Is having too much protein bad?

flowergirl2009
flowergirl2009 Posts: 11
in Food and Nutrition
Hi all, i'm new here and keep going over my protein and am not sure if it's bad. I am doing well with the calories that I have for the day but keep going over on my protein by 2-5. Is this something I should really worry about or should my goal be to keep the calories down (even if i'm over by a bit)?

Thanks!

Replies

  • blackgold86
    blackgold86 Posts: 171 Member
    Nope, Protein is pretty good!

    if you are staying just under your calorie allowance, thats fine :)
  • Factory_Reset
    Factory_Reset Posts: 1,651 Member
    I seem to have this same problem. Even with measuring everything out, I go over. I'm usually under on everything but the protein. Glad you asked!
  • thebrianmo
    thebrianmo Posts: 108
    Too much protein can be bad for your kidneys as they will store extra protein and so you need to drink plenty of water to keep the extra flushed out of you. I've done a very high protein diet for a while now and that's the one thing my doctors constantly warn me of is to drink plenty of water to flush out the extra protein so as not to suffer kidney damage.
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
    Too much protein can be bad for your kidneys as they will store extra protein and so you need to drink plenty of water to keep the extra flushed out of you. I've done a very high protein diet for a while now and that's the one thing my doctors constantly warn me of is to drink plenty of water to flush out the extra protein so as not to suffer kidney damage.

    Quoted for good belly laughs!

    No, it does - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10722779
    Source


    Department of Physiological Chemistry, Institute of Physical Education and Kinesiotherapy, Free University of Brussels, Belgium.


    Abstract


    Excess protein and amino acid intake have been recognized as hazardous potential implications for kidney function, leading to progressive impairment of this organ. It has been suggested in the literature, without clear evidence, that high protein intake by athletes has no harmful consequences on renal function. This study investigated body-builders (BB) and other well-trained athletes (OA) with high and medium protein intake, respectively, in order to shed light on this issue. The athletes underwent a 7-day nutrition record analysis as well as blood sample and urine collection to determine the potential renal consequences of a high protein intake. The data revealed that despite higher plasma concentration of uric acid and calcium, Group BB had renal clearances of creatinine, urea, and albumin that were within the normal range. The nitrogen balance for both groups became positive when daily protein intake exceeded 1.26 g.kg but there were no correlations between protein intake and creatinine clearance, albumin excretion rate, and calcium excretion rate. To conclude, it appears that protein intake under 2. 8 g.kg does not impair renal function in well-trained athletes as indicated by the measures of renal function used in this study


    PMID: 10722779 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
  • FionaAnne22
    FionaAnne22 Posts: 178 Member
    MFP's original setting for protein is very low, can't remember the percentage but think its around 15%? A lot of people on here, myself included change their amounts to 40 for carbs, and 30 for protein and fat. I always (every single day) went over when it was my original setting so wouldn't worry about it :)
  • fatty_to_fitty
    fatty_to_fitty Posts: 544 Member
    yes. Ok well depends on your goals etc.

    Too much protein can be stored as fat too, so balance it in every meal, my PT advised 25g of protein max in any sitting and leave 2 hours between meals. Just so your body can process what it is given.

    I'm quite sure if you are trying to bulk up then the answer is different.
  • AlyssaNorth
    AlyssaNorth Posts: 57 Member
    Too much protein can make you fat. so if ur over weight and drinking protein shakes....u might as well be drinking half n half. (a little extreme...)
  • Iceman1800
    Iceman1800 Posts: 476
    Nothing wrong with too much protein. Try for 50% protein, 30% carbs and 20% fats and watch for some great results. And the threat of kidney damage is a myth and so is the max amount you can have in one meal
  • Sarah_Wins
    Sarah_Wins Posts: 936 Member
    Too much protein can make you fat. so if ur over weight and drinking protein shakes....u might as well be drinking half n half. (a little extreme...)

    There are so many wrongs in this statement, I don't even know where to begin.
  • asaw00
    asaw00 Posts: 1,904 Member
    I am reading Bob Harper's (The biggest loser) "the skinny rules" and he says you should take your current weight and divide it in half, thats the amount of protein in grams you should get a day.
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
    Too much protein can make you fat. so if ur over weight and drinking protein shakes....u might as well be drinking half n half. (a little extreme...)

    Too much anything can make you fat. If you are under your calories you can't get fat on protein. Unless you are eating 8 oz of meat for breakfast lunch and dinner I highly doubt you will have 'too much' MFP goals are way too low. Shoot for about 1g of protein per pound of lean body weight so @120g /day for ladies and more for guys.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    too much protein is hard to get, most likely it would be in the 300+ gram range for most people. MFP sets protein so low that it should be seen as the bare minimum for someone that doesn't workout. If you workout you should be getting well over the MFP default amount of protein.
  • Rosebudevol
    Rosebudevol Posts: 45 Member
    MFP's original setting for protein is very low, can't remember the percentage but think its around 15%? A lot of people on here, myself included change their amounts to 40 for carbs, and 30 for protein and fat. I always (every single day) went over when it was my original setting so wouldn't worry about it :)

    where do you go to change this? I can't find it anywhere on here!
  • Kagami_Taiga
    Kagami_Taiga Posts: 124 Member
    Too much protein can make you fat. so if ur over weight and drinking protein shakes....u might as well be drinking half n half. (a little extreme...)

    Wow, this is misguided. Too much fat makes you fat, too much carbs make you fat, etc

    The whole calorie count part of the website and app is there for a reason. Too many CALORIES make you fat.

    What's important is to get enough of each macro nutrient. Also try and get enough vitamins and minerals from your food.
  • lovinmyselfagain
    lovinmyselfagain Posts: 307 Member
    MFP sets protein really low. You should be getting .5-1 gram of protein per pound of weight. Stay on the lower end for weight loss and upper end if you're trying to build muscle and are very active. And protein actually aids in weight loss, since it's harder to digest, your body works harder increasing calorie burn. Here's a link to a recent article that talks about protein intake and weight loss for women. http://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/protein-weight-loss
  • lovinmyselfagain
    lovinmyselfagain Posts: 307 Member
    On your home page go to "Goals" and manually adjust your settings.
  • flowergirl2009
    flowergirl2009 Posts: 11
    Thanks so much guys! Yes my goal is generally to lose weight--and until I get a job no gym membership (although I have no excuse not to go for a run/walk etc). Right now I just want to get down to a healthy weight then see what I want to do from there.
  • shellybean73
    shellybean73 Posts: 88 Member
    Too much protein can make you fat. so if ur over weight and drinking protein shakes....u might as well be drinking half n half. (a little extreme...)

    There are so many wrongs in this statement, I don't even know where to begin.

    THANK YOU! hahaa
  • cbrrabbit25
    cbrrabbit25 Posts: 384 Member
    too much protein is hard to get, most likely it would be in the 300+ gram range for most people. MFP sets protein so low that it should be seen as the bare minimum for someone that doesn't workout. If you workout you should be getting well over the MFP default amount of protein.
    yep, the website recommends about 50 grams for me and i take in over 100 every day. I weigh 105 though so others should take in more than that. I am losing weight and i go over on my protein every day. I just try not to go over on sugar, salt, and bad fats.
  • Lisamar74
    Lisamar74 Posts: 114
    I always go over on my protein too and I tend not to worry about it but perhaps I need to drink more water as previous people have said.
    Here's a good website to explain how much protein you should have:
    http://exercise.about.com/cs/nutrition/a/protein_2.htm
  • Lisamar74
    Lisamar74 Posts: 114
    I always go over on my protein too and I tend not to worry about it but perhaps I need to drink more water as previous people have said.
    Here's a good website to explain how much protein you should have:
    http://exercise.about.com/cs/nutrition/a/protein_2.htm

    Actually, having calculated my protein allowance from what this website says, it's less than MFP!!! Not good.
  • jenshoeee
    jenshoeee Posts: 29 Member
    I am reading Bob Harper's (The biggest loser) "the skinny rules" and he says you should take your current weight and divide it in half, thats the amount of protein in grams you should get a day.


    He is a genius. I found this (on pinterest) when I first started eating healthy. It helps me out a lot.

    http://pinterest.com/pin/202310208232087141/
  • Cxv89127
    Cxv89127 Posts: 1
    Calorie surplus alone will cause increases in adipose (fat) tissue. While the body is in calorie deficit body metabolism will revert to a catabolic state. This means tissue wasting, and the body will draw from all tissues for energy, structure maintenance, and defense. Body protien content will reduce, along with fat stores and myriad other items such as vitamin, mineral etc. With a calorie surplus the body switches from catabolic to anabolic. This means body constructing. Body stores will increase, that is fat stores rise, along with muscle protien if exercised. Also, the other myriad components, vitamin, mineral etc. will rise to storage or be subject to elimination. Balance is key to good health. Athletes will aim at anabolic states but just short of large surplus, high enough protien with caution against too much fat storage. It's a problem requiring care and attention.
  • RainHoward
    RainHoward Posts: 1,599 Member
    Yes, it is possible to eat to much protein. No, the amount you're eating isn't an issue. One good indicator of excess protein is discolored and foul smelling urine. In other words, if it was an issue, you'd know it.
  • Elen_Sia
    Elen_Sia Posts: 638 Member
    Too much protein can make you fat. so if ur over weight and drinking protein shakes....u might as well be drinking half n half. (a little extreme...)

    There are so many wrongs in this statement, I don't even know where to begin.

    I LOLed for real while clutching my muscular core, which was developed from months of conscientiously eating a minimum 130g of protein a day, every day.
  • 70davis
    70davis Posts: 348 Member
    Bump
  • kylalynch98
    kylalynch98 Posts: 1 Member
    True that

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