September 19, 2019

How much protein do you need? Part 2

In the first part of this article, we looked at what our bodies need protein for and which types of protein are best. We then explored the myth that your body can only absorb a certain amount of protein per meal.

In this second part of this article, we'll look at a few more studies that disprove this myth before I discuss the ideal protein intake for muscle building and fat loss. I will then answer the question of which protein sources are best for supporting weight loss.

Definitive evidence that your body can absorb a lot of protein in one meal

Are you still not convinced that this myth is dead?

I agree - the myth of limited protein absorption could use a few more nails in the coffin. Here's the first one.

In one study, scientists divided 16 young, healthy women into two groups. One ate 79% of their daily protein intake (about 64 grams) during one meal, while the other group spread their protein intake over four meals (12). These women weighed an average of 58 kilos, so 54 grams of protein in one meal was a lot relative to body weight.

After 14 days, the scientists found no significant difference between the two groups in terms of protein turnover, protein synthesis or protein breakdown.

Studies on intermittent fasting provide further insights. This style of eating requires long periods of fasting and eating your daily amount of food within a relatively short window of time, ranging from 2 to 8 hours. The popular 16:8 method, for example, involves a 16-hour fasting period followed by an 8-hour eating window.

In an intermittent fasting study, subjects either followed a normal diet or fasted for 20 hours and then had 4 hours to eat their daily meals (13). After 2 weeks, the scientists found no difference between the two groups in terms of protein metabolism.

These results were confirmed by several other studies (14, 15, 16).

The bottom line is that if there is a limit to the amount of protein your body can absorb from a meal, this amount is very high and therefore not a problem.

What you can learn from this is that you can adjust the size of your meals to suit your lifestyle and preferences and not worry about how much protein you are consuming at a given meal.

How much protein should you eat to build muscle?

You already know that exercise increases your body's need for protein, but by how much?

Well, according to a study conducted by scientists at McMaster University, a protein intake of 1.4 to 1.8 grams per kilogram of body weight is sufficient to maximize protein synthesis (17). However, the scientists noted that more protein may be needed in the case of calorie restriction or frequent and/or high-intensity exercise.

A study conducted by scientists at the University of Western Ontario came to the same conclusion (18).

For athletes, 1.4 to 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is a good starting point and higher amounts may be needed depending on a wide range of factors including energy balance, carbohydrate availability, training intensity, training history and others.

Another good study on this topic comes from scientists at AUT University (19). The scientists came to the following conclusions:

"Protein requirements for athletes performing resistance training and maintaining a caloric deficit are likely to be in the range of 2.3 to 3.1 grams of protein per kilogram of lean body mass, with the amount of protein required increasing with the degree of caloric restriction and level of leanness."

All of these results are also consistent with general strength training recommendations, which for decades have been around 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight and slightly higher amounts during dieting.

I have personally found this advice to be workable - both on my own body and on thousands of people I have worked with. My standard recommendation for daily protein intake during the bulking phase is 1.8 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.

How much protein should you eat during weight loss?

Although you may say you want to lose weight, what you really want to lose is fat (and not muscle). And if this is the goal, then scientific research gives a clear answer: a high-protein diet is far better for both faster fat loss and maintaining muscle mass (20, 21).

Scientific research also shows that high-protein diets are easier to stick to because they result in fewer mood swings, stress, fatigue and dissatisfaction with food than lower-protein diets.

Based on the same research I cited in the last section, I recommend a protein intake in the range of 2.2 to 2.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight while dieting. If you are obese (a man with a body fat percentage above 25% or a woman with a body fat percentage above 30%) then 2.2 to 2.4 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight is adequate.

Is there a "best" protein for weight loss?

If you want to dramatically increase your sales of anything related to health and fitness, then you simply have to tell people that it will help them lose weight. That's why you'll find so many fat loss pills, fat loss pre-workout supplements, fat loss protein bars and fat loss protein powders on the market.

But even though certain supplements can help you lose weight and fat faster, there is no such thing as a fat loss or weight loss food. However, some foods are more conducive to weight loss than others.

What it ultimately comes down to is the amount of protein that foods contain and how those foods are made up of protein, carbohydrates and fat.

Generally speaking, the best foods for weight loss are those that are filling and provide a variety of micronutrients while being relatively low in calories.

If you stick primarily to these types of foods during a calorie restriction phase, you'll likely struggle with less hunger and cravings, making it much less likely that you'll undo your weight loss efforts by overeating.

My favorite weight loss foods include:

Lean meats (poultry, lean beef, fish, etc.)
Low fat dairy products
Eggs and egg yolks
Whole grains such as whole wheat, brown rice, oatmeal and barley
Vegetables such as green beans, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower
Legumes such as green peas and beans
Root vegetables such as potatoes and sweet potatoes, which are very filling

As you can see, I focus on eating high-fiber, relatively unprocessed foods that taste great, provide my body with plenty of micronutrients and keep me full.

The foods you should avoid when dieting to lose fat are all those foods that are high in calorie density, high in fat and added sugar and not particularly filling. Highly processed junk food such as potato chips, sweets, cookies and other goodies, as well as high calorie drinks, obviously meet these criteria, but there are a few other foods that do too.

For example, I love cheese, oils and butter, but have to limit my consumption of these foods while dieting because they provide a ton of calories without doing much to keep me full.

The same goes for foods like dried fruit, chocolate, avocados, fattier meats and full-fat dairy products. All foods that I love, but which I avoid when dieting to lose fat because I would have to eat too many calories in the form of these foods to feel full.

What about protein powders?

The protein powders that are best for weight loss would be the protein powders that are as close to pure protein as possible. As far as I'm concerned, any carbohydrates and fats in a protein powder are just wasted calories that I would rather consume in the form of whole foods.

In fact, drinking calories in general is a bad idea when you're dieting to lose weight (23). The main problem with calorie-containing drinks, from fruit juices and soft drinks to sports and energy drinks, is that they don't fill you up as much as solid food (24).

You can drink 1,000 kcal and still feel hungry again an hour later. Eat a 1,000 kcal meal with a good amount of protein and fiber and you'll be full for hours.

This is one of the reasons that scientific research shows that people who drink calories are much more likely to eat too many calories than people who don't eat liquid calories (24). It is also one of the reasons why there is a clear link between higher consumption of sugary drinks and weight gain (25).

The bottom line on how much protein you should consume

Even if you've never read another article on protein intake, you now know everything you need to know. There's simply not much else that's really important on this topic. Sure, consuming protein after a training session is advisable (and easy to do - so why not) but not crucial. Eating protein every few hours is no better for building muscle or losing fat than eating 2 to 3 protein-rich meals a day. As long as you meet your daily protein needs and stick to high quality protein sources, you can't really go wrong.

References:

Source: https://legionathletics.com/how-much-protein-do-i-need/

By Mike Matthews

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