Help? I don't know much about percentages and...

mamabear6 · 05-01-2012, 03:00 PM

I don't know much about percentages and protein requirements.
I ate a little heavier on the protein today than I usually do. But ****** says I am at 64% fat, 32% protein, and 4% carbs. Apparently I ate 107g of protein today. But I honestly have no idea how much protein I should be eating. I know it's bad for weight loss if you consume it in excess.
How do I know how much protein is right for me? and are my percentages looking good for someone that usually shoots to stay under 15g carbs and 1,400 calories?

Janknitz · 05-01-2012, 04:18 PM

There are a variety of opinions on this. Dr. Dan Rosedale (Rosedale Diet) says women of average height only need about 75 to 85 grams of protein. The Doctors Eades (Protein Power) have a formula that comes out to about 120 grams per day for me (I'm also 5'3"). I think you're probably fine anywhere in between those numbers, but make sure you don't eat LESS. You absolutely need a moderate amount of protein.

Going over your protein limit once in a while won't hurt you. The concern is that excess protein gets turned into glucose by your liver. So you don't want to overload protein all the time. Frankly, I find it very hard to eat too much protein. My big challenge is getting myself to eat enough each day to hit even that lower number.

Domino · 05-02-2012, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janknitz

There are a variety of opinions on this. Dr. Dan Rosedale (Rosedale Diet) says women of average height only need about 75 to 85 grams of protein. The Doctors Eades (Protein Power) have a formula that comes out to about 120 grams per day for me (I'm also 5'3"). I think you're probably fine anywhere in between those numbers, but make sure you don't eat LESS. You absolutely need a moderate amount of protein.

Going over your protein limit once in a while won't hurt you. The concern is that excess protein gets turned into glucose by your liver. So you don't want to overload protein all the time. Frankly, I find it very hard to eat too much protein. My big challenge is getting myself to eat enough each day to hit even that lower number.

Yes!! This! We were just talking about this over on another thread. The RDA for protein is from a formula. The formula is your weight in kg x either .6, .7, or .8. That gives you how many grams to shoot for. You choose a protein level based on how active you are-- do you do weight training, for example? Also you could take into account the fact that you are on a higher protein, muscle sparing diet.

My weight in lbs is 200 today. So, 200/ 2.2 = 90.9kg. 90.9kg x .8= 72.7g of protein for me per day. I wouldn't worry too much if you go over your RDA unless you find that you aren't losing weight.

silasgreenback · 05-02-2012, 12:58 PM

Both the books by phinney/vollek and Lyle McDonald cover this in some detail.

The starting point seems to be 0.8g per kg of body weight. But for low carbers (especially in the first few weeks) this can be doubled or greater (I recall a range of 1.3 to 2.5g per kg of body weight).

I've been aiming at around 1.3g/kg for quite a while now. I'm quite active (3-6 hours of hard exercise per week).

John.

Janknitz · 05-02-2012, 02:49 PM

One other thing, if you're not following Atkins, be sure to remember that you need to still pay attention to getting enough calories. If you restrict your carbs and know your protein level, the rest has to come from somewhere and that somewhere is FAT.

Don't skimp on calories or fat! This is not a low calorie diet, this is not a low fat diet. Less protein intake means more fat.

Some people feel they must limit calories, I don't happen to agree, because I find that the low carb foods I eat (protein and fat) satiate my appetite too well, and it's hard for me to eat enough calories to keep my thyroid from slowing down my metabolism. I can barely manage to eat the minimum number of calories I should be eating every day. However, YMMV.

In any case, you should know the minimum number of calories you need, and make sure that once your protein needs are met, your carb grams are used up, that you fill in the rest with good fats (animal fats, butter, olive oil, coconut oil).

Did you know, BTW, that there are essential nutrients in fat? Because of the fat phobia that has gripped this country for so long, some people don't realize that. And, while you may be eating great veggies, if you don't have fat your body can't break down the components it needs to benefit from vitamins A, D, E, and K. A lot of people don't realize that either.

05-01-2012, 03:00 PM	#1
mamabear6 Major LCF Poster! Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ky Posts: 1,573 Gallery: mamabear6 Stats: 145/127/120 (previously 175/115) WOE: LC/VLC Start Date: Back on track Feb 2013	Help? I don't know much about percentages and... I don't know much about percentages and protein requirements. I ate a little heavier on the protein today than I usually do. But ****** says I am at 64% fat, 32% protein, and 4% carbs. Apparently I ate 107g of protein today. But I honestly have no idea how much protein I should be eating. I know it's bad for weight loss if you consume it in excess. How do I know how much protein is right for me? and are my percentages looking good for someone that usually shoots to stay under 15g carbs and 1,400 calories?

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05-01-2012, 04:18 PM	#2
Janknitz Major LCF Poster! Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 1,753 Gallery: Janknitz Stats: 254/195/150 WOE: Low Carb High Fat, No Grains Start Date: June 16, 2011	There are a variety of opinions on this. Dr. Dan Rosedale (Rosedale Diet) says women of average height only need about 75 to 85 grams of protein. The Doctors Eades (Protein Power) have a formula that comes out to about 120 grams per day for me (I'm also 5'3"). I think you're probably fine anywhere in between those numbers, but make sure you don't eat LESS. You absolutely need a moderate amount of protein. Going over your protein limit once in a while won't hurt you. The concern is that excess protein gets turned into glucose by your liver. So you don't want to overload protein all the time. Frankly, I find it very hard to eat too much protein. My big challenge is getting myself to eat enough each day to hit even that lower number.

05-02-2012, 12:58 PM	#4
silasgreenback Senior LCF Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: NE, UK. Posts: 770 Gallery: silasgreenback Stats: 6' 5" - 249/201/200 WOE: LC, mainly VLC. Start Date: Sept 2011	Both the books by phinney/vollek and Lyle McDonald cover this in some detail. The starting point seems to be 0.8g per kg of body weight. But for low carbers (especially in the first few weeks) this can be doubled or greater (I recall a range of 1.3 to 2.5g per kg of body weight). I've been aiming at around 1.3g/kg for quite a while now. I'm quite active (3-6 hours of hard exercise per week). John.

05-02-2012, 02:49 PM	#5
Janknitz Major LCF Poster! Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 1,753 Gallery: Janknitz Stats: 254/195/150 WOE: Low Carb High Fat, No Grains Start Date: June 16, 2011	One other thing, if you're not following Atkins, be sure to remember that you need to still pay attention to getting enough calories. If you restrict your carbs and know your protein level, the rest has to come from somewhere and that somewhere is FAT. Don't skimp on calories or fat! This is not a low calorie diet, this is not a low fat diet. Less protein intake means more fat. Some people feel they must limit calories, I don't happen to agree, because I find that the low carb foods I eat (protein and fat) satiate my appetite too well, and it's hard for me to eat enough calories to keep my thyroid from slowing down my metabolism. I can barely manage to eat the minimum number of calories I should be eating every day. However, YMMV. In any case, you should know the minimum number of calories you need, and make sure that once your protein needs are met, your carb grams are used up, that you fill in the rest with good fats (animal fats, butter, olive oil, coconut oil). Did you know, BTW, that there are essential nutrients in fat? Because of the fat phobia that has gripped this country for so long, some people don't realize that. And, while you may be eating great veggies, if you don't have fat your body can't break down the components it needs to benefit from vitamins A, D, E, and K. A lot of people don't realize that either.