When you’re working out in order to build your muscles and enhance your physique, drinking protein shakes can definitely help get you there. The question is, how many a day should you consume?
In order to answer this most effectively for you, you first need to know how much protein you need on a daily basis. This amount varies from person to person but, ideally, 1 – 1 ½ grams of protein for every pound of lean body mass is what most experts recommend.
Of course, this requires knowing what your lean body mass is. To find this number, you want to take your total body weight and minus the fat you have. You can determine this by taking your body fat percentage and multiplying it by your weight. Then take your total weight minus your fat weight for your lean body mass.
For instance, if you weigh 200 pounds and you have a body fat percentage of 20%, your total fat is 40 pounds (200 x .20 = 40). Take this amount and deduct it from your total weight and you have your lean body mass, which in this case is 160 (200 – 40 = 160). If you need 1 – 1 ½ grams of protein for every pound of lean body mass, then that means you need 160 – 240 grams per day.
Once you know this amount, you want to take into consideration the amount of protein you get via foods. For example, if you eat two eggs, then you are getting approximately 12 grams. Add an 8-ounce beef sirloin steak and there is about 78 grams more.
Deduct all of your protein food sources from your recommended daily amount and that will tell you how much protein you need to add into your diet with your protein shakes. Keep in mind that, because your menu will change from one day to the next, your number of protein shakes will also do the same.
