In fitness nutrition, one thing you hear the most about is protein. If you are losing weight, staying fit or gaining muscles, you need protein. You tirelessly told that you need protein, but exactly how much, this no one tells. So, today we will be telling you about how much protein you should take per day.
Staying Fit
If you look up RDAs from places like the World Health Organization and the National Academy of Sciences, you’ll typically find numbers around 0.8 to 1 gram per KILOGRAM of your bodyweight. For example, a 180-pound male, roughly need two chicken breasts or three or four scoops of protein supplement. These recommendations are for the average person simply meeting daily requirements for a healthy life.
Gaining Muscles
Since almost all fitness goals revolve around either building or preserving muscle tissue, naturally it will require more protein. One of the ways to determine adequate protein intake is measuring your nitrogen balance. From the three macronutrients, protein is the only one that contains the element nitrogen. Knowing this, researchers can figure out if you’re eating enough protein by measuring the nitrogen content in your food and the nitrogen content that you excrete. The goal is to achieve a positive nitrogen balance, meaning the amount of nitrogen you’re consuming is greater than the amount leaving your body. Of course, measuring your own nitrogen balance is a rather, complicated task. Fortunately, we can look at studies to determine the best value for positive nitrogen balance or educatively guess the best amount for building or preserving muscle. The more intense you are training, the more protein you need to supplement the break down that will occur. However, intake of 1.2 to 2.2 per kilogram of bodyweight
Weight Loss
When you add exercise and goals to the mix, though, things quickly change. When it comes to weight loss, intuitive thinking might tell you, you need less protein since you generally eat less to begin with. Studies, however, show favorable results from those that eat a higher protein diet, especially if they are either experienced lifters or have a low bodyfat percentage. The more bodyfat you have, the more you can get away with eating less protein. And All this being said, for people wanting to lose weight or bodyfat while preserving lean mass, eating roughly 1.6 grams to 2.3 grams per kilogram of bodyweight