Eating Protein & Eating More
As we move into a new month, if you are starting a new phase of PT with me, returning after a break over the summer holidays, or just beginning your fitness journey, I want to bring your attention back to something I talk about a lot:
Eating enough protein — and often, eating more.
Most of my clients are working towards better health and longevity. That might mean increasing muscle mass for strength, improving energy, reducing pain, minimising injuries and niggles, or simply being fitter and more capable as you get older.
But there is almost always a secondary goal of losing a little weight or improving body composition too.
And that’s OK.
We all want to look good, and we all want to feel good. Wanting to improve how you look isn’t something I think we need to apologise for or dismiss as vanity. I see it more as having personal standards and wanting to feel confident in yourself.
When you feel good in your body, you’re more likely to dress well, get out and about, do more of the things you enjoy and generally feel better in yourself. If you’re fit and strong, you can do more too — whether that’s more comfortably at work, more in your hobbies, or more in the sport and activities you enjoy.
It becomes a positive cycle.
Exercise and movement are an important part of that cycle, but in my opinion, they are secondary to having a well-balanced diet that actually fuels you.
So why do I keep telling you to eat more?
Everyone who works with me knows I encourage them to eat more — which can sound completely counterintuitive if you’ve spent years being told that the way to lose weight is simply to eat less.
But that’s not really the point.
I’m asking you to eat more of the right things.
Your body needs enough energy and nutrients to support everything you’re asking it to do. If you’re training hard while consistently under-eating, you’re making it much harder for your body to recover, build muscle and perform well.
And protein is a huge part of that.
When we strength train, we create a stimulus for our muscles. Protein provides the amino acids your body needs to repair and build that muscle.
We want muscle for all of the reasons mentioned above — strength, health, physical capability, metabolism and body composition.
And yes, muscle is also what gives us the shape and definition that many of us are looking for when we talk about wanting a more “toned” body.
Your target for this month
So here’s your reminder:
Aim for a portion of protein at least 3 times per day — and ideally 4.
For most of you, I’m asking you to aim for approximately 30g of protein per portion.
That could look like:
Breakfast → 30g
Lunch → 30g
Dinner → 30g
Snack → 30g
That’s 90g as a minimum, with around 120g as a great target if you’re having four portions.
This is something I practise myself. I want to get stronger and have more visible muscle while reducing body fat, so getting four good portions of protein in each day is a non-negotiable for me.
And I find that eating this way also helps me stay fuller, reduces cravings and keeps my energy much steadier throughout the day.
You can’t hit your protein target if you aren’t eating enough
This is something I really want you to pay attention to.
A lot of people I work with only eat two meals a day, or regularly skip meals because they are trying to “be good”, aren’t hungry in the morning, are too busy, or think eating less will help them lose weight.
But if you’re only eating twice a day, it becomes really difficult to get enough protein in without having to eat huge portions.
If your target is 90–120g of protein per day, getting that into two meals means you would need around 45–60g of protein in each meal.
That’s a lot.
Adding a third meal — and ideally a protein-rich snack — makes that target much more achievable.
So if you’re currently eating breakfast and dinner, or lunch and dinner, the answer isn’t necessarily to make those meals bigger. The answer might be to eat more often.
This is why I don’t want you focusing purely on what you’re eating. I want you to look at how much you’re eating and how often you’re eating.
You need enough food to fuel your body, enough protein to support your muscles and enough energy to actually get through your day and train well.
Eating more doesn’t automatically mean gaining body fat.
Eating more of the right foods, consistently, can actually make it easier to manage your appetite, support your training and improve your body composition over time.
Why spread it throughout the day?
Rather than trying to eat all your protein in one meal, spreading it across the day gives your body regular opportunities to use those amino acids for muscle repair and growth.
Think roughly every 3–4 hours rather than trying to cram your entire protein intake into dinner.
So this month, don’t just focus on your training.
Pay attention to how much you’re eating, how you’re prioritising protein and whether you’re actually fuelling your body enough to support the work you’re doing in the gym.
Start building the habit of including a good source of protein at every meal, plus an additional protein-rich snack if needed.
This is one of the simplest changes you can make that will support your training, recovery, muscle growth and body composition.
For examples of protein portions, see the Protein Sheet below.
Use it to build awareness of what you’re currently eating and plan how you can improve your protein intake over the next month.
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