THE POWER OF PROTEIN
Not a single client of mine was consuming adequate protein before working with me, but MOST of them thought they were! I was once guilty too! But learning how to properly fuel my body for performance dramatically improved my performance and overall health for the better. It’s hard to look, feel, and perform your best without the right building blocks. It’s like trying to build a house out of Styrofoam… sure you could build one, but it wouldn’t be very strong and it wouldn’t hold up long.
So, what should you be eating to fuel your body properly?
Step 1: get enough calories. Under-fueling is always detrimental to both health and performance.
Step 2: structure those calories in a way that promotes health and performance. Today we will focus on just one of the three macronutrients, protein (fat and carbs are the other two).
The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8g per kg of body weight—but this is merely the minimum required to prevent disease, not the amount needed to help you look, feel, and perform your best. Aim for close to 1 gram of protein per pound of target body weight instead (ideally between 0.8-1.2g per pound). What is ‘target’ body weight? Target is your healthy weight, which may be higher or lower than where you currently sit. ‘Target’ should be determined with overall mental and physical health in mind.
Examples of “target” body weight: If you currently weigh 150 pounds but need to lose 10 pounds to be your best you, your target weight would be 140 pounds. Conversely, if you’re trying to gain 10 pounds, your target weight would be 160 pounds.
If 140 pounds is your target weight, you should aim for approximately 140-160 grams of protein per day.
What does 140g protein look like on your plate?
Here’s an example:
Breakfast: 2/3 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt + 1/2 cup cottage cheese with 1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder, berries and a banana
Lunch: 6oz chicken breast on a warm salad with quinoa, avocado, and dressing of choice
Dinner: 7oz Wild Salmon with rice and asparagus for dinner
Snack: Protein bar, OR protein shake, OR tuna and crackers OR 2 Hard boiled eggs and string cheese
This all can certainly feel a bit overwhelming at first, but all of my past clients have been shocked how little protein they were actually eating before coaching and pleasantly surprised how much better they felt; stronger, more energy, and less hungry, when they got their protein sorted out!
If you’ve never tracked your protein, this is a great place to start. Spending 3-5 days accurately tracking your food to help you to get a realistic picture of what you’re consuming. Yes, this means meticulously weighing and measuring all your food for a few days but you’ll likely be surprised what you learn, and knowledge gives you power to make change.
If you’re still feeling a bit overwhelmed, book a free coaching session to chat about your goals, your struggles, and how working 1-on-1 with a coach can help you personalize a plan of action to achieve the life you want!
