It’s time to add a protein target.

So, now you have two checkpoints in the diet: 

1) Eat enough fruits & veggies;

2) Eat enough protein.

And then continue to eat whatever else you like. 

Just like the #800gChallenge®, there are no restrictions or eliminations with Lazy Macros™.

This combination of the #800gChallenge® and hitting a protein target is what is called Lazy Macros™.

Macros is a diet approach where you weigh and measure every single thing in your diet to hit a precise daily quantity.

But this is the “lazy” version of that.

When we eat enough of the under-represented foods in the diet, there won’t be enough room for much else.

So the total quantity we eat will move closer to what it would be doing macros, without all the work.

1. How much protein to add do I add?

Generally, start at 0.7 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight a day (1.5 g/kg), although that can go up to 1 g/lb (2.2 g/kg).

The 0.7 multiplier is a good general recommendation to build lean muscle mass, as well as prevent sarcopenia. (If you have a significant amount of weight to lose, you can use your target weight). 

But how do you know if you should be 0.7 versus 1.0? Generally, people that are smaller, less-muscled, and less active would be closer to 0.7 and those larger, more-muscled and more active would be closer to 1.0. But, it’s better to start at the level that best approximates your current protein intake and increase as necessary.

Suppose someone was 150 pounds; their protein intake could be one of the following:

• 0.7 – 105 grams of protein/day (g pro/d)

• 0.8 – 120 g pro/d

• 0.9 – 135 g pro/d

• 1.0 – 150 g pro/d