Even among some of the higher level athletes I work with, I see quite a few people who are not consistently reaching their protein targets to optimize body composition
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A lot of people wouldn’t think this would be a common occurrence, particularly among powerlifters (which is a group that makes up ~50% of my clients) considering protein is so heavily emphasized, but it happens
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One of the reasons it happens is because a lot of people emphasize protein in general, but don’t really think of it in the context of their overall calories
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What I mean by that a lot of people don’t think of protein sources in terms of calories per gram – which is how this image is laid out
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Or an easier way I prefer to think about it is in the context of macros (which make up total calories). If you have a high protein target in relation to your total calories, it therefore means that you can’t be getting the majority of your protein from sources that are also high in fat/carbs
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This is particularly relevant if you are trying to get lean, since the ratio of protein to total calories gets skewed. To avoid either exceeding total calories or under-consuming protein for your needs, a large portion of your protein intake needs to come from sources that are lower in carbs/fats
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Understanding this concept in the context of your individual needs makes for an easy win for a lot of people. Implementing this on a consistent basis (e.g. hitting your protein targets every day) could be something that helps you achieve your goals noticeably quicker