Active Low-Carber Forums - View Single Post - Recommended daily protein intake too low for the elderly

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bintang

Rob, I'm interested by this. So how much protein do you actually consume in terms of g/kg body weight? And how exactly do you do the IF? Is it daily by restricting eating to within a 6 to 8 hour window or do you fast for whole days at regular intervals?

Bintang - Here's how I approach g/kg or g/lb. of body weight using the Phinney/Volek recommended formula. I'm not precise and usually stay within a range of grams of protein based on my physical activity levels. I usually eat two meals per day with about a 5-6 hour eating window, some days I eat one meal with a 24 hour eating window. I also do a 3-4 day IF once a month on top of this. Here's the calculation method on which I base my protein intake in general terms (quoted from KetoDiet Buddy):

Quote:

According to Volek and Phinney (The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance), the multiplying factor should be between 0.6 - 1 grams per a pound (1.3 to 2.2 grams per a kilogram) of lean mass.

As an example, if your weight is 160 pounds and your body fat is 30%, your lean mass weight is calculated as follows:

160 lbs - 30% = 112 lbs

Therefore, your protein intake should be between:

112 x 0.6 = 67 g of protein (minimum amount)
112 x 1.0 = 112 g of protein (maximum amount)

Using your activity level will help you determine your protein intake more precisely. Based on the figures above, the ideal protein intake for different activity levels would be as follows:

Minimum protein intake for sedentary people = 0.6 x lean body mass in lbs
Lightly active = 0.7 x lean body mass in lbs
Moderately active = 0.8 x lean body mass in lbs
Very Active = 0.9 x lean body mass in lbs
Maximum protein intake = extremely active = 1 x lean body mass in lbs

So for me, (and I'll do the example using pounds) I weigh 186lbs. Estimating about 23% fat, that gives me around 143lbs. of lean mass. I multiply by 0.8 as a moderately active individual = 114.4g of protein, which to determine the overall weight of protein (use beef at 7 grams of protein per ounce) is around 16 ounces of protein sources (meat/fish/eggs) per day at the highest end. This is spread among two meals for me during the day typically; however, I often eat one meal per day and and I'm lower than 16 ounces of protein (114.4 protein grams) in a single meal. I often am lower in total protein per day than 16 ounces depending on my work schedule and the opportunity to do exercise (workouts). If I'm not working out, I'll lower my protein quantity, but I'm not weighing food or being very conscious of precision here. This approach seems to work for me.

So, my high end might occasionally touch a 16 ounces of eggs, meat or fish, my lower end might be 8-10 ounces or 56-70 protein grams, and my higher end is likely around 12-14 ounces. If I'm physically active, I'm going toward the higher end.

Note: edited to include eggs as a typical regular protein source and to clarify my low and high level of protein consumption.