What you need to do
Hit your per-meal protein number at every meal, three or four times a day, for a week. Your number is on your plan; if you have not set one, find it here. Put the protein on the plate first and eat it first.
Options that work
- Palm-size piece of chicken, fish, beef or pork: 30 to 40 g
- A cup of Greek yogurt or cottage cheese: 20 to 25 g
- Two eggs plus a cup of milk: 21 g
- A can of tuna or salmon: 25 to 30 g
- Firm tofu (6 oz) plus a cup of lentils: 33 to 36 g
- A scoop of whey or a blended plant powder in milk: 28 to 33 g
Tip for success
Cook protein twice, eat it four times. Grill two extra chicken breasts, boil six eggs, open the big tub of yogurt. The meal you did not plan is the one that comes up short.
Part of the fundamental Protein first.
Why this works
Across 49 trials of adults who lift, extra protein added muscle and strength, and the benefit levelled off near 1.6 grams per kilogram, about 0.7 grams per pound [1]. Per meal, older adults need a bigger dose to fully switch on muscle building [7], and 40 grams after a workout built more than 20, so the old '30 gram limit' is a myth [9]. Timing around the workout does not matter in older women who lift; the day's total does [32].
Sources
- Morton 2018, Br J Sports Med. 49 trials, 1,863 adults who lift. Extra protein added muscle and strength, and the gain levelled off at about 1.6 g per kg of body weight a day (the confidence interval ran to 2.2). The benefit was smaller with age.
- Moore 2015, J Gerontol A. Older adults need about 0.40 g/kg of protein at a meal to fully switch on muscle building, versus 0.24 in the young. That is the reason for a 25 to 40 g floor per meal.
- Macnaughton 2016, Physiol Rep. After a full-body lifting session, 40 g of protein built more muscle than 20 g. The idea that the body cannot use more than 30 g at a sitting is a myth.
- Nabuco 2017, Nutrients. In older women who lift, protein timing around the workout made no difference. Hitting the day's total is what counts.
The fridge version
One line, seven boxes. Print it and put it where you eat.
Protein at every meal · one week
Your per-meal number, at every meal, all week.
Tip: Cook protein twice, eat it four times. Grill two extra chicken breasts, boil six eggs, open the big tub of yogurt. The meal you did not plan is the one that comes up short.