Protein intake during SD

[CardTopper]

I weigh around 215 and am getting around 350 grams of protein within 24 hours of my workouts.

My last WO of my first HST cycle is tonight. How much protein should I go for during my SD?

 

[BoSox]

you really don't need that much protein. Unless you are getting a lot of carbs, using that much protein is probably counter productive. I'd suggest that about a gram of protein per pound is enough during SD.

 

[CardTopper]

Cool, sounds good.

The number lsted above is for what I am getting during my cycles which goes alon with the 1.5 grams per pound number that is always tossed around.

 

[Manic]

Quote[/b] ]I'd suggest that about a gram of protein per pound is enough during SD.

and I'd add that there is little reason to eat more than a gram of prot. per pound EVEN during training. MAYBE (but I don,t know any conclusive study about that) A BIT more (like 1.1g/pound) on the days you train... but even that is probably not necessary. 0.8g/pound is actually the official number for people who train. Eating more than 1g/pound (assuming you're getting enough calories from carbs and fat) is pretty useless : it will be converted into glucose (or into fat if you exceed your caloric needs).

 

[CardTopper]

I postd something similar to this on the workout board a few months ago and the consensus there was 1.5 grams per pound. At the time I was getting 1 gram per pound. Everyone seemed to think I wasn't getting enough protein.

 

[Manic]

Quote[/b] (CardTopper @ July 06 2004,1:16)]I postd something similar to this on the workout board a few months ago and the consensus there was 1.5 grams per pound. At the time I was getting 1 gram per pound. Everyone seemed to think I wasn't getting enough protein.

Who told you that? Who's erveryone?

and also : one should always double check info by reading a couple articles backed up with a sufficient quantity of studies. Really. Or, at the very least, make sure that the advices come from a reliable source. Like me, for instance. Just kidding.

Now, about protein : in the FAQS, you'll have more than enough answers to your protein questions. Even the basic nutrition articles (like "eating for size" on the HST website or "the baseline diet" by Lyle McDonald on the ThinkMuscle Website) should be enough.

The consensus is : 1lb/pound BW is enough protein for someone who trains, and in fact, if one really wants to be anal about it, 1lb/pound LBM would be more accurate. So that's why I personally usually eat about 0.8b/pound (which is actually the number I have seen the most often in studies)

From Bryan (eating for size):

Quote[/b] ]PROTEIN (Protein provides 4 calories per gram)
Plan on eating 0.8-1 gram protein per pound bodyweight. Most people usually shoot for 1 gram/pound body weight because it's an easy rule to remember.

From Bryan (in the FAQS) :

Quote[/b] ]assuming they are healthy to begin with - but too much protein can actually inhibit gains. I know, it sounds totally contradictory to what you read everywhere, but it is true. Let me explain.

The ability of the body to grow is effected by the ratio of protein to carbs. It is an inverted U shaped curve - or bell curve - where the top or highest point of the curve is a ratio of 12-15% protein to carbs (diet consisting of ~15% protein). At one peak you have all carbs, at the other you have all protein. It has to do with thermogenesis and hormones.

So, if a skinny guy wants to gain weight, he needs to plan a diet where he gets 15% of his calories from protein.
Now this may seem contradictory to the general rule of 1 gram per pound bodyweight. I'm not saying that a guy can't gain weight with more than 15% calories from protein, I'm only saying that weight gain is greatest at 15%. He will be ok with an intake of 0.75 grams/pound FFM to gain muscle. In fact, everybody should use FFM instead of bodyweight to plan protein intake, but sometimes it's just too hard to figure it out, so most people use bodyweight.

For a guy who isn't all that skinny, or even a little fat, he should increase his protien intake to 20-25%. This will increase thermogenesis and prevent some fat gain as calories increase above maintenance.

From Lyle McDonald (The baseline Diet) :

Quote[/b] ]Arguably more has been written about protein than any other nutrient. Contrary to popular belief, protein is NOT the main component of muscle, water is. I'm surprised nobody has pushed water supplements for this reason (new Hydroderm dermal water! ). Every lifter knows the importance of protein intake for mass gains (as well as mass maintenance while dieting). Research supports the rough value of 1 gram/lb. of bodyweight for mass gains (actually, research supports 0.8 g/lb. assuming calorie intake is sufficient). This is for natural lifters. Drug-assisted lifters may be able to assimilate more protein as protein synthesis is ramped up to much higher with anabolics (others could comment on this much better than I, so that's all I'll say on the topic).

Despite what is written in muscle magazines, there is little reason to consume more than 1 gram/lb., IF long as caloric intake is high enough (this is a big if for many people). There is a limit to how much muscle protein can be synthesized in a given time period, and eating more protein is simply converted to glucose.

These are only three sources. There are **tons** of others.

 

[Manic]

Also, see that thread :Cutting Diet, How should i do it?