Too much protein?

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alwaysenl
alwaysenl Posts: 197 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Just got back into logging yesterday after a few month lapse. Today I went over my suggested intake of protein by 24 grams! Is too much protein really a bad thing? I always thought protein was good but I guess too much of anything is not good. Was this really bad and what negatives are there to consuming too much protein?

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  • EriNicole83
    EriNicole83 Posts: 17
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    I'm having the same problem of getting to many proteins and not enought calories, thats why I love this site! It's really helping me learn what I should and should not be eating!
    As far as to many proteins go I found this blip on medicinenet.com that said:
    "...says that's because 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."
    Helps this helps!
  • poustotah
    poustotah Posts: 1,121 Member
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    My trainer has me eating 100g or more of protein a day. 100g is the minimum for me. That is WAY over my intake allowance according to MFP. From what I've read, if you don't increase your water intake while eating lots of protein, you can damage your kidneys (I drink a minimum of 10 cups a day). Since I've been doing this, I've lost 27 lbs and my kidneys are still working so far as I know so I guess it's okay.
  • InIt2WinIt
    InIt2WinIt Posts: 68
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    Hey Always...that was the same question I had...I am on day 2 on MFP & I went over my protein both days, but I drink at least 8 cups of water per day. I was wondering the same thing, but with the help of my friend who did some research for me, I found that proteins are not bad, infact, they suggested a diet high in protein is much better than most diets as long as they are good proteins I suppose and they are being balanced out by water intake. You can find the article by searching on webmd.com. I hope that helps!!!
  • fordchico
    fordchico Posts: 1 Member
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    It is not a bad thing provided you don't have kidney disease. There is a great trainer out there named John Berardi who runs a program called Precision Nutrition. Here is a great article that he wrote on protein intake.

    http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/nutrition/dear.htm
  • alwaysenl
    alwaysenl Posts: 197 Member
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    Thanks everyone...I will look into it some more. The kidney thing worries me a little because my mother had kidney problems and was actually the cause of her passing. But she was also a diabetic and had high blood pressure which I do not have either. I have been drinking a lot of water, but I guess I should cut out some protein. Thanks again!
  • scottekohl
    scottekohl Posts: 8
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    HI, I just started the P90X program and their ratios of fat : Carb : proteins is pretty specific for the various phases of the program. For example if you are trying to drop fat in the early phases (day 1-30) of their "Fat Shredder" program the ratio is 50% protein 20% fat 30% carb. If you need to drop more fat they suggest staying on that fat shredder ratio for another month then phase two ( day 30-60) "Energy booster" is something like 40p:40c:20f.

    In their words phase 3 has to be "earned" which adds even more carbs into the diet. 20% Protein 60% carb 20% fat. They comment in their literature that phase 1 isn't something you should stay on for long periods of time but phase two is sustainable long-term. More is protein OK but not long-term at the expense of balance nutrition and you might need it to build and repair muscle.

    I've been on the program officially for 1 week 2 days and have already lost 5lbs and I'm getting stronger fast. I think adding the extra protein is totally OK because I'm trying to pack on a lot of muscle and burn off that gristle. I'll make fresh veggie juice in my juicer and then add a scoop of plain whey protein powder (20g of protein) to the drink in order to increase the percentage of protein to carbs. Also adding the protein to veggie juice ensures that I"m getting the extra water too to avoid the kidney problems mentioned above.

    Here's a site that might be helpful:

    http://www.powersupplements.com/protein.htm

    Hope that helps.

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