Eat More Protein. Here's Why
The Low Protein Problem
As a gym owner, personal trainer and nutrition coach this is the most critical mistake I’ve noticed with almost every client I’ve worked with no matter who or what the client’s goal is. Overcoming this obstacle is one of the most effective ways take your fitness to the next level. Seriously.. Increasing your protein to the minimum daily recommendation OR going a step further up to optimal levels will help you lose fat, gain muscle, improve recovery and so much more!
Recommended Daily Protein Intake
Dietary recommendations for healthy individuals are between 1-2g of protein per KG of bodyweight per day (or 0.5-1g of protein per pound of bodyweight). And before you start thinking “But I’m trying to lose weight, I don’t need to be eating that much”, just know that protein recommendations are EVEN HIGHER if you’re goal is fat loss.
If you’re trying to do the math and finding it hard to believe because the number looks way too high - you’ve probably got the right number.
Let’s do an example calculation:
Take a 150lb person. The low end of protein recommendations is 0.5g of protein per lb of bodyweight. Take their weight in lbs and multiply it by 0.5g.
0.5g x 150 = 75g per day. That’s still considered low, but not as low as I tend to see in a client’s initial diet .
The optimal daily intake is around 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight. 1g x 150 = 150g per day.
An IMPORTANT NOTE is that the more protein you consume the better for literally every single goal.
You wanna lose fat? Eat more protein. You wanna build muscle? Eat more protein. You wanna recover better and have better health markers? You guessed it - eat more protein! I highly encourage you to aim for the 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight goal every single day (as long as you don’t have any rare individual health issues or contraindications) You’ll see fat starting to shed and lean muscle being built.
What does 150 grams look like?
Let’s break down some typical protein portion sizes and compare them to get an idea of how much you should consume. These are from foods labels of an official Canadian Nutrition Facts table. However they are approximate numbers because there may be similar portion sizes that have slightly more or slightly less protein/serving depending on the source.
1 Egg = ~6-7g
1 4oz Chicken Breast = ~35g
1 4oz Hamburger Patty = ~28g
1 4oz Fish = ~24g
1 cup of Milk = ~8g
1 Scoop of Protein Powder = ~30g
Just so you get an idea; all of those combined equal 134g of protein. For optimal body performance, fat loss and muscle gain this 150lb person needs closer to 150g in a day.
Sounds like a lot right?
It is - compared to what you might be used to - but don’t dismiss it yet. You can EASILY increase your protein intake without overthinking your meal plan or your everyday diet.
There are two very simple methods I teach clients off the bat to help increase their protein intake without anxiously reevaluating their diet.
Portion Sizes
The first and most important thing you should do is double some (or all) of your protein portion sizes. If you eat out, ask for double meat at chipotle. It’ll only cost you a few extra dollars.
If you’re cooking at home, have the full chicken breast instead of half. Or have 1.5 breasts if you usually have 1.
This is a go to and easy way to increase your protein intake because it doesn’t require you to change your meal timing or worry about making an extra meal. You simply just eat more.
What if you are full and can’t eat that much?? If that’s the case you should eat less of the other foods in your meal. If your goal is fat lose, you’ll want to decrease your fats or carbs. Decreasing carbs can help because you’re not only eating less calories but you also curb your hunger better with protein and fats than you do with carbs. In other words, eating lots of fast digesting carbs can make you hungry again quicker which makes it more difficult to lose fat.
Let’s breakdown a plate of food:
Here you can see that a high protein meal has roughly equal parts protein, carbs and fats.
2. Add Protein Powder To Food And Drinks
There are so many ways that you can incorporate protein powder into your diet. I’ve written a separate post on this here.
5 Easy Ways To Add Protein Powder In Your Diet
Easily increase your daily protein habit by including these tips!