Getting Enough Protein Per day? Too Much? Too Little?

How Much Protein Per Day Should You Eat?

Most individuals who watch their diet wonder "how much protein per day should I be eating?" You've read all this stuff about the detriments of high and low protein diets. So how much protein should you actually eat?

The key is to look at your daily activities and make the proper adjustments. I've also uploaded a personalized daily quota for carbs, proteins, fats and calories for various bodytypes and goals for your benefit!

The current craze surrounds protein supplements. Avoid the hype and learn the truth behind how much protein you should eat.

Let's start with assuming an inactive lifestyle. Well, the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for a sedentary individual is about 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. Since the U.S. has yet to adopt the metric system, let's work through this conversion...

There are 2.2 pounds in a kilogram. Let's say you're 200 lbs...

So how much protein should you be eating?

Basically, if you live a fairly sedentary lifestyle with little activity and much sitting, you should be taking in about 73 grams of protein daily. Simple!

Now, what if you're on a strength training regimen? In this case, it's often necessary to take in about twice as much protein as the RDA. Caution! Remember that eating too much protein will slow your strength training goals and can be detrimental to your health!

It is, however, realistic to take in between 1.4 and 1.8 g of protein per kg of body weight when following a weight training program. Remember that you only need enough protein to repair the damaged muscle fibers. Anything in excess will be excreted in the urine or stored as fat. Then again, not getting enough protein can result in muscle wasting and decreased muscle growth!

Let's say you're 200 lbs again, but this time you're an avid gym-goer. Using the conversion above, a 200 pound individual is about 90.9 kg. How much protein per day? Let's do the conversion...

In other words, if you follow a legitimate workout program, it's usually necessary for a 200 lb individual to take in between 127 and 162 g of protein per day to aid in repairing and rebuilding damaged muscle.

It's not necessary to do this conversion all the time, however. Check out the chart of daily quotas for fats, carbohydrates and protein for both weight loss and weight gain (as in a gain in muscle mass) for different body types.

Where to get your protein

Although protein is important for building muscle, the sources of protein are just as important. For example, drinking processed protein shakes doesn't ensure that you're receiving all the essential amino acids. Try to get most of your protein from animal sources. After all, protein digestion occurs more efficiently when taken in with other nutrients.

However, if you're a strict vegetarian or vegan, you may need to vary your sources and possibly take a protein supplement. Whatever the case, be sure to get all your essential amino acids and proteins!

Top of Page / Related Articles

What are your thoughts on protein and protein supplements?

Let's hear your thoughts and comments!

Enter Your Title

Tell Us Your Story! [ ? ]

Close Help Entering your story is easy to do. Just type!... Your story will appear on a Web page exactly the way you enter it here. You can wrap a word in square brackets to make it appear bold. For example [my story] would show as my story on the Web page containing your story. TIP: Since most people scan Web pages, include your best thoughts in your first paragraph.

Upload 1-4 Pictures or Graphics (optional) [ ? ]

Close Help Do you have a picture to add? Great! Click the button and find it on your computer. Then select it.

Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional) 

Click here to upload more images (optional)

Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional) 

Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional) 

Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional) 

Author Information (optional)

To receive credit as the author, enter your information below.

Your Name	(first or full name)
Your Location	(ex. City, State, Country)

Submit Your Contribution

Check box to agree to these submission guidelines.

(You can preview and edit on the next page)

What Other Visitors Have Said

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

Return from Protein Per Day to the Nutrition Guide

Return from Protein Per Day to the Smart Strength Training Homepage

Top of Page / Related Articles