Protein for Weight Gain Consuming the protein RDA can help maintain your lean muscle mass. However, to build muscle and gain weight the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends you consume 1.4 to 1.8 grams per kilogram, or about 0.64 to 0.82 grams of protein per pound of body weight each day.
Whatever your current weight, you can add mass and bulk with the help of a gainer supplement or protein shake. It's common to be initially unsure about taking supplements to gain weight. However, it's actually a very effective way to get the nutrients you need without having to spend hours eating each day.
To increase muscle mass in conjunction with regular exercise, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that a person eats between 1.2-1.7 g of protein per kg of body weight per day. For a 130-lb woman looking to gain muscle mass and strength, that's 71-100 g, and for a 150-lb man, that's 82-116 g.
Protein itself doesn't make you gain fat or muscle. While it promotes muscle growth and repair, eating anything in a calorie surplus causes weight gain. However, since protein has a higher thermic effect than carbs, a higher-protein, lower-carb diet will help reduce body fat during weight loss.
Since protein has calories, consuming too much can make it harder to lose weight. This can happen if you drink protein shakes along with your usual diet and you're not eating less calories or exercising.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends that the average individual should consume 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram or 0.35 grams per pound of body weight per day for general health. So a person that weighs 75 kg (165 pounds) should consume an average of 60 grams of protein per day.
The recommended dietary allowance to prevent deficiency for an average sedentary adult is 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. For example, a person who weighs 165 pounds, or 75 kilograms, should consume 60 grams of protein per day.
Based on Weight and Activity
The average adult needs a minimum of 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.2 One kilogram equals 2.2 pounds, so a person who weighs 165 pounds, or 75 kg, would need about 60 grams of protein per day.
Add fortified milk to tea and coffee. Make Ovaltine, Horlicks or hot chocolate with fortified milk.. Choose fruit juice or diluting juice with added Vitamin C and aim for 1-2 glasses a day. Build Up or Complan type drinks can be useful.
Try smoothies and shakes.
Avoid beverages with few nutrients or calories, such as diet soda. But a blend of high-calorie, nutritious ingredients in a smoothie or shake can help if you're eating on the go. Meal replacement drinks also may be part of your weight-gain effort.
There can be health consequences if you drink protein shakes without exercising are: (1) less muscle gain, (2) unwanted weight gain, (3) increased risk of kidney-related problems, and (4) abnormal spike in blood glucose level.
A Position Stand from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (Jager et al. 2017) describes that for building and maintaining muscle mass, an overall daily protein intake in the range of 1.4–2.0 g/kg/d is required. This represents 98-140g for a 70 kg person.
Based on averages from evidence-backed recommendations, a general rule of thumb is to eat about 1.2g protein per kg of body weight to maintain muscle. This may increase to 1.2-1.6g/kg of body weight when looking to add lean mass or if you're a woman in midlife.
According to Department of Health guidelines, the recommended daily protein intake for adults is 0.75g per 1kg of body weight. So if you weigh 60kg (around 9st 7lbs), you'll need approximately 45g protein each day.
As simply as possible, the general recommendation for protein intake for healthy adults is '0.8 grams per kilogram of bodyweight'. For example, if you are an 80kg male, you would need around 64g of protein a day, and a 60kg female would need to consume around 48g of protein.
So again, for an 80kg man you'd be looking at between 128g and 144g of protein. For elite athletes, strength athletes or sportspeople that could go as high as 2g to 2.5g per kilogram of bodyweight (So 160g to 200g of protein for your 80kg man).
The recommended amount of protein to consume each day in a normal diet is 0.8 to 1 gram per kilogram of body weight. For someone weighing 70 kilograms, this is about 56 to 70 grams per day.
Gaining Weight with Shakes
To incorporate protein shakes into this formula, add two shakes per day, for a total of 524 calories, in excess of your regular diet. If you maintain a nutritious, balanced diet, you should gain about one pound of body weight per week.
Because of its association with building muscle, many believe that consuming whey protein powder or supplements in other forms will make them gain weight. The truth is, protein alone – or any other specific type of macronutrient including fats and carbs – will not make you become overweight.