Protein every day: per meal, at the store, at dinner and for building muscle

Daily protein comes down to simple choices: how much to put in each meal, what to buy, what to eat on busy nights and how much to eat when the goal is building muscle. This guide brings together what studies show and turns it into tables for your weight.

How much protein per meal for your weight

For people doing strength training who want to build muscle, a review suggests 0.4 g to 0.55 g of protein per kilogram of body weight at each meal, across at least 4 meals, adding up to 1.6 g to 2.2 g per kilogram per day [1]. The authors themselves say more research is needed to set a per-meal limit.

Going beyond 30 g is not wasted. In 36 young men who trained and took 25 g or 100 g of milk protein, the larger dose increased muscle protein production by about 20% in the first 4 hours and about 40% between 4 and 12 hours, and only a small part was used as energy [2]. The study followed one workout and one dose, without women or solid food: it does not say that one huge meal works as well as several.

These each add up to about 30 g: 100 g of grilled chicken breast; 115 g of canned tuna; 190 g of canned sardines; or 100 g of boiled egg with 350 g of cooked pinto beans. The math is ours, using food composition tables.

Protein at the store without weighing

An analysis of 49 studies with 1,863 people doing strength training found lean mass gains leveling off around 1.62 g of protein per kilogram per day, counting food and supplements, with a range of 1.03 g to 2.2 g [3]. For 70 kg, that is about 113 g per day, a reference for strength training, not a target for everyone.

When the total is right, the source matters less than it seems. In Brazil, 38 young men eating about 1.6 g per kilogram per day, from plants only or a mixed diet, had similar strength and muscle gains over 12 weeks [4]. A review found a small advantage for animal protein in lean mass among adults under 50 [5].

• Choose a source for each meal: eggs, tuna, sardines, chicken, beans or lentils.
• Compare prices on the day: the best swap changes with them.
• Add up your day once to see where you stand.

8 dinners in 10 minutes or less, with protein and fiber

A shake covers protein, but dinner usually brings more than that. A lower risk of several diseases was associated with 25 g to 29 g of fiber per day, in a series of reviews [6], and chewing matters too: in 10 men, solid chicken left less hunger than the same chicken blended with water [7], although in another study whey as a drink or a gel made no difference [8]. Whey protein works; after training, trained adults had a similar muscle response with various protein-rich foods [9].

Beans, lentils, rice, broccoli and chicken already cooked, from the fridge or freezer, make 10 minutes realistic. When you cook beans or lentils, set aside 2 portions in containers.

How much to gain per week to build muscle

Eating much more does not speed up muscle gain. In an 8-week study, groups targeting 5% and 15% extra calories ended up gaining the same average weight, 3.3 kg, and the authors cautiously suggest gaining 0.25% to 0.5% of body weight per week, closer to the lower end the longer you have trained [10]. The study is small, with 17 people at the end.

• Weigh yourself in the morning, after using the bathroom and before eating, 3 to 7 times a week, and take the average.
• Gained more than the table for 2 weeks: cut back a little on one meal’s portion.
• No gain for 2 or 3 weeks and your training loads stalled: add a little food, such as a piece of fruit or more rice.

As a starting point, a review suggests 1,500 to 2,000 kJ extra per day, about 360 to 480 kcal by our math, a value that has never been validated in trained people [11].

Building muscle and losing fat at the same time

Both can happen together, but not by chance. In young men doing 4 weeks of strength and sprint training 6 days a week with a calorie cut, the group eating 2.4 g of protein per kilogram gained lean mass and the 1.2 g group did not [12]. In women with 16 weeks of daily exercise and dairy, lean mass also rose [13], and in trained people, 3.4 g per kilogram with a heavy new program reduced fat [14]. Across studies, however, a cut of about 500 kcal per day prevented lean mass gains on average [15].

Start with a small calorie cut, choose a strength program that fits your week and increase the load gradually. Since your weight may barely change, track each week your average weight, waist measurement, load on your main lift and average daily protein, and look at the trend after at least 4 weeks. Lean mass includes muscle and water; the studies are short and the results are averages.

How CatLena uses it

On the Nutrition screen, the day’s protein appears with its target and how much is left. In the example below, the person had eaten 84 g of a 155 g target, with 71 g to go, about 2 meals with the amounts in the first table. Fiber appears just below, at 24 g of 43 g.

When to see a professional