Accepted answer
118 to 163 g a day. The range the resistance-training literature supports is 1.6 to 2.2 g per kilogram, which at 74 kg is 118–163 g. At 4 kcal per gram that is 474–651 kcal, or 34–47 per cent of a 1,400 intake — which is why protein has to be planned first at this energy level rather than fitted in afterwards. Split it across three or four servings; roughly 0.4 g/kg per meal saturates the synthetic response and the surplus in one large serving does not carry over.
Start with which body weight the target is calculated from, because using total weight in someone with substantial adiposity inflates the number without benefit.
Per meal, roughly 0.4 grams per kilogram saturates the synthetic response in most adults, which is about 30 to 40 grams for a typical person. Beyond that the surplus is oxidised or used for other purposes rather than adding to synthesis.
Protein target arithmetic
| Body mass | 1.2 g/kg | 1.6 g/kg | 2.0 g/kg | Per meal at 1.6 (÷3) |
|---|
| 62 kg | 74 g | 99 g | 124 g | 33 g |
| 74 kg | 89 g | 118 g | 148 g | 39 g |
| 88 kg | 106 g | 141 g | 176 g | 47 g |
| 103 kg | 124 g | 165 g | 206 g | 55 g |
| 124 kg | 149 g | 198 g | 248 g | 66 g |
At roughly 4 kcal per gram, 141 g of protein is about 564 kcal — a substantial fraction of a 900 kcal budget, which is the real constraint.
Mechanically, older adults need more per meal to overcome anabolic resistance, with 1.2 to 1.5 g/kg daily commonly quoted for maintenance and more in a deficit.
Stable-isotope feeding studies establish the per-meal saturation of muscle protein synthesis at around 0.4 g/kg in young adults and higher in older ones.
Research-use compounds are not approved for human use, and no supplement substitutes for total intake.
Plan protein first in the day; with suppressed appetite it will not happen otherwise.
5Any published number for how long the counter-regulatory response persists? – tamsin_wray 27 days ago 6The glycogen-water point explains a fortnight of confusion I had two years ago. – Dr_Fatima_Belkacem 3 months ago add a comment