Keeping protein down

janconroy

I'm logging all my food, way below on carbs, calories and fat but can't seem to keep the protein down. How much of a difference will it make if my protein is 6 or 7 gr over??

BackTatJIM

MFP has a very low protein limit, i go over everyday somtimes by 30 or 40 and I am still doing fine ;-0

Mommareed4

it is good to be over on protein..MFP has it setting pretty low on that category...I aim to get 150 or above.

taso42

don't limit your protein

cathylord

If you're going to be over on something, let it be protein. You are doing fine with the amount you are over, I think.

sarah44254

I'll trade you. What are you doing to keep it over limit? I need to increase my protein.

taxidermist15

1g of protein per pound of LBM

Christine1110

I like to keep mine between 100 and 125. It's way to low on here!

ironanimal

I eat about 200g of protein a day. I have yet to die.

rrrbecca11

It is not good to be over on protein. Unless you are a body-builder, you only need about .04 gram per pound of body weight. More than that converts to fat. I have my daily intake set at 15% and rarely go over. And before anyone says "Gasp!", I am extremely active, run, weight train, and have a super busy lifestyle. Read up on it for yourself.

secretlobster

Protein is a MINIMUM goal, not a maximum

(don't let the red numbers fool you when you go over, you need protein)

bradphil87

I eat about 200g of protein a day. I have yet to die.

I'm with you on this, i have way over my limit just in my before and after workout shakes lol

BackTatJIM

o yeah just rember if you eat a lot of protein to make sure you get your fiber

katnic898

The more I exercise the more protein I need to recover. I always go way over the protein limit on recovery days to help rebuild my muscles.

ruststar

Protein helps you feel full and takes more energy to digest - it's beneficial to aim for a higher percentage of protein.

Meaganandcheese

Unless you have a kidney issue and doctor's instructions to limit it, the MFP goal is very low. if you adjust your macros to 40% carb, 30% fat, 30% protein, it seems to be a more realistic range.

And @secretlobster is right. Consider it a minimum suggestion. Like a speed limit.

HOSED49

I eat about 200g of protein a day. I have yet to die.

same here, still alive and kicking

BigRich822

don't limit your protein

Absolutely correct

sarah44254

It is not good to be over on protein. Unless you are a body-builder, you only need about .04 gram per pound of body weight. More than that converts to fat. I have my daily intake set at 15% and rarely go over. And before anyone says "Gasp!", I am extremely active, run, weight train, and have a super busy lifestyle. Read up on it for yourself.

.04 gram per pound for me at 150 pounds is only 6 grams of protein per day. That doesn't match anything I've read as suggested protein consumption.

HMVOL7409

I eat about 150 g of protein daily and pretty sure the excess hasn't turned to fat!

RonSwanson66

It is not good to be over on protein. Unless you are a body-builder, you only need about .04 gram per pound of body weight. More than that converts to fat. I have my daily intake set at 15% and rarely go over. And before anyone says "Gasp!", I am extremely active, run, weight train, and have a super busy lifestyle. Read up on it for yourself.

Dietary protein never converts to fat.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/excess-protein-and-fat-storage-qa.html
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/how-we-get-fat.html

jemachharo

Me too. I go way over on protein EVERY day. It works for me.

rrrbecca11

It is not good to be over on protein. Unless you are a body-builder, you only need about .04 gram per pound of body weight. More than that converts to fat. I have my daily intake set at 15% and rarely go over. And before anyone says "Gasp!", I am extremely active, run, weight train, and have a super busy lifestyle. Read up on it for yourself.

.04 gram per pound for me at 150 pounds is only 6 grams of protein per day. That doesn't match anything I've read as suggested protein consumption.

Yes, I apologize for the typo. Was supposed to be .4 gram per pound.

brokenartist

Protein = Lean Muscle food...Lean muscle = higher metabolism... when you keep protein in your body then your lean muscles use that and your body resorts to the fats and carbs for fuel instead of eating your muscle fibers...4 calories per gram of protein and carbs and 9 calories per gram of fats

susannamarie

It is not good to be over on protein. Unless you are a body-builder, you only need about .04 gram per pound of body weight. More than that converts to fat. I have my daily intake set at 15% and rarely go over. And before anyone says "Gasp!", I am extremely active, run, weight train, and have a super busy lifestyle. Read up on it for yourself.

a) I've never read a recommendation that low. 0.04 gram/lb would mean that a 200 lb person needs 8 grams/day. The usual minimum recommendation I've seen is 0.8 (not .08!) grams per KILO.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/questions/protein-questions/#howmuch

b) Excess protein won't convert to fat on a calorie deficit.

rrrbecca11

http://www.livestrong.com/article/522046-can-protein-be-converted-to-body-fat/

"Considerations

According to the American Council on Exercise, if you consume more protein than your body needs each day, the excess protein will be converted into body fat. Many athletes consume large amounts of protein to try to promote weight gain, but much of this added weight will be in the form of fat. In addition, consuming excessive amounts of protein can also affect the health of other parts of your body, such as your kidneys."

bathsheba_c

The MFP recommendations are what the US government recommends, but is only half of what would be the minimum for something to be considered a "high-protein diet."

It's fine to be over protein and lower on the other macros.

susannamarie

http://www.livestrong.com/article/522046-can-protein-be-converted-to-body-fat/

"Considerations

According to the American Council on Exercise, if you consume more protein than your body needs each day, the excess protein will be converted into body fat. Many athletes consume large amounts of protein to try to promote weight gain, but much of this added weight will be in the form of fat. In addition, consuming excessive amounts of protein can also affect the health of other parts of your body, such as your kidneys."

From the same article you just posted:

"When you consume more protein than your body needs to supply its amino acid demands, the excess protein can be burned for energy."

Furthermore, if you actually check the references, the ACE website they're citing says:
"If individuals consume protein in excess of their caloric and protein needs, the extra protein will not be stored as protein. Unfortunately such extra protein is converted to and stored as fat. As a result, if individuals consume large amounts of extra protein in addition to their regular dietary intake, any weight gain would very likely be in the form of fat. "

Note that it says caloric AND protein needs. In other words, the excess protein is stored as fat when in a caloric surplus. This does not mean that someone who has excess protein is going to store the excess protein as fat in a caloric deficit. If this were true, I could gain fat by eating 600 calories a day of tuna! It will be rather be used to supply energy to run the body, and if the body has ENOUGH energy (caloric surplus), THEN it will store it as fat.
Edited: Just like it will store a caloric surplus from carbohydrates or fats as fat.

SourisBelette

My protein is too low too! What are you people eating?

mmapags

http://www.livestrong.com/article/522046-can-protein-be-converted-to-body-fat/

"Considerations

According to the American Council on Exercise, if you consume more protein than your body needs each day, the excess protein will be converted into body fat. Many athletes consume large amounts of protein to try to promote weight gain, but much of this added weight will be in the form of fat. In addition, consuming excessive amounts of protein can also affect the health of other parts of your body, such as your kidneys."

From the same article you just posted:

"When you consume more protein than your body needs to supply its amino acid demands, the excess protein can be burned for energy."

Furthermore, if you actually check the references, the ACE website they're citing says:
"If individuals consume protein in excess of their caloric and protein needs, the extra protein will not be stored as protein. Unfortunately such extra protein is converted to and stored as fat. As a result, if individuals consume large amounts of extra protein in addition to their regular dietary intake, any weight gain would very likely be in the form of fat. "

Note that it says caloric AND protein needs. In other words, the excess protein is stored as fat when in a caloric surplus. This does not mean that someone who has excess protein is going to store the excess protein as fat in a caloric deficit. If this were true, I could gain fat by eating 600 calories a day of tuna! It will be rather be used to supply energy to run the body, and if the body has ENOUGH energy (caloric surplus), THEN it will store it as fat.
Edited: Just like it will store a caloric surplus from carbohydrates or fats as fat.

This!

tdigirl

MFP always says I'm over my protein. I'm fine with that too. I usually keep mine at 1 gram per lean body mass which my LEAN body mass is about 150 lbs. Hope this helps.