Sunday, August 9, 2026
Protein
You may be saying that nobody needs a protein supplement. To that I will say you are correct. Sort of. It is 100% true that you can get enough protein in your daily diet by eating real foods. However, it can be easier said than done. Especially if you are a larger person. The target for protein is somewhere between 1 gram per pound of lean body weight and goal body weight. An argument can be made for using either number. I lean towards goal weight but I won't fight you over it. If you have never had your body composition measured, you won't know your exact lean body weight. To make it simple just shoot for .8 to 1g of your goal weight for your protein needs.
The best sources of protein come from animal products. Beef, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy etc. are easily digested by the body and are what we call complete proteins. Meaning that they contain all nine essential amino acids that our body can't make on it's own. If you do not eat animal products, then soy, quinoa and buckwheat are also complete proteins. You can also combine sources like beans and rice to fill the gaps. I am not an expert on vegan/vegetarian diets. They absolutely have their strengths and short falls.
For a reference, I am 6'8" and 223 pounds. My goal is to drop a little more fat while adding muscle. For this, I try to get 225 grams of protein each day. First, it gives me the building blocks by body needs for muscle protein synthesis. Second, protein helps keep blood sugar/insulin under control and keeps you feeling full longer. To get 225 grams per day, I need to average about 50 grams per meal and get two snacks daily that are about 40 grams each. That is not always easy to do with whole foods. It takes about 6 ounces of meat, poultry or fish to get 50 grams. It takes 7-8 whole eggs to hit the same number. For that reason, I use a whey protein powder daily. I do one scoop in the morning mixed with my Greek Yogurt and one in my afternoon shake. I also try to get in a protein snack daily as well. Usually a bar or some peanut butter on rice cakes. Below is a typical day for me. These numbers are based on my needs. This gets me to about 240 grams each day.
Breakfast: 50g
1 Cup Greek yogurt
1 Scoop vanilla whey protein powder
1 T Psyllium husk powder
1/2 Cup mixed berries
Lunch: 100g
8 oz (precooked) 93/7 lean ground beef
1 cup Jasmine rice
2 Cheese sticks
1 serving of Ratio Protein yogurt
Afternoon Snack: 20g
FitCrunch Bar
Post Workout Shake: 24g
Dinner: 45g
6 oz Chicken breast
Spring mix salad
2 Tbs. Dressing
As far as sources for supplements, I recommend whey. It is readily available and higher in leucine, the amino acid our body needs for muscle synthesis than other types. It is believed that we need at least 2.5 grams of leucine to trigger that synthesis. Soy, pea, hemp and rice all fall below that threshold. One of the hot proteins today is collagen because of the role it plays in skin and joint health. However, it is not a complete protein and is not ideal for muscle building and repair. This is why lean ground beef is my top pick for an all around source. It has the leucine you need, along with a decent amount of collagen.
No matter what your goal is, your protein number stays about the same. If you want to lose weight, you aim for .8-1g/lb of goal weight and simply lower the carbs and fats you are eating. If you want to gain weight, keep protein the same and bump your fats and carbs. Ultimately protein should make up 35-40% of your daily caloric intake.
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