If you are concerned about the state of your figure, do fitness or other activity to create beautiful body contours, then you probably already have a question about taking special sports nutrition. Protein is considered one of the most essential dietary supplements.
How much protein to take
The amount of protein you need to take depends on several things:
- what goal are you pursuing: gain muscle mass or lose weight;
- what is your current weight;
- how much protein do you get from your regular diet;
- what is the composition of the protein product.
If the goal is to lose weight, then your task is to provide your body with 1-1.5 grams of protein per 1 kg of body weight per day, if you plan to gain muscle mass or keep muscles while drying at least 1.5-2 grams. These rules are often challenged by some bodybuilders and trainers promoting their own methods, but most still stick to the indicated dosages.
In addition, you need to know the approximate content of your diet, that is, the nutritional value of the products consumed daily. To do this, you need to keep a special diary in which to record the total amount of food, its calorie content and the ratio of proteins, fats, carbohydrates. There are special websites and phone apps that make this task easier. Thus, by determining the actual protein intake from foods, you can calculate how many grams of protein powder you need.
The next point: there are no preparations with 100% protein content, usually they contain 70% protein, the rest is carbohydrates.
For example, with a weight of 65 kg and training three times a week to increase muscle mass, calculate 2 grams of protein per 1 kilogram of body weight, that is, 130 grams, of which 60 you get by eating daily high-protein foods. That is, the deficit is 70 grams. This means that your need for 70 percent protein powder is 100 grams per day, regardless of whether it is a workout or not.
Basic rules for admission
Having figured out the dosage, you should also consider when and how best to consume protein:
- divide the daily intake into several doses as you like, so that a single serving of protein (not powder in general!) is no more than 30 grams (this dosage is often questioned by different specialists, but this is an average medical indicator, for a beginner there is no the need to neglect it);
- do not dilute the powder with boiling water, from this the protein denatures (curdles), use juice, milk or water at room temperature;
- define one intake immediately after training, thus providing building material to the muscles;
- do not try to fill the entire daily protein intake with protein powder, it is necessary to diversify the diet with other products;
- If you are looking to lose weight, use a protein shake as a snack;
- take protein before the main meal if your goal is muscle growth;
- do not reduce the daily protein intake in order to save - you will not get the desired result.
