Let’s talk about the “king” macronutrient — protein — because I can’t scroll social media without seeing a mother-turned-fitness-influencer spreading misinformation about it:
Protein is bad for your little pathetic kidneys. Don’t eat more than 30 grams of protein per meal, or else you will poop chicken drumsticks. Eat protein right after you finish your workout because anabolic window, bruh. Too much protein will decrease lifespan.
That sorta gibberish that MDs from Google University spew on Instagram. So, let’s go over seven questions about protein that I’ve chosen simply because it’s my post, so deal with it ha ha ha.
1. Are high-protein diets dangerous for your kidneys?
No. But if you have kidney disease, this doesn’t apply to you and you need to talk to your doctor. If you’re an otherwise healthy individual, even astronomical protein intakes shouldn’t be a problem.
Antonio et al did a few studies on resistance-trained individuals with intakes of up to 3.4g/kg and found no adverse effects on renal function:
Just to prove to you that this myth is one of those “shit some people made up” things, there’s also a systematic review and meta-analysis of 28 studies that looked into this and concluded that higher-protein intakes (≥1.5 g/kg body weight or ≥20% energy intake) don’t adversely influence kidney function in healthy adults:
2. How much protein do you need if you lift weights and want to maximize muscle growth or retention?
For resistance-trained people looking to maximize muscle growth, the most often recommended intake is 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg of body weight (0.7–1.0 g/lb).
This comes from Morton et al., who conducted a massive meta-analysis, massive enough to choke the Shai-Hulud sandworm from the Dune movie, of 49 studies on the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength:
A few caveats:
- From my personal experience working with the general population, even as little as 1.2 g/kg (0.55 g/lb) of body weight is usually enough to make great gains. So if you really struggle getting to the lower end of the range — 1.6 g/kg — feel free to eat slightly less.
- If you’re trying to lose fat, you’re in a calorie deficit, and muscle retention is the goal, you may want to be closer to the upper end of the range — 2.2 g/kg (1 g/lb). If you have a lot of weight to lose, though, you should be able to maintain muscle mass even with a lower end of the range (1.6 g/kg or 0.7 g/lb).
- Protein needs are typically based on your total body mass. So if you want to lose fat but you weigh, say, 120kg/265lbs, getting ~200g of protein per day when you’ve never been aware of your protein intake before, might be quite a challenge. Here’s how to go about it…
3. How to calculate protein intake?
If I have a client who needs to lose a significant amount of weight — 50 pounds or more (~20kg) — I base their protein intake on their goal body weight rather than their total body weight.
If you have lots of weight to lose and you calculate protein intake based on total body weight, you end up with a very high protein target, which can be unrealistic for many. Especially those who are just starting their fitness journey and their usual exercise regime is smoking aka they have little to no healthy habits.
So if you weigh 200 pounds and your goal body weight is 150 pounds, simply set your protein target at a minimum of 105 g/day (150×0.7). You’re welcome to eat more if you want.
But if you weigh the same 200 pounds, you’re already pretty lean, you want to get to maybe a visible abs level, and you have heaps of healthy habits in place already, set protein at 140 g/day for the sake of simplicity (200×0.7). Unless you’re very overweight, this way works in most contexts.
4. How should you spread protein intake throughout the day?
In the hierarchy of importance, getting to your daily protein target is at the top. Whether your goal is muscle growth or fat loss, it’s the first thing you need to take care of.
If you have that under control, regarding protein distribution throughout the day, the most optimal meal frequency appears to be 3–4 protein-rich meals per day. I said optimal, though, because if there’s one thing intermittent fasting taught us is that even 2–3 meals within an 8-hour window can give you great gains (source 1, 2).
So if you want the best gains possible, aim for 3–4 protein feedings per day. If your schedule, lifestyle, or personal preferences get in the way, 2–3 meals will be good enough too.
One thing I want to mention is practicality. If you weigh a bit more aka as much as a Smart car and your total daily protein target is pretty high, say 180 grams, getting in all that protein within 2 or 3 meals may not be feasible.
In that case, your meal frequency is dictated by your total protein intake. Having four meals with 45 grams of protein each is a lot easier than having two meals with 90 grams each.
5. Do you need to eat protein right after the workout?
Before worrying about protein timing, ensure you’re getting enough protein in general. Let’s say you are. Then let’s talk about the so-called “post-exercise anabolic window.”
Let me employ the power of Google.
It says that “post-exercise anabolic window” refers to the time after exercise (traditionally 30–60 mins) when muscles are primed for nutrient absorption (protein and carbs) to boost recovery, muscle repair, and energy replenishment.
Thanks, Google shmoogle.
It also says, “modern science suggests the overall daily intake and timing relative to pre-workout meals matter more, as the window can extend several hours, making nutrient timing less critical if you’ve eaten recently.”
And that’s what the current literature says, too — “post-exercise anabolic window” is a bit of a steamy load of crap. Assuming you had a protein-rich meal a few hours before the workout, you don’t need to chug a gallon of protein powder right after the workout.
Depending on the size of the meal and macronutrient breakdown, the anabolic effect of that meal is probably like 5 hours. So you have plenty of time to get your next meal in.
6. Is animal protein better than plant protein for muscle growth?
If you have a strong appreciation for science, most of the short-term studies on muscle protein synthesis (the driving force behind building new muscle) of animal proteins outperformed plant proteins.
However, muscle growth is a veeeery long process, so it makes sense to look at the long-term data because short-term studies may not capture the entire muscle growth period.
Long-term studies comparing animal versus plant proteins for muscle growth show no clear advantage of either. This includes a 2018 meta-analysis of 9 studies, where 6 studies showed no significant difference in either plant or animal protein:
So plant protein isn’t inferior to animal protein for muscle growth. Both animal and plant proteins are fine, assuming adequate protein intake (a minimum of 1.6g/kg or 0.7g/lb). It’s a myth with evidence so scant it’s on par with the belief that caffeine dehydrates you.
I think the myth stems from people going, “Oh, not all protein is created equal — plant-based protein sources are not complete proteins because they don’t contain all 9 amino acids.”
It’s the argument made of poop because you know what? All plants contain all 9 amino acids and the term “complete/incomplete protein” is outdated:
Yes, some plants are lower in certain amino acids but that’s only an issue if you’re stupid and rely on a single plant protein source.
So if you’re just a recreational lifter, not looking to impress other people on a top-level bodybuilding stage, a lower essential amino acid profile and possibly inferior digestibility of plant proteins will matter very little in the face of adequate daily protein intake. IMO, it’s not worth stressing over.
7. Do high-protein diets decrease longevity?
You may have heard someone saying something like “Lower protein intake can activate molecular pathways linked to longevity and let you live longer than all of your relatives that you don’t want to spend time with during Christmas”:
Most of the protein for longevity studies was done on humans, yest, rodents, worms, blah blah blah. You know, things that are dumb as an oversized bucket aka not human.
But here’s what you SHOULD worry about: Sarcopenia. A slow decline in muscle mass and strength as you age. Depending on the source, it begins at 50–60 years of age at a rate of ~1% per year.
To me, there are shitty ways to live your later years and die and then there’s sarcopenia. Falls, fractures, physical disability, and loss of autonomy. That sorta scary stuff. And you know whut? A low protein intake is thought to contribute to sarcopenia.
But don’t freak the feck out because sarcopenia is preventable by… eating more protein and resistance training. Forget longevity. It means nothing if you end up puttering around a retirement home on a motorized scooter for the last 10 years of your life.
So instead of eating less protein because someone told you something about protein downregulating autophagy, eat more of it. In fact, you should do that anyway because more protein is required to stimulate protein synthesis in older than in young men. This is known as age-related anabolic resistance. Yay science.
Practical application
- Safety: Unless you have kidney disease, high-protein diets are not dangerous. But I’m not your dcotor and you should talk to one if you have health issues that may warrant lower protein intake.
- How much: For resistance-trained people looking to maximize muscle growth, 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg of body weight (0.7–1.0 g/lb) works best.
- How to calculate: Set protein intake based on your current body weight or goal body weight if you have 50 or more pounds (~20kg) to lose.
- Distribution throughout the day: Reaching your daily protein target comes first. If you have that under control, the most optimal meal frequency appears to be 3–4 protein-rich meals/day (from a muscle growth perspective). If your schedule, lifestyle, or personal preferences get in the way, 2–3 meals will give you great gains too.
- Post-workout protein: Assuming you had a protein-rich meal a few hours before the workout, you don’t need protein right after the workout.
- Animal vs plant protein: If you’re a recreational lifter, there’s little to no advantage to either in the long run.
- Longevity: More protein is required to stimulate protein synthesis as you age to prevent sarcopenia due to the age-related anabolic resistance, so it makes sense to actually increase, rather than decrease, protein intake as you get older.
If you have criticisms of any of the points, feel free to DM me on Instagram. Just know that I don’t care and I’m not going to reply. Just kidding. Feedback is always welcome.
Btw, if you want to bypass all of the nonsensical weight loss information and avoid common beginner mistakes, apply for the 1:1 Coaching Program because I like money, and those who do become my clients seem to get cool results. Check my approach and results on Instagram.
Cheers, Egis.
Originally published by me on Medium on the 5th of October, 2025
