PROTEIN When setting up a nutrition plan to get the best response from your physique, protein should be your top priority. If your goal is to look lean and reveal your muscle, you'll want to aim for a minimum of 0.8 grams of protein/pound of desired bodyweight. On the higher end, you can go up to 1.2 grams/pound of bodyweight. Anything more than that, and you're now just stealing calories from your remaining macronutrients (carbohydrates and fat) particularly if youโre in a deficit. Protein is essential for building, repairing, and retaining muscle. When setting up your nutrition plan, the reason we emphasize protein as our macronutrient of most importance is because it lends itself best to the outcome for body composition, strength, and recovery. Even though overall calories are the biggest determinant for bodyweight, pair that with protein will lead to the best results for how you look. For people who have tracked or eaten with a macronutrient focused attention before, this can be challenging. The simplest way to do this is to focus each meal and snack around your protein first. Easy Protein List White Meat (Chicken, Turkey, other poultry) Red Meat (Beef, Bison, Game Meats) Fish (Cod, Salmon, Halibut, Tilapia, etc) SeaFood (Shrimp, Crab, Lobster, etc) Eggs (Whole and Egg Whites from any source) Dairy (Yogurt, Kefir, Milk, etc) Protein Powder (Whey, Casein, Pea, Soy) These are your most macro friendly options (low calorie, high protein density). There are plenty of plant based options as well. I included this list because as far as protein density for the calorie count these are the best options. Using this list as your primary sources of protein is the simplest and fastest way to body composition improvements. If you are controlling calorie intake for weight loss, these low calorie/high protein options are the simplest to include. Tracking Note: 1 gram of protein = 4 calories 1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories 1 gram of fat = 9 calories