Too much protein?

jessiedyan07
jessiedyan07 Posts: 3
edited December 24 in Food and Nutrition
I've been tracking my food intake for almost a week on here now, and every single day I have gone over on my protein, even when I am under on calories. Is this unhealthy? I rarely eat meat, so should I cut back on the dairy? Or is it ok to eat more protein than suggested?

Replies

  • fhsjewfro
    fhsjewfro Posts: 101 Member
    i very highly disagree with how low the protein suggestion is on MFP

    i am a huge advocate of high protein diets, ESPECIALLY for weight loss. Keep eating the protein, you are doing fine!
  • katnohat
    katnohat Posts: 43 Member
    I think if you're going to go over on a macro, protein is the best one to go over on. It will help you build muscle.
  • Killing_Perfection
    Killing_Perfection Posts: 79 Member
    No, especially not if you use the standard configuration by MFP. The standard here is 15%, but some members change it to 30% or higher and lower on carbs (I set it to 35% carbs, 35% protein, 30% fat). So really, if you don't eat tons of fish/meat every day, it's not unhealthy - probably even better this way. With 15 percent and 54 kg lean body mass, MFP's recommendations were even too low for me.

    So, enjoy the dairy, protein is no problem :3
  • JeffJohnson26
    JeffJohnson26 Posts: 77 Member
    You can never go wrong getting too much lean protein. MFP sets it way too low, especially for girls. Good rule of thumb...get one gram of protein for every pound of body weight.
  • jessiedyan07
    jessiedyan07 Posts: 3
    Thank you all! I have been strength training quite a bit lately so I will definitely continue with the high protein!
  • ily_em
    ily_em Posts: 8
    I see protein as more of a target than a limit (same goes for fibre). Mfp sets it really low as well. Protein is good - it fills you up and builds muscle.
  • wallj135
    wallj135 Posts: 12 Member
    No, especially not if you use the standard configuration by MFP. The standard here is 15%, but some members change it to 30% or higher and lower on carbs (I set it to 35% carbs, 35% protein, 30% fat). So really, if you don't eat tons of fish/meat every day, it's not unhealthy - probably even better this way. With 15 percent and 54 kg lean body mass, MFP's recommendations were even too low for me.

    So, enjoy the dairy, protein is no problem :3

    how do you change the settings? I want to set mine to higher protein and less carbs!
  • mltechz
    mltechz Posts: 4 Member
    How do you change that configuration?
  • MrNoisy
    MrNoisy Posts: 69 Member
    My Home > Goals > Change Goals > Custom
  • Scorpioangel
    Scorpioangel Posts: 951 Member
    I have heard that too much protein can hurt some people. A while back I was having issues with constant thirst and cloudy urine (which is linked to too much protein) so I stopped eating so much... BUT I am back to eating more again and have the issues again. I don't know where to eat the additional calories because I don't want to put them in fat and my carbs are already at 50%.
  • graelwyn
    graelwyn Posts: 1,340 Member
    I sometimes worry about this myself. I sometimes get over 150g protein a day and I am 126 Ibs. It comes mostly from fish, dairy, eggs, protein powder, seeds and greek yoghurt for me.
  • SuffolkSally
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
    I sometimes worry about this myself. I sometimes get over 150g protein a day and I am 126 Ibs. It comes mostly from fish, dairy, eggs, protein powder, seeds and greek yoghurt for me.

    Ummmm - skip the protein powder? :grumble:
  • AmiC0717
    AmiC0717 Posts: 440 Member
    I am so glad you posted this. I am usually over on mine each day but it comes from greek yogurt and chicken so was thinking it was ok but definitely was wondering.
  • Madmoosebaits
    Madmoosebaits Posts: 55
    My Home > Goals > Change Goals > Custom
    Thank you!
  • graelwyn
    graelwyn Posts: 1,340 Member
    I sometimes worry about this myself. I sometimes get over 150g protein a day and I am 126 Ibs. It comes mostly from fish, dairy, eggs, protein powder, seeds and greek yoghurt for me.

    Ummmm - skip the protein powder? :grumble:

    I was using it to flavour my yoghurt and make sure I was not hungry before bed, lol.
  • Rilke
    Rilke Posts: 1,201 Member
    I have heard that too much protein can hurt some people. A while back I was having issues with constant thirst and cloudy urine (which is linked to too much protein) so I stopped eating so much... BUT I am back to eating more again and have the issues again. I don't know where to eat the additional calories because I don't want to put them in fat and my carbs are already at 50%.

    Why not put them in fat?
  • suzcomptime
    suzcomptime Posts: 1 Member
    My nutritionist said that there is such a thing as too much protein. That is is hard on your kidneys. The question is, how much is too much. As you can see on this board and in programs like myfitnesspal, there are varying "acceptable" amounts. I am still confused as to how much is too much. On another diary program that I used, it gave me a red mark for too high protein when I ate 125g one day.
  • Gradesbrah
    Gradesbrah Posts: 4 Member
    The primary way for your body to get rid of the excess nitrogen within protein is to excrete it through sweat or your kidneys. Increasing the urea content of your blood will require your body to increase renal function. In addition to the increased workload on the kidneys, high blood urea concentration levels can increase the risk of forming uric acid crystals in the kidneys and in joints (gout).

    Everything in moderation. Never go too high on protein just as you never should go too low on carbs or fats. Ketosis is not something you really want to be experiencing either is hormone suppression.

    Depending on your training and career, your nitrogen turnover will vary.
    Too low of a protein intake and you will limit your recovery or worse, your essential metabolic demands.
    Too high of a protein intake and a pathological condition can result.

    Plenty of water is always something to stay on top of when consuming larger amounts of protein to keep the kidneys from dealing with too highly concentrated plasma.
  • TracySchroeder
    TracySchroeder Posts: 7
    I've been wondering this, too. I have issues with CRAVING proteins ALL the time!! I have some medical issues with very low iron {so low, I've had to have straight 5 hour iron infusions}. This has hopefully been remedied by a surgery I had to stem some extreme internal bleeding. But, now as I'm building my iron levels back up I find that I crave meat and proteins like crazy!!!! I don't want to pack on more weight though!! I'm kind of at a loss of what to do!
  • Mrs16
    Mrs16 Posts: 86
    Bob Harper from the biggest loser recommends eating protein at every meal.......
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    I have heard that too much protein can hurt some people. A while back I was having issues with constant thirst and cloudy urine (which is linked to too much protein) so I stopped eating so much... BUT I am back to eating more again and have the issues again. I don't know where to eat the additional calories because I don't want to put them in fat and my carbs are already at 50%.

    And obviously if you are having these issues, you *should* cut down. I'd also say making an appointment with a doctor (if you don't have a formal diagnosis) and a dietician and asking advice for meal planning would be a good idea.

    The doctor's because this could be a sign of some stuff going wrong with your kidneys that you'd really rather get looked at sooner than later.
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