So it has been discussed and we know now the formula to determine how much protein a person needs. That formula is no more than 0.8xbody weight. 0.8 grams per pound of body weight in all studies has resulted in positive nitrogen balance and muscle growth (or maintenance). In actuality the requirement is probably even lower at 0.73 grams per pound of body weight but I was being generous.
What about caloric control?
So now you've figured out exactly how much protein your body requires based on the formula. And let's also assume you know how many calories your body requires for maintenance because you calculated your total energy expenditure, and for sake of discussion let's assume your maintenance is 2000 calories per day. How do you control your caloric intake?
Soylent as a precision nutrition calorie source
There are plenty of reasons to be critical or skeptical of Soylent. The company exists to profit and does profit off a meal replacement which most people probably will not need. What exactly is the benefit of Soylent? If a person is trying to gain weight then measuring calories is for some people a bit of a challenge. Using MyFitnessPal, a Fitbit or similar combination can be discouraging for people not used to accounting for every unit of energy they consume.
To top this all off a person would also have to account for their macros and micros, in other words their protein, fats, carbs, including all the RDA of the necessary vitamins and minerals. Soylent makes this easier by offering convenience in this area to allow the serious eater to know and control with precision their nutrient and caloric content.
Every bottle of Soylent has precisely 400 calories and 20 grams of protein. Every bottle also has most if not all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Every bottle also has the right percentage ratio of protein, fat, carbs. This makes gaining weight incredibly easy.
If your maintenance is 2000 calories a day then 5 bottles of Soylent each day completes you. If you are trying for a deficit then taper down to 4 bottles of Soylent each day for 1600 which is exactly the right about for a deficit. If you want to gain weight then add another bottle for a total of 6 bottles a day. This makes controlling caloric content as trivial as picking up an extra or leaving an extra bottle.
Of course you don't want to only eat Soylent do you? So you can eat the foods you're willing to measure out and by doing that you can still enjoy "real food" while also maintaining high control of your caloric content. Soylent is not a health food but it is something for people who like to be in control of their caloric content and nutrition. Control of consumption determines control of physique.