Protien question

merguson

According to MFP I'm allotted 45g of protien a day. I'm always going over. It hardly seems like enough? Will this hinder the weight loss? I'm good with calories and stay near my fat range every day but the protein is way over. Then last night, I was watching Biggest Loser and Bob was toting the greek yougurt with a huge amount of protien in it which he was saying was awesome. So what's the scoop on protein?

mzmoonlight

I set my own protein goals in MFP. 45g is far too low, especially if you work out with weights. They say you need 0.8g per kilo weight of your body. So, on someone at 185lbs that would be around 68g, I guess 45g would be okay on someone at a normal weight who doesnt exercise. If you work out with weights you will need more, up to 1.2g per kilo of body weight. So around 100g on someone at 185lbs! I have a goal of 100g per day and find it fairly easy to meet that goal. There is no way I could stick to 45g even if I wanted to. I have found though since raising it to 100g I am much less hungry generally.

pettmybunny

I think the protein levels on MFP are very low. They follow USDA guidelines (I think 15% maybe), but USDA is all about the agriculture anyways...

My registered dietician says I should be at nothing less than 100g a day. That's lower than what she wants me to be at (115-126g), because I have dairy and egg allergies, and unless I eat a lot of meat (which shoots my fats out of control), I struggle just to get to the 100. I add in protein powders every day, just to get close.

Greek yogurt is the best! I used to eat Fage before I found out about the allergies. 1 cup has like 22 or 23g of protein. Throw in some fruit, a little sweetner (I used to get the 2% plain) and it is to die for. I also used to mix it into my oatmeal, making a creamy wonderful consistency. Waaaaahhhhh! I miss my greek yogurt-- the Soyogurt I use isn't nearly as good!

TropicalKitty

Ditto with the low protein on MFP. I think the carb allotment is way too high and protein way too low. I always am way over on protein (definitely at least 100g/day). Protein is the most satiating macronutrient and your body needs it. Obviously the only problem with protein is the damage to kidney and liver from the nitrogen metabolism. You really don't have to worry about that unless you are going psychotic with the protein or have a diagnosed protein metabolism issue (PKU, Urea cycle disorders, etc).

As for the greek yogurt. *angelic hum* Fantastic! I've totally swtiched from "regular" yogurt. The consistency is a little different, but it has so much more protein. If you don't go for the flavored ones and just get the plain, you can get 3-4x the protein. The fruit on the bottom types generally have about 2x the protein of "regular" yogurt. I just avoid Dannon, they add junk to it. Stonyfield and Fage are my favs. Have it with breakfast every day! *pats tummy* The plain is also a great substitute for sour cream.

TropicalKitty

I think the protein levels on MFP are very low. They follow USDA guidelines (I think 15% maybe), but USDA is all about the agriculture anyways...

Check out Harvard School of Public Health. They have a food guide that doesn't have the interest group input. It's about what's actually good for us, based on scientific evidence.

stylistchik

I agree with the %'s being off. My protein is set just over 100g (like 105 or something) and my carbs are around 150g. Personally, I don't mind if I go over protein as long as it doesn't but me over my fat and total calories and I do try to keep the carbs at or under my goal which is a challenge sometime but rules out most mindless snacking. :happy:

hill242

I went into my Goals page and customized the ratios for carbs/fat/protein.