By now you’ve heard about the power of protein. It’s a magical macronutrient that helps keep you full and maintain muscle mass while losing weight. You may be wondering, “How much protein do I need?” Well, we can help you find out.
the MyFitnessPal The Protein Calculator is a simple, easy-to-use tool designed to help you determine your approximate daily protein needs based on your unique lifestyle and health goals.
How to use the MyFitnessPal protein calculator
This tool takes some of the guesswork out of how much protein you should aim for. All you have to do is enter some basic information about yourself, including:
Protein is essential for building and repairing tissues, producing enzymes and hormones, and maintaining muscle mass. The calculator uses evidence-based guidelines to ensure your protein intake supports your goals without going overboard (1).
As always, recommendations are merely guidelines provided for your information – you should always speak with your doctor or registered dietitian for personal advice or if you have any medical conditions.
Recommended daily allowance (RDA) of protein
The RDA for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight for most adults. However, this amount is minimum The amount needed to support basic body functions and prevent muscle loss (7).
The RDA amount is likely not enough to meet the needs of active people or those with specific fitness goals. How much protein you need to gain muscle or maintain muscle mass is another matter.
Protein intake guidelines
Other organizations that issue recommendations, e.g Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and International Society of Sports NutritionIt is recommended to eat 1.2 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. (1)
For a 150-pound person, that’s between 82 and 136 grams of protein per day. Plug your own numbers into the calculator to get a better idea of what protein goal is good for you.
How to calculate the amount of protein in meals
Your protein goal for the day may seem like a high number when you first see it. It may be helpful to work toward this goal by eating one meal and snack at a time.
Here are two good strategies for finding out how much protein is in each meal:
Read nutrition labels
Nutrition labels list the protein content of each serving. Multiply this number by the number of servings you consume to calculate your total protein intake from packaged foods.
Use My Fitness Pal
with MyFitnessPalProtein tracking is easy. Simply log your meals in the app, and it will calculate your daily protein intake, helping you stay on track with your goals.
High protein food sources
Many everyday foods are high in protein. Here are some of the most common foods that can help you reach your protein and overall nutritional goals:
Risks of insufficient or excessive protein intake
Protein is essential for every cell in our bodies. Without it, muscle growth, development, and tissue repair do not occur the way they should (2).
But there could be Too much of a good thing. When you laser-focus on protein intake, it can crowd out other nutritious foods. “It becomes harder to include all of your food groups, it becomes harder to get variety into your meals and build up your meals, and it becomes harder to balance your carb and fat needs,” says Stephanie Nelson, lead nutritionist at MyFitnessPal.
Striking the right balance is key to avoiding these issues while improving your health.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate how much protein I need?
Use the MyFitnessPal protein calculator by entering your weight, age, activity level, and goals.
How do you get 100 grams of protein per day?
Base your meals on protein-rich foods such as eggs for breakfast, grilled chicken for lunch, and fried tofu for dinner.
How much protein do I need to lose weight?
Most people benefit from 1.2-1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight during weight loss (1).
If you lift weights do you need more protein?
Building new muscle and maintaining muscle mass requires a positive muscle protein balance. Research shows that resistance exercise combined with protein consumption stimulates muscle protein synthesis (muscle growth) (3).
This means that it is important to consume adequate amounts of protein when lifting weights to gain muscle but also to maintain existing muscle mass. Although the body can technically build muscle from amino acid reserves, it is not perfect and has not been proven to be effective, so protein intake recommendations for physically active individuals are higher than for sedentary people (4).
What are the symptoms of excess protein in the body?
Although not getting enough protein is not ideal, consuming too much protein can also have harmful effects. The kidneys filter byproducts of ingested protein, so anyone with altered kidney function should refrain from consuming large amounts of protein. Fluids are also required to break down and flush out these byproducts, so hydration status is sometimes affected when protein is consumed in excess (5).
Remember that the source of protein is just as important as the quantity, as research has shown that excessive consumption of red meat and processed meat can increase your overall risk of death. You may want to choose protein sources such as fish, poultry, nuts, legumes, and low-fat dairy products more often (6).
Additional resources for further learning
Explore our protein calculator today and take the guesswork out of meeting your protein goals!
this post Protein Calculator: Find out your daily protein needs appeared first on My Fitness Pal Blog.
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2024-12-31 16:02:00
