Question # 10 – How much protein should I eat if I’m active 4 days a week and am trying to lose weight? Donna, a See Results client in Ontario
Protein builds up, maintains, and replaces the tissues in your body. Your muscles, your organs, and your immune system are made up mostly of protein. It is the building blocks of our bodies and can assist with weight loss.
If you're mildly active (you exercise three times a week for 30-60 minutes), you probably don't need more than the RDA -- 0.4 grams per pound of ideal body weight, calculate your daily protein needs in grams, multiply your weight by 0.4. (For a 145-pound woman, that's 58 grams, or 12-15 percent of total daily calories.)
If you're moderately active (you exercise four to six days a week for 30-60 minutes), you may need slightly more -- from 0.6-0.7 grams. (That's 87-101.5 grams, or about 20 percent of total daily calories, for a 145-pound woman.) I’d put you in the moderately active category.
If you're highly active (you exercise daily for an hour or more) you may need even more protein than that -- from 0.9-1 gram. (For a 145-pound woman, that's 130.5-145 grams, or about 30 percent of total daily calories.)
Meal Plan protein equivalents
Breakfast:
1 scoop of Protein Powder (Shake) = 25g
2 eggs =12.5g
2 TBSP nut butter = 6-8 g
1 cup low fat cottage cheese = 28 g
1 cup Greek yogurt = 20 g
1 cup fat free yogurt = 11 g
Lunch:
3.5oz chicken =24.5g
½ can tuna =25g
Supper:
Beef (lean cut) =25g
Salmon =20g
Tofu =10g (1/2cup)
Beans (depending on type)
=10 – 20g
I highly encourage you to include vegetarian sources of protein in your diet. Beans can easily be added to soups, salads or stir fry’s. Add even more protein to your diet by snacking on nuts, seeds, dairy products and alternatives.
Here are some of my favorite high protein recipes
Orange Beef and Greens
Herb Rubbed Salmon
Vegetarian Chili