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22 years
I measure 167cm and weigh 51kgs, I exercise on a daily basis but I don't seem to be gaining enough muscle weight. How much protein should I be eating after workout and throughout the day?
Mar 9, 2015

Dr. Zakia Dimassi Pediatrics

With your body make-up
(your BMI, or body mass index, calculated by dividing your weight in Kilograms
by your height (in meters) to the power 2, is 18.3, which is on the low side),
increasing your daily intake of proteins is definitely not sufficient and will
fall short of achieving the increase in body mass (mainly muscle mass, or lean
muscle) that you desire, despite the fact that you are exercising on a daily
basis. The caloric increase should be holistic, that is to say, it should not
be solely based on proteins, but more importantly, it should also include an
increased intake of carbs, and to a lesser extent, fats. Your muscles, which do
in fact thrive and bulk up with proteins as a backbone, but they are one of the
main users of glucose (glucose is the form of simple sugar that our metabolism
depends upon), and they need every bit of glucose to function fully and
optimally, especially during short and fast forms of physical exercise. 



In order to optimize
your weight gain and muscle building plan based upon a balanced healthy
nutrition, without having to compromise any of your bodily functions,
especially your kidneys (please refer to my answer to your other question
regarding daily protein intake) and liver, I strongly recommend that you
consult a nutrition specialist, who will provide you with the correct daily
portions of the macronutrients (carbs, proteins, fats) based upon your body
measures (your lean mass, percentage body fat) and your physical training
program, in addition to a detailed list of the nutritional sources of the
different nutrients.



A few helpful nutritional tips to boost your protein intake
include: an average hamburger contains 30 grams of
protein, 1 can of tuna has 40 grams, and a single ounce of cheddar cheese has 7
grams, one medium chicken breast (skin not eaten) contains 50 g protein, 30
grams of protein from 1 cup of boiled soybeans. Other sources of proteins are: fish
(salmon, tuna etc.), cheese, nuts, milk, yogurt, eggs (egg white: The white
from one large egg contains 3.6 grams of protein, and roughly 85 percent of the
egg white's calories come from its protein content).

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