For 60 days I ate at least 200 grams of protein per day. I weigh about 180 pounds, so this is roughly 1.1g per pound of body weight — what most strength coaches recommend for muscle building. I tracked weight, lifts, sleep, and notes every day.
This is the honest report.
The setup
Starting numbers (Day 1):
- Body weight: 180.4 lb
- Bench: 185 lb x 5
- Squat: 245 lb x 5
- Deadlift: 295 lb x 3
- Sleep average (prior 30 days): 7.1 hrs
- Energy notes: average, occasional afternoon dip
Diet: chicken, eggs, fish, Greek yogurt, occasional whey shake. Two of those daily, every day. Carbs and fats around them ad libitum but not tracked precisely. Calories not restricted.
What happened in week 1
Hungry constantly. I expected the opposite — protein is supposed to be filling. The first week, hitting 200g meant I was eating constantly and still hungry. I think my body was confused.
Weight: dropped 1.5 lb. Probably water. Lifts unchanged.
What happened in weeks 2-3
Hunger normalized. Started feeling actually full from meals. Started cooking in batches because making 200g of protein from scratch every day is a part-time job.
Lifts started moving. Bench: 190x5. Squat: 250x5. Small but real.
Sleep: stayed the same. Energy: noticeable improvement, especially morning energy.
What happened in weeks 4-6
Plateau. Lifts stopped going up. Weight stable at 181. Started getting bored of the food.
I cycled in different protein sources — added cottage cheese, ground turkey, salmon — which helped with boredom but didn't change results.
What happened in weeks 7-8
Lifts started moving again, slowly. Bench: 195x5. Squat: 260x5. Deadlift: 305x3.
Body composition: noticeable improvement in arms and shoulders. Waist roughly the same. Pictures suggest more muscle, similar body fat.
The end-of-experiment numbers (Day 60)
- Body weight: 181.8 lb (+1.4)
- Bench: 195 lb x 5 (+10)
- Squat: 260 lb x 5 (+15)
- Deadlift: 305 lb x 3 (+10)
- Sleep average: 7.2 hrs (no change)
- Energy: notably improved
The honest assessment
The strength gains are real but not dramatic. Most lifters add similar weight in 60 days with normal protein. The body composition change is more noticeable than the strength change, which suggests the high protein helped with muscle preservation while in a slight calorie surplus.
The annoying parts:
- Cooking time roughly doubled
- Grocery bill went up about 25%
- Eating out became hard — most restaurant meals hit maybe 40g protein
- Boredom of eating chicken constantly
The genuinely good parts:
- Morning energy was noticeably better
- Recovery from workouts felt faster
- Pictures show the change
Would I keep doing it?
Sort of. I've settled at about 160g/day, which feels sustainable. The 200g target was a useful experiment but not realistic for me long-term.
What this isn't
This isn't health advice. I'm one person, this is one experiment, and your situation may be different. Talk to a doctor before changing your diet substantially, especially if you have kidney concerns.
This is just a log of what happened to me.
