Protein targets for men over 40

For most of my thirties I ate whatever wasn't moving. I lifted, I ran, my weight held. Protein was something other people counted.

Then I had a DEXA scan at 41 and saw what my muscle mass had been doing while I wasn't looking. Down 1.4 kilograms over four years. The scale hadn't moved. The composition had.

That's when I started counting protein. Properly.

What the consensus says

The research on protein for active adults has converged. The numbers are no longer contested at the edges that matter to a 40-something man trying to hold muscle.

• Sedentary adults: roughly 0.8 g/kg bodyweight (the old RDA, now considered a floor not a target)
• Active adults: 1.6 to 2.2 g/kg bodyweight
• Older adults losing muscle: closer to the top of that range, with some studies pushing to 2.4 g/kg

For an 80-kilo man training three to five times a week, that's 130 to 175 grams a day. Most men I know eat half that and assume they're fine.

They're not fine. They're just not measuring.

Why the number climbs as you age

Younger bodies are efficient at turning ingested protein into muscle. The technical phrase is "anabolic resistance" and it builds slowly with age. By the time you're 50, you need a larger dose of protein per meal to trigger the same muscle protein synthesis response that 25 grams used to give you in your twenties.

The literature suggests:

• Adults over 40 need around 30 to 40 grams of protein per meal to maximally stimulate synthesis
• Spreading intake across three to four meals beats the same total in one or two
• The dose-response flattens above ~40g per meal, so very large doses don't pay extra dividends

In practice, this means breakfast matters more than you think. The classic toast-and-coffee start gives you maybe 8 grams of protein. That's a missed appointment with your muscle.

What 150 grams of protein actually looks like

Numbers on a page are abstract. Food on a plate isn't. Here's a day that gets an 80-kilo man to roughly 150 grams without much fuss.

• Breakfast: three eggs, Greek yogurt with berries (35g)
• Lunch: chicken breast with quinoa and salad (45g)
• Snack: cottage cheese on sourdough, or a whey shake (25g)
• Dinner: salmon, sweet potato, greens (40g)

That's four eating windows, no exotic supplements, normal supermarket food. The whey shake is a convenience, not a requirement. If you'd rather chew tuna, chew tuna.

The plant question

You can hit the targets on a plant-based diet. It takes more deliberate planning. The evidence suggests:

• Plant proteins generally have a lower leucine content (the amino acid that pulls the trigger on synthesis)
• A higher per-meal dose (40 to 50 grams) closes the gap
• Combining sources (legumes plus grains, soy, hemp, pea protein) covers the amino acid profile
• Tofu, tempeh, edamame, lentils and seitan do the heavy lifting

You don't need animal protein. You do need a higher total and better planning.

What I actually do

I'm not religious about it. I am consistent.

• I eat protein first at every meal (the rest of the plate is whatever's around)
• I keep cottage cheese, eggs and a bag of chicken thighs in the fridge by default
• I drink one whey shake on training days, none on rest days
• I weigh portions about twice a year for a week, just to recalibrate my eyeballs

That last point matters. After a few weeks of weighing, you can eyeball portions accurately for months. Then your eyeballs drift, and you re-weigh. The discipline is light, the data is enough.

The myths worth burning

A few persist. They shouldn't.

• "High protein damages your kidneys." Not in healthy kidneys. The studies that prompted this concern were in patients with pre-existing kidney disease. If you have known kidney issues, see your GP. Otherwise, the worry is unfounded.
• "You can only absorb 30 grams at a time." You absorb almost all the protein you eat. The synthesis response plateaus around 40 grams per meal, which is different from absorption.
• "Protein makes you bulky." Protein without progressive resistance training makes you well-fed. Bulk requires both, and a calorie surplus, and years.

A simple test

Track your protein for seven days. Just write it down. No diet change yet.

If you're under 1.2 g/kg, you're under-eating it for your training. Push the breakfast number up first (it's usually the lowest). Add a snack between lunch and dinner if your meals are too far apart.

The change in how you recover, and what you see on a scan two quarters later, will surprise you.

(For specific medical conditions, kidney issues, or if you're managing a chronic illness, talk to your GP or an accredited dietitian before making big diet changes.)

Eat the chicken first.