Protein

[AndrewWiggin]

Alright, so I've been on the Stronglifts 5x5 for about a week, and I'm supposed to be eating around 200 grams of protein a day.

First, how important is it that I eat around 200 grams (1 gram per pound)?

Second, if anyone else is doing this, how do you get your protein per day?

Third, I thought a good way to get some of the protein would be making shakes/smoothies with protein. Does anyone have suggestions on what I should add (such as whey, creatine, etc)?

[Monkeydad]

1 gram per pound is optimal from what I've found...for building muscle.

I currently drink shakes with "UP YOUR MASS" which seems to be the best bang for your buck as far as protein content is concerned.

I add in peanut butter, oats (from food processor)...anything that has protein in it. Also, use milk if you're looking to put on mass. I also put a small scoop of creatine in it.

Also, eat a lot of meat and lift heavy.


Food is your best source of protein, but supps can help you will in the remainder of your protein intake goals that can be tough to maintain with food alone.

[Go West Young Man]

These systems can get overly complicated for beginners - at your stage of development I don't think it's crucial for you to measure everything down to the gram. Bodybuilders and serious lifters need to work at that level of detail, you really only need to make sure your overall diet conforms to the general principles of the plan.

[HesNot]

The stronglifts 5x5 is a good program and I used it for a few months - have gone to A/B splits for awhile just to mix things up but will likely go back to it.

I don't recall Mehdi's exact suggestion but there is some debate regarding if it is 1g per pound of body weight or 1g per pound of lean body weight. I tend to go for 1g/lb lean body weight.

Getting enough can be a challenge and I do use whey shakes to supplement whole foods. Whole foods are the best but there is just so much chicken I can eat in a day and with work, etc.. the whey protein is an 80/20 convenience thing. I use Pure Protein frosty chocolate because it tastes decent and I don't think there is a huge difference between many of the whey proteins. I do not do meal replacements as I like to add a piece of fruit with the protein shake rather than just a shake - but that is just me (I try to have veggies and fruit with all my meals).

The other way to help is to split your meals up to 5-6 small meals a day - this helps your metabolism and makes it easier for me at least to get enough protein.

I also keep some cans of white meat chicken in my desk for times when I'm coming up a bit short. Cans of albacore tuna or salmon are also good to have around. I've switched to greek yogurt and add that in to get another good dose of protein. The staples remain chicken and turkey breast, salmon and other quality fish, beef, eggs and cottage cheese. I found it helped to cook extra of whatever so I have lunches ready - cook 4 chicken breasts instead of two so you'll have leftovers, ditto for all of them really.

[kwk285]

I make a protein shake every morning. There are many brands out there. I like the taste of Myoplex.

I keep peanuts in my car. I am a sales rep. I like to keep healthy snacks in my car that will help keep me out of convenience stores.

As was already mentioned, eat 5 or six meals a day.

[bballboy]

yeah, i've also followed the one gram per pound for building muscle. I believe it works well, though I've been slacking recently.

[SUNA]

1 gram per pound is optimal from what I've found...for building muscle.

I currently drink shakes with "UP YOUR MASS" which seems to be the best bang for your buck as far as protein content is concerned.

I add in peanut butter, oats (from food processor)...anything that has protein in it. Also, use milk if you're looking to put on mass. I also put a small scoop of creatine in it.

Also, eat a lot of meat and lift heavy.


Food is your best source of protein, but supps can help you will in the remainder of your protein intake goals that can be tough to maintain with food alone.

Agreed food protein is your best solution. Timing of protein, carbs, and fats is the most important thing for lean growth. Not only that but certain types of protein are better than others for post workout and pre bed. Let's not even get into the meal that comes post workout and post protein shake.

Sorry for the critique...but peanut butter contains more sugar than anything, becareful which oats you use as quick oats have a high GI, lastly dairy is one of the last things you want if you're looking for lean muscle.