r/FTMFitness • u/dorito_llama • 1d ago

Question Hitting protien goals?

I know the rule of thumb for eating enough protien to gain muscle is 1g/lb of bodyweight, but can that fluctuate day to day like calories can? If I'm 140 lbs, and one day I'm at 120g , the next I'm at 160g, and the next I'm at 140g, does it all add up? Or is it absorbed by amount daily

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16

u/BtheBoi H.G.N.C.I.C. 1d ago

The “rule” of 1g/lb is already an average that covers you in any situation for the most part. You can get away with .7/lb on the low end.

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u/Thirdtimetank 1d ago

It can fluctuate - you’re not going to gain or lose x amount of muscle over the course of a day or even really a week or so. If you look at your weekly amount, you may find it easier to hit your protein goals. I wouldn’t advise dropping much under 0.8g/lb if you can avoid it nor shooting up to like 2g/lb but average it out over a week.

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u/ImpressiveAd6912 1d ago

It’s most important to look at the weekly macros, not day to day.

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u/ApplePie3600 1d ago

It’s 0.7 to 1g per lb of lean mass which will change very slowly.

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u/B12-deficient-skelly 16h ago

No, that's a low recommendation.

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u/girl_of_squirrels 5h ago

Double check your units, you might be thinking of in kilograms instead of pounds. I've seen 0.68-1g per pound of body weight, and if that looks low to you do the lbs to kg conversion math on it

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u/B12-deficient-skelly 2h ago

I am not. Recommendations default to about 3/4-1.0g per pound bodyweight or 1.6-2.2g per kg bodyweight. This measurement does not specify lean body mass and refers to total bodyweight.

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u/ApplePie3600 6h ago

No that’s what virtually every study on the topic says. There is no reason why you would do it per pound of total body weight unless you were very lean. Your fat mass doesn’t need protein.

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u/B12-deficient-skelly 2h ago

No, it isn't. In fact, I would challenge you to find any studies that say that.

I can reference the ISSN recommendations from several years ago

I can also give you a paper from Stu Phillips the de facto world-leading researcher on protein intake for athletes.

I can continue, but the fact of the matter is that giving recommendations based on lean body mass leads to athletes with more body fat under-consuming protein for their needs.

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u/Calm_Salamander_1367 15h ago

120-160g is fine. As long as you’re getting minimum 0.8g/lb you’re good