How much protein is too much?

vqnerdballs

I used to dabble with SparkPeople and while I thought their ranges for calories and fat were sort of high, I feel like the protein marker for MFP is really low... I seem to be constantly going past it, even if only by a few grams. When I was using SP, though, I had to struggle to hit their low point.

What do you guys think? Has anyone else had issues with this?

RandiJP

I was just about the start this topic too. Most days I am just under, or right on my calorie intake. I'm normally under for my carbs and fat. But I'm ALWAYS over for my protein. I don't know whether that's a good or bad thing? I'm lead to believe that too much of *anything* isn't good, including healthy foods. I don't want to jepordise my weight loss by doing everything right but going over my protein.

I hope someone can steer us in the right direction!

Jester522

OK here's the basic biochem of the whole thing:

As a general weight loss guideline you should consume no more than 1.5x bodyweight in grams of protein as the body can use some amino acids like alanine and glycine quite readily to make glucose via gluconeogenesis. Granted the pathway is still inefficient it will blunt weight loss to fill energy gaps with excess protein rather than using stored triglycerides. It's kind of dependent on your ratios of carbs/fats/protein.

Example: A ketogenic diet would say NO carbs, your body weight in grams protein, all other calories from fats.
High protein, low carb and low fat diets also work well. These are your south beach and atkins style and the more popular and sustainable.

Suggested reading: Atkins Diet, Protein Power

vqnerdballs

So a person weighing 100 lb (obviously hypothetical) wouldn't want to eat more than 150 grams of protein, then?