Protein Won't Make You Fat: Myth #1
How many magazines have you read where they tell you to take in
X grams of protein? How many times have you see .75g of protein
per lb of bodyweight or 1g maybe 1.5 for the advanced athlete or
better yet 2g for the guy who really wants to grow!
All of those calculations may or may not be correct but it
depends on YOU!
FACT: The #1 protein mistake people make is: They ingest more
then they need.
MYTH: Any excess won't be stored as fat so it doesn't matter.
That's right a formula needs some input to make it work for you.
So here's how you can quickly and easily figure out how much
protein you need. Keep in mind that protein has calories. And
while it's true that protein isn't as easily stored as fat there
still remains the truth that your body only needs so many extra
calories to grow.
Any excess just don't disappear.
It gets stored. As fat.
And that can and will include protein.
Ingesting 10x more then you need will not make your muscles any
larger but it might add to your abdominal area in a way you wish
it didn't. So figure out how much protein you need and eliminate
the excess calories that can potentially just turn into fat
storage.
Protein Calculation Formula:
The secret to figuring out how much protein you need is not by
just taking some number you found like 30g and apply it to
yourself. If everybody had the same needs we would all be the
same. And we both know that just isn't true. Each person is
slightly different.
Let me explain. We've all heard that a person can only digest
25-30g of protein in one sitting. B.S.!
Just think about it. Does an IFBB professional bodybuilder
intake the same amount of protein as the guy who's 135 lbs just
starting out? Even if there is a 200 lb weight difference?
The answer might shock you. NO
Needless to say, so many people just take some number, multiply
that by their body weight and that's what they think they need a
day. Tell me, if a person is 35% body fat, should they use their
weight or their lean weight to figure out how much protein they
need?
Simple. Lean weight. Your daily protein requirements are based
on your lean body weight. And how do you figure out your lean
body weight?
Use the skin fold caliper home test. Go back to Question #2.
Step 1:
Take your body weight in pounds
Example: 194 lbs
Step 2:
Find your body fat % using one of the methods in Question #2
Example: 15.7% (which is .157 for the step below)
Step 3:
Take your body weight in pounds and subtract the % body fat
Example: 194 lbs - (194 x .157 = 30.45 lbs of fat) = 163.54 lbs
of lean body weight
Step 4:
Take your lean body weight and multiply by 1.14
Example: 163.54 lbs x 1.14 = 186.4g of protein a day
Step 5:
Divide your daily protein requirements by 5-6 meals and that is
what your protein target is for each meal.
Example: 186.4/6 meals = 31.07g of protein per meal
As you will see, a person who is 286 lbs of lean body weight
will require a lot more protein. And a person who is 286 lbs
should not be consuming the same amount of protein if their
percentage of body fat is 35%.
But why use 1.14 for protein requirements?
The RDA recommends .75g of protein. But that's been shown to be
too low for active athletes.
Some sites will recommend 2.0g of protein. But that seems a bit
high and your body will have trouble absorbing that not to
mention you will probably have a lot of excess calories which
can lead to fat gains.
1.14-1.5 is the most efficient range for most active, healthy
adults. This range will help build muscle but not lead you into
a high protein diet. Feel free to adjust within that range if
you feel you need more protein.
Myth Busted!
Excess protein might not be bad for you but it's still excess
calories and it doesn't just go away. It gets stored. So if
you've ever heard that protein can't be stored as fat, that's
simply not true.
Yours for Continued Success