A message about protein from our personal trainer Lesleh. As always, you can ask questions in the comments and she will answer them as soon as she's able.
I thought I would expand a little on protein intake. This will be somewhat (almost totally) redundant for Andy and Lana, however bear with me as I am involved in rebuilding a basement and decorating for a wedding this week.
Please note that I think that it is imperative to eat a well balanced diet. I highly recommend a quick review of the NEW food pyramid. It is simple and easy to follow. While they recommend making half of your grains whole....I say do your best to make all your grains whole. Have you ever eaten a whole wheat pizza crust....with lean mozzerella and mushrooms and artichokes? Have you ever tried meatless chili? I I make an amazing whole grain chili that some people have a difficult time telling that there is no meat in at all. Venture out on the wild side this week and try something different. Look in the whole foods section of your grocery store. Search the web for a good whole wheat pizza crust recipe...easy to find. Use lean meat, low fat cheese...and enjoy. When you are done, dip your crust into some delicious honey. Desert is done!
How much protein do we need?
Our protein needs depend on our age, size, and activity level. The standard method used by nutritionists to estimate our minimum daily protein requirement is to multiply the body weight in kilograms by .8, or weight in pounds by .37. This is the number of grams of protein that should be the daily minimum. According to this method, a person weighing 150 lbs. should eat 55 grams of protein per day, a 200 lb. person should get 74 grams, and a 250 lb. person, 92 grams.
Do people who exercise need more protein?
Although there is controversy on this point, there is evidence that people engaging in endurance exercise (such as long distance running) or heavy resistive exercise (such as body building) can benefit from additional protein in their diets. One prominent researcher in the field recommends 1.2-1.4 grams per kilogram of body weight per day for endurance exercisers and 1.7-1.8 grams per kg per day for heavy strength training.
But shouldn’t protein intake be a percentage of total calories?
Quite a few programs and nutritionists quote percentage of calories, usually in the range of 10%-20%, as a way to figure out how much protein a person needs to consume daily. This is a rough estimate of a person's minimum protein needs. It works because usually larger and more active people need more calories, so the more calories they need, the more protein they will get.
Where this falls down is when people are eating diets which are lower in calories for any reason, conscious or not. People who are ill or losing weight, for example, do not need less protein just because they are eating fewer calories.
Lastly I would say to you that I am not great about taking a multi-vitamin or getting into the whole Protein Shake thing. I try to fuel my body with real food which seems to work well for me. I do not recommend replacing a meal with a protein shake, eat a good breakfast, use your protein shake for a mid morning snack, eat lunch, then have another protein shake or protein bar in the afternoon for a mid afternoon snack. Eat a light supper. Lean fish or meat, salad and a sweet potato or dark green veggie. Have a cup of popcorn or some whole grain pretzls for a snack in the evening. Drink a crapload (converts to just shy of blotation) of water. Patience is absolutely a key element. People get so frustrated because they are not losing fast enough, not seeing results in a week or two. You need to train your engine to burn the fuel. You need to eat appropriate amounts and don't get out of balance. Your body is an engine, gas it up and run it (walk it - jump it - dance it - stretch it - MOVE). Fuel to burn, think that way.....eat to burn.
One more thought - the Tortoise and the Hare. It applies to this little contest as well. Precept upon precept, step by patient step those of you who plod along in a steady manner will be successful. Steady and controlled will win the race!
Have a great week!
I thought I would expand a little on protein intake. This will be somewhat (almost totally) redundant for Andy and Lana, however bear with me as I am involved in rebuilding a basement and decorating for a wedding this week.
Please note that I think that it is imperative to eat a well balanced diet. I highly recommend a quick review of the NEW food pyramid. It is simple and easy to follow. While they recommend making half of your grains whole....I say do your best to make all your grains whole. Have you ever eaten a whole wheat pizza crust....with lean mozzerella and mushrooms and artichokes? Have you ever tried meatless chili? I I make an amazing whole grain chili that some people have a difficult time telling that there is no meat in at all. Venture out on the wild side this week and try something different. Look in the whole foods section of your grocery store. Search the web for a good whole wheat pizza crust recipe...easy to find. Use lean meat, low fat cheese...and enjoy. When you are done, dip your crust into some delicious honey. Desert is done!
How much protein do we need?
Our protein needs depend on our age, size, and activity level. The standard method used by nutritionists to estimate our minimum daily protein requirement is to multiply the body weight in kilograms by .8, or weight in pounds by .37. This is the number of grams of protein that should be the daily minimum. According to this method, a person weighing 150 lbs. should eat 55 grams of protein per day, a 200 lb. person should get 74 grams, and a 250 lb. person, 92 grams.
Do people who exercise need more protein?
Although there is controversy on this point, there is evidence that people engaging in endurance exercise (such as long distance running) or heavy resistive exercise (such as body building) can benefit from additional protein in their diets. One prominent researcher in the field recommends 1.2-1.4 grams per kilogram of body weight per day for endurance exercisers and 1.7-1.8 grams per kg per day for heavy strength training.
But shouldn’t protein intake be a percentage of total calories?
Quite a few programs and nutritionists quote percentage of calories, usually in the range of 10%-20%, as a way to figure out how much protein a person needs to consume daily. This is a rough estimate of a person's minimum protein needs. It works because usually larger and more active people need more calories, so the more calories they need, the more protein they will get.
Where this falls down is when people are eating diets which are lower in calories for any reason, conscious or not. People who are ill or losing weight, for example, do not need less protein just because they are eating fewer calories.
Lastly I would say to you that I am not great about taking a multi-vitamin or getting into the whole Protein Shake thing. I try to fuel my body with real food which seems to work well for me. I do not recommend replacing a meal with a protein shake, eat a good breakfast, use your protein shake for a mid morning snack, eat lunch, then have another protein shake or protein bar in the afternoon for a mid afternoon snack. Eat a light supper. Lean fish or meat, salad and a sweet potato or dark green veggie. Have a cup of popcorn or some whole grain pretzls for a snack in the evening. Drink a crapload (converts to just shy of blotation) of water. Patience is absolutely a key element. People get so frustrated because they are not losing fast enough, not seeing results in a week or two. You need to train your engine to burn the fuel. You need to eat appropriate amounts and don't get out of balance. Your body is an engine, gas it up and run it (walk it - jump it - dance it - stretch it - MOVE). Fuel to burn, think that way.....eat to burn.
One more thought - the Tortoise and the Hare. It applies to this little contest as well. Precept upon precept, step by patient step those of you who plod along in a steady manner will be successful. Steady and controlled will win the race!
Have a great week!
2 Comments:
The way it was explained to me by my High school Biology teacher, who was also the wrestling and weight training coach, was that when you lift weights you cause thousands of tiny rips and striations throughout your muscle. Basically you damage your body. You then take a day or two off in between sessions and protein comes along and fills in those tiny gaps with new muscle mass. Then you lift again and the whole process starts over. Over time the muscle then gets larger, and more dense when the process is repeated. So eat that protein!
Body builders take in 1 gram per lb of body. That is of course extreme and massive in caloric content but it shows how effective it can be for a heavy lifter.
What would you suggest about how to get protein without taking in a lot of calories?
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