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Nutrition How much protein is enough

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watchnerd said:
Are you saying you lost 30 lbs of weight in one month, 7.5 lbs/week?
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Yeah. Only eating a 1lb ribeye a day. So maybe 1200 calories plus S and S. Just took a photo the other day to compare. I dont LOOK terribly different. A little less bloated. A little more muscular. I can gain or lose 20lbs pretty easily once I’m over 200. I’m a skinny fat dude.
 
I recall Christopher Sommer claiming on the Tim Ferriss podcast that, as he gets older, he prefers to eat protein less often. I think like two large portions per week, IIRC.

Then again M. Berkhan of leangains fame recommends a high protein diet because it fills you up without being converted to fat and actually resulting in less net calories, thus leading to less body fat (or so).

Something I wonder, however, is how oldtimers used to get ripped, when animal protein was more of a luxury item and the general population relied more on grains, potatoes, veggies, and animal fat. Does anyone have good information on that topic?
 
IMayAgainKnowChris said:
Yeah. Only eating a 1lb ribeye a day. So maybe 1200 calories plus S and S. Just took a photo the other day to compare. I dont LOOK terribly different. A little less bloated. A little more muscular. I can gain or lose 20lbs pretty easily once I’m over 200. I’m a skinny fat dude.
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Are you saying 1 ribeye a day was your only food?

7.5 lbs a week would have me concerned that I was losing a lot of muscle mass with the fat.

I get DEXA scans every 2-3 months when I'm cutting before a meet to try to minimize that.
 
Bauer said:
I recall Christopher Sommer claiming on the Tim Ferriss podcast that, as he gets older, he prefers to eat protein less often. I think like two large portions per week, IIRC.

Then again M. Berkhan of leangains fame recommends a high protein diet because it fills you up without being converted to fat and actually resulting in less net calories, thus leading to less body fat (or so).

Something I wonder, however, is how oldtimers used to get ripped, when animal protein was more of a luxury item and the general population relied more on grains, potatoes, veggies, and animal fat. Does anyone have good information on that topic?
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In the Western world, dairy and eggs. Beans.

Plus small game and caught fish.

My great grandparents in Arkansas used to get hankerings for "varmint" (squirrel, possum, snapping turtle, etc.).
 
watchnerd said:
Interesting.

Where did you read that?

I haven't run across anything similar.
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I don't have a link but basically as you get past your 30s your ability to synthesize muscle protein decreases. Increasing protein and specifically Leucine is enough to compensate. If 20-30 g spikes were good enogh when younger you'll begin to need 30-40g spikes. Kenny C has a lot of good links for some of this research relative to older folks.
 
North Coast Miller said:
I don't have a link but basically as you get past your 30s your ability to synthesize muscle protein decreases. Increasing protein and specifically Leucine is enough to compensate. If 20-30 g spikes were good enogh when younger you'll begin to need 30-40g spikes. Kenny C has a lot of good links for some of this research relative to older folks.
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I guess I don't know what a spike is.

I just eat meals and snacks with protein in them.
 
IMayAgainKnowChris said:
I’m doing a sort of self experiment. Doing S and S and basically just eating a 1lb ribeye a day. I think that’s like 110 grams of protein. I weigh 185 now. Curious to see if I’ll gain retain or lose muscle after a couple more months of this. I went from 215 to 185 in about a month or a little more with just doing the keto/intermittent fasting/s and s. But I definitely got stronger and have more muscle definition. I do lose sleep sometimes feeling like I dot. Get enough protein and/or don’t get to use it all cause of that whole 30g/sitting into (but I’ve read many things that kind of debunked the only absorbing 30g at a time Thing)
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My opinion, your current real world results much more important than papers/studies by others on others.
 
watchnerd said:
Interesting.

Where did you read that?

I haven't run across anything similar.
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I've come across this several times myself, post age 40 or so I believe. Sarcopenia combined with a reduction in stomach acid potency. Bad combo. Many of these from longevity studies stating importance of strength and muscle mass on aging population due to there confluence on quality of life and independence
 
Don Fairbanks said:
I've come across this several times myself, post age 40 or so I believe. Sarcopenia combined with a reduction in stomach acid potency. Bad combo. Many of these from longevity studies stating importance of strength and muscle mass on aging population due to there confluence on quality of life and independence
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Sure, but what's their baseline for what is "higher" protein?

I'm already resistance training 3x a week and eating 200% of the USRDA for protein.

By that measure, I'm already eating "higher" and combating sarcopenia via resistance training.

I'm 50, and at my last DEXA scan I had the bone density of a 95th percentile 30 year old.
 
watchnerd said:
Are you saying 1 ribeye a day was your only food?

7.5 lbs a week would have me concerned that I was losing a lot of muscle mass with the fat.

I get DEXA scans every 2-3 months when I'm cutting before a meet to try to minimize that.
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Yeah. I started doing keto and basically just don’t have an appetite anymore. So I figured the ribeye was the most bang for my buck as far as a protein/fat ratio. I’d say 3 days a week my wife might make me eat a salad. It yeah, that is basically all I eat. I like never being hungry and still not getting gassed doing s and s. I don’t know how long this will last before my body adapts.
 
Don Fairbanks said:
My opinion, your current real world results much more important than papers/studies by others on others.
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Agreed. I might eventually level out but my strength is increasing and I’m feeling good. I could skew more but w a 3 month old... I’m very willing to adapt though. Might just start cooking extra steaks and eating them once when I get home and once later. Maybe more eggs too.

“Studies” are so dicey too. Too many unaccounted for variables . Unless they say what I want them to say. Then I’m all in.

In all honesty though I think that keto has basically given me a fancy dressed up eating disorder. I justify it by saying I try to “make every calorie count” but there is definitely a level of neuroticism to it. I’m also completely fed up with being a skinny fat dude and wanna get rid of these love handles. Self disgust can be a real motivator.
 
IMayAgainKnowChris said:
Yeah. I started doing keto and basically just don’t have an appetite anymore. So I figured the ribeye was the most bang for my buck as far as a protein/fat ratio. I’d say 3 days a week my wife might make me eat a salad. It yeah, that is basically all I eat. I like never being hungry and still not getting gassed doing s and s. I don’t know how long this will last before my body adapts.
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Did I understand correctly that you're eating only 1200 calories a day?

I'm over 200 lbs, and that would be a -55% caloric deficit below TDEE for me!

My BMR is about 1900-2000 calories, my average (some days higher, some lower) TDEE is about 2700 calories.
 
watchnerd said:
Sure, but what's their baseline for what is "higher" protein?

I'm already resistance training 3x a week and eating 200% of the USRDA for protein.

By that measure, I'm already eating "higher" and combating sarcopenia via resistance training.

I'm 50, and at my last DEXA scan I had the bone density of a 95th percentile 30 year old.
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Dude, please. We are talking general population here. You are Not general population. Basic premise of studies, people over 40 have issues with digestion and activity.
 
Don Fairbanks said:
Dude, please. We are talking general population here. You are Not general population. Basic premise of studies, people over 40 have issues with digestion and activity.
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Of course.

Hence the question about what their baseline is for 'higher protein'.
 
watchnerd said:
Of course.

Hence the question about what their baseline is for 'higher protein'.
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Off the top of my head, article was in the ballpark of disagreeing with the current RDA for protein. Active people over 40 should double RDA plus another 20%.
 
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