Too much Protein

Dreamer1311

I've been noticing that the Protein part on my food stays red most of the time....Is it necessary a bad thing? Once I am done working out I am below my calorie intake

k121777

I have the EXACT same problem. I have been told that if you are going to go over on something, protein is the best to go over on and it won't ruin you. I'll tell ya....it doesn't take much to go over!! Good luck. Keep doing what your doing and you will win!

bmw4deb

My protien goal is around 60 i shoot for 200 per day , no i dont usually get that
high but i at least double my mfp goal it keeps me energized and satisfied
mfp's suggestion on protien is way to low imo

allready_gone

I changed my protein setting to reflect the minimum amount recommended for my body weight which is approximately 75 grams. Are you at MFP's default level for protein or have you edited it for your nutritional needs?

MissMaryMac33

Change your settings -- you don't have to use the default.

I changed mine to 45% protein, 25% carb, 30%fat --- do wht works for YOU.

My Home > Goals > Change Goals > Custom -- voila

You can also change your nutrient/meals under My Home > Settings > Diary Settings

allready_gone

My protien goal is around 60 i shoot for 200 per day , no i dont usually get that
high but i at least double my mfp goal it keeps me energized and satisfied
mfp's suggestion on protien is way to low imo

I totally agree!!! You will lose weight better if your hitting the appropriate amount of protein. How important it is is a bit underestimated in most cases.

guppygirl322

As long as the protein you are getting is good quality, I wouldn't worry about it. When I say good quality, I mean lean as opposed to high fat.

Dreamer1311

Okay thank you guys! I am feeling better about it already. I am trying to eat very healthy but I can't change the fact that tuna for instants has high protein, or my whole grain bread...its just a little distracting to see all green and then there it is: the red number lol

Jennifernellwebb

I am in the red everyday on my protein. It just seems that in order to get those foods in ( fruits, veggies, lean meats, dairy ) everyday, you have to hit a surplus on the protein. That has been my situation, anyway. My fiber is almost always over, as well. I just watch the carbs. fat, calories, and sodium very closely and not worry so much about the other two. That seems to be the only way I balance out everyday.

Dreamer1311

I changed my protein setting to reflect the minimum amount recommended for my body weight which is approximately 75 grams. Are you at MFP's default level for protein or have you edited it for your nutritional needs?

How did you figure the recommended amount for your body weight out?

RJSuperMan

Generally, no. However, it should not be more than 30% of your daily calories. More than that can hurt you over time.

AdAstra47

Not at all! Everyone's body is different, but many people find that the protein settings are too low and the carb settings too high here on MFP. You should feel free to adjust them to match your body's needs. And the chemical reaction that burns fatty acids also requires amino acids, which your body obtains from protein. So if you don't eat enough protein, your body either won't burn the fat, or it will harvest the protein from your muscles and you'll lose both fat and muscle (NOT a good thing). So instead of considering it a number to stay below, I would consider the protein level a goal to make sure you reach or exceed every day. You should try to keep your carbs and fat in the green, but try to get your protein in the red. Does that make sense?

If you're worried about too much protein, I wouldn't. My doctor has me eating 350g of protein a day. It's been almost six months and I've had no bad side effects (and I've lost 35 pounds!).

Good luck to you!

DizzieLittleLifter

Nope, it's not a bad thing unless you have a disease or illness (ie: kidney disease).

DizzieLittleLifter

I changed my protein setting to reflect the minimum amount recommended for my body weight which is approximately 75 grams. Are you at MFP's default level for protein or have you edited it for your nutritional needs?

How did you figure the recommended amount for your body weight out?

Your weight but in grams. IE If you weigh 144lbs you should aim for 144g of protein. protein is 4kcal/g and carbs are 4kcal/gr fats are 9kcal/gr. you can use this to figure what % of each your total calories should come from. I would keep fats at no more than 20%.

tigersword

I changed my protein setting to reflect the minimum amount recommended for my body weight which is approximately 75 grams. Are you at MFP's default level for protein or have you edited it for your nutritional needs?

How did you figure the recommended amount for your body weight out?

1 gram of protein per kilogram of bodyweight is the recommended amount of protein for the average person. If you are strength training, then you need to increase that. A lot of heavy weight trainers go with 1 gram per pound of bodyweight instead. I usually go somewhere in the middle. It's between 20 and 30% of my daily calories, as I'm not currently looking to add muscle mass, just maintain as much as possible while losing fat.

AdAstra47

Generally, no. However, it should not be more than 30% of your daily calories. More than that can hurt you over time.

Sorry, gotta disagree with this. My doctor put me on a low-carb diet for hyperinsulinemia, and my protein level is set at 65%, with fat at 30% and carbs at 5%. This type of diet is also very successful in treating epilepsy and diabetes, and I've met people who have sustained these levels for decades, and they are perfectly healthy.

Eating high levels of protein does require you to stay hydrated, but that's always a good idea anyway. It also requires your kidneys and liver to be healthy, so if you have previously damaged those organs, then you probably shouldn't try a low-carb diet. But if your organs are healthy to begin with, then there should be no problem.

So again, especially for the purposes of the original question, I certainly wouldn't stress about going over the recommended protein levels, even by a fairly large margin.

tigersword

I changed my protein setting to reflect the minimum amount recommended for my body weight which is approximately 75 grams. Are you at MFP's default level for protein or have you edited it for your nutritional needs?

How did you figure the recommended amount for your body weight out?

Your weight but in grams. IE If you weigh 144lbs you should aim for 144g of protein. protein is 4kcal/g and carbs are 4kcal/gr fats are 9kcal/gr. you can use this to figure what % of each your total calories should come from. I would keep fats at no more than 20%.

The actual recommendations for fat is 35%. Eating too little fat actually hurts fat loss. Fat is a major endocrine organ for the body, responsible for creating hormones to regulate body function. If you don't eat enough fats, your body will hang onto the fat you have.

jmeeej

I have to correct some of this stuff bout protein requirements.


......it is not your weight in lbs = 1g of protein.

it is your LEAN MUSCLE MASS (in lbs) that you should be getting between 0.7 to 1.0 grams of protein.


If you don't know your lean muscle mass.......estimate it.

Mackerley

Including more protein (from lean sources) in your diet is a great way to take advantage of the 'Thermic Effect' which in short, is the increased amount of energy it takes your body to break down and convert protein in to energy compared to fat or carbohydrates.

ALSO NOTE: Your body requires calcium to process protein!! If you significantly increase your protein intake, you should also think about getting more calcium to protect your bone health!

I weigh 155, take in 100-160g of protein a day, and make sure that I get 120% of the recommended calcium. I also exercise quite a bit, so my body needs more protein to recover.

jellerose

I eat mostly Primal and had to change the defaults to reflect lower carbs and higher protein and fat goals. Good fats, not canola, corn or soybean oils. ; ) I try not to eat low fat products, most are too processed. Real, whole foods. If it has wheat or most grains I skip it.

shauna121211

Here's some good advice, however,, you won't gain weight by eating too much protein, your body will just flush it out for the most part. Only real issue is your organs might have to work a bit harder if you eat too much. That said, MFP sets your protein goals very low. Do what other people said and change your goals. As you'll see below, there's a fair range of a healthy intake of protein, so don't fret too much.



How much protein should I eat when i am on a diet?

Well the amount of protein you should eat when your on a diet will depend on how many calories you eat in a day. Remember that this means that you are not working out and trying to build muscle, merely trying to lose weight while on a diet. The recommendation is that protein should form 10% – 35% of your daily caloric intake.

For Example:
If your diet keeps you at 1800 calories a day, approximately 180 – 630 of that should come from protein.

How did i work it out? Here it is:
1800 calories x 0.10 = 180 calories
1800 calories x 0.35 = 630 calories

So 10% – 35% of 1800 calories = 180 – 630 calories from protein
So how many grams of protein should I eat in a day?

There are 4 calories in a single gram of protein. Therefore 180 – 630 calories in terms of grams of protein would be roughly 45 – 157.5 grams of protein. Here’s a list of protein calories and grams you should be eating depending on the calories in your diet:

If you’re on a 1200 calorie diet, 120-420 calories (30-105 grams) of protein are recommended.
If you’re on a 1400 calorie diet, 140-490 calories (35-122.5 grams) of protein are recommended.
If you’re on a 1500 calorie diet, 150-525 calories (37.5-131.25 grams) of protein are recommended.
If you’re on a 1600 calorie diet, 160-560 calories (40-140 grams) of protein are recommended.
If you’re on a 2000 calorie diet, 200-700 calories (50-175 grams) of protein are recommended.