How much protein is too much?

terizius

I'm currently making my 2nd attempt at bulking up, following the Shortcut to Size program by Jim Stoppani, Phd. The program recommends a macronutrient ratio of 40/40/20 (Protein/Carb/Fat). With my caloric goal of 3500 calories a day, that equals about 330 grams of protein. Besides being difficult to actually get that much protein, it seems like a crazy amount of protein to be consuming each day. I've done some research but haven't found any hard and fast numbers as to what equals too much. What are your ideas? (BTW, I'm a 31 year old male, 5'9", 142 lbs)

cmeiron

The numbers I usually see recommended (and those that I use for myself) are based on body weight, not a percentage of intake - doing the latter isn't so bad on a cut but on a bulk it's ridiculous. Try 1-1.2g protein/lb bw and a minimum of .35g fat / lb bw. Fill the rest with carbs, or more protein/fat, depending on your satiety and gym performance.

jonnythan

This is why ratio based macros are insane. You don't need 40% more protein on a day you do a lot of exercise. 330 g is crazy even for a huge bodybuilder. For a 142 lb guy it's completely absurd.

Shoot for 1.1 - 1.4 g/lb lean mass. That'll probably be around 150-160 for you.

jonnythan

Read this: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24092765

Cre8veLifeR

@cmeirun is right - too much protein is like too much of anything else - it converts to fat if the body can't use it.

cmeiron

@cmeirun is right - too much protein is like too much of anything else - it converts to fat if the body can't use it.

Actually, that's not what I said at all...I don't agree with this statement. Too much of CALORIES will convert to fat. He could eat the 330g of protein a day if he wanted to, but a) it's hard to do and b) he probably doesn't need to in order to build muscle. But he could, and it wouldn't put fat on unless he was eating over his maintenance intake.

cmeiron

Read this: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24092765

Ooooh, right, forgot about that paper and the higher range recommendation. Well, I was close I'm getting about 1.15g/lb so not too far off from ideal.

jonnythan

Well the paper is really about people in a calorie deficit. I'm totally comfortable recommending less for people maintaining or bulking. 1 g/lb lbm is as low ad I would go though.

alpacino9

My best success bulking has been...

Protein: 1 to 1.5x bodyweight
Complex Carbs: 2x bodyweight

I follow muscleforlife.com, works great.

jonnythan

My best success bulking has been...

Protein: 1 to 1.5x bodyweight
Complex Carbs: 2x bodyweight

I follow muscleforlife.com, works great.

I follow science. Works great too and I don't need to waste money on stuff like raspberry ketones and testosterone boosters.

GradatimFerociter

Too little is much more relevant than too much. As long as you are getting enough protein and fats then the rest can be whatever you like really.

terizius

I just read a very interesting article on what happens to the macronutrients that are consumed. Regarding proteins, essentially, anything extra that is taken in is used for energy. Here's an excerpt:

about half of all ingested dietary protein is metabolized in the liver (details on this can be found in The Protein Book). Some of it is oxidized for energy while others are converted into other things (including glucose and ketones) for use elsewhere. But, protein oxidation rates do change in response to intake. So, when protein intake goes up, oxidation will increase; when protein intake goes down, oxidation rates decrease. This change isn’t immediate (as it more or less is for carbohydrates) and takes 3-9 days to occur but mis-understanding of this process has led to some goofy ideas such as protein cycling.

The entire article can be read at: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/nutrient-intake-nutrient-storage-and-nutrient-oxidation.html

takumaku

I usually keep my protein intake about 1.3-1.5 g/lb. You are an individual. Try out different levels and find what works for you.

SteveJWatson

From what I have read on here, you cut and bulk on about 1g/lb lean body mass - the increase in cals mostly comes from carbs when you are bulking.

Huffdogg

To answer your specific question: The upper limits of safe protein consumption are not really understood for people with healthy kidney function, but it's difficult (and expensive) to "shoot the moon" on protein.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/protein-requirements-for-strength-and-power-athletes.html

One of the most sensible articles I've ever read on the subject. Basically, Lyle says 1.5g/lb is a recommendation that errs on the high side without being ridiculous.

NewTnme

I suggest maybe talking to your doctor too much protein Can be hard on the kidneys.

maz2469

1g / 1kg in BW of protein for normal people, only a bit more bulking. If you were on a high protein low carb diet, the protein would be used for energy (unless you were over eating, then it would be stored as fat too), but as someone mentioned before, it can lead to kidney problems...

ronrstaats

I suggest maybe talking to your doctor too much protein Can be hard on the kidneys.

Only people with kidney problems will further their problems by ingesting too much protein. If you have healthy kidneys you won't get kidney problems from too much protein.

terizius

Huffdogg, thanks for the link. I'm a scientifically minded person and that article sums it up nicely. For those not interested in reading the article.. here's the gist of it. A lot of research as been done, and they still don't have a concensus. But the guy writing this article (Whom I reference in an earlier post) is a science/research nut and goes with the guidelines provided by another study. Heres what that study said:

■We don’t know how much protein is required to optimize all of the potential pathways important to athletes.
■We know that a protein intake of 1.4 g/lb (3.0 g/kg) isn’t harmful and may have benefits that are too small to be measured in research
■As long as eating lots of protein doesn’t keep an athlete from eating too few of the other nutrients (carbs/fats), there’s no reason to not eat a lot. And there may be benefits.

With that being said.. I've modified my currently daily protien goal to aboug 305 g. In my case, thats about 2g/lb. This is still high, however, my daily caloric intake is rather high as well. In my case, 305g of protien is only 35% of my calories, with 40% dedicated to Carbs and 25% for Fats.

NewTnme

I suggest maybe talking to your doctor too much protein Can be hard on the kidneys.

Only people with kidney problems will further their problems by ingesting too much protein. If you have healthy kidneys you won't get kidney problems from too much protein.

Too much of anything can cause our organs to malfunction. I did not know if this person had any kidney issues so that is why I recommend him to ask his doctor before I suggested any increase in protein.

littlekitty3

There's a lot of broscience on this one, especially sites like bodybuilding.com
But you really only need .8g:1lb for a bulk.
It wouldn't make a difference to go the 1g:1lb ratio, so get the extra .2 from good carbs. Don't be afraid of them. There are vegan body builders out there who eat nothing but fruits and veggies.