Protein confusion
stebolaz
Posts: 4 Member
I am working with a trainer and nutritionist. Since I've been doing Crossfit and cardio for a year, my VO2 has gone up to 36.8% and my RMA has risen from 1023 to 2246. My goal is to burn fat and gain muscle, but have no ambition to do serious body building or competitions. I'm a 58 year old woman who wants to be fit and healthy.
This is good news but now I have the task of eating many more quality calories. My nutritionist wants me to eat 200 grams or protein a day. I wonder if there is a flaw in the protein tracking on MYfitnesspal. For example, I need to consume 100 more grams of protein for today, which is about 3.5 ounces. When I put in, as a test, four ounces of chicken, MFP counts it as 22 grams of protein and says I need to consume 78 more grams! Four ounces should put me over my goal! Has anyone had this problem?
Also, has anyone struggles with the gaining weight part of weight lifting? I feel like I look heavier in an unflattering way. My clothes are a tad tighter and the scale is up. Is it typical to go through an ugly duckling phase before the extra weight looks like a firm body? My nutritionist has warned me against cutting calories because it will wipe me out.
Would love to hear from you!
This is good news but now I have the task of eating many more quality calories. My nutritionist wants me to eat 200 grams or protein a day. I wonder if there is a flaw in the protein tracking on MYfitnesspal. For example, I need to consume 100 more grams of protein for today, which is about 3.5 ounces. When I put in, as a test, four ounces of chicken, MFP counts it as 22 grams of protein and says I need to consume 78 more grams! Four ounces should put me over my goal! Has anyone had this problem?
Also, has anyone struggles with the gaining weight part of weight lifting? I feel like I look heavier in an unflattering way. My clothes are a tad tighter and the scale is up. Is it typical to go through an ugly duckling phase before the extra weight looks like a firm body? My nutritionist has warned me against cutting calories because it will wipe me out.
Would love to hear from you!
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Replies
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The chicken isn't 100% protein. There's water and other things in there. Having said that, there are incorrect entries in the database so every entry you use should be double-checked with a reliable source like the USDA.
Anyone can call themselves a nutritionist. I would suggest that you visit a registered dietitian instead. I very much doubt that an RD would suggest that much protein.3 -
The chicken isn't 100% protein. There's water and other things in there. Having said that, there are incorrect entries in the database so every entry you use should be double-checked with a reliable source like the USDA.
Anyone can call themselves a nutritionist. I would suggest that you visit a registered dietitian instead. I very much doubt that an RD would suggest that much protein.
Heck, that's as much protein as I eat and I'm 6'1 and 225 pounds.
Also, OP - a lot of the initial gains when you go into a surplus and start lifting heavy can be water gain - which will give you a puffier look.
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Grams of macro nutrients doesn't usually equate to grams of food (with the exception of oils, which are pretty close).... You need 100g protein, not 100g chicken.
If you've been doing this a while, and you're gaining weight and feeling bigger, you're likely bulking (gaining muscle and fat), not losing fat or doing a recomp. You aren't suddenly going to turn into a lean machine unless you do what is required to get there.5 -
1 gram of protein is 4 calories. 100 grams of protein is 400 calories. You would have needed to eat about 14 ounces of chicken to get 100 grams of protein.
It is normal to gain a few pounds when you start lifting. If you are gaining weight after a few weeks your calories are too high.4 -
200 g seems like an awful lot - usually the recommendation is 1 g / lb of lean muscle.1
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The current standard recommendation in literature is .8g-1.2g per lbs. If you are on a calorie deficit you should be closer to the 1.2g/lbs.0
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I am working with a trainer and nutritionist. Since I've been doing Crossfit and cardio for a year, my VO2 has gone up to 36.8% and my RMA has risen from 1023 to 2246. My goal is to burn fat and gain muscle, but have no ambition to do serious body building or competitions. I'm a 58 year old woman who wants to be fit and healthy.
This is good news but now I have the task of eating many more quality calories. My nutritionist wants me to eat 200 grams or protein a day. I wonder if there is a flaw in the protein tracking on MYfitnesspal. For example, I need to consume 100 more grams of protein for today, which is about 3.5 ounces. When I put in, as a test, four ounces of chicken, MFP counts it as 22 grams of protein and says I need to consume 78 more grams! Four ounces should put me over my goal! Has anyone had this problem?
Also, has anyone struggles with the gaining weight part of weight lifting? I feel like I look heavier in an unflattering way. My clothes are a tad tighter and the scale is up. Is it typical to go through an ugly duckling phase before the extra weight looks like a firm body? My nutritionist has warned me against cutting calories because it will wipe me out.
Would love to hear from you!
200 grams of protein isn't the weight of the protein source...it's the amount of the actual macro-nutrient your nutritionist wants you to eat...which seems excessive IMO.
100 grams by weight of something is 3.5 ounces...that doesn't mean 3.5 ounces of chicken has 100 grams of protein...100 grams of chicken by weight has around 30 ounces of protein.
You may want to clarify with your nutritionists as to whether she wants you to consume 200 grams of some kind of meat, poultry, or fish daily or if she's talking about consuming 200 grams of the macro-nutrient, protein.0 -
I am working with a trainer and nutritionist. Since I've been doing Crossfit and cardio for a year, my VO2 has gone up to 36.8% and my RMA has risen from 1023 to 2246. My goal is to burn fat and gain muscle, but have no ambition to do serious body building or competitions. I'm a 58 year old woman who wants to be fit and healthy.
Also, has anyone struggles with the gaining weight part of weight lifting? I feel like I look heavier in an unflattering way. My clothes are a tad tighter and the scale is up. Is it typical to go through an ugly duckling phase before the extra weight looks like a firm body? My nutritionist has warned me against cutting calories because it will wipe me out.
I'm curious about the bolded part. Does RMA mean "Resting Metabolic Assessment"? Is that measuring your total daily energy expenditure (so, would you eat 2246 calories to maintain your weight), or is that measuring your base metabolic rate (so you'd be eating more than 2246 calories to maintain your weight)?
I'm asking because lifting weights doesn't necessarily mean you also need to be gaining weight, unless that's your goal. What is your current weight, how many calories are you eating, and what is your average rate of gain? Do you want to be gaining weight?
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RMA does stand for Resting Metabolic Rate. My current weight is 138 and my dietician wants me to eat about 2100 each day. When I have a day of heavy exercise I get close, but if I force myself to hit that goal, I feel sick to my stomach. I want to build lean muscle tissue, so yes, but maybe 5 pounds...not 10 -20! I'm only 5'1" so a little goes a long ways! Here are my Dexa numbers. My next dexascan is August 10, 2017. I really appreciate your input!
9/8/16 10/27/16 5/4/17
body compostion Dexa Dexa Dexa
total weight 135.3 130.6 135.2
lean mass 89.79 89.88 96.76
fat mass 42.49 39.02 35.94
% body fat 32.10% 30.30% 27.10%
FMI 8.03 7.37 6.79
Lean Indices 6.73 6.86 7.51
Next Dexa is Aug 100 -
to answer your question yes there is an ugly duckling phase before becoming lean cos when you start eating more to gain weight that weight can deposit absolutely anywhere depending on the susceptibility of your body then comes in exercise that in turn deposits all that much protein you are eating in the muscles and promotes fat burn then the body starts shaping nicely. If you don't wanna do so much effort exercising it's ok it's really simple dedicate 30 minutes 3 days a week for a group of simple exercises and let your goal be as many repetitions as possible in a shorter time like for an example there are a group of exercises by Dr. Oz called fit in 5 you can do a group of exercises in 5 minutes for any designated area in the body you like to enhance and they are extremely effective easy I've tried them before.9
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RMA does stand for Resting Metabolic Rate. My current weight is 138 and my dietician wants me to eat about 2100 each day. When I have a day of heavy exercise I get close, but if I force myself to hit that goal, I feel sick to my stomach. I want to build lean muscle tissue, so yes, but maybe 5 pounds...not 10 -20! I'm only 5'1" so a little goes a long ways! Here are my Dexa numbers. My next dexascan is August 10, 2017. I really appreciate your input!
9/8/16 10/27/16 5/4/17
body compostion Dexa Dexa Dexa
total weight 135.3 130.6 135.2
lean mass 89.79 89.88 96.76
fat mass 42.49 39.02 35.94
% body fat 32.10% 30.30% 27.10%
FMI 8.03 7.37 6.79
Lean Indices 6.73 6.86 7.51
Next Dexa is Aug 10
This is awesome. If you've been working with the same nutritionist/trainer for this entire time, I would just keep going at it, following what they're recommending.
Putting on 7lbs of lean mass in 7 months is awesome. And you've even dropped 4lbs of fat! Well done!3 -
onesarah68 wrote: »to answer your question yes there is an ugly duckling phase before becoming lean cos when you start eating more to gain weight that weight can deposit absolutely anywhere depending on the susceptibility of your body then comes in exercise that in turn deposits all that much protein you are eating in the muscles and promotes fat burn then the body starts shaping nicely. If you don't wanna do so much effort exercising it's ok it's really simple dedicate 30 minutes 3 days a week for a group of simple exercises and let your goal be as many repetitions as possible in a shorter time like for an example there are a group of exercises by Dr. Oz called fit in 5 you can do a group of exercises in 5 minutes for any designated area in the body you like to enhance and they are extremely effective easy I've tried them before.
No. Just no
And OP, that's a boat load of protein, you really don't need that much.3 -
I do not know if we should be saying she should drop the protein, the highest protein recommendation I have seen in recent literature is 1.4g/lbs if you are on a calorie deficit but most literature suggest a top effective range of 1.2g/lbs. She is not too far above the 1.4g/lbs number. Also, the trainer could have it high for a reason. Maybe she gets hungry and eats a bag of potato chips a couple times a day and the extra protein is to increase satiety so she will not do that. Most of the extra protein will just be oxidized.
With that data she gave she is heading in the right direction so she and her trainer are doing something right. 5% body fat reduction over 7 months is an alright pace.0 -
Nutritionist or dietician? You refer to both in different posts--these terms are not interchangeable.0
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Wait wait wait, let's recap here because i'm seeing conflicting information...
You have 27% body fat.
You are active (burning about 2,200 calories a day).
You are only 5'1 and weigh 135 pounds.
Are you trying to recomp? Is your nutritionist purposely having you eat around maintenance calories? Why on earth if your protein goal so high (almost 40%)?
It's my opinion (and take this with a grain of salt) that your protein goal is significantly higher than it needs to be. Based on your lean body mass you don't need more than 80-110g of protein per day for optimal results. Eating beyond this is unnecessary unless you just really want to eat some more protein.
It's my opinion that if you're eating that much protein you must be eating less carbs, which are protein sparing. To conclude I guess i just don't see a reason to force your body to use protein for fuel instead of it's prospective functions (thereby increasing your TEF) when you could probably be eating more carbs or fats. To me 200g/day for a 5'1 woman (nearly double your needs) just seems like it's asking for excessive strain on your liver or asking for higher uric acid levels than necessary; especially at your age. Not to mention the fact that having that much protein pretty much means you must be limiting your fiber and fats to some effect... this could be the reason behind your bloating.
Anyways, the protein level aside... how long are you planning on doing this? IMO 27% body fat is too high to try and recomp and a small cut until you've reached adequate body fat levels would be more effective. From there you could start on a slow bulk keeping fat gains minimal. I know your dexa seems to show good results; so maybe you would prefer to stay on the program you're on. That's fine too, i just couldn't personally justify recomping with my bodyfat that high.
OP, I would talk all of this over with the team your working with to find the reason behind these decisions and follow up with them. Obviously you've been having success so I guess just keep on keeping on. But those are my 2 cents.8 -
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rainbowbow wrote: »Wait wait wait, let's recap here because i'm seeing conflicting information...
You have 27% body fat.
You are active (burning about 2,200 calories a day).
You are only 5'1 and weigh 135 pounds.
Are you trying to recomp? Is your nutritionist purposely having you eat around maintenance calories? Why on earth if your protein goal so high (almost 40%)?
It's my opinion (and take this with a grain of salt) that your protein goal is significantly higher than it needs to be. Based on your lean body mass you don't need more than 80-110g of protein per day for optimal results. Eating beyond this is unnecessary unless you just really want to eat some more protein.
It's my opinion that if you're eating that much protein you must be eating less carbs, which are protein sparing. To conclude I guess i just don't see a reason to force your body to use protein for fuel instead of it's prospective functions (thereby increasing your TEF) when you could probably be eating more carbs or fats. To me 200g/day for a 5'1 woman (nearly double your needs) just seems like it's asking for excessive strain on your liver or asking for higher uric acid levels than necessary; especially at your age. Not to mention the fact that having that much protein pretty much means you must be limiting your fiber and fats to some effect... this could be the reason behind your bloating.
Anyways, the protein level aside... how long are you planning on doing this? IMO 27% body fat is too high to try and recomp and a small cut until you've reached adequate body fat levels would be more effective. From there you could start on a slow bulk keeping fat gains minimal. I know your dexa seems to show good results; so maybe you would prefer to stay on the program you're on. That's fine too, i just couldn't personally justify recomping with my bodyfat that high.
OP, I would talk all of this over with the team your working with to find the reason behind these decisions and follow up with them. Obviously you've been having success so I guess just keep on keeping on. But those are my 2 cents.
Pretty much all of this. A bulk or recomp at 27% seems like a long and arduous task. Especially as a woman, there will be a limit to how much and how quickly you can continue to see the results you've had. Most would recommend recomping or bulking at a much lower BF%. Of course this will likely mean no muscle gains so you have to pick your battles really.
And all of that on the protein, I'd love to know the reasoning behind that much protein, there can't be much room for anything else.0 -
[/quote]Pretty much all of this. A bulk or recomp at 27% seems like a long and arduous task. Especially as a woman, there will be a limit to how much and how quickly you can continue to see the results you've had. Most would recommend recomping or bulking at a much lower BF%. Of course this will likely mean no muscle gains so you have to pick your battles really.
And all of that on the protein, I'd love to know the reasoning behind that much protein, there can't be much room for anything else.[/quote]
There are a handful of studies out now that show if you keep your protein intake high you can loose fat while gaining muscle while resistance training, even with trained individuals.
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There are a handful of studies out now that show if you keep your protein intake high you can loose fat while gaining muscle while resistance training, even with trained individuals.
Okay, I'll grant that but there has to be a limit to that. The greatest I've seen is 1.4g per pound of LBM which is still 60g less than her recommendation.0
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