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There are several bodybuilding websites that promote eating a gram or more of protein per pound of body weight. While a statement like "you need one gram of protein per pound of body weight" is easily remembered and promoted, there’s no simple one-size-fits-all protein recommendation that will cover all cases. The most accurate protein recommendation is set based on lean body mass (LBM) rather than total body weight, and also takes many other factors into account such as goal and whether you’re in a calorie surplus or a deficit, age, level of activity, and whether you’re a vegan or a person who eats animal products.

While your protein recommendation may seem low in comparison to the one-size-fits-all recommendations you may have seen promoted online, know that Avatar Nutrition is based in science and takes every factor into account when setting your protein target. 

Consider the following factors to determine why your protein need may not be as high as you initially anticipated:

• Lean Body Mass

  • The less muscle and lean body mass you have, the lower your protein requirements will be. Those with a higher body fat percentage will tend to have less lean mass compared to total body weight, driving protein needs down.

• Goal

  • If your goal is to build muscle or reverse diet, you’ll be in calorie surplus and will need less protein. Since your body will have ample calories to draw from, you’ll be at a lower risk of losing muscle and will need less protein to prevent muscle loss and promote building and remodeling. 

  • If your goal is to lose body fat, you’ll be in a calorie deficit and will need more protein to preserve muscle. In an energy shortage, your body may attempt to harvest extra calories from protein-rich muscle, so you’ll need more protein to offset this.

• Age

  • Young people generally need less protein than older people. At about the age of 40, your body will start to become resistant to the anabolic stimulus normally triggered by eating protein. To create this same muscle building stimulus, you’ll need to eat more protein as you age.

• Activity Level

  • The less active you are, the lower your need for protein since you won’t have the same requirements to help you build, remodel, and repair muscle.

• Vegan Status:

  • If you’re restricted to only eating plant-based protein, you’ll need more total protein to make up for its lower bioavailability and quality. Animal-based protein is more bioavailable and higher in the amino acid leucine than plant sources, increasing the total protein need for vegans.

Although your current protein recommendations are appropriate based on your goal and unique situation, you may choose to increase your protein intake if you’d like by accessing the Protein Boost in Diet Settings. 

Although increasing your protein will not give you any greater benefit for muscle building and preservation, you may find that it is helpful for suppressing hunger, increasing the thermic effect of food, or just sticking to your macros because you like the taste of protein and prefer to eat more of it.