How Much Protein Should a Woman Eat

Protein Requirements for Women

So you’ve probably been told the benefits of eating more protein in your diet, or at least heard that you should, but how much? There is a lot of conflicting information out there, but here is was science says:

If you are trying to gain muscle or maintain lean body mass you should be eating 1g of protein per 1lb of desired bodyweight. So if you weigh 100 lbs, but want to weight 110lbs, you should be eating 110g of protein throughout the day.
Protein = Desired Weight * 1 = 110 * 1 = 110 grams.

Now if your goal is to lose weight and maintain the current muscles you have your protein intake should be slightly higher. To maintain muscle mass while attempting to lose weight your protein intake would change to 1.2g per every 1lb.

So if you are trying to lose weight, but want to keep as much as possible of the muscle mass you have developed, your protein intake should be slightly higher: 1.2g protein per lb of desired body weight.
For example a person who weighs 140lbs but would like to weigh 120lbs
Protein = Desired Weight * 1.2 = 120 * 1.2 = 144g
Now that you know the amount of protein you require throughout the day lets go over some food sources high in protein.

Good Sources of Protein

• Meats

• Chicken
• Steak (Top Or Bottom Round)
• Pork Chops
• Turkey Breast

• Dairy

• Greek Yogurt
• Cottage Cheese
• Swiss Cheese
• Eggs
• Milk

• Sea Food

• Yellowfin Tuna
• Halibut
• Tilapia
• Sardines
• Sockeye Salmon

• 8 Good Vegetarian and Vegan Protein Sources

• Green peas
• Quinoa
• Nuts and nut butter (watch out high calories)
• Beans (black, white, pinto, heirloom)
• Chickpeas
• Tempeh and Tofu
• Edamame
• Chia seeds

It is important to remember to calculate the total number of calories you require to meet your goals and eat accordingly. Remember every gram of protein is equal to 4 calories.