is there any formula for figuring out how much protein i need each day? well since im kinda stuck now, i have taken a closer look at my diet and figured out im probably not eating enough protein.

so i bought some protein powder and that gives me 20 g plus i eat a can of tuna each day so thats 52 grams right there. is that enough?

there are a couple different formula's, but i like this one: 1 g of protein for each 1lb of lean body weight. This means that if you are 200 lbs and your BF% (body fat %) is 20%, then you should be eating 160g of protein.
200 lbs - (200 lbs * 20%) = 160g

or using: 100%-20%=80%
200 lbs * 80% = 160g

But, don't stress out about getting that much protein as it is surprisingly difficult to get there. Also, there may be a different calculation for women ... of that, I am not sure.

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well I believe its supposed to be around .7g of protein per lb of body weight, thats for women, men being like 1/1. its not too hard to get it if you eat a little for every meal. like for the protein shakes if you use skim milk its something like 8g protein. so a protein shake with milk would be around 30. just get in what you can and I wouldnt recommend going under .5g per lb of body weight, its great for your muscles and its healthy too! now go and drink your water lol

i'm sorry, but that doesn't make sense. If you are a 300 lb man, then why would you eat 300 g/protein ?? Using lean body mass is at least consistant and takes into account access body weight. Since protein is used to feed muscles and bones, it makes sense not to count access fat ... just my opinion.

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wow what?! you have to have THAT much protien??

The RDA is about 60 gm for an average adult. That should surely be viewed as an absolute minimum. However, my understanding is that unless you're body building, you typically need somewhere between 60 gm of protein and 0.8 gm of protein per pound of body weight -- somewhere in-between, but not necessarily at the bottom or top of that range.

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Brian

Did you see me on Good Morning America?

I am just wondering:60 gm of protein - how does it look?Is it serving of salmon or chicken?A bit confused here.

yeah 60g sounds normal. For a small woman around 50g is ok I think. And I looked it up, it is .8g per kg. not pound. kg. So that makes more sense.

Well you use what ya want Cdn, I'll use my way, from what I've read if you workout its good to have 1/1. have a nice day

but still in kg. not lbs. you're mean.

my lean body mass is 96 pounds so i would need 96 g of protein then? i just dont want to take in too much because i read if its not used then its stored as FAT!

and coco, a can of tuna has 32 grams of protein. i dont eat other fish so dont know.

some ppl can't stand being wrong ... and yes, getting the "recommended daily intake" of protein is quite hard and takes some practice. But, don't stress out about it. I'd say only 10% (maybe less) even come close to that ... just do what you can as every bit helps. The only time that it's crucial is if you are weight training ... your recovery time and progress will speed up substantially.

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http://www.healthcalculators.org/calc_index.htm

You can try this. I don't know exactly how reliable it is but mabye someone can run a few calculations through on the "protein" calculator. Mine came through at 89 gms per day. I am 170 lbs. I exercise but not vigorously.

It all depends on how much physical strain you put on your body...professional bodybuilders will eat over 400grams of protien on a normal day....

Look through Dorian Yates' old food schedules the guy ate over 500grams a day, a whole chicken here, lb of salmon here and there he was crazy!

I'm running around 250g of protein right now and if I could afford it then definitely I would have more than 300g. lol Cdn I'm lifting weights 5 times per week so thats why I use my way. Wonderwoman you'll never have to worry about getting too much protein, it will not make you fat if your calories are in a reasonable range.