It’s pretty common these days to see sweeping, urgent-sounding advice to “eat more protein” or, even, to consume more calories for the sake of building lean muscle, regulating metabolism, or other desired outcomes.
Sometimes such recommendations are appropriate, but context is key. There’s no single recommendation or solution that can be applied to everyone in the same way to achieve optimal results.
Let’s take the suggestion to increase caloric intake. Frankly, most people eating a conventional modern diet do not need to do this (and doing so will move them further away from achieving their goals and feeling their best). But, in other cases, adjusting caloric intake might be helpful.
For example, let’s say you’re already eating Primally and have been going down the path of developing metabolic flexibility. You’ve ditched grains and highly processed foods, you’re getting plenty of high-quality protein and fat, you’re no longer snacking between meals or eating between dinner and breakfast.
If you’re doing all that, have given the transition from a conventional diet enough time, AND are losing muscle mass, feeling weaker, and have low energy, then you might need to adjust your caloric intake.
In this case, especially if you’re eating Primally but feel like you need a little more energy and a little more muscle mass, you might try adding some protein.
First, you could take your protein up to a gram per kg of body mass. So, for example, if you’re 60 kg and not feeling great, you could eat up to 60 grams of protein a day. You might also add in a little more healthy fat.
If that doesn’t do the trick (and you’ve given your self-experiment enough time and consistent implementation),you may be one of those people who doesn’t respond as impressively to a ketogenic diet. In that situation, it may be time to add 120-150 grams of quality carbs spaced throughout the day. (As a refresher, Primal carbs include things like starchy vegetables – not bread and pasta.)
Again though, it’s context and individual specific. And a big sign that you may need more protein and calories is how you feel – specifically, if you have chronically low energy despite eating a Primal diet and getting enough sleep.
That said, I suspect most people are getting enough protein if they’re getting at least 70 grams a day spread over at least two meals. As for people who are eating 110-120 grams of protein a day but are worried about not getting enough? I suspect, in many cases, the amount they’re getting is fine. If you’re in that position and still worried, other key signs that you may need more are loss of muscle strength and muscle mass.
But the thing is, as you become more metabolically flexible and metabolically efficient, you’ll need fewer calories to do the same job. At a certain point, the number of calories per gram of protein becomes almost irrelevant.
A calorie is basically a measurement of heat, but we don’t really want to burn protein – we want to use it structurally. And it doesn’t take that much protein on a daily basis to maintain and build muscles, bones, and connective tissue.
So, do you need more protein? Should you up your calorie intake? The answer won’t be the same for everyone, but I’d start with the following:
- If you’re not already following a Primal diet featuring high-quality protein and healthy fats while minimizing or avoiding grains, highly processed foods, and constant snacking, start there.
- If you’re already eating Primally but experiencing chronic low energy and perhaps loss of muscle strength and mass, experiment with increasing your protein and perhaps adding a little more healthy fat. If that doesn’t do the trick, consider adding 120-150 grams of quality carbs (e.g., starchy veggies) spaced throughout the day.
Good news is, your body has your answer. Run a self-experiment, stay consistent with implementation, and monitor what changes. No urgent-sounding, one-size-fits-all solutions required.
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