Too Much Protein

pz5wjj

Okay, so I've been recording my food intake for the past week and I'm pretty good for the most part -- my calories, fat, and carbs have all been in line with what I should be getting, but my protein seems to be WAY over.

Does anyone know if this is good, bad or someplace inbetween?

I have lost 1 lb this week (yay me!) and I've been exercising too.

If anyone know what affect too much protein has, I would really appreciate any info!!

Thanks!

pz5wjj

Okay, so I've been recording my food intake for the past week and I'm pretty good for the most part -- my calories, fat, and carbs have all been in line with what I should be getting, but my protein seems to be WAY over.

Does anyone know if this is good, bad or someplace inbetween?

I have lost 1 lb this week (yay me!) and I've been exercising too.

If anyone know what affect too much protein has, I would really appreciate any info!!

Thanks!

kesl57

There seems to be much debate about protein. This program will automatically set your goals at about 17%. If you look at the Zone Diet, it sets it at 30% and Atkins is (way!) more than that. I am doing 1200 calories a day and have a goal of 90 grams of protein (30%). I often go over this - and I'm not a big meat eater (maybe 3 -4 ounces, once a day, sometimes none at all).
You can change your goals (use the custom setting) to something closer to your diet. If you are way over, then you might want to have a look at what you are eating and try to make it more balanced.
I find that eating protein is a good way to feel full. My snacks are things like low fat cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. which ups my protein intake, but I feel full, for only about 100 calories.
This program is really just a tool, not a program - you have to figure out what works for you and then just use this to keep you on track.
Good luck.

pz5wjj

Thanks so much! I googled "too much protein" and was getting all sorts of stuff that related to Ketones and Ketosis that I had to worry about when I had Gest. Diabetes, but since my CARBS are okay (according to the tool) then I didn't think it applied too much.

The problem is, so far today, in terms of protein, I've had 1 Hard Boiled egg, 2 oz turkey and then for dinner I'm having chicken (about 4 oz) -- along with veggies and such that have protein in them... Oh yeah, and I'm having refried beans (Mexican night) -- all that puts me WAY over the protein "recommendation!"

I may have to change mine a bit. I'm trying to mix it up a bit and see what works for me this time!

Thanks for your help!

kesl57

No worries - another thing is probably just an issue with this site. You get a gram of protein with a single tomato,or a cup of lettuce. Don't really think that that's the case. I think if the food contains part of a gram (or trace) it just rounds it up to 1. If you are eating a lot of fruits and veggies, this can result is a lot of protein 'credit' that is overstated.
Take the count with a 'grain of salt' (but not literally of course, or else you would have to enter that into the day's count!).

kesl57

Ooops, sorry! Just looked up tomato in an online db (USDA) and 1 tomato DOES have a gram of protein! (who knew?)
Anyways, I think the partial gram effect does kick in sometimes . . .

pz5wjj

LOL! Yeah, I know...

Thanks for all your help!

joey16g

I'm looking for more stuff that has lots of protein (but not many calories or fat). Taking Powder, etc. Any suggestions? Can I borrow some of yours?:)

meg0112

I ussually go way over on my protein too and I'm still losing. Most people probably go over everyday bc one peice of meat gets you what you need. I'd suggest bumping it up to 30%-I didn't know you could do that, but I'm going to right now because its not even 9am and my 3 egg white omlete has almost met the requirment!

kerrilucko

If you're still meeting your carbs and fats, being over in protein is ok. Just be sure those other categories are not being neglected.

PedalHound

Yay! I knew there would be a thread about this already...

I've been amazed to see that in some very subtle changes to my previous diet I went from at first going a little over on my carbs every day to now going quite a bit over on my protein. I'm really REALLY not wanting a lot of breads or grains so I'm getting my carbs mostly from produce and my daily morning oatmeal. I think my system may be a bit sensitive to sugars because, although I do tend to have something sweet in my day, the grains really make me feel soggy and slow. I feel so pepped up when I'm getting more protein. I think I'm going to visit my naturopath and discuss this with her. lol...

banks1850

Ahh yes, the great protein debate. LOL! Well, after lots of talking with other weight training freaks (my wife, our trainer and friend, a couple of people on here, and a registered dietician), I have learned some interesting facts about protein and how much we should have. 1st is that yes, this site does tend to set protein a little lower then most, and carbs a tad higher. Most moderate weight trainers should have a protein intake somewhere around 22 to 32%. Having over that for extended periods can do damage to the liver (by extened I mean years, so don't be TOO concerned), But when I say over I generally mean in the 40% and above area. The thing about protein is, it's not as easilly converted to energy as carbs, so having too much and not enough carbs really isn't good if you're doing extended cardio sessions, its better for building muscle but a lot of it will be broken down into the component sugars if you aren't doing much in the way of weight training. And yes, protein can lead to adipose fat just like carbs, if you eat too much. Also good to note is that the protein from plant sources (nuts, seeds, fruits...etc) are less digestable then from meats, so even though you may eat 90 grams, if 80 of it is from say... chick peas, then you are probably passing a decent percentage of it.

The one category people tend to forget is Fats. I don't know why, I guess people just tend to hear fat and think bad bad bad. It's not, especially fats from plants (unsaturated fats). These are vital for healthy brain and immune system function, and cholesterol is an important part of the immune system and helps build cell membrains and helps create hormones. so make sure you eat all 3
carbs, fat, and protein!

PedalHound

Thanks Banksy :happy: Yes, I'm always picking apart my fats category with a fine tooth comb to get a picture of good vs bad (although I'm pleased to say I eat very little in the way of bad fats!). I had forgotten however about the bioavailability of different proteins. Excellent reminder!!