To ensure all your weight loss comes from body fat, higher protein intakes are required to help preserve muscle when on a caloric deficit.
A joint study conducted by AUT University, California State University, and the University of Illinois found that caloric intake should be set at a level that results in bodyweight losses of approximately 0.5% to 1.0% per week to maximize muscle retention.
With this caloric deficit, the study concluded, “most but not all bodybuilders will respond best to consuming 2.3 to 3.1 g/kg of lean body mass per day of protein, 15-30% of calories from fat, and the remainder of calories from carbohydrate.”
A meta-analysis led by the same AUT University researchers provided a systematic review of 6 studies with energy-resisted, resistance-trained (> 6 months) adult subjects.
The AUT University researchers reached the same conclusion as the previous study: protein needs for energy-restricted resistance-trained athletes are likely 1.05 to 1.41 grams per pound of lean body mass (2.3 to 3.1 grams per kilogram of lean body mass) scaled upwards with the severity of caloric restriction and leanness. Lean body mass is everything in your body that isn’t fat (i.e., organs, skeletal muscle, water, and bone).
A study from the Exercise Metabolism Research Group at McMaster University concluded that strength athletes on a caloric deficit should consume as much as 0.82 to 0.91 grams per pound of body weight (1.8 to 2.0 grams per kilogram of bodyweight per day), depending on the extent of the deficit.
A study from the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences at the University of Birmingham examined the influence of various dietary protein levels on lean body mass and performance during short-term periods of caloric restriction in athletes. Their findings indicate that young healthy athletes need approximately 2.3 grams per kilogram of body weight for maintenance of lean mass during short periods of caloric restriction.
Collectively, these studies suggest you should consume 0.82 to 1.40 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass (2.3 to 3.1 grams per kilogram of lean mass) when dieting to shred fat.
Please keep in mind that these recommendations are for serious strength athletes and bodybuilders. If you do not compete in strength or physique contests, then you likely don’t need that much protein.
Here are my general guidelines for protein consumption:
If you follow the high carb mantra in most vegan health circles, these protein requirements probably seem way too high.
But trust me. I’d rather hit my protein and be safe than risk burning any of my hard-earned vegan muscle gains while I’m on a caloric deficit.
For example, if an experienced weightlifter (4+ years of weightlifting experience) loses just a single pound of muscle while shredding, it could take 2 to 6 months of intense weightlifting to gain that pound of muscle back during his/her next bulking period!
Assuming five 1-hour workouts per week, that single pound of muscle could take upwards of 135 hours of intense weightlifting to gain back!
I don’t know about you, but I’d rather eat a bit more protein than I probably need to avoid losing any muscle instead of killing myself for 135 hours in the gym just to get back to my pre-shredding lean body mass.
Yes, hitting 1.1 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass while on a caloric deficit is a challenge. It requires careful planning and most likely protein supplementation.
Protein powders simplify your life and allow you to eat plenty of healthy fruits and vegetables while still hitting your high-protein macros.
Are you getting enough protein?
Find out by using our FREE Vegan Nutrition Calculator!