hi all

i know this question has been already asked a million times, but i have read article after article after article, and no 1 seems to have a real answer. the question is, how much protien should a beginner take.

the general rule seems to be a max of 2g per kg of bodyweight, so if im 80kg x 2 = 160grams per day.

but i have just come across this beginners guide to bodybuilding -

http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/bodybuilding-supplements-guides/diet-and-nutrition-guide-1.htm

now if i follow this guys calculations then i should be eating 310grams or protein!!
thats about 4g per kg of bodyweight, surely thats insane and cant be right.

but the confusing part is some bodybuilders have told me that if i do consume that much then i'll see some real gains, and others have sadi that all the excess would be stored as fat, so bacially im fed up!

its stuff like this that puts a beginner off bodybuilding, no 1 has a straight answer to anything, maybe i'll just take up tennis, lol.

more like 160 > 200 i believe, not 310.

unless your ronnie coleman?

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There is no straight answer mate, everyone is different.

Get yourself into calorie excess and keep the balance right to start putting on weight, the tailor it when the gains slow down.

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You also need carbs to grow

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thanks guys, i got the figures here, this is going by wot the guy said on this link -

http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/bodybuilding-supplements-guides/diet-and-nutrition-guide-1.htm

im 80kg / 180Ibs

so to bulk up i need around 3100 cals a day
according to him it should be 40% protein 40% carbs 20% fat

that gives me -

310g protien!!!
310g carbs
68g fat

but i think i'll go with just under 200g for the protein, 310 sounds way over the top.

Forget figures mate. Protein with every meal, increase carbs if bulking.

Now with PM's enabled!

thanks for all the advice guys, i'll figure something out, wont be easy to consume huges amounts of protien since i dont eat meat, i do eat fish, milk and eggs, so i'll come up with something.

Gday and welcome to the board,

Dunno what you guys' think but shouldnt Protein in take be between 1.8 gm - 2.0 gm per kg of bodyweight?
Whats your current diet like? You'd probably be suprised at the amount of Protein you already eat anyway.
Post your diet up in the Diet and Nutrition section and get it looked at that would be a start.

Shane

just to prove a point, i've posted this exact same question on another uk bodybuilding forum and as you will see one forum has gone with protien intake should be around 2g per every kg of bodyweight and the other has gone with 2g per every pound of bodyweight, so 1 forum says around 160g and the other says up to 300+, can you see why a beginner like me is soooooo confused?

http://www.uk-muscle.co.uk/getting-started/26612-fed-up.html#post342153

the mistake you are making is assuming it is some kind of exact science with some kind of magical ratio.

People say different things because people are different. It's not like a maths problem where the answer is the same every time.

300+ gms a day Imo is way too much unless as said before your Ronnie Coleman lol I am 85kgs at the moment and I take in around 170gms of protein and I am seeing good gains.As far as supplements go they are a "supplement" you should be aiming to get your protein requirements from "real" food. I found when I first started all of the conflicting information from the millions and millions of "bodybuilding" sites will do your head in you will find yourself best served imo sticking to this one I have and it has been the most helpfull. Also for nutritional information check this site out http://www.mealplansite.com/default.aspx it is handled by a couple of guys from this site and it is an excellent resource. Anyway hope this helps and remember the more you read the more confused your gonna be.

Shane

thanks jamibr, ur right, i have read alot, maybe too much and my head is spinning, guess best way is to experiment, i'll give it ago and see what happens, cant do moe then that, like u i have been eating about 160g of protien and hav been make steady gains, might up it to 200g just to see what happens, if i start to get fat then i'll back it down again, guess everyone has to find out 4 themselves.

thanks for al the help guys.

p.s. if you get an upset stomache and the runs, is that a sign of taking too much protien? coz i get it on some days.

Can't say I have had the runs. But I did experience a bit of bloating when I first upped my protein intake but I found increasing my fibre intake helped with that. The only main side effect I have now from the protein is flatulence but I don't think that ever goes lol

Shane

FWIW mate, I'm a beginner, been going for 2 1/2 months now, my intake is around 150g protein per day and I weigh 75kg. I'm seeing real gains in size and strength so must be doing something right