These protein guidelines are part of the curriculum that I make available to all of my training clients. Not only don’t people eat enough protein, they have no idea how much protein they need everyday, just for maintenance.

I’ve found athletes to be the worst offenders, and they need protein the most.

Without question, protein is the most important nutrient for building and maintaining muscle, and for achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight and body composition. Fats and carbohydrates cannot do what protein can.

Regardless of the goal, a person needs to consume protein; for weight loss, healthy weight gain, improved performance, etc.

Research has shown that diets that are successful in maintaining long term weight loss feature higher levels of relative - and absolute - protein on the order of 1.5-2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, per day. The same holds true for those looking to improve performance, increase muscle mass and/or maintaining body weight.

Competitive athletes at the height of their training and competition phases can get 2.5-3.0+ grams per kilogram of body weight in order to recover and build.