How much protein should I be eating daily on a low carb diet?

[callyandy]

I've finally been caught, and in August I was diagnosed with type 2 (HBA1C 5)3. I've gone back on low carb, with my daily gluscose readings showing some positive change. I'm averaging about 70g of carbs a day (I record on "Chronometer"). I'm trying to understand how much protein I should be eating.... I've seen some formulas (BHF recommend 0.75g of protein per kg of body weight). and I wondered if anyone had anything to add? Thanks C

 

[lovinglife]

I’ve never counted my protein or other macros, the only thing I count is my carbs, (and sometimes calories but that’s a different story) as long as you are feeling satisfied and full enough for long enough after meals then I wouldn’t worry about how much your having. If your happy with your BG numbers then it looks like you are doing fine

 

[callyandy]

I’ve never counted my protein or other macros, the only thing I count is my carbs, (and sometimes calories but that’s a different story) as long as you are feeling satisfied and full enough for long enough after meals then I wouldn’t worry about how much your having. If your happy with your BG numbers then it looks like you are doing fine

Thank you

 

[Omar51]

I’ve never counted my protein or other macros, the only thing I count is my carbs, (and sometimes calories but that’s a different story) as long as you are feeling satisfied and full enough for long enough after meals then I wouldn’t worry about how much your having. If your happy with your BG numbers then it looks like you are doing fine

I have never counted my carbs, calories or protein. I do a lot of testing and keep track and records. I am happy with my BG numbers. I don’t take any medicine.
-Omar

 

[lovinglife]

I have never counted my carbs, calories or protein. I do a lot of testing and keep track and records. I am happy with my BG numbers. I don’t take any medicine.
-Omar

We all have to do things differently, if I didn’t count carbs then I would be back on meds pretty quickly, I was on maximum Gliclizide and worked my way off it gradually with the support of my GP. I know by doing lots of testing just like yourself how many carbs I can tolerate per meal.

Do I miss carbs, you bet ya but I’d miss my health more

 

[AloeSvea]

Like everything to do with metabolism - how much protein is right for you and your life is very individual, within our being-human parameters .

Protein is key for all the 'building block' growth stuff of our cells. My understanding if you weren't getting enough protein in your diet you would hunger for it. If you know folks who build muscle, or need muscle for sports, their working life, or lifting etc needs, you will know that how much protein they need and get is a big deal. Protein is really important for strength, and, of course, we get all our protein needs met via food - whatever the food is, again, is a very individual thing.

I'd go with how much protein you like, and can afford!

 

[callyandy]

Quote deleted by mods to remove AI generated content

Thank you, a lot of information, which I will try to apply. Seems (as always) one size doesn't fit all. I'm loosing weight (as needed) and doing more (not much) excercise than pre-diagnosis, so need to find a happy protein medium. Agin, thanks for the info. Work to do

 

[Paul_]

Thank you, a lot of information, which I will try to apply. Seems (as always) one size doesn't fit all. I'm loosing weight (as needed) and doing more (not much) excercise than pre-diagnosis, so need to find a happy protein medium. Agin, thanks for the info. Work to do

Protein can be difficult to calculate, several suggested ways to do it, but no guarantee any of them will be correct or suit your needs. The main three approaches I've seen used from internet research are:

1) The BHF heart health diet approach you said of 0.75g protein per KG of actual body weight. Not sure on the rationale or evidence for this, haven't looked into it.

2) Kidney health advice sometimes states 0.32g of protein per lb of actual body weight. However, I haven't found any evidence that higher intakes affect kidney health unless you're in final stage kidney disease (not a doctor though, so take that comment accordingly).

3) General advice ranges anywhere from 0.8g to 2g of protein per KG of ideal body weight. As for where in that range of intake you need to hit depends on your goals, metabolism and many other factors. Traditional thinking is that maintaining current muscle and allowing tissue repair etc needs 0.8g - 1g, body building needs 2g+, regular building muscle can need anywhere in-between. However, as usual with these things, there are a million different theories on whether those ranges are correct, or what level within that range people should use.

I (probably needlessly) obsessed about this for a short while after my diagnosis, when designing my new diet. I don't know which of the above approaches is correct, but all I do know is that I'm trying to lose weight and protein helps to keep me full. I have a lot of weight to lose, but want to minimise muscle mass loss, because when losing weight a number of studies have shown that people can lose 30% or more of their lean muscle mass. I want to lose more fat than muscle, so I eventually decided to just go with 1g of protein per KG of ideal body weight as a target. In reality, although it's tracked because I use an app, I don't really worry about it other than to try and eat my target as a minimum. Seems to be working so far, I'm not hungry very often between meals, and my smart scales show I'm losing more fat than muscle, so I've settled for my approach and called it a day.

 

[callyandy]

Protein can be difficult to calculate, several suggested ways to do it, but no guarantee any of them will be correct or suit your needs. The main three approaches I've seen used from internet research are:

1) The BHF heart health diet approach you said of 0.75g protein per KG of actual body weight. Not sure on the rationale or evidence for this, haven't looked into it.

2) Kidney health advice sometimes states 0.32g of protein per lb of actual body weight. However, I haven't found any evidence that higher intakes affect kidney health unless you're in final stage kidney disease (not a doctor though, so take that comment accordingly).

3) General advice ranges anywhere from 0.8g to 2g of protein per KG of ideal body weight. As for where in that range of intake you need to hit depends on your goals, metabolism and many other factors. Traditional thinking is that maintaining current muscle and allowing tissue repair etc needs 0.8g - 1g, body building needs 2g+, regular building muscle can need anywhere in-between. However, as usual with these things, there are a million different theories on whether those ranges are correct, or what level within that range people should use.

I (probably needlessly) obsessed about this for a short while after my diagnosis, when designing my new diet. I don't know which of the above approaches is correct, but all I do know is that I'm trying to lose weight and protein helps to keep me full. I have a lot of weight to lose, but want to minimise muscle mass loss, because when losing weight a number of studies have shown that people can lose 30% or more of their lean muscle mass. I want to lose more fat than muscle, so I eventually decided to just go with 1g of protein per KG of ideal body weight as a target. In reality, although it's tracked because I use an app, I don't really worry about it other than to try and eat my target as a minimum. Seems to be working so far, I'm not hungry very often between meals, and my smart scales show I'm losing more fat than muscle, so I've settled for my approach and called it a day.

Thank you for sharing. It's the loosing muscle while loosing wieght I'm worried about too. I'm 56, and I know it's harder to build muscle when we age. My husband is 65 and on the same low cab diet (he's not got a lot of choice.. it's what I do ) so I'm conscious of keeping his protein up too.

I think I'm going to follow your lead and stick to about 1g per kg. If I can understand my smart scales... they should help me keep track of fat vs muscle... wish me luck please (on understanding the scales, if nothing else...

 

[Paul_]

Thank you for sharing. It's the loosing muscle while loosing wieght I'm worried about too. I'm 56, and I know it's harder to build muscle when we age. My husband is 65 and on the same low cab diet (he's not got a lot of choice.. it's what I do ) so I'm conscious of keeping his protein up too.

I think I'm going to follow your lead and stick to about 1g per kg. If I can understand my smart scales... they should help me keep track of fat vs muscle... wish me luck please (on understanding the scales, if nothing else...

I do the shopping and most of the cooking in my house, so my family haven't had much choice on some of this either!

For the 65+ age bracket, 1g to 1.2g of protein is often recommended by many resources. For you, 0.75g to 1g is the range I've seen most often if you're not trying to bulk up muscle (same as mine, I'm 43 and male). Obviously I'm not a doctor or dietician, but like you I just reached a point of not really knowing what to believe and you've got to start somewhere.....and 1g kept the maths nice and easy!