How many grams of protein should I aim for in a day?

[hanfordian]

I'm trying to be a bit more scientific about my diet this go around with Atkins and was wondering how many grams of protein I should be aiming to consume in a day? I'm working the O.W.L. rungs and am trying to keep my carbs under 30 grams most days and am starting to incorporate strawberries and greek yogurt. Also aiming to keep my calories below 1500 preferably in the 1200 range.

[MickiSue]

How far along are you in your Atkins journey? Because there is no set time for moving up the ladder. Some of us don't, at all.

Frankly, VEGGIES are the first rungs, not fruits and yogurt, as they're pretty high in carbs.

But the rule of thumb for protein, for non body builders, is about .8 grams/day per kilo of body weight. To get your weight in kilos, divide the pounds by 2.2, and you'll be very close.

Calories are really not a big concern with Atkins, UNLESS you are finding yourself in an extended (more than 2 months) stall. And, even then, they should be considered as ONE of a number of reasons for loss stalling.

You are aiming, with 30 carbs, and such low calories, at possibly stalling out more, as that many carbs, as a proportion of so few calories, are a higher percentage.

If you are eating 1200 calories, that makes 30 grams 10% of your calories, whereas the usual recommendation is 5%.

Personally, I keep net carbs below 20, and eat what I eat on any given day, making sure to get plenty of fat. I DON'T count calories, but I'd guess that I'm probably at about 1500-1800, most days.

And I'm old! So I probably need fewer than you do. :agree: :lol:

[GreekRibs]

Hi there; I'm 5'9" and weigh 167 and I eat 1500 calories per day so I definitely wouldn't go lower than that because you want this to be a woe that lasts. In terms of protein, fat, carb balance, instead of introducing berries and yogurt, why not stay on induction a bit longer and like Micki says, keep your carbs at 20 or less? Get at least 60% fats and 20% protein throughout your day. Eat healthy fats for breakfast, lunch and supper and have a veggies at both lunch and supper and you will see the weight fall off. I wouldn't worry too much about calories, just staying on your carb count. Exercise is nice, but honestly you will lose if you're a LCHF purist! Good luck!!

[hanfordian]

On my current go around with Atkins I've been at it for about 2-3 months. I've already done the Vegi rung and upped my grams of carbs to 25 grams per day with little to no slow down in weight loss. About 3 weeks ago I added more dairy, mostly heavy cream for my coffee or homemade whipped cream as a treat. The only nut from the nut rung that I like are almonds and they tend to make me binge so I skip the nut rung.

I'm getting bored with my food choices and my busy lifestyle (I work full time and am going to school full time) requires simple and easy foods so I'm adding greek yogurt and strawberries as a treat a few times a week. I generally aim for 20-25 net grams of carbs per day but on the days I have greek yogurt and strawberries its closer to 30 grams and it has not stopped my weight loss, perhaps slowed it a bit but having more options makes the diet more sustainable for me.

I've been doing Atkins on and off for about 8 years. Calories are secondary to carbs for me but it's a metric I still like to track. It's mostly to track the volume of food I eat as I have a tendency to binge and if I go above 1500 calories I tend to just eat more and more until the benefits of Atkins are negated by the large number of calories I eat. If I keep my calories in the 1200-1500 range my daily appetite stays manageable.

[GRB5111]

Ok, so I'm in induction after about 2 years. Why? I know that I feel better when I keep my carbs to a minimum. I occasionally eat plain full-fat Greek yogurt with blueberries and dry roasted hazelnuts, but this I treat this as more of a dessert than anything else. Therefore, I do this rarely. Can this be done within the limits of having a satisfying way of eating? Yes! One of the things you learn as you embark on the LCHF journey is that unless you become innovative with your food prep and variety, it could become v e r r y b o r i n g.

It sounds like you have your objectives in line. My only recommendation based on your stated boredom is to venture beyond your comfort zone. You can still stay very low carb and use different food preps and change ups to keep things interesting. In addition, there are many simple recipes, and I truly go for the simple ones that combine healthy portions of good fat with a delicious protein and some excellent veggies. Having three variables is a luxury, because there are so many different combinations with so many different preparations. For example, I can prepare the same ingredients for Asian (Thai, Chinese, Japanese), American, Indian, Mexican, and other cuisine styles. Vary the ingredients, and you open up a whole new set of food flavors. Check out the recipe section on this site and other LCHF/ Paleo sources, and I believe you can stay low carb and start to enjoy it. If a dish takes too many ingredients and takes too long to prepare, skip it and look for one that can be put together quickly. Or, prepare one on a weekend that has leftovers for the next two or three days. I know, because I don't have the time to spend on food preparation, so I've had to think about this tactically and strategically. :cool:

[MickiSue]

AHA! Two to three months is when your carb monster tells you that you NEED more variety, that your current foods are boring and that you should venture beyond them.

I'm not an Atkins expert, but my understanding is that we DON'T start branching out on the choices until we are at least 80% to goal.

That carb monster is a big reason for this. I would venture to say that at least 95% of the people on this forum are addicted to carbs. And, like the AA Big Book says about alcohol, anything that we get addicted to can be "cunning, baffling and powerful."

Carbs are no different. Again, for most of us, when we start on this WOE, it's a revelation how good simple foods can taste. But around two to three months, we start to get bored. We can get past that, by understanding that the boredom is our addiction to carbs trying any sneaky way it can to get us to eat them (Greek yogurt and blueberries can be pretty high carb--more than 1/2 my daily allotment for 6 oz of yogurt and a handful of berries seems excessive to me, unless eaten extremely rarely.)

One of the reasons that so many people fall off the Atkins plan is that they bump up their carbs and their "variety" too quickly. People will do what people will do.

For me, it makes better sense to stick to what works NOW. I don't know what adding carbs and other foods will do. So I don't add them.

[Kaillean]

I eat yogurt and strawberries almost every day for breakfast and still manage to keep my carbs at less than 25 net. Usually 20.

I make a breakfast smoothie with .5 cup plain full fat yogurt and 1.5 oz of frozen unsweetened strawberries blended with some ice. You do have to be strict with strawberries. I weigh mine - no guesstimates. Usually, this is 3-4 largish berries which is plenty to flavour a small smoothie.

I've done this on both my go rounds with Atkins and continue to lose well. I get sick of eggs for breakfast and am not into making low carb muffins and the like - they lead me down the path of temptation. The smoothie goes down nice with 3 slices of bacon to help me feel full. I used to add 1 scoop of Designer Whey vanilla protein powder but can't find it anymore with the same low carb count it used to have and haven't found a replacement I like.

I generally stay under 120 g of protein which seems to work well for me. Too much protein at one sitting definitely slows me.

Everyone has to find something sustainable that works for them.

Nothing in Atkins says you have to stay on Induction until you've lost 80% of your weight. Though obviously many of us choose to stay at those levels.

[mike_d]

Do the math:

http://www.phlaunt.com/lowcarb/19058429.php

[Desert Mo]

. . .Personally, I keep net carbs below 20, and eat what I eat on any given day, making sure to get plenty of fat. I DON'T count calories, but I'd guess that I'm probably at about 1500-1800, most days.

And I'm old! So I probably need fewer than you do. :agree: :lol:

Good useful details here for me, MickiSue. I'm older than you, youngster, & figure stuff as you do. Don't want to count calories, or even %s of fat & protein, but still figure I can do well if cals fall in the range of 1100-1400 daily, making sure I get enough fat without overdoing it. Back on Atkins after Walmart on Tuesday. Keep sharing the good good stuff, MS! :agree:

[GRB5111]

To answer hanfordian's original question regarding recommended amount of protein consumption, recent guidelines from a couple sources indicate .75 - 1 gram of protein per kilogram of lean body mass per day. The sources: Phinney and Volek and Rosedale are consistent in their recommendations. Remember that this is grams of protein, and there are approximately 7-9 grams of protein per ounce of meat, depending on the type and fat content of the meat. For beef, you'd get approximately 28-36 grams of protein per 4 ounce cut. All sources recommend a moderate amount of protein daily.

Here's a useful description from Rosedale's website:
How much protein should I be eating?

Protein is the only portion of this program that we ask you to keep track of. This is for a very good reason. We don't need you to meticulously pour over each gram, but everyone has an optimum value that is most conducive to their health and it's best to keep in that realm. Ideally, you want one gram of protein per day (split evenly throughout each meal) for every kilo of 'lean' body mass (that is, your body weight minus all the fat, remember we all need some fat). The easiest way to calculate your recommended protein intake is to imagine your ideal body weight in kilograms and consume roughly one gram per minus 10%. For example, if you are a woman who is 5.4 ft (165 centimeters) tall, your ‘ideal’ weight would likely be in the neighborhood of 110 lbs (50 kilograms). Thus, your protein intake per day should be somewhere around the 50g - 10% = 45 grams of protein, split approximately evenly between meals. This is her daily recommendation of protein, in grams. She can add 5 grams if she exercises or is unusually muscular, or pregnant. Athletes might typically add about 10 grams more.

An egg is roughly 6-8g of protein and a piece of meat the size of a deck of cards is around 15. Remember this is 15 grams of protein; the meat will weigh much more as it also has water and fat, so we are not talking about the 'weight' of the meat, but the protein grams. This doesn’t have to be exact, but it’s a good ballpark figure to keep in mind when you’re eating. Males will have a little more, if you are pregnant you would add about 5 grams of protein as well.
While I'm not promoting Rosedale's diet, his ideas about protein consumption are consistent with others favoring LCHF. His recent video on the DietDoctor.com website focuses on the negatives of consuming too much protein. Surrounding your mealtime protein sources with healthy fats and low carb veggies round out the meal.

As for moving past induction, you can see clearly by the responses to the original post that people can be successful with a variety of approaches, as it takes time to see how you do as you move up the ladder and make course corrections when necessary.

[Ambulo]

110 lbs for a 5' 4" woman? Really? I am a 5' 4" woman and I was told on fasting forums that 120 lbs was unrealistic. I got down to 120 but have bounced up 5 since. I was getting to the verge of scrawny at 120, and would be happier at 125 - 130 if it was muscle rather than regained fat. I too would love an answer to How Much Protein. I don't do Atkins, I just avoid sugars and starches, so answers in terms of macro percentages are not helpful to me. It is also complicated by my IF regime (daily eating window between one and four hours) and being over 60, both of which pose absorption issues. I stick between 40 and 75 and hope for the best.

[RonnieScot]

I read that this calculation used 'lean mass' (what you would be without any fat) rather than ideal target weight. I'm 5.3 female and my lean mass came out at about 50kg, give or take, in the region of 40g protein/day. Which isn't very much for a lchf diet.
I want to try to work out roughly how much I do take day to day, and won't be planning to limit my intake of protein strictly to this limit but could try substituting meat for veg a bit more often (just found out I'm pregnant :D )

There is a recent lecture on the diet dr website proposing that limiting protein strictly will increase lifespan. I have read this before, and do believe there's something in it.

[GRB5111]

Remember that this protein calculation is simply a guideline and each person needs to adjust according to the response received from raising or lowering protein. I consider this a baseline from which adjustments will be made. I don't calculate for every meal, that would be me getting into the OCD zone. :cool: I just find a middle range for protein and adjust up and down according to how I'm doing. The range I use is between 80 - 110 grams of protein per day.

Yes, the recent lecture on dietdoctor.com is by Dr. Rosedale and is the one I referenced in the post above. I thought it was a good summary of how protein impacts the metabolism and how too much can undermine health and weight loss. Those who practice IF are limiting protein intake by definition, which is one of several reasons why IF promotes good health. Lately, I've been very careful to moderate my protein intake with good results.