar you can place the salad with for instance tuna, in layers so that everything doesn't mix up to early and things get soft etc. Jamie Oliver tip. 

I don't stare myself blind at what should be right, but counting my daily food intake, even on a big eating day, really made me discover I am lots of Kcals and protein down my presumed intake, even for maintenance. I am not looking for the optimal food prep way of life, but if I can tweak some stuff in my foodintake it can only get better, right? 

My wife is also more busy with healthier and more alternating eating for changing up our daily food routine and that surely helps, doing such a quest alone is pretty hard when every evening already consists of prepping our own lunchboxes and those for the kids and all. 

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I consulted a dietician that specialized in diets for athletes and body builders. It was the best advice I ever got. Found out I was eating way too much of some stuff and neglecting other areas. 

The dietician explained that each person's needs are based on daily habits, lifestyle, genetics, work life, etc. So there is not a "one size fits all" plan. 

I tried to figure my diet out on my own for a long time, and there is more than enough information out there, but it's usually very generalized.

The dietician also pointed out lots of ways I could get the calories and nutrients  without spending a lot of money on supplements. I only take a protein supplement now, but not every day which saves a lot of money. I have a family so I'm with you that a hobby can't break the bank.

 

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1 hour ago, Geralt said:

The 'problem' with more shakes is that a jar of protein powder is around € 35,-, so taking two shakes per day or more is getting pretty pricey and I am completely beating the purpose of training at home, it's the equivalent of a regular monthly gym membership over here.

Eating more nuts, fish, cottage cheese or whatever will cost you the same as a protein powder probably when you calculate the cost per gram of protein. Just take a little bit from various protein sources. I only take one shake a day, mostly in between breakfast and lunch. This means my jar of protein will last me approx. 2 months. In between lunch and dinner I try to take 500gr of cottage chees (magere kwark). This also costs €0,90-1,40 per portion depending on the brand, so that's already at least as expensive as the protein powder. I you take let's say 100gr of mixed nuts daily, that will only give you 20-25gr of protein, but this will cost you €2,00? per portion (twice as much as the protein powder). Fish or meat? also not cheap. So basically any kind of protein that you are going to add to your diet will cost you extra money... Also not every source of protein is created equal, some proteins are much easier absorbed by the body than others, giving you more bang for your buck in that respect I guess. One source that hasn't been mentioned I think are leguminous vegetables (peulvruchten), those are a cheap and good vegetarion protein source.

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In the US, I buy NOW unflavored whey protein isolate online in 10lb boxes, from Supplement Warehouse. It works out to about 66 cents per 25 gram serving, for a high quality protein. For flavor, I use 2tsp of sugar, and a heaping 1/2tsp of alkalized (dutch) cocoa. This is as cheap as any other protein sources I eat, except maybe beans. Also, since it is a high quality isolate, it mixes into warm water with a spoon, no protein farts, no weird flavors, no artificial sweeteners.

Keep in mind there is more to red meat than protein. Saturated fats from eggs, and creatine from a supplement are probably a good idea for a lifter, beyond the typical vegetarian nutrition advice you'll find.

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I stay within 180-220g per day. Fairly sedentary other than training so this is lots. 

For breakfast I'll either eat 500ml of Greek yogurt or cottage cheese. Easy to get 40-50g for breakfast. Lunch is usually chicken breasts and rice so another 60-70g. Supper will usually have about 60-70g. Shakes typically make up what food doesn't catch. Don't worry much about getting on the high end though unless I'm really beating myself up with heavy volume squatting or something like that. 

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I like this guideline from Hatfield's Power book. 

 

image.jpeg

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Thanks a lot guys! 

@Adam Juncker, you get my point brother. You are very right on the one size doesn't fit all approach regarding nutrition. There's so many factors in our daily life and rhythm, bodies, local eating habits, you name it. Maybe I will do in a while, first I want to see what I can optimize for myself. Thnx.

@Royz, true, all this stuff is not cheap, other hand, I am saving up on other stuff we used to buy where I am totally not into anymore. Not going overboard on all of this, but I like to more consious of what I shovel inside every day. 

@Scott Styles, unflavoured protein could be good as well, I tried a lot of flavours but after an hour I still burp strawberry sometimes lol thnx

@Shoggoth thx, yes, I was thinking also going for 0.8 as a starter. When working at home it is easier to get that solid lunch then when working at the office or on my out of office days when I am a lot in my car, driving around. 

good stuff people. 

 

 

 

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In my bodybuilding and powerlifting days i forcefeeded myselfe with sometimes over 6000 kcal and around 400 g of protein. It al depends. How much you need depends on your lifestyle. With your training i think 1,5 g per KG should be enough as long as you meet your calorie requierments. The cheapest source is low fat Quark. 500 g before bed with some fruits give you another 70 g of protein.

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On 15 augustus 2016 at 9:47 PM, Jörg Keilbach said:

In my bodybuilding and powerlifting days i forcefeeded myselfe with sometimes over 6000 kcal and around 400 g of protein. It al depends. How much you need depends on your lifestyle. With your training i think 1,5 g per KG should be enough as long as you meet your calorie requierments. The cheapest source is low fat Quark. 500 g before bed with some fruits give you another 70 g of protein.

That's some serious forcefeeding bro lol

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48 yo and 240 lb.  1 yo at home with 4 grown kids.

I usually have two 50g whey shakes a day (one for breakfast and one after working out)《Optimum Nutrition》.   

That only leaves another 100 to get throughout the day, which is easy peasy.  Cheap too if you wait until the big containers are on sale.  Dinner makes up most of the rest.  For instance, tonight I had a pork chops, steamed broccoli, a baked sweet potato, and 16oz of 2% milk (70g right there).

Unless you are really killing yourself, I think 200 is plenty.  Remember that the articles by the pros are guys who are killing themselves and usually chemically enhanced, which aids them in synthesizing more protein than us normal humans.

Hope that helped a bit.  Best of strength!

 

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I'm currently trying to lose weight (~2900-3000 Cal per day average) so I track Carbs & protein as well as Calories.

Mainly I eat:

Breakfast: Protein shake with skimmed milk, ~ 55g Pr & 20g Carbs

Mid morning (at work): Cottage cheese + an apple, ~26g Pr & 24g Carbs

Lunch: Chicken and steamed veg or salad, ~50g Pr & 20g Carbs

Late afternoon Protein shake + Apple ~45g Pr &20g carbs

Directly after training: Protein shake + Maltodextrin, 45g pr + 48 Carbs (only on training days)

Evening meal Chicken or Turkey or lean beef with veg, ~60g Pr + 30 Carbs.

Average total ~280 Pr & 162 carbs. Training days I might add in extra carbs with lunch (sweet potato ~ 35g Carbs) and late afternoon (apple or some bread ~20-40g extra carbs)

So far so good I've lost ~11lb in 8 weeks. actual protein goes 230-300, carbs usually 150-220.

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9 hours ago, Mike Rinderle said:

48 yo and 240 lb.  1 yo at home with 4 grown kids.

I usually have two 50g whey shakes a day (one for breakfast and one after working out)《Optimum Nutrition》.   

That only leaves another 100 to get throughout the day, which is easy peasy.  Cheap too if you wait until the big containers are on sale.  Dinner makes up most of the rest.  For instance, tonight I had a pork chops, steamed broccoli, a baked sweet potato, and 16oz of 2% milk (70g right there).

Unless you are really killing yourself, I think 200 is plenty.  Remember that the articles by the pros are guys who are killing themselves and usually chemically enhanced, which aids them in synthesizing more protein than us normal humans.

Hope that helped a bit.  Best of strength!

 

Thnx Mike, I need to look into bigger quantities of whey, see what I can find. 

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Most overeat protein.  The whole extra protein at the levels recommended have roots in drug use as well.  

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7 minutes ago, Wannagrip said:

Most overeat protein.  The whole extra protein at the levels recommended have roots in drug use as well.  

What levels? 1g per lb bodyweight?

I'm aiming to eat more than I 'need' due to dieting.

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16 minutes ago, Old Dax said:

What levels? 1g per lb bodyweight?

I'm aiming to eat more than I 'need' due to dieting.

Just eating well and you can get that without special drinks, etc.  That will cover you fine. 

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