MFP says I ate too much Protein?

HeatherSLosinIt
HeatherSLosinIt Posts: 79 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've been reading some posts, and most about Protein seem to be taking in a LOT of it. MFP has my daily goal at 45, but lunch brought it to 54. I didn't drink any special shake or anything, just a couple ounces of chicken. How important is Protein as far as trying to "stay in the lines" so to speak?

Replies

  • zeebruhgirl
    zeebruhgirl Posts: 493 Member
    MFP's guidline for protein is EXTREMELY low in my opinion. I shoot for 90 grams a day MINIMUM. I often hit 130 or higher because I have a protein at every meal.
  • SouffleBoy
    SouffleBoy Posts: 65 Member
    Isn't 45 way too low? You should be eating at least 30% of your daily intake as protein. I think MFP sets it as 15% to start with.
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    It's confusing to see a red number on a good macronutrient. Use it as a minimum to shoot for. 54g of protein is fine.
  • heddylyn
    heddylyn Posts: 173 Member
    I go over my protein every day, even being a vegetarian! If you want you can go in and customize your percentages for fat, carbs and protein then you wouldn't have to see that dreaded negative red number every day. :-)
  • HeatherSLosinIt
    HeatherSLosinIt Posts: 79 Member
    Thanks, I'm ridiculously new to all of this. I saw it in the red, and I was totally confused, because it seems like everything I read on the boards about it is people trying for high protein, and all I really ate was a little shredded chicken to pop it over at lunch time.
  • SairahRose
    SairahRose Posts: 412 Member
    I always use it as a minimum.
    I find that fat is too high, and protein is too low, so I adjust accordingly.
  • AG_Rogers
    AG_Rogers Posts: 6
    "stay in the lines" so to speak? you have to be more clear than that because I don't know what that means. it depends what your goals are - I am trying to build muscle mass and my goal is about 200 grams of protein a day. An average person should be having at least 50 grams of protein a day, although this varies with weight and how active you are.

    There are 4 calories in a gram of protein. If you have 50 grams of protein, that's 200 calories. If you eat 2000 calories a day, that's only 10% of your daily calories, which is very low. I am aiming for about 40% of my diet to come from protein, 30% from carbs and 30% from fat. Your goals will vary depending on what you want to achieve. This diet might not be for you as I am very low body fat and trying to add bulk, hence the high protein, carbs and fats (I get about 4000 calories a day, as much as I can from proteins.)

    But really, you can't overload on protein so don't even worry about it. You should be more focused on the amount of calories you're eating.
  • Linda_Darlene
    Linda_Darlene Posts: 453 Member
    Just about the only fault I find with MFP is how low it shows on needed protein grams.

    There is a rule of thumb formula for the average person: One gram of Protein for every kilo in weight. 150 pounds would be 68 grams.

    Personally, I average around 90 grams a day.
  • Alpina483
    Alpina483 Posts: 246 Member
    MFP's guidline for protein is EXTREMELY low in my opinion
    ^^ That
  • heddy90
    heddy90 Posts: 144 Member
    The number you get for protein isn't a limit, it's a goal that should be reached, and it's just a good thing if you go over.
    Think of it as the same way you think of vitamis. You wouldn't worry about going over your recommended amount of Vit C I take it, and it's the same thing with protein.
  • Linda_Darlene
    Linda_Darlene Posts: 453 Member
    I always use it as a minimum.
    I find that fat is too high, and protein is too low, so I adjust accordingly.

    This
  • katejkelley
    katejkelley Posts: 839 Member
    I nearly always go over my protein, but I don't think that's a bad thing. I'm not sure why MFP sets that number so low. If we're working out, we're building muscle and need protein.

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