is it bad that i have reached my protein limit already?

mrnice1058

I am trying to do what is asked of me with fitness pal but already i have reached my limit on protein for the day. I am still going to go home and work out so i am going to get more protein. But i am just wondering is that bad for me? I was always told the carbs are the bad ones and i am not even half my carb allowed for the day but i reached my protein limit. should i be worried?

ElizabethRoad

No. It's not a limit. You need to get at least as much protein as MFP recommends.

And no, carbs aren't bad for you either.

pea2pod

I never feel bad about going over on protein. Proteins are fat burners so the more the merrier, I say!

mrnice1058

ok kool because i was going to say my dinner tonight is going to have another 28g of protein. its going to be hard for me to put in all of these calories. i guess after my work out have another protein shake but i still dont think i am going to get to my calories allotted for me

rawheeler38

I seem to always go over the protein-So I hope that is Okay, I was always told if you are going to go over--be sure it is only the protein.

erickirb

the protein limit on MFP is only 15% of total calories, for those that workout that is quite low. Either use MFPs protein as a minimum, or change your protein goal. To change the goal go to goals> change goals> custom.

Quickster34

Real Quick , the protein MFP gives you is very low, depending on your goals you can aim for 1g per lb of your goal weight a day, and carbs are not bad, complex carb are the 'good' ones, simple carbs are the less healthy ones. complex carbs are things like veggies, sweet potatos etc.. they are your main energy sources so they are needed for excersize

12skipafew99100

No way, eat your protein. You can and should go over. It will only help you!

Smuterella

I wish I could go over on the protein, even with protein shakes and a carb free dinner I'm still under.

clintbritt3

Protein is whats helping me stay full and satisfied through the day, I ALWAYS go over it and I'm loosing weight, plus it's helping me build muscle.... win win

MrDude_1

you're not over on protein... MFP just has your protein goal set waaay too low.

Allie_71

I constantly go over on protein. That's actually a number I try to go over on. I try to keep everything else (except fiber) under...

BetterWithAge

My protein goal is 30%, which is 116 grams after my workout today.

taunto

I treat the protein and fiber limit on MFP as a minimum

HotCuppaJo

I, too, am always over in protein! Glad to read that it's not necessarily a bad thing to go over in that area! I love the forums...

AlsDonkBoxSquat

mfp's protein recommendation is a joke.

cygnetpro

I've been told many times on mfp and from other really healthy people that going over on protein is rarely a problem.

sassynsweet2014

I have that issue too! I'm over on my protein a lot, it's the little red number that freaked me out at first, but protein helps to build muscle so I figure it's really not that bad to go over. I know if you go to goals and pick custom settings you can change the % of carbs/protein/fat and up the protein so that pesky red number doesn't always show up

mwestonp

I adjusted my protein goal upward. In addition to cardio I lift 5-6 days per week. I try to target around 1 gram of protein for every pound of my body weight. I see quite a few guys who consume even more, but I'm working on cutting weight right now. Ultimately it's your call, but I'd say you're fine exceeding your protein allotment if you're still hitting your calorie goal. Just my two cents.

To make adjustments to the goals from the MFP website, click "goals" under the "My Home" tab, then click "change goals". Next select "custom" and click "continue". From there you can adjust your macronutrient (carbs, protein, fat) goals.

steffiejoe

I am trying to do what is asked of me with fitness pal but already i have reached my limit on protein for the day. I am still going to go home and work out so i am going to get more protein. But i am just wondering is that bad for me? I was always told the carbs are the bad ones and i am not even half my carb allowed for the day but i reached my protein limit. should i be worried?

How many grams of protein can you have daily? The amount on MFP is typically low . I eat about 100 grams of protein daily.

bethanylaugh

you can certainly set your own protein goals, yours is actually pretty low! i've read you can eat your body weight in protein grams.

mangozulu

Real Quick , the protein MFP gives you is very low, depending on your goals you can aim for 1g per lb of your goal weight a day, and carbs are not bad, complex carb are the 'good' ones, simple carbs are the less healthy ones. complex carbs are things like veggies, sweet potatos etc.. they are your main energy sources so they are needed for excersize

Just curious, where do you get this calculation of 1 gram of protein per pound of goal weight? That would be 125 grams a day for me. That's 41% of 1200 kcal's. All the scientific literature that I have read states .8 - 1.0 grams per KILOGRAM of body weight per day. That is a big difference.

tigersword

Well, since nobody else mentioned it, I'll say this. If you have any kind of kidney disease, then yes, it could be bad to exceed your protein recommendation. Otherwise, it's generally not an issue, unless you get into insanely high amounts that interfere with getting proper nutrition from the rest of your macros.

mangozulu

I have that issue too! I'm over on my protein a lot, it's the little red number that freaked me out at first, but protein helps to build muscle so I figure it's really not that bad to go over. I know if you go to goals and pick custom settings you can change the % of carbs/protein/fat and up the protein so that pesky red number doesn't always show up

Protein doesn't build muscle. Exercise does:)

mangozulu

Well, since nobody else mentioned it, I'll say this. If you have any kind of kidney disease, then yes, it could be bad to exceed your protein recommendation. Otherwise, it's generally not an issue, unless you get into insanely high amounts that interfere with getting proper nutrition from the rest of your macros.

Nicely put:happy:

tigersword

Real Quick , the protein MFP gives you is very low, depending on your goals you can aim for 1g per lb of your goal weight a day, and carbs are not bad, complex carb are the 'good' ones, simple carbs are the less healthy ones. complex carbs are things like veggies, sweet potatos etc.. they are your main energy sources so they are needed for excersize

Just curious, where do you get this calculation of 1 gram of protein per pound of goal weight? That would be 125 grams a day for me. That's 41% of 1200 kcal's. All the scientific literature that I have read states .8 - 1.0 grams per KILOGRAM of body weight per day. That is a big difference.

1 gram per goal weight is actually a body building method, for people eating at maintenance or calorie surplus. Protein should max out at around 30% of your total calories, I personally usually shoot for 20-25%.

mangozulu

Real Quick , the protein MFP gives you is very low, depending on your goals you can aim for 1g per lb of your goal weight a day, and carbs are not bad, complex carb are the 'good' ones, simple carbs are the less healthy ones. complex carbs are things like veggies, sweet potatos etc.. they are your main energy sources so they are needed for excersize

Just curious, where do you get this calculation of 1 gram of protein per pound of goal weight? That would be 125 grams a day for me. That's 41% of 1200 kcal's. All the scientific literature that I have read states .8 - 1.0 grams per KILOGRAM of body weight per day. That is a big difference.

1 gram per goal weight is actually a body building method, for people eating at maintenance or calorie surplus. Protein should max out at around 30% of your total calories, I personally usually shoot for 20-25%.

Thanks for that. Bodybuilding... cutting or building phase?

MrDude_1

Real Quick , the protein MFP gives you is very low, depending on your goals you can aim for 1g per lb of your goal weight a day, and carbs are not bad, complex carb are the 'good' ones, simple carbs are the less healthy ones. complex carbs are things like veggies, sweet potatos etc.. they are your main energy sources so they are needed for excersize

Just curious, where do you get this calculation of 1 gram of protein per pound of goal weight? That would be 125 grams a day for me. That's 41% of 1200 kcal's. All the scientific literature that I have read states .8 - 1.0 grams per KILOGRAM of body weight per day. That is a big difference.

1 gram per goal weight is actually a body building method, for people eating at maintenance or calorie surplus. Protein should max out at around 30% of your total calories, I personally usually shoot for 20-25%.

Thanks for that. Bodybuilding... cutting or building phase?

both actually.
on cutting to not lose lean body mass.
on bulking to build.
the only diff between the two is the amount of calories consumed. you still lift heavy and basically eat the same things.

MrDude_1

I have that issue too! I'm over on my protein a lot, it's the little red number that freaked me out at first, but protein helps to build muscle so I figure it's really not that bad to go over. I know if you go to goals and pick custom settings you can change the % of carbs/protein/fat and up the protein so that pesky red number doesn't always show up

Protein doesn't build muscle. Exercise does:)

technically, exercise destroys muscle.
your body rebuilds it.... but only if it has the correct raw material to do so.... such as fats and amino acids(aka protein)..

maxmariesfo

We are uncommonly and unnecessarily obsessed with protein.

The truth is, science has show that even someone in serious training can only assimilate so much protein. A bit of meat about the size of a deck of playing cards. Eating too much is not of benefit. Your body doesn't use it. It just has to be eliminated. It taxes our system constantly working to get the excess out of our bodies.

That's why the low carb/high protein thing works. All that excess protein is not stored. It's flushed. Literally. It's hard on your body and may put you in a toxic state.

tigersword

We are uncommonly and unnecessarily obsessed with protein.

The truth is, science has show that even someone in serious training can only assimilate so much protein. A bit of meat about the size of a deck of playing cards. Eating too much is not of benefit. Your body doesn't use it. It just has to be eliminated. It taxes our system constantly working to get the excess out of our bodies.

That's why the low carb/high protein thing works. All that excess protein is not stored. It's flushed. Literally. It's hard on your body and may put you in a toxic state.

Not true. Well, the obsessed part is true, the flushing part is not. The human body uses a metabolic function called gluconeogenesis to convert protein into glucose, and then burn the glucose for energy, or store it as fat if in a state of calorie surplus.