Does protein make you fat?

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  • malins2
    malins2 Posts: 154 Member
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    No it does not make you fat. It's good for you.
    However, too much of anything is not good.... but to get too much protein without trying really hard ( ie having multiple protein shakes and bars a day) is just not going to happen!
  • savageman69
    savageman69 Posts: 339 Member
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    Yes protein is evil and makes you fat.....thats why i eat 170 grams or more a day i like to stay fat problem is i keep losing weight somethings wrong here
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,835 Member
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    If you are under you're TDEE then "too much" protein (or any other macro) will not make you gain weight.

    Yes, protein can be used for energy if there is limited carbs/fat but it would be the last choice.

    Yes macro's make a difference for body composition. Getting adequate protein & fats is most important and carbs are last in the hierarchy.
  • brjustice2000
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    Extra calories over what you actually need make you fat regardless of the source. If you are strength training you need protein. Excessive amounts of protein are hard on your kidneys. Your annual blood work when you have your physical should show if your kidneys function in the normal range.
  • knk1553
    knk1553 Posts: 438 Member
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    MFP sets your macros at 55/15/30 carbs/protein/fat, so I used to ALWAYS go over my protein, I recently started adding weight training into my diet, and realized that 55% of my calories in carbs was too much for me. I just switched my macros to 40/30/30, and I honestly started noticing more weight loss with the more protein I consume and I consume an average of 120g per day. I also feel fuller on less food the more protein I include in my diet, I can definitely notice how hungry I get on the days my protein consumption is low.

    Ultimately going over your daily maintenance calories is what makes you fat, because if you are consistently going over all of your marcos, then you're going over all your calories as well.
  • ElementalEscapee
    ElementalEscapee Posts: 552 Member
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    you should be eating about that much protein daily anyway.

    I've heard 1g for every pound you weigh.

    Exactly. You stated that you weigh 126 pounds, so what makes you think that eating 99 grams of protein daily is bad?
  • findfan4ever
    findfan4ever Posts: 153 Member
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    I've gone over on protein by 45g today, but am still under my calories and all other macros. Can too much protein make you fat?

    I've consumed 99g of protein today, and I weight 126 pounds.

    The range you want to be in should be between 0.6 - .085 g of protein per body weight n pounds. The low end is for active lifestyles to competitive athletes at the high end.

    For you: 76 - 107 grams per day.
  • thomakg
    thomakg Posts: 69 Member
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    Back pain can come from your bowels - it gets pretty tight in there - you need fiber and water to compensate for high protein...
  • PrayerofAmity
    PrayerofAmity Posts: 176 Member
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    Too much protein won't make you fat, but there ARE dangers. Here is a quote I found on MedicineNet.com.

    Too Much Protein

    A diet in which protein makes up more than 30% of your caloric intake causes a buildup of toxic ketones. So-called ketogenic diets can thrust your kidneys into overdrive in order to flush these ketones from your body. As your kidneys rid your body of these toxic ketones, you can lose a significant amount of water, which puts you at risk of dehydration, particularly if you exercise heavily.

    That water loss often shows up on the scale as weight loss. But along with losing water, you lose muscle mass and bone calcium. The dehydration also strains your kidneys and puts stress on your heart.

    And dehydration from a ketogenic diet can make you feel weak and dizzy, give you bad breath, or lead to other problems.

    Ideally, you should consume 0.36 grams of protein for every pound of body weight, according to recommended daily allowances (RDA) set by the Food and Nutrition Board. So if you weigh 170 pounds, you need about 61 grams of protein each day.

    Protein should also make up approximately 15% of your total daily caloric intake, also according to the RDA. In a diet of 1,800 calories a day, for example, about 270 of those calories should come from protein.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,835 Member
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    Too much protein won't make you fat, but there ARE dangers. Here is a quote I found on MedicineNet.com.

    Too Much Protein

    A diet in which protein makes up more than 30% of your caloric intake causes a buildup of toxic ketones. So-called ketogenic diets can thrust your kidneys into overdrive in order to flush these ketones from your body. As your kidneys rid your body of these toxic ketones, you can lose a significant amount of water, which puts you at risk of dehydration, particularly if you exercise heavily.

    That water loss often shows up on the scale as weight loss. But along with losing water, you lose muscle mass and bone calcium. The dehydration also strains your kidneys and puts stress on your heart.

    And dehydration from a ketogenic diet can make you feel weak and dizzy, give you bad breath, or lead to other problems.

    Ideally, you should consume 0.36 grams of protein for every pound of body weight, according to recommended daily allowances (RDA) set by the Food and Nutrition Board. So if you weigh 170 pounds, you need about 61 grams of protein each day.

    Protein should also make up approximately 15% of your total daily caloric intake, also according to the RDA. In a diet of 1,800 calories a day, for example, about 270 of those calories should come from protein.


    %'s are useless. 30% of 1500 is clearly different from 30% of 5000.

    If you have kidney issues then you want to get a blood test and watch out for over consumption. If not, don't worry about it.
  • Christine1110
    Christine1110 Posts: 1,786 Member
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    I try to keep my protein between 100-125g a day.
  • MonicaT1972
    MonicaT1972 Posts: 512
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    I noticed I gained when I was getting to over 130g a day and started having some back pains, so I think too much can definitely be a bad thing.

    Protein does not cause back pains. You probably injured yourself while doing exercise.

    If you ate 250g protein a day, and fit it into your calories for the day (i.e 250g protein means 1,000 calories gone and you eat 50g carbs 20g fat to equal the other 400, or whatever) then you wouldn't gain weight because you're still on a large calorie deficit from your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE).
    Eat 250g protein, 300g carbs and 100g fat? Then you're above your maintenance calories and you'll put on weight.

    If anything, studies show that increased protein consumption while on a calorie deficit can lead to greater fat loss and lean mass retention.

    PROTEIN IS GOOD.

    Excess protein consumption actually affects kidney function. Often issues with kidneys are first notices as back pain due to where they are in the body and how their pain radiates. This poster indead may have had back pain as a result of too much protein affecting kidney function.
  • delaney056
    delaney056 Posts: 475
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    I noticed I gained when I was getting to over 130g a day and started having some back pains, so I think too much can definitely be a bad thing.

    Protein does not cause back pains. You probably injured yourself while doing exercise.

    If you ate 250g protein a day, and fit it into your calories for the day (i.e 250g protein means 1,000 calories gone and you eat 50g carbs 20g fat to equal the other 400, or whatever) then you wouldn't gain weight because you're still on a large calorie deficit from your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE).
    Eat 250g protein, 300g carbs and 100g fat? Then you're above your maintenance calories and you'll put on weight.

    If anything, studies show that increased protein consumption while on a calorie deficit can lead to greater fat loss and lean mass retention.

    PROTEIN IS GOOD.

    Excess protein consumption actually affects kidney function. Often issues with kidneys are first notices as back pain due to where they are in the body and how their pain radiates. This poster indead may have had back pain as a result of too much protein affecting kidney function.

    No back pain!
  • CaseRat
    CaseRat Posts: 377 Member
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    I noticed I gained when I was getting to over 130g a day and started having some back pains, so I think too much can definitely be a bad thing.

    Protein does not cause back pains. You probably injured yourself while doing exercise.

    If you ate 250g protein a day, and fit it into your calories for the day (i.e 250g protein means 1,000 calories gone and you eat 50g carbs 20g fat to equal the other 400, or whatever) then you wouldn't gain weight because you're still on a large calorie deficit from your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE).
    Eat 250g protein, 300g carbs and 100g fat? Then you're above your maintenance calories and you'll put on weight.

    If anything, studies show that increased protein consumption while on a calorie deficit can lead to greater fat loss and lean mass retention.

    PROTEIN IS GOOD.

    Excess protein consumption actually affects kidney function. Often issues with kidneys are first notices as back pain due to where they are in the body and how their pain radiates. This poster indead may have had back pain as a result of too much protein affecting kidney function.

    If you are consuming somewhere in the range of at least 300g+ a day consistently, possibly. But I highly doubt that would be the case in most people. I eat 225-250g a day and that's with protein shakes and lots of meat/eggs while consuming 3,000calories a day on a bulking phase. Most normal people, especially people on diets, especially women who are only eating around 1,500 calories, will get nowhere near that number unless they soley eat meat and vegetables, which again not many, if any are doing.

    If she had liver problems in the past, fair enough. From everything I've learnt, though, then I doubt it.
  • Cait_Sidhe
    Cait_Sidhe Posts: 3,150 Member
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    I know that TOO much can. But I think you'd at least need to get your bodyweight in protein before it'd even be a worry.
    Only if you consistently go over your maintenance calories eating protein will you gain fat.
  • Hendrix7
    Hendrix7 Posts: 1,903 Member
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    Too much protein won't make you fat, but there ARE dangers. Here is a quote I found on MedicineNet.com.

    Too Much Protein

    A diet in which protein makes up more than 30% of your caloric intake causes a buildup of toxic ketones. So-called ketogenic diets can thrust your kidneys into overdrive in order to flush these ketones from your body. As your kidneys rid your body of these toxic ketones, you can lose a significant amount of water, which puts you at risk of dehydration, particularly if you exercise heavily.

    That water loss often shows up on the scale as weight loss. But along with losing water, you lose muscle mass and bone calcium. The dehydration also strains your kidneys and puts stress on your heart.

    And dehydration from a ketogenic diet can make you feel weak and dizzy, give you bad breath, or lead to other problems.

    Ideally, you should consume 0.36 grams of protein for every pound of body weight, according to recommended daily allowances (RDA) set by the Food and Nutrition Board. So if you weigh 170 pounds, you need about 61 grams of protein each day.

    Protein should also make up approximately 15% of your total daily caloric intake, also according to the RDA. In a diet of 1,800 calories a day, for example, about 270 of those calories should come from protein.

    This is quite out of context. A ketogenic diet is very low/zero carbs, If you are consuming "A diet in which protein makes up more than 30% of your caloric intake" this is not necessarily a ketogenic diet, it would depend on the other macros.

    Also latest research shows that sufficient protein consumption is MORE important for people in calorie deficit, i.e, most people on this site.
  • LexyDB
    LexyDB Posts: 261
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    I noticed I gained when I was getting to over 130g a day and started having some back pains, so I think too much can definitely be a bad thing.

    Protein does not cause back pains. You probably injured yourself while doing exercise.

    If you ate 250g protein a day, and fit it into your calories for the day (i.e 250g protein means 1,000 calories gone and you eat 50g carbs 20g fat to equal the other 400, or whatever) then you wouldn't gain weight because you're still on a large calorie deficit from your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE).
    Eat 250g protein, 300g carbs and 100g fat? Then you're above your maintenance calories and you'll put on weight.

    If anything, studies show that increased protein consumption while on a calorie deficit can lead to greater fat loss and lean mass retention.

    PROTEIN IS GOOD.

    Excess protein consumption actually affects kidney function. Often issues with kidneys are first notices as back pain due to where they are in the body and how their pain radiates. This poster indead may have had back pain as a result of too much protein affecting kidney function.

    Unless there is a pre existing condition which the protein will exacerbate then no.

    I have yet to find one documented study where protein is the cause of kidney problems. The amount you'd have to consume to cause any damage on a daily basis is more than most people eat in calories per day when they are not losing body fat, regardless of carbohydrates and fat as well.

    Countless body builders and weight trainers have lived on high protein diets for decades with no ill effects from protein. What is the obsession on here with excess or over eating protein? You don't see a fraction of posts regarding too much fat or carbohydrates which will cause more damage over time when consumed to excess.

    Folklore and urban myth perpetuated by forums.
  • kalynn06
    kalynn06 Posts: 368 Member
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    I noticed I gained when I was getting to over 130g a day and started having some back pains, so I think too much can definitely be a bad thing.

    Protein does not cause back pains. You probably injured yourself while doing exercise.

    If you ate 250g protein a day, and fit it into your calories for the day (i.e 250g protein means 1,000 calories gone and you eat 50g carbs 20g fat to equal the other 400, or whatever) then you wouldn't gain weight because you're still on a large calorie deficit from your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE).
    Eat 250g protein, 300g carbs and 100g fat? Then you're above your maintenance calories and you'll put on weight.

    If anything, studies show that increased protein consumption while on a calorie deficit can lead to greater fat loss and lean mass retention.

    PROTEIN IS GOOD.

    Excess protein consumption actually affects kidney function. Often issues with kidneys are first notices as back pain due to where they are in the body and how their pain radiates. This poster indead may have had back pain as a result of too much protein affecting kidney function.

    Unless there is a pre existing condition which the protein will exacerbate then no.

    I have yet to find one documented study where protein is the cause of kidney problems. The amount you'd have to consume to cause any damage on a daily basis is more than most people eat in calories per day when they are not losing body fat, regardless of carbohydrates and fat as well.

    Countless body builders and weight trainers have lived on high protein diets for decades with no ill effects from protein. What is the obsession on here with excess or over eating protein? You don't see a fraction of posts regarding too much fat or carbohydrates which will cause more damage over time when consumed to excess.

    Folklore and urban myth perpetuated by forums.

    This. I'm on the lookout for a study showing any dietary protein level actually causing kidney disease rather than exacerbating extant disease. I found exactly one study in rats and it was spectacularly inapplicable, since the problems were associated with a diet high in a particular bacterial protein in one specific strain of female rats.
  • NoxDineen
    NoxDineen Posts: 497 Member
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    Caloric surplus makes you fat. If you're working out regularly you should aim for 1g protein per pound you weigh.

    MFP's default protein requirements are crazy low for anybody who is active on a regular basis.
  • diverdiza
    diverdiza Posts: 82 Member
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    I'm grateful to those who have posted on this thread for their input - I joined MFP a few days ago and the limited protein allocation was catching me out - I've been over every day!
    I'm glad to see there are many people (who are successfully losing weight!) that say that more protein is not necessarily bad!