Of course, all of our bodies and goals are different, and this affects our fitness and nutrition. Tracking what works and doesn’t work can be a challenge at times, but the hardest part is knowing how to start.
Protein is one of the groups included in the three macronutrients. It can be used as energy in extreme situations, but that is not its main purpose. Protein aids in muscle recovery, and it also aids in building and maintaining body tissue as you age and put your body under different types of stressors on a day-to-day basis.
I have tried to look into a lot of different studies about what the general population is thought to do when it comes to their protein intake. So far, I have seen that the minimum guideline is about 20-35% of your daily caloric intake. Or a better measure may be 0.6/0.8 grams per kg of body weight (ISSA). While I agree that this is a great baseline, I think that many people require more protein than the general recommendation. I will tell my clients and friends to aim for about 1 gram of protein per pound of either desired body weight (if they are attempting to lose weight), and per current weight if they are working at maintenance.
I believe that increasing one’s protein intake can serve as a great balance for a lot of people because of the context that protein digests, aiding in a higher metabolic threshold for thermogenesis, and because it takes longer to digest within the body, it can really help you to remain full for a longer period of time than if you were to just consume a simple carb.
Protein can also help in the context of glucose spike and leveling out your energy throughout the day. While carbs are necessary, when eaten alone, much of the glucose gets released insanely fast into the body, causing you to have a “sugar crash” pretty quickly. When you consume protein and/or fat with your meal, you will have a slower release, and your body will be able to keep its energy levels more even as you go about your day.
Protein in theory should make up about 20-35% of your daily caloric intake (or the complete calories that you eat throughout your entire day). However, your goals may require you to increase certain macronutrient percentages depending on what your goals are and what you are looking to achieve.
I always push people to up their caloric intake as they enter into a caloric deficit. This does not mean just adding more food, because that destroys the purpose of being in a deficit, but instead, it will mean taking that new caloric deficit (about 200-500 less than your maintenance), and calculating a protein percentage that is about 40% of your intake, especially if your goal is body recomposition (if you are a cross country runner, I would change it for you), but if you are part of the general population or someone who engages in mild aerobic exercise from time to time, accompanied by traditional or non-traditional (if you swing that way) resistance/strength training. Again, increasing your protein in a caloric deficit is going to really help you to not be as hungry and limit food chatter, as well as balancing out your energy levels.
So how on earth can I actually implement protein? It’s hard for me to just tell you, but genuinely just start either making swaps or adding to your meal. Think of some high protein foods, which means a significant percentage of the total calories from the food are derived from protein – usually 10-25% is standard, anything lower than that is just a food that has protein. Eggs, chicken breast, beans/rice (be careful of foods that include incomplete proteins and make sure to pair them with their other half, I’ll go into this more another time), protein powder (try to get a majority from whole foods), Greek yogurt, and cottage cheese. For some of you, it may be a little harder to find protein that works for you, especially if you have IBS, dairy allergy intolerance, or any other type of dietary restrictions. It is possible for you to hit your protein goal, it may just be harder for some of you than others. I agree that you should be getting a majority of your protein from whole foods, but there is no shame if you need to lean on protein supplements as you look for some good alternative.
As you start up into your protein journey, I encourage you to start slowly, especially if you are someone who suffers with digestive issues or are currently not eating much. For protein intake, it is best to work your way up so that your body can learn to process a completely new level so that you won’t feel weighed down or too sick.
If your goal is to build muscle, I recommend that you aim to hit protein about 1.2-1.5 grams per pound of current body weight. As you increase mass, you will also want to increase your intake, but this is a great start. Make sure that you are lifting heavy and working yourself to failure so that the protein actually has something to help it recover.
These recommendations may vary depending on your fitness goals, but it’s a good guide if you’re starting out. Most of these suggestions are tailored to people aged 17-50 who are moderately active, but if you have any current complications or are in a…
Improve it
Of course, all of our bodies and goals are different, and that plays into our fitness and nutrition. Tracking what works and doesn’t work can be a challenge at times, but the hardest part is knowing how to start.
Protein is one of the groups included in the three macronutrients. It can be used as energy in extreme situations, but that is not its main purpose. Protein aids in muscle recovery, and it also aids in building and maintaining body tissue as you age and put your body under different types of stressors on a day-to-day basis.
I have tried to look into a lot of different studies about what the general population is thought to do when it comes to their protein intake. So far, I have seen the MINIMUM guideline is about 20-35% of your daily caloric intake. Or a better measure may be 0.6/0.8 grams per kg of body weight (ISSA). While I agree that this is a great baseline, I think that many people require more protein than the general recommendation. I will tell my clients and friends to aim for about 1 gram of protein per pound of either desired body weight (if they are attempting to lose weight), and per current weight if they are working at maintenance.
I believe that increasing one’s protein intake can serve as a great balance for a lot of people because of the context that protein digests. It aids in a higher metabolic threshold for thermogenesis, and because it takes longer to digest within the body, it can really help you remain full for a longer period of time than if you were to just consume a simple carb.
Protein can also help in the context of glucose spikes and leveling out your energy throughout the day. While carbs are necessary, when eaten alone, much of the glucose gets released insanely fast into the body, causing you to have a “sugar crash” pretty quickly. When you consume protein and/or fat with your meal, you will have a slower release, and your body will be able to keep its energy levels more even as you go about your day.
Protein, in theory, should make up about 20-35% of your daily caloric intake (or the complete calories that you eat throughout your entire day). However, your goals may require you to increase certain macronutrient percentages depending on what your goals are and what you are looking to achieve.
I always push people to up their caloric intake as they enter into a caloric deficit. This does not mean just adding more food because that destroys the purpose of being in a deficit, but instead, it will mean taking that new caloric deficit (about 200-500 less than your maintenance) and calculating a protein percentage that is about 40% of your intake, especially if your goal is body recomposition (if you are a cross-country runner, I would change it for you), but if you are part of the general population or someone who engages in mild aerobic exercise from time to time, accompanied by traditional or non-traditional (if you swing that way) resistance/strength training. Again, increasing your protein in a caloric deficit is going to really help you not be as hungry and limit food chatter, as well as balancing out your energy levels.
So how on earth can you actually implement protein? It’s hard for me to just tell you, but genuinely just start either making swaps or adding to your meal. Think of some high protein foods, which means a significant percentage of the total calories from the food are derived from protein – usually 10-25% is standard, anything lower than that is just a food that has protein. Eggs, chicken breast, beans/rice (be careful of foods that include incomplete proteins and make sure to pair them with their other half, I’ll go into this more another time), protein powder (try to get a majority from whole foods), Greek yogurt, and cottage cheese. For some of you, it may be a little harder to find protein that works for you, especially if you have IBS, dairy allergy intolerance, or any other type of dietary restrictions. It is possible for you to hit your protein goal; it may just be harder for some of you than others. I agree that you should be getting a majority of your protein from whole foods, but there is no shame if you need to lean on protein supplements as you look for some good alternatives.
As you start up your protein journey, I encourage you to start slowly, especially if you are someone who suffers from digestive issues or is currently not eating much. For protein intake, it is best to work your way up so that your body can learn to process a completely new level so that you won’t feel weighed down or too sick.
If your goal is to build muscle, I recommend that you aim to hit protein about 1.2-1.5 grams per pound of current body weight. As you increase mass, you will also want to increase your intake, but this is a great start. Make sure that you are lifting heavy and working yourself to failure so that the protein actually has something to help it recover.
These recommendations may vary depending on your fitness goals, but it’s a good guide if you’re starting out. Most of these suggestions are tailored to people ages 17-50 who are moderately active, but if you have any current complications or are in a different age range, please consult a professional.
Continue to keep working hard, and doing the best that you can to improve!
SS Fitness 
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