Too Much Protein?

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MarlynnM
MarlynnM Posts: 8
in Introduce Yourself
This is my first day to use this site. Recently quit WW because I no longer wish to pay for something I am not following. Here's what my report said for today, mind you I wasn't planning to put the food intake into this site necessarily, but I did track everything I ate today. Just finished reading Jillian Michael's "Makeover Your Metabolism" book but realize I need more help in the tracking area.

Apparently, I ate 58 protein grams too many today. I didn't even know this was a problem. Maybe I skimmed that part of the book? 4 grams too few of carbs and fats each, not too bad. 400 over on calories....maybe due to too much protein. Help? I'm new at this kind of dieting....ya know, where there are no points :wink:

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  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    MFP sets your percentages weird. Try 50% carbs, 25% protein, 25% fat. This works for most people. Try it for a few weeks, if you lose how MFP projects, stick with it. Change it when you don't (ideally the closer you get to your goal, the less carbs and more protein you will eat. I'm on 45% carbs, 30% protein, 25% fat I believe). Going over on protein is fine but the way you should be set up, you probably won't go over often. I keep reading you should get at least 1g of protein per lb of body weight... so I weigh 165, I SHOULD be getting 165g protein, but right now am working on getting there...most good days I'm at 120-130g.
  • sugarbone
    sugarbone Posts: 454 Member
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    I used 40/30/30, carbs/protein/fat. But whatever works for you. MFP sets protein way too low. Too much protein is only a bad thing when you are eating CRAZY amounts, where it begins to take a toll on your kidneys. And I mean eating more than double your bodyweight in grams (ie, if I'm 120 lbs, I like to eat 120 grams of protein a day, but 240 would be too much unless I was a body builder, and even then I would just pee out a lot of that protein).
  • Awkward30
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
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    Most of us change the settings so we are eating more protein. I recently read 'the new rules of lifting for women' and that and other sources say during dieting you want at least 1 gram per pound of lean mass (or goal weight if you don't know body fat percent). Another benchmark thrown around is 30% of your calories. Protein is actually satiating, so excess protein would not explain being extra hungry. I find that the more wholesome my diet is, the fuller I feel off my restricted diet. For example if I have 150 calories of chocolate, I will be hungry, if instead I have 100 calories of raw celery, broccoli, and carrots, I will be full.

    Also, 400 calories over is a pretty significant amount. The deficit to lose 1 pound a week is only 500 per day and due to the inaccuracies of food reporting (not logging that you took a bite of a friends desert or not weighing food, since estimations and measuring cups are frequently inaccurate methods), you are probably at or potentially above maintenance.

    There are a lot of really good posts around here (especially stroutman's stuff) that can explain things much more clearly and detailed than I can :)

    Good luck!
  • MarlynnM
    MarlynnM Posts: 8
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    Totals 1,753 182 41 109
    Your Daily Goal 1,350 186 45 51
    Remaining -403 4 4 -58
    Calorie Carbs Fat Protein

    This is what today looked like. I weight 173, but they only gave me 51 protein grams as a daily goal?? I am not sure what you mean by 50%, 25%, 25%............what would that look like for me?

    Thanks for your help.
  • lauradupree
    lauradupree Posts: 32
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    Hi,
    I just use the protein, carb, and fat categories as a guide. I feel better if I eat more protein than they recommend. I did reset mine so that roughly half my daily allotment is carbs, and the other half is split between fats and proteins. You might explore this further and choose to track your calcium and iron as well or sodium... depending on what your individual needs are. Hope that helps. :smile:
  • Awkward30
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
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    Under goals, you can set the goals for the percentage of your diet that you want to be protein. Click goals -> custom, then put in what you want. I can't reliable get over 25% protein do I am now doing 50% 25% 25%
  • MarlynnM
    MarlynnM Posts: 8
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    Under goals, you can set the goals for the percentage of your diet that you want to be protein. Click goals -> custom, then put in what you want. I can't reliable get over 25% protein do I am now doing 50% 25% 25%

    Thanks, I found it.

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