Too much protein?

newbex

Too much information!

barbaracoffing

Ryanlove is correct. Protein is essential for the body to build and repair muscle and is the only macro nutrient that actually USES ENERGY (i.e. burns calories) to digest. Carbs and fats do not have that effect to the same extent. Excess carbs are converted to fat if not burned. This is why high carb diets do not often work, and highter protein, low carb diets do. Carbs are set way too high on mfp in my opinion. I lowered mine to 45%, with 35% protein and 20% fat. As for what happens to the extra protein...the body takes care of itself in that whatever is not used is excreted in the urine by the kidneys. Lots of water is necessary to keep the body cleansed properly anyway.

margojr4

<insert crazed looked gif here>

40/30/30 plan never hurt no one - try it and see...

AnvilHead

Too much information!

Read the first post in this thread:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Helloitsdan talks about setting your macros (protein, fat, carbs) about 2/3 of the way through the post.

There *can* be such a thing as too much protein, but it's ridiculously far above MFP's default recommendations - even ridiculously far above the common recommendations of 1g/lb of LBM or 1g/lb of bodyweight. If you have your macros set to MFP's default settings, exceeding the protein allowance is no cause for alarm at all. In fact, you most likely need significantly more than that.

Adequate protein intake (along with strength training) is important when losing weight, to spare muscle/lean body mass and target fat loss. *Some* lean body mass loss is inevitable, but minimizing it is a good idea unless you really like the flabby "skinny fat" look.

Drenched_N_Motivation

So what happens when you consume too much protein? I guess I need to incorporate less meats in my diet?

lmao

Futureiznow

The body can use about 10g of amino acids per hour. It turns out that the fastest protein, whey, is absorbed at about 10g per hour.

The question is, how long can the body absorb the contents of a meal for, and that is really a lot longer than 2-3 hours. The small intestine can absorb protein along its full length, and peristalsis will slow down to accomodate the size of the meal. So there is no reason that 50g or 70g could not be absorbed. It might take 10 hours but what else does your intestine have to do?
I just tracked a meal through my canal as taking 40 hours (using yellow corn). Not as sophisticated as radioactive isotopes but it did the job!

Keep in mind that half the protein you eat gets shunted to the liver where it is used for special purposes.
For example, the liver will create hormones, enzymes and cholesterol out of it. It will also create some glucose out of the protein, some of which it uses internally for its purposes, and some of which is stored as glycogen and some of which is released. If you eat high protein and low carbs, there is a good chance that more of it will be used for glucose. All of the BCAAs are sent on to the muscles however. There is constant need for them, especially following resistance exercise.

It is pretty rare that protein is actually converted to fat, because the pathway requires that it goes to glucose first. Glycogen stores will need to be full, which is also rare, since excess glucose is stored as glycogen. It can happen of course, but it's much less likely to be stored as fat than excess carbs. And as mentioned when metabolized the by products will be excreted by the kidneys. If someone has comprimsed kidney function then eating a very high protein diet may worsen their condition.

Personally I eat about 1.5g/kg bodyweight in protein. That's about .7g/lb or 120g per day. I'm very active athletically training 5-6x per week so have a high turnover. If i were sendentary 1g/kg bodyweight would be enough for sure. However, there may be other reasons to eat more, such as if on a diet - for example to preserve lean mass and reduce cravings.

SO in a nutshell, if you are eating at your maintenance level or below and are fairly active it is highly unlikely that any protein you eat will be stored as fat. But even if it did, when when your body needed energy it couldn't get from recently eaten food, it would come use the stored fat - as roughtly 50% of calories burned come from fat - during normal daily activity.

slkehl

Protein is fine! It drives me nuts how MFP makes it look like being over by a certain amount is bad. It's the carb/fat balance you want to keep track of.

ricagain

when will everyone learn that it is a matter of calories in versus calories out! weight loss is simple just do the math.

hooperkay

no no no no no no.... protein is ESSENTIAL. this site gives way too many carbs, and not nearly enough protein. I use it as a tool to monitor clients' food, but they follow my meal plan. You should eat 100 g minimum.. and that's if you want to lose weight... Nutrient timing helps, but that is step 1. Hit me up any time for help.

what % of carbs, proteins do you suggest? I've been in my spare time (ha ha) trying to read up on everything and try to find what would be best. I'm doing great with losing. Working on building muscle now and still have some more to lose.

Futureiznow

when will everyone learn that it is a matter of calories in versus calories out! weight loss is simple just do the math.

Why not just eat all your calories from fat then?

RuthSweetTooth

If you have ever, man or woman, passed a kidney store or it seems like your urine flow is reduced, your kidneys are under stress. Alot of people have too much protein in their urine and don't even know it. Over time, it can lead to kidney failure and dialysis.

Men need to be aware that some of them have a gene that makes them more susceptible to kidney problems. My husband is a hunter and I have had to work hard to show him how big a portion of meat he can eat, because I swear he used to want to fill his plate with meat. He has gout, and crystals forming on his toe. One day, he'll have to have surgery to get that bump off his toe. But in the meantime, the real concern is the invisible one, the health of the kidneys. I don't think there is anyone on here who needs to be consuming over 100 grams of protein. 35% is the top recommended by the RDA, although I know that I routinely go over myself to about 40%. Gout and kidney stress are dangers of high protein diets. Just be careful, as I mentioned, it is very silent and some people don't know that they have renal failure until it is time to go on dialysis. Diabetes is closely linked with this problem. Meat is not the only thing that needs to be controlled; protein supplements contain some of the same amino acids that are found in kidney stones. Exercise is very helpful in using up protein just as it is in using up glucose. My husband is exercising more now to help lower his proteinuria.

Best wishes!

Ruth

ricagain

calories in versus calories out is the math part..............common sense is the other part.

DopeItUp

The body can only absorb and use around 25 g of protein per serving... the rest is pretty much treated as nutritional waste.

There are way too many individual variables affecting absorbtion to make a blanket statement like that. Here is an excellent, thorough study discussing protein absorbtion.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1176257/pdf/jcpsupproyal00002-0034.pdf

Of course there are individual variables... not every one person is the same and I did say "around 25g" not "is 25 g".

A good rule to go by is 30g per sitting and any nutrition expert will tell you that.

No actual nutrition EXPERT will tell you that. Apply a little bit of common sense here. If you can only absorb 25-30g of protein per sitting, then what happens when you eat a pound of chicken at once? Clearly you will only absorb 30g and not the ~100g of protein that the meal contains. This means you could eat lots and lots of chicken and whey all day without gaining any weight! Try that and see if it works (hint: of course, it doesn't).

I regularly consume over 100g in a sitting without any problems (250g per day total). IFers will get their entire balance of protein in just 4 hours a day, totalling 200, 300, even 400g of protein without problems. It will take 2-3 days to totally digest all of that protein but your body sure will make sure of it. It doesn't get in the habit of wasting valuable nutrition.

scott1646

I go by half my weight and usually subtract it by 10. I read something on this a while back. So for me 157g, 147g. Usually in a normal non workout day I hit around 140g to 150g, if I work out I'm usually am around 170g.

jfan175

The body can only absorb and use around 25 g of protein per serving... the rest is pretty much treated as nutritional waste.

There are way too many individual variables affecting absorbtion to make a blanket statement like that. Here is an excellent, thorough study discussing protein absorbtion.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1176257/pdf/jcpsupproyal00002-0034.pdf

Of course there are individual variables... not every one person is the same and I did say "around 25g" not "is 25 g".

A good rule to go by is 30g per sitting and any nutrition expert will tell you that.

The two nutrition experts I respect most, Lyle McDonald and Alan Aragon.... and Tom Venuto (whose book I haven't read but is respected and referenced), all dispute this. It's an old rule of thumb that's never been proven in research.



http://www.tomvenuto.com/asktom/protein_grams_per_meal.shtml

http://www.wannabebig.com/diet-and-nutrition/is-there-a-limit-to-how-much-protein-the-body-can-use-in-a-single-meal/

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/protein-intake-while-dieting-qa.html

rawfull

Eat more protein, eat more fat, eat less carbs. Otherwise you will gain weight!

Can you explain my weight loss then? I started a low protein, low fat, high carbohydrate diet on May 29th, that is 59 days, and I've lost 43 pounds. I also eat more calories than you do, and I don't exercise at all due to being disabled.
So explain please...

I get all the protein and fat I need though raw vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, and legumes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucHEVNX2c9o

spirit80

Eat more protein, eat more fat, eat less carbs. Otherwise you will gain weight!

Can you explain my weight loss then? I started a low protein, low fat, high carbohydrate diet on May 29th, that is 59 days, and I've lost 43 pounds. I also eat more calories than you do, and I don't exercise at all due to being disabled.
So explain please...

I get all the protein and fat I need though raw vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, and legumes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucHEVNX2c9o

Congrats on your weight loss. You are eating below your TDEE and thus your weight loss. Following a Vegan plan with Stevia is not a lifestyle in my opinion. How is your blood work IE your sugar with all the high cards? That would be my concern. Good luck on your journey!

CoderGal

This thread keeps getting worse and worse...if your confused by now forget you read any of it because allot of it isnt supported or is supported under certain variables and not others. Also thats not the RDAs maximum intake its the minimum to avoid deficiency. Im to lazy to find links but Im pretty sure it even mentions that on wikipedia under protein.

As for the IFing people r killing their organs thing heres my logic: Yep, their digestion organs will be stressed...temporarily being the key word. Anyone who eats stresses their organs. The nice thing about IFing is they dont continiously do it, so their body would have lots of time to repair. It seems all my IF friends lift weights and do great with it, suggesting they are absorbing the protein, even if theres massive dose of it.

mmapags

If you have ever, man or woman, passed a kidney store or it seems like your urine flow is reduced, your kidneys are under stress. Alot of people have too much protein in their urine and don't even know it. Over time, it can lead to kidney failure and dialysis.

Men need to be aware that some of them have a gene that makes them more susceptible to kidney problems. My husband is a hunter and I have had to work hard to show him how big a portion of meat he can eat, because I swear he used to want to fill his plate with meat. He has gout, and crystals forming on his toe. One day, he'll have to have surgery to get that bump off his toe. But in the meantime, the real concern is the invisible one, the health of the kidneys. I don't think there is anyone on here who needs to be consuming over 100 grams of protein. 35% is the top recommended by the RDA, although I know that I routinely go over myself to about 40%. Gout and kidney stress are dangers of high protein diets. Just be careful, as I mentioned, it is very silent and some people don't know that they have renal failure until it is time to go on dialysis. Diabetes is closely linked with this problem. Meat is not the only thing that needs to be controlled; protein supplements contain some of the same amino acids that are found in kidney stones. Exercise is very helpful in using up protein just as it is in using up glucose. My husband is exercising more now to help lower his proteinuria.

Best wishes!

Ruth

Ruth, you are generalizing from the specific. Your husband's issues do not apply to all. To many of those that are active in a workout program and otherwise heathly with no kidney problems or gout, there is no harm and some benefit of one is strength training. You husband is the exception not the average.

Futureiznow

calories in versus calories out is the math part..............common sense is the other part.

The common sense that finds most people in viscious cycles of weight loss and gain?

People have different metabolic needs that respond differently to
macronutrient compositions. Of course yes, overall, the biggest thing is caloric intake and expenditure.
That is why this system exists. Duh.

No one is saying protein is magic. But actually, it does require something like .5 calorie to metabolise a gram of protein, so in terms of weight loss it has an advantage. Generally no one has problems getting enough fat or carbs, but
protein is the most expensive and perhaps essential macronutrient in that respect, so knowing how
The body responds differently to a calorie over time. The devil is in the details.
much is going to be used matters. Knowing what your body needs and how to supply it matters.

If you don't care fine, but don't be so matter of fact in dismissing people's interest.