Discussion Board

I am 77 years old, 6'4", 178 lbs. I started a vegan no oil diet in October 2010 and lost 28 pounds. I've exercised at a fitness center with weight machines for 30 years. The weights that I use on several machines equal or exceed my body weight. Since starting the new way of eating I've lost muscle mass and experience a burning sensation as well in my thighs. Blood work is normal. I'm concerned that my protein intake may be inadequate for rebulding of muscle. What would you consider adequate protein intake? My current average intake is around 45 g per day.

People do tend to need a bit more protein as they age. Here's a couple formulas I found online might give you some ballpark idea. The last link is the most conservative in terms of gms protein.

(I am 62 years old, 5'3" X 115 lbs and get close to 80 grams/day!)
http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/caryn/protein.html

http://www.healthcalculators.org/calculators/protein.asp
http://www.indoorclimbing.com/Protein_Requirement.html

Hi BernieK,

The protein RDA is .80 grams per kg/day, sometimes nudged up a bit for athletes yet at 178 lbs, 178/2.2 = 81 x .80 = 65-ish. The mass loss is more likely due to other factors than a small drop in protein. Have you had your body fat tested to be sure about what kind of shifts you are really experiencing with lean body mass?

Lani

65 RDA --> 45 actual = 30% drop does not seem so small to me

He did not report in as to protein intake previously, so we don't really know the size of it.

Lani

From original post

I am assuming similar amount since starting this woe in 10/2010

As I'm reading this, I think Lani is questioning the RDA value. There was no baseline mentioned. It's true that he might have been getting the 65g, but there is no way of knowing for sure.

That's the way I interpret her comment, anyway.

Mark

I must be missing something. I don't see how 45 grams can be 65 grams...

As Hazelrah said, we don't know what the previous values were before the current count of 45 grams as a point of comparison, only the RDA recommend.

Got it. Ok Berniek, time for more info!!!

I don't have a good handle on what my pre vegan intake was. Considering that I'm totally plant based now and was eating about 2000 calories per day of meat, cheese, chicken, fish and all of that nasty stuff and then lost 28 pounds when I stopped in 2010, I very likely was close to 100 grams per day.

But the numbers that you're suggesting are considerably higher than what Dr. McDougall recommends in his books. How do you account for that?

If you look on pages 88 -89 of Starch Solution, you'll see a range of numbers in the text as well as on the chart.

pg: 89:

Above this, in the chart on page 89, you'll see the McDougall g/day values listed as 30 to 80.

Lani

So that higher protein intake was a year and 1/2 ago, and since then at the lower amount...?