Going Over in Protein...

neeq79
neeq79 Posts: 3
in Food and Nutrition
Hello all,

My limit is 1200 Cals which I'm doing great with...I never go over my cals (Thanksgiving was my free day) nor really ever over my fats (maybe by 3 or 4 every now and then), okay with carbs...but how bad is it to go over your protein limit?? Too many fats and carbs are not healthy, but should I be a stickler with proteins? Can there be bad effects for going over by 5, 10, or 15?

Replies

  • Zangpakto
    Zangpakto Posts: 336 Member
    Nope, in fact fats and proteins are the only two essential macros your body truly needs.

    Sure you need carbs, but not much at all, and if you get too low your body will change proteins into carbs via neoglycogenesis.

    And besides, protein is the one thing that most people usually eat too little of.

    If I train hard sometimes I go over protein by 100, yet carbs and fat still under... Keeps me fuller for longer, and I don't need the extra stuff usually :) but when I do, I'd rather eat protein over the other two :)

    Also wanted to add, MFP sets the carb counts way too high usually and the protein way too low... :)
  • MisFitMom219
    MisFitMom219 Posts: 50 Member
    I'm going to go ahead and guess you are going by the manual input mfp has established for macro ratios which are already pretty low....

    The simple fact you are sticking to 1200 cals means any overage is nothing to worry about, especially if it's in protein (:
  • IzzyBooNZ1
    IzzyBooNZ1 Posts: 1,289 Member
    I'm going to go ahead and guess you are going by the manual input mfp has established for macro ratios which are already pretty low....

    The simple fact you are sticking to 1200 cals means any overage is nothing to worry about, especially if it's in protein (:

    Can anyone direct me or direct me to somewhere I can calculate then what my RDA for carbs, protein etc should be? I have my settings on the manual input here so now I am not sure how accurate they are. cheers !
  • MisFitMom219
    MisFitMom219 Posts: 50 Member
    I'm going to go ahead and guess you are going by the manual input mfp has established for macro ratios which are already pretty low....

    The simple fact you are sticking to 1200 cals means any overage is nothing to worry about, especially if it's in protein (:

    Can anyone direct me or direct me to somewhere I can calculate then what my RDA for carbs, protein etc should be? I have my settings on the manual input here so now I am not sure how accurate they are. cheers !

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  • haroon_awan
    haroon_awan Posts: 1,208 Member
    ***Are high protein diets good for someone attempting to lose fat and/or gain lean body mass?***

    Yes.

    The word “protein” derives from the Greek “prota”, and before you think I am starting to sound like the father in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” this has relevance as prota means OF PRIMARY IMPORTANCE. Without adequate protein cosmetic issues such as losing 1 stone (with attendant impossible to shift localised fat deposits) pale into comparison as too many times I have seen (almost always women) end up with depressed thyroids that have a knock on effect on their estrogen/progesterone hormonal axis (and consequently impair fertility, vitality, skin tone etc…the negative list can run into the dozens).

    If this isn’t enough for you lets also take note that protein-

    maintains muscle mass whilst dieting. Not important for a woman you may think, but oh yes it is! 1lb of muscle equals an additional 50calories a day onto your metabolism. If you lose 5 lbs of muscle with excessive dieting (a very common error) your metabolism will slow down by 250cals a day – which is a massive 1750 calories a week!
    The consumption of carbohydrates and fats actually burn up less than 5% of the ingested calories in order to properly digest them. If you eat protein a whopping 30% of the calories you consume are burned up simply digesting the food!

    Pretty compelling stuff I think.

    ***Is excess protein stored as fat?***

    Yes, but if you refer to the above answer you will see that it’s harder to store protein calories as fat in comparison to both carbohydrate and fat calories.

    It also depends upon exactly what you are eating the protein calories with. If it’s some simple sugars that generate a spike in your body’s insulin production then you are far more likely to convert the protein calories into fat storage than if you ate the protein by itself (or even with additional fat consumption).

    http://upfitness.co.uk/articles/nutrition/faq-protein/

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