Individuals that perform resistance training or other activities like hiking, yoga, cycling or running throughout the week will benefit from one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. Any extra protein is a bonus and will certainly help. Consuming slightly below that value (~20-30 grams of protein) can still be satisfactory, especially if someone is slowly learning how to increase their daily protein intake. Start by tracking your protein and find out how much you consume daily. If it appears that you are barely getting a quarter or a third of your body weight in daily grams of protein consumed, start getting more little by little. Start small and build up week by week. Make it a priority and you should find that it’s easier to reach your daily protein goal.

As an example, I put one day’s worth of my nutrition information below to show how I achieve my protein goal. Understand that your protein goal may or may not be the same as mine or somebody else. My protein goal is 180 grams each day to support my performance and body composition goals. If your daily protein goal is lower than mine this should show you that it can be done.

Breakfast
3 Eggs - 18 grams
50 g of Egg Whites - 5 grams
1.5 cup of Fairlife 2% Milk - 20 grams

Lunch
4 oz Ground Turkey - 20 grams
1 ½ cups of Cottage Cheese - 16 grams

Afternoon Shake
2 Scoops of Protein Supplement - 31 grams
3 Tbsps of Peanut Butter - 12 grams

Dinner
1 Packet of Safe Catch Tuna - 23 grams
1 oz Perky Jerky - 10 grams

Bedtime
1 Cup of Oikos Plain Greek Yogurt - 15 grams

My total above is 170 grams of protein. The foods that I have listed are ONLY the ones that are my highest sources of protein. This does not take into account the other foods that may primarily be made of carbohydrates and fats but also contain small amounts of protein. This would put me right around 180-185 grams of protein with all other foods included.

The trick is doing this 7 days a week. I make a point to hit this number every single day and I can feel when I do not meet it. Consistency is key, just like exercise. Start getting more protein and feel the changes!