Is 40-50g of protein in a day a problem?

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  • flotsette
    flotsette Posts: 10 Member
    I know the discussion kind of already blew past the cholesterol - but any dietary restriction of cholesterol was disproven back in the 50s (in fact by Ansel Keyes, the guy who first suggested eating it might be bad. He figured out he was wrong. Nobody paid attention!) It does NOT raise the cholesterol to eat cholesterol - in fact in many cases it LOWERS it. There are a lot of good books and resources you can read like "The Big Fat Surprise" if you want to know more.
  • kiela64
    kiela64 Posts: 1,447 Member
    @flotsette Thank you!! :)
  • kiela64
    kiela64 Posts: 1,447 Member
    edited September 2015
    So I'm guessing, from the conclusion of the thread, eggs are perfectly fine and so is 50g of protein a day for my goal weight (but 40g is too low). I will be mindful of this, thanks everyone!! :)
  • Traveler120
    Traveler120 Posts: 712 Member
    If you're working with a dietitian, follow their advice not us internet randoms. You don't need to eat eggs. If it's the protein you're after, an easy source is beans and lentils which have lots of vitamins and minerals. One can of black beans or two cups is 25g protein. As for how much, a good estimate is half your ideal weight in lbs. So for me, I'm 5'5'' and my ideal weight is 120lbs. 60g is what's right for me. If you eat adequate calories from whole foods, you should easily meet your goal without having to eat processed protein powders or chicken or eggs if you don't want to.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    kae612 wrote: »
    The dietician's guidelines have structured it like "one big protein" per meal, so that's how I've been thinking of it.
    Mass-market/mainstream/governmental guidelines are usually structured around mainstream (statistically common) preferences & lifestyles.

    If you're living in a less statistically common way (like minimizing meat), you may want to question those underlying assumptions, and adjust your actions accordingly.

    As a ovo-lacto veg for 41 years now, I pay attention to broad nutritional guidelines (like how much of which nutrients/macros), check the research for any aspects that are challenging, and keep an eye out for newer but *high-quality* research on issues important to me personally, then decide what I want to do.(Lower standard of proof for things that might be good, can't reasonably hurt, and make me happy - eating turmeric, for example. ;-) ).

    As an old person, I recognize that these guidelines change, sometimes dramatically. At this stage, it's pretty easy to spot trendy bandwagons. If healthy people have been eating something for centuries or millennia (eggs, butter, dairy, etc.), I'm skeptical of demonization.
    All of this.
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,445 Member
    flotsette wrote: »
    I know the discussion kind of already blew past the cholesterol - but any dietary restriction of cholesterol was disproven back in the 50s (in fact by Ansel Keyes, the guy who first suggested eating it might be bad. He figured out he was wrong. Nobody paid attention!) It does NOT raise the cholesterol to eat cholesterol - in fact in many cases it LOWERS it. There are a lot of good books and resources you can read like "The Big Fat Surprise" if you want to know more.

    Ansel Keyes is one of the main reasons we eat the way we eat today. He was wrong on so many levels and we are paying for it now.
  • withoutasaddle
    withoutasaddle Posts: 191 Member
    The cdc recommends about 45g for women. Youre safe there. Some calculators put the amount at 80. Some at 120. But 40-50 is sustainable according to many healthy boards.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,089 Member
    edited September 2015
    kae612 wrote: »
    So I'm guessing, from the conclusion of the thread, eggs are perfectly fine and so is 50g of protein a day for my goal weight (but 40g is too low). I will be mindful of this, thanks everyone!! :)

    I don't know why you're basing it on your goal weight. You're not your goal weight now. You need to provide the protein that your body needs now, not the protein some future hypothetical body might need.

    And before somebody says you don't need protein for the fat you have now that you're trying to lose:
    If you're 180 now, and 35% body fat, that leaves you with a LBM of 117.
    At 130, with 20% body fat, you'll only have 106 LBM.
    I think that's a pretty optimistic swing in terms of body fat percentage, and I don't think you'll get rosy results like that only eating enough protein to preserve that lower LBM.
  • oh_happy_day
    oh_happy_day Posts: 1,137 Member
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    kae612 wrote: »
    So I'm guessing, from the conclusion of the thread, eggs are perfectly fine and so is 50g of protein a day for my goal weight (but 40g is too low). I will be mindful of this, thanks everyone!! :)

    I don't know why you're basing it on your goal weight. You're not your goal weight now. You need to provide the protein that your body needs now, not the protein some future hypothetical body might need.

    And before somebody says you don't need protein for the fat you have now that you're trying to lose:
    If you're 180 now, and 35% body fat, that leaves you with a LBM of 117.
    At 130, with 20% body fat, you'll only have 106 LBM.
    I think that's a pretty optimistic swing in terms of body fat percentage, and I don't think you'll get rosy results like that only eating enough protein to preserve that lower LBM.

    Agreed. I eat as much protein as possible to help maintain the muscle mass I have while I'm eating at a deficit.
  • sophilyplum
    sophilyplum Posts: 9 Member
    kae612 wrote: »
    The goal weight I'm shooting for eventually is about 130lbs, which seems to be the high end of the normal BMI for my height. So based on @lynn_glenmont 's source, "0.80 g of good quality protein/kg body weight" 130lbs= ~59kg, 59x0.8= 47.2g - then I'm actually pretty close to okay?

    Hey there, I my be late to the party but I believe you should not be basing your protein intake on your weight but on your LEAN MASS. Perhaps use this calculator and pick the lower amounts as your goals: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/macronutrients_calculator.htm

    Also 'no eggs at all argument' is insane. You don't want your muscles lost due to not eating enough protein! Make an omelette with 1 egg and 2 egg whites. It's delicious and also a good source of protein!
  • DreamBigEatLarge
    DreamBigEatLarge Posts: 162 Member
    oh gosh...I'm eating 150-160grams of protein a day and I would eat over 20 eggs a week!! lol....I'm weighing in about 160lbs....your dietitian is making me face palm....but if you don't like a lot a meat, eat whites can be bought these days :)

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