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more protien better...or not?

24

Replies

  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    I know the negative effects of too much on the liver so I am curious what is too much?

    Actually, that's not so. If you don't already have liver problems, a high protein diet won't hurt it.
    So it cant cause liver problems? I have had some many people freak out when I tell them how protien is my goal and say I am going to have liver problems ha

    I was taking 60 g in protein powder a day. Dr. told me to stop because it was throwing off my kidney blood work. Since then my blood work has been fine. Everything in moderation my dear… Everything!!

    Throwing off your blood work =\= throwing off your kidneys.
    High protein can cause increased creatinine levels which shows up as a red flag on blood work but if it's due to protein levels and not kidney failure it's not a problem.
  • antennachick
    antennachick Posts: 464 Member
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    I know the negative effects of too much on the liver so I am curious what is too much?

    Actually, that's not so. If you don't already have liver problems, a high protein diet won't hurt it.
    So it cant cause liver problems? I have had some many people freak out when I tell them how protien is my goal and say I am going to have liver problems ha

    I was taking 60 g in protein powder a day. Dr. told me to stop because it was throwing off my kidney blood work. Since then my blood work has been fine. Everything in moderation my dear… Everything!!
    Thats alot in powder form...what was your total protien grams?
  • gympho
    gympho Posts: 8 Member
    I try to eat/drink 1gram of protein per pound I weigh. But being around 250Lbs, that's pretty hard. Therefore I normally drink 1 or 2 protein shakes a day. And I have for about the past 15 years.
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    gympho wrote: »
    I try to eat/drink 1gram of protein per pound I weigh. But being around 250Lbs, that's pretty hard. Therefore I normally drink 1 or 2 protein shakes a day. And I have for about the past 15 years.

    Ya know...the whole grams per pound thing is supposed to be for pounds of lean body mass...
    You could be getting by with a lot less.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited February 2016
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    gympho wrote: »
    I try to eat/drink 1gram of protein per pound I weigh. But being around 250Lbs, that's pretty hard. Therefore I normally drink 1 or 2 protein shakes a day. And I have for about the past 15 years.

    Ya know...the whole grams per pound thing is supposed to be for pounds of lean body mass...
    You could be getting by with a lot less.

    Yep. Or if you don't know LBM, make it simple and do .85g/lb of goal weight.
  • Vortex88
    Vortex88 Posts: 60 Member
    1 gram of protein per lb of bodyweight is a tried and tested gold standard. Many studies now seem to suggest lower is okay but I haven't seen evidence of this in the real world. If you weigh 150lbs, I personally think 150g protein is a minimum for you for optimal body composition. I shoot for 1.25g per lb or higher.
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    Vortex88 wrote: »
    1 gram of protein per lb of bodyweight is a tried and tested gold standard. Many studies now seem to suggest lower is okay but I haven't seen evidence of this in the real world. If you weigh 150lbs, I personally think 150g protein is a minimum for you for optimal body composition. I shoot for 1.25g per lb or higher.

    Lean body mass. Grams per pound of lean body mass.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    I know the negative effects of too much on the liver so I am curious what is too much?

    Actually, that's not so. If you don't already have liver problems, a high protein diet won't hurt it.
    So it cant cause liver problems? I have had some many people freak out when I tell them how protien is my goal and say I am going to have liver problems ha

    I was taking 60 g in protein powder a day. Dr. told me to stop because it was throwing off my kidney blood work. Since then my blood work has been fine. Everything in moderation my dear… Everything!!
    Thats alot in powder form...what was your total protien grams?

    60g of powdered protein isn't that much. One scoop is 34g by weight (at least for the one I use), and I usually put 1.5 scoops (51g) into 8 oz. of nonfat milk.
  • antennachick
    antennachick Posts: 464 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    I know the negative effects of too much on the liver so I am curious what is too much?

    Actually, that's not so. If you don't already have liver problems, a high protein diet won't hurt it.
    So it cant cause liver problems? I have had some many people freak out when I tell them how protien is my goal and say I am going to have liver problems ha

    I was taking 60 g in protein powder a day. Dr. told me to stop because it was throwing off my kidney blood work. Since then my blood work has been fine. Everything in moderation my dear… Everything!!
    Thats alot in powder form...what was your total protien grams?

    60g of powdered protein isn't that much. One scoop is 34g by weight (at least for the one I use), and I usually put 1.5 scoops (51g) into 8 oz. of nonfat milk.
    Just seams alot to me with it being from just a powder..instead of from real food ;)
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    I know the negative effects of too much on the liver so I am curious what is too much?

    Actually, that's not so. If you don't already have liver problems, a high protein diet won't hurt it.
    So it cant cause liver problems? I have had some many people freak out when I tell them how protien is my goal and say I am going to have liver problems ha

    I was taking 60 g in protein powder a day. Dr. told me to stop because it was throwing off my kidney blood work. Since then my blood work has been fine. Everything in moderation my dear… Everything!!
    Thats alot in powder form...what was your total protien grams?

    60g of powdered protein isn't that much. One scoop is 34g by weight (at least for the one I use), and I usually put 1.5 scoops (51g) into 8 oz. of nonfat milk.

    I took it to mean he was getting 60g of protein from protein powder.
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    senecarr wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    I know the negative effects of too much on the liver so I am curious what is too much?

    Actually, that's not so. If you don't already have liver problems, a high protein diet won't hurt it.
    So it cant cause liver problems? I have had some many people freak out when I tell them how protien is my goal and say I am going to have liver problems ha

    I was taking 60 g in protein powder a day. Dr. told me to stop because it was throwing off my kidney blood work. Since then my blood work has been fine. Everything in moderation my dear… Everything!!
    Thats alot in powder form...what was your total protien grams?

    60g of powdered protein isn't that much. One scoop is 34g by weight (at least for the one I use), and I usually put 1.5 scoops (51g) into 8 oz. of nonfat milk.

    I took it to mean he was getting 60g of protein from protein powder.

    That's how I took it too. 2-3 shakes depending on brand.
  • bclarke1990
    bclarke1990 Posts: 287 Member
    Vortex88 wrote: »
    1 gram of protein per lb of bodyweight is a tried and tested gold standard. Many studies now seem to suggest lower is okay but I haven't seen evidence of this in the real world. If you weigh 150lbs, I personally think 150g protein is a minimum for you for optimal body composition. I shoot for 1.25g per lb or higher.

    This is how poor information gets spread. I'm almost certain the poster above doesn't need to be eating anywhere near 250g of protein (and two shakes a day). If you replaced some of those calories with more legumes, beans and healthy whole foods you could probably get a lot more nutrients in.
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    Vortex88 wrote: »
    1 gram of protein per lb of bodyweight is a tried and tested gold standard. Many studies now seem to suggest lower is okay but I haven't seen evidence of this in the real world. If you weigh 150lbs, I personally think 150g protein is a minimum for you for optimal body composition. I shoot for 1.25g per lb or higher.

    This is how poor information gets spread. I'm almost certain the poster above doesn't need to be eating anywhere near 250g of protein (and two shakes a day). If you replaced some of those calories with more legumes, beans and healthy whole foods you could probably get a lot more nutrients in.

    They didn't say 250 grams. They said 150 grams IF you weigh 150 lbs.

    Granted, the recommendation should be lean bodyweight but this still isn't an outrageous suggestion.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    Vortex88 wrote: »
    1 gram of protein per lb of bodyweight is a tried and tested gold standard. Many studies now seem to suggest lower is okay but I haven't seen evidence of this in the real world. If you weigh 150lbs, I personally think 150g protein is a minimum for you for optimal body composition. I shoot for 1.25g per lb or higher.

    This is how poor information gets spread. I'm almost certain the poster above doesn't need to be eating anywhere near 250g of protein (and two shakes a day). If you replaced some of those calories with more legumes, beans and healthy whole foods you could probably get a lot more nutrients in.

    They didn't say 250 grams. They said 150 grams IF you weigh 150 lbs.

    Granted, the recommendation should be lean bodyweight but this still isn't an outrageous suggestion.

    But the reference was to a poster who weighs 250 and said he/she aims for 250, and finds it tough. Vortex seemed to be arguing that that poster did, in fact, need to eat 1 g/lb of bodyweight (250 g).
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    Vortex88 wrote: »
    1 gram of protein per lb of bodyweight is a tried and tested gold standard. Many studies now seem to suggest lower is okay but I haven't seen evidence of this in the real world. If you weigh 150lbs, I personally think 150g protein is a minimum for you for optimal body composition. I shoot for 1.25g per lb or higher.

    This is how poor information gets spread. I'm almost certain the poster above doesn't need to be eating anywhere near 250g of protein (and two shakes a day). If you replaced some of those calories with more legumes, beans and healthy whole foods you could probably get a lot more nutrients in.

    They didn't say 250 grams. They said 150 grams IF you weigh 150 lbs.

    Granted, the recommendation should be lean bodyweight but this still isn't an outrageous suggestion.

    But the reference was to a poster who weighs 250 and said he/she aims for 250, and finds it tough. Vortex seemed to be arguing that that poster did, in fact, need to eat 1 g/lb of bodyweight (250 g).

    Gotcha. Got confused because of what was quoted vs what was being talked about.
  • ForecasterJason
    ForecasterJason Posts: 2,577 Member
    Vortex88 wrote: »
    1 gram of protein per lb of bodyweight is a tried and tested gold standard. Many studies now seem to suggest lower is okay but I haven't seen evidence of this in the real world. If you weigh 150lbs, I personally think 150g protein is a minimum for you for optimal body composition. I shoot for 1.25g per lb or higher.
    I disagree, especially if we're talking about 1g/lb of total weight vs 1g/lb of LBM. I don't think there's necessarily anything wrong with that amount, but I don't understand how that should be the minimum, especially since some of us have put on muscle eating less than that.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    So with all the protien craze going on what are you thoughts? Is protien powder a must for building muscle or just a good meal with protien works as well(I know food is best but lets face it protien powder is easy)? And do we really need that much protien? My fitness pal recommends 90 grams for me then if I exercise it recommends even more. I know the negative effects of too much on the liver so I am curious what is too much?
    "The DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 grams per pound (1). This amounts to (2, 3): 56 grams per day for the average sedentary man. 46 grams per day for the average sedentary woman."

    As you note, the DRI is for sedentary. Someone who is more active will require more...someone who puts their body through intensive workouts will need quite a bit more.

    I personally don't worry about it as much as others do...I really don't care if I hit 1g per Lb of body weight or anything...but I know I need more than the DRI minimum. I tend to get anywhere from 120 grams to 145 grams per day depending on the day...and I do supplement to help me hit those numbers.

    Protein powder isn't a must for anything...it's just a supplement. If you can get it all in your normal diet without supplementation, terrific.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Carlos_421 wrote: »
    I know the negative effects of too much on the liver so I am curious what is too much?

    Actually, that's not so. If you don't already have liver problems, a high protein diet won't hurt it.
    So it cant cause liver problems? I have had some many people freak out when I tell them how protien is my goal and say I am going to have liver problems ha

    I was taking 60 g in protein powder a day. Dr. told me to stop because it was throwing off my kidney blood work. Since then my blood work has been fine. Everything in moderation my dear… Everything!!
    Thats alot in powder form...what was your total protien grams?

    In most cases, that would be like two shakes per day. If your average male was trying to hit 1g per Lb of LBM or more, a couple shakes per day can be helpful. Otherwise, you're having to eat a lot of meat...which also gets expensive.
  • johnnylakis
    johnnylakis Posts: 812 Member
    edited February 2016
    More protein is not better. A lot of folks here on MFP know me because I am strongly against taking in too much protein. I recently decided to have my blood checked for Total Serum Protein. I consume approximately 50 to 75 grams of protein per day and I weigh 175 lbs. My results were normal.

    To answer your question, how much is too much? Once you go above 150 grams of protein per day (on multiple days per week) you risk liver damage which may cause hyperaminoacidemia (excess amino acids in the blood), hyperammonemia (excess ammonia in the blood), hyperinsulinemia (excess insulin in the blood), nausea, diarrhea, and even death.
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
    More protein is not better. A lot of folks here on MFP know me because I am strongly against taking in too much protein. I recently decided to have my blood checked for Total Serum Protein. I consume approximately 50 to 75 grams of protein per day and I weigh 175 lbs. My results were normal.

    To answer your question, how much is too much? Once you go above 150 grams of protein per day (on multiple days per week) you risk liver damage which may cause hyperaminoacidemia (excess amino acids in the blood), hyperammonemia (excess ammonia in the blood), hyperinsulinemia (excess insulin in the blood), nausea, diarrhea, and even death.

    Where do you get 150 grams per day from?
  • ForecasterJason
    ForecasterJason Posts: 2,577 Member
    edited February 2016
    More protein is not better. A lot of folks here on MFP know me because I am strongly against taking in too much protein. I recently decided to have my blood checked for Total Serum Protein. I consume approximately 50 to 75 grams of protein per day and I weigh 175 lbs. My results were normal.
    Yeah, this shows that the vast majority on here are probably eating a tremendous amount more than needed. Even I'm eating more than this now at around 90-100g (and I weight 125 lbs.) About 3 years ago I was barely eating more than .5 grams per lb of bodyweight and my total protein level was on the higher end of the normal range.
  • snikkins
    snikkins Posts: 1,282 Member
    I try to pay attention to protein. I aim for at least 1g/kg of body weight and more after I've done intense exercise. I often fall short, but I haven't noted any negative effects of this thus far.

    I started having no clue about protein so I guess the muscle sparing aspects of that for weight loss was lost on me when it mattered.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    More protein is not better. A lot of folks here on MFP know me because I am strongly against taking in too much protein. I recently decided to have my blood checked for Total Serum Protein. I consume approximately 50 to 75 grams of protein per day and I weigh 175 lbs. My results were normal.

    To answer your question, how much is too much? Once you go above 150 grams of protein per day (on multiple days per week) you risk liver damage which may cause hyperaminoacidemia (excess amino acids in the blood), hyperammonemia (excess ammonia in the blood), hyperinsulinemia (excess insulin in the blood), nausea, diarrhea, and even death.

    Scientific source for this fearmongering?
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    More protein is not better. A lot of folks here on MFP know me because I am strongly against taking in too much protein. I recently decided to have my blood checked for Total Serum Protein. I consume approximately 50 to 75 grams of protein per day and I weigh 175 lbs. My results were normal.

    To answer your question, how much is too much? Once you go above 150 grams of protein per day (on multiple days per week) you risk liver damage which may cause hyperaminoacidemia (excess amino acids in the blood), hyperammonemia (excess ammonia in the blood), hyperinsulinemia (excess insulin in the blood), nausea, diarrhea, and even death.

    Now that you've made ridiculous, unfounded claims that protein intake of greater than 150 grams per day is unsafe, please provide evidence from a reliable source.

    While you're looking for that, consider that the research we do have would indicate that you're quite incorrect (and that the opposite may actually be true).
    http://www.biolayne.com/uncategorized/myths-surrounding-high-protein-diet-safety/
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited February 2016


    Lordy I'm done for then. I don't aim to hit a certain number of protein, I just naturally gravitate toward high protein foods. I'm often at or over 150g..

  • DaddieCat
    DaddieCat Posts: 3,643 Member
    That poster doesn't realize that we all died from protein poisons long ago and they are the only thing still animating our zombie posts.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member

    Lordy I'm done for then. I don't aim to hit a certain number of protein, I just naturally gravitate toward high protein foods. I'm often at or over 150g..

    I'm over 150g pretty much every single day, have been for quite a while. Usually closer to 200g.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »

    Lordy I'm done for then. I don't aim to hit a certain number of protein, I just naturally gravitate toward high protein foods. I'm often at or over 150g..

    I'm over 150g pretty much every single day, have been for quite a while. Usually closer to 200g.

    Be sure to let us know where to send flowers
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »

    Lordy I'm done for then. I don't aim to hit a certain number of protein, I just naturally gravitate toward high protein foods. I'm often at or over 150g..

    I'm over 150g pretty much every single day, have been for quite a while. Usually closer to 200g.

    How much do you weigh? I'm 150lbs and today I've had 180g
This discussion has been closed.