F on Protein Intake

I like meat ohkay. I prefer white to red meat, usually, and though I've never been a vegetarian, I've definitely gotten the 'ick' feeling when sinking my teeth into a hunk of flesh before (typically when I'm high). The shakes - I keep ON Gold Standard Whey in the office and Lean Muscle Milk at home - have been a happy substitute, but I have a hard time keeping up with the daily recommended intake. 3-4 shakes daily? Are these people mental? I put the question to F, my trusty nutrition almanac. He's tried and digested enough information to serve as a sort of metafilter on topics related to fitness and nutrition. The brief transcript, below:

me:  i've read a lot of conflicting recommendations on protein intake - some say about 30% of diet, others .5-.75gs x body weight in pounds. what's actually the right amount, and why?

F:  ok, so there's a big difference between protein "requirements" and optimal intake

The former is basically a count of the minimum protein that should be consumed before negative physiological reactions and muscle-wasting take place

most RDs (registered dietitians) use these silly metrics to make their claims

there's a big difference when it comes to goal-oriented protein optimization research

the ranges there are between .8gm/lb and 1.8g/lb

  

F:  here's one read that analyzes some of the relevant research

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/protein-requirements-for-strength-and-power-athletes.html

Essentially what we have are two things that make it different than recs for "protein to get by" 

1. We have body comp goals (i.e. preservation of lean body mass, and loss of fat) and 

2. We are lifting heavy weights

 F:  also, this is a nice wrap-up of a full series examining various aspects of protein sources (you can read all if you're interested, or just this one for the takeaways)

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/what-are-good-sources-of-protein-wrapping-it-up.html

Background

I figure that since I've turned on the 'public' setting for this blog, I ought to provide a little background about my training program, which commenced on January 29, 2010, and how it came to be.

An off-the-cuff comment from F this past winter ('you could stand to lose 10 pounds of fat') got me thinking. I was, like I said, offended - I'm accustomed to being met with envy, and not criticism re: my physique. I engaged him about it the following day, and he stuck to his guns about it. We met, and he took me through some general education about nutrition, fitness, and goals:

Nutrition
-Eat more protein. I'm virtually a vegetarian - meat is expensive, labor-intensive, and, I thought, really caloric-dense. I learned that calorie-dense is okay, so long as it's also energy efficient. To this end, I purchased whey protein powder supplements, and started FreshDirecting frozen chicken bulk packs to replace my nightly noodles.

-Eat less starch. This is hard, because I love bread, bagels, donuts, noodles, rice, cake. The best I can recommend on this front is discipline.

-Drink less. I'd been meaning to, anyway, so, done.

Exercise
-Resistance training. F taught me how some power-lifting basics, and put me on a schedule of low-bar squats, bench-pressing, deadlifting, rows, overhead presses, and abdominal work. I like cardio, which I'm permitted to do still (but in moderation). This program resembles a personalized rendition of Mark Rippetoe's painstakingly didactic Starting Strength. I confess that I can't really get through it despite F's egging on, but it's a really, really, really specific treatise / instructional manual on the wonders and mechanics of a few basic lifts.

I think the most salient and lasting piece of advice F gave me on this front was something about the body evolving in order to catch up to what's being demanded of it. Move more weight, and it will get stronger.

It's been fun, because progress comes very quickly for beginners. My current PRs (is there anything more crass than fitness-related acronyms?) look like this, for 3 sets of 5 reps:

Low-bar squat: 110 lbs
Bench press: 70 lbs
Overhead dumbbell press (I can't smoothly handle the bar): 50 lbs
Deadlift: 155 lbs
Pembley Rows: 25 lbs

Per this, I'm only slightly better than 'untrained', which feels a little unsatisfying for the last 7 weeks, but I guess that means I was something pathetically weak prior.

I've got some other, lighter squats, the very ubiquitous Romanian Deadlift, and some more mobility work framing the thrice-weekly regiment (which includes selectively from the above).