How much protein should you eat?
According to the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the number of calories that you consume every day should be made up of a balance of the 3 different types of macronutrients:
Between 10-35% of your daily calories need to come from Protein
Between 25-45% of your daily calories need to come from Carbohydrates
Between 15-35% of your daily calories need to come from Fats (preferably unsaturated fats)
If you are following the MyPlate model, your macronutrient balance should fit within these ranges.
However you may be struggling to achieve the balance between your macronutrients, and will therefore need to more closely monitor your intake.
Follow the steps below to calculate the amount of each macronutrient that you should be consuming per day.
Step 1: Calculate Your Calorie Intake Goal
Use a Calorie Calculator like the one on FreeDieting.com's website to calculate your Recommended Daily Calorie Intake. If you are looking to lose weight, you’ll want to use something between your the recommended Maintenance and Fat Loss Calories. If you’re bulking up or building muscle, you’ll want to get at least your recommended Maintenance calories (that is, if you have a healthy metabolism—more on that in another post).
Step 2: Calculate the Calorie Ranges for Each Macronutrient
Calculate how many of your Recommended Daily Calories (RDC) will need to come from proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Multiply your Recommended Daily Calories (RDC) by the ranges below:
Protein Range:
Low End Protein Calories = RDC x 0.10
High End Protein Calories = RDC x 0.35
Carbohydrate Range:
Low End Carbohydrates Calories = RDC x 0.25
High End Carbohydrates Calories = RDC x 0.45
Fats Range:
Low End Fats Calories = RDC x 0.15
High End Fats Calories = RDC x 0.35
Step 3: Calculate Grams per Macronutrient
Most food labels don’t list protein, fats, and carbohydrates in terms of the number of calories that they provide, but rather in the number of grams per macronutrient contained in the food. To figure out the number of grams for each Macronutrient that you’ll need to consume every day, follow the equations below using the numbers you calculated in Step 2.
Protein Range:
Low End Protein Grams = Low End Protein Calories ÷ 4
High End Protein Grams = High End Protein Calories ÷ 4
Carbohydrates Range:
Low End Carbohydrates Grams = Low End Carbohydrates Calories ÷ 4
High End Carbohydrates Grams = High End Carbohydrates Calories ÷ 4
Fats Range:
Low End Fats Grams = Low End Fats Calories ÷ 9
High End Fats Grams = High End Fats Calories ÷ 9
Note that Fat is much more calorie-dense than proteins and carbohydrates—one gram of fat has over twice the amount of calories that a single gram of either protein or carbohydrates have.
Also keep in mind that these numbers only apply given that you have a healthy metabolism. Before following any of these steps, you’ll need to first complete a Nutrition Snapshot to figure out what your current diet and the state of your metabolism look like right now. You may need to plan for a more gradual adjustment of your daily calorie intake over time so that you get the right responses from your body.
For example, if you’re trying to lose weight and have been consistently eating the Recommended Daily Calories for Fat Loss for six to eight weeks—and yet you’re not seeing the scale move or body fat percentage go down—it may be a sign that your metabolism is slow. Going into a further deficit may not be helpful for you at this stage.
Do the Nutrition Snapshot first before you make any changes to your eating patterns. That way you can create a targeted plan for getting your metabolism and diet where it needs to be.
About Jayd Harrison
Jayd Harrison is a personal trainer and content creator. She helps people to build muscle, burn fat, and clean up their diets with her online coaching programs and social media content. Check out some of Jayd’s coaching videos on Youtube, or join Jayd live on Twitch and follow on social media.
