Let’s talk PROTEIN. I get asked a ton about caloric intake, and how many calories a person should eat per day.
While calories matter, it’s important that you’re tracking your protein intake, since protein is essential for building muscle, supporting metabolism, burning fat, and even improving the health of certain organs like the adrenal glands and the thyroid!
You NEED protein to be healthy. But how much protein do you need each day?
It really depends on you and your health goals!
If you just want to have general health and longevity and are a sedentary person, consuming about 50% of your body weight in grams of protein per day is a good amount. So if you weigh 160 pounds, you should have about 80 grams of protein per day.
If you’re trying to lose body fat, then you’ll need more protein. I’d suggest about .7-.8 grams of protein a day per pound of body weight. So if you weigh 160 pounds, you’re looking at about 120 grams of protein per day.
If you’re trying to build muscle, you’ll want to take in about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. So if you weigh 160 pounds, you’ll need about 160 grams of protein per day.
What are some of the best sources of protein? Grass-fed beef, free-range chicken and turkey, free-range eggs, and high-quality protein powder.
There are also vegan forms of protein, like nuts, beans, quinoa, and lentils. It may be harder to hit your protein numbers if you’re looking to build muscle or lose body fat as a vegan, but it’s possible. You’ll just have to be careful about forming complete proteins (animal proteins contain all essential amino acids your body needs while vegan proteins need to be combined (like eating beans and rice together)).
It’s important that you eat protein at ALL of your meals (and if you snack), since it will help you eat less overall (protein is super satiating) and your body can only utilize about 30 grams of protein at a time.
Studies have also shown that people who start the day with a protein rich breakfast (like eggs!) consumer 200 fewer calories a day than those who start with a carb-heavy breakfast, like cereal or a bagel.
An example of what I eat in a day/how I fit in my protein:
Breakfast: 3 eggs with 1/4 cup cheese and 1/2 an avocado | protein ~25
Snack: Shakeology with a scoop of protein powder | protein ~42
Lunch: Salad with chicken breast and olive oil | protein ~40
Snack: Walnuts with plain greek yogurt | ~28
Dinner: Roasted veggies with grass fed beef and ghee | protein ~ 31
or try out the calculation below. NOTE your BMR, otherwise known as your basal metabolic rate. This is how much food you need each day to function without doing ANYTHING. So it’s very important you don’t dip below this number!
Hiiiii! I’m Rachel. I lost 80 pounds after I had my son and now help other moms get their bodies back! I'm obsessed with: adventure, champagne, chocolate, peanut butter, and yoga pants.
Let’s talk PROTEIN. I get asked a ton about caloric intake, and how many calories a person should eat per day. 
