Low protein and strength/size gains

[SoupNaziNazi]

I just wanted to make a post saying that it's not necessary to take in 1g per pound of body weight to get bigger or make strength gains. In high school about 4-6 years ago I was taking in 8-12 25g scoops a day alongside multiple meals a day. I could afford it then because i got a 10 pound bag with like 130 something servings for 35 bucks. I haven't looked at that brand recently but when I stopped buying that specific one it was around 55+ dollars. I made awesome gains in both size and strength from taking in all that protein. But due to growing up and getting more bills alongside college and a girlfriend paired with protein prices going way up I can now only afford 4 scoops a day alongside maybe 2-3 solid meals depending on the day. I weigh 200+ mind u so by the gram per pound I should be taking in 200+ a day but I'm only getting somewhere between 115-160g tops. However I've gained weight and now weight 214 and I just hit 415 on flat today after being stuck at 365-385 for 2-3 years. I've read somewhere that the longer u train the less protein u need because ur nearing ur genetic limit and all this other stuff. There's a good article on bayesianbodybuidling dot com that talks about it in more detail. I just wanted to say that this forced experiment has turned out well and even tho everybody is different it is very well possible to get bigger and stronger on a low protein diet. I will say this tho as soon as I get a career after college I will be going back to high protein. I just have more peace at mind that way. Probably cause it was drilled into me that u need 1g per pound of bodyweight. Anyways just wanted to put this out there for anyone who might give a flying poo

 

[HomeWorkouts]

Thanks for sharing the info. I definitely agree that one gram per pound of bodyweight is not necessary for results. To me, it seems like somewhere between 0.6 and 0.8 grams per pound of bodyweight is a good place to shoot for. It seems like when I'm getting 1 gram or more, my body just gets rid of the excess.

 

[money0351]

Thanks for sharing the info. I definitely agree that one gram per pound of bodyweight is not necessary for results. To me, it seems like somewhere between 0.6 and 0.8 grams per pound of bodyweight is a good place to shoot for. It seems like when I'm getting 1 gram or more, my body just gets rid of the excess.

just curious to hear how your body gets rid of the excess protein?

 

[JackBox]

Probably also depends on how much protein a person gets from supplements/powders vs. whole foods. I try to get most from real food and still supp with about .5 g/lbs. of bodyweight with good results. However, if you want to take it to the next level, i'm pretty adamant that higher protein intake is necessary.

 

[hooah47]

I always went with 1-1.5g per pound of lean bw.. it's always seemed to be the sweet spot for me.

 

[genthoseffect]

When high protein intake get very important is when dieting hard. When at a caloric deficit, high protein is extremely important for it's muscle sparing effects as well as supporting metabolism. When eating to gain, much less protein is needed for sure

 

[LeanEngineer]

Usually when im cutting and decrease carbs is when i may increase my protein to make up for the carbs im not eatting. A lot of people dont know that carbs arent needed for the body. Protein and fats are needed. Your body has to work harder to convert protein into energy so when cutting this is good. But my cutting season is short. haha. i like my carbs.

 

[HomeWorkouts]

Sure, when I was consuming high amounts of protein, my urine had a unique scent.