How to Calculate your Daily Protein Intake
The post you’ve all been waiting for is here! The last nutrition-based article we published was all about protein. As promised, how to calculate your daily intake goal is outlined below.
How much varies from person to person and largely depends on one’s activity level. Someone on the sedentary end doesn’t need nearly as much as someone who does strength training. One’s goals influences the amount as well.
For an individual wishing to build muscle, protein is vital. The more someone works out, the more glycogen they’re using and the more tears in their muscles they’re creating. You must eat an adequate amount of protein to refuel and rebuild your muscles.
How Much Protein Should You Have Daily?
There’s some math involved, but we promise to walk you through it.
You must first convert your weight from pounds to kilograms. This can be done one of two ways. Either using a converter online or dividing the pound's value by 2.205. So, if you weigh 125 pounds, you would divide 125 by 2.205 to get 56.7 kilograms.
Then, determine the multiplier (how many grams of protein per kilogram of body weight).
The multiplier depends on your activity level.
The scale is:
Sedentary: 0.8-0.9g protein
Physically active: 1.0-1.2g protein
Moderate intensity (3-4 days a week): 1.1-1.3g protein
Endurance high intensity: 1.3-1.5g protein
Strength training (≥ 4 days a week): 1.6-2.2g protein
Someone who works out at a moderate intensity would use 1.1-1.3 as their multiplier.
Now, use your weight in kilograms and the multiplier to calculate how many grams of protein.
The formula for determining your daily protein intake:
Weight in kg x protein multiplier = daily intake goal
The equation filled out would look like:
56.7 x 1.1 = 62.4 g/day
Slowly start to incorporate more sources of protein into your diet. This will ensure it’s manageable for you. Jumping head first and trying to hit your goal when you’ve only been consuming half, may be difficult
It’s all about setting yourself up for success. Meet yourself where you are currently and develop a plan to eat more. Whether that’s at each meal, adding protein-rich snacks or trying a supplement.
Continue to add more sources of protein until you hit and maintain your daily intake goal.
Consuming the proper amount of protein is another way to take your training and health to the next level. You’ll be amazed at how you feel when properly fueling your body. Big changes will happen.