Women and Protein..Cause Fat?

Oh gosh. In that case im doomed!!

I have gone over every day except for maybe one or two and I lost weight, so I don't think that is necessarily true. There are a lot of diets that are based on high protein and they produce weight loss results.

That's JMO though.

<<<<had 92g of protein, not looking like it's turning to fat! lol! It really depends on you activity level, i'm a gym junkie hours on end, 30g would not be nearly enough!

The body does not store protein the way it stores fats and carbohydrates, but I am not sure what happens to it / where it goes / what it converts to?????...

Protein is used in cellular function, metabolism (enzymes), immune responses and for building of muscle, hair, and nails. Every cell in the body uses protein to express it's genes. So if you have brown eyes, it's because protein made it that way. Feel free to read up on molecular biology if you're bored. lol

Protein doesn't cause fat!

Definitely not bad to go over on your protein. When I was looking to lose a lot of weight for the first time... I would put about 1/4 chicken breast in my eggs, eat a whole breast for lunch and another for dinner or a steak. DEFINITELY a lot of protein, more than I eat now, and I lost weight very easily.

So first, how much protein you need is completely dependent on you as a person. This includes your age, your sex, your genetics, your activity level, and your lean muscle mass (along with about a million other little chemical transactions happening in your body).

That being said, the amount of protein a person needs as a minimum requirement for basic health for a lightly active adult is between 15% and 20% of your total daily caloric needs (at maintenance), it is ok to have more protein as the body will use protein much the same way as it will use carbohydrates in the absence of other, more readily available energy sources, but that's not what the body really "likes" to use and it will do all it can to not use protein.

If there is a choice between carbohydrates and proteins, the body will always choose the path of least resistance, which means the extra protein (protein that isn't used for it's main function) will be more likely be broken down into it's component carbon chains and converted into lipids (fat) and stored.

FYI, fats follow similar rules although their uses are different.

In any case, the body will always try to use carbohydrates first as the process required to make glucose (the sugar the body uses) is shorter for carbohydrates than it is for either fat or protein.

The body does not store protein the way it stores fats and carbohydrates, but I am not sure what happens to it / where it goes / what it converts to?????

My nutitionist recommends that I eat no more than 15 grams per meal, as the body cannot use any more than that. I usually just do half a protein shake instead of a whole one, and I aim for 45 grams per day as a maximum. Remember that grains, dairy, etc give you protein, and I usually get 15-20 grams a day from non-protein (or non traditional protein) sources.

Time to find a new nutritionist. 15 grams per meal is not true!!!

I respectfully disagree! My "nutritionist" is also a medical doctor, who specializes in weightloss / wellness, and she's excellent. She recommends 15 grams, FOR ME - for my weight, my height, and my nutritional needs.

She also believes strongly about the evils of dairy, and soy, etc, and I know not everyone agrees on those issues either. Lots of opinions out there, and there is no one perfect solution.

Everyone has to what is right for them, with quality information, and varied sources.


On a side note.... BANKS! Nice to see you are still around, and you are still looking well and fit!

too many calories causes fat

Guys, there is no reasonable amount of protein that you can put out there that will be right, or wrong. AJ clarified that when she replied about how her doctor gave her 15 grams FOR HER.

for me, maybe 25 grams per serving is perfect, but for another guy who looks identical to me, maybe 35 grams is right, and for someone else, maybe 20 grams is right.

Why? Because our genetics determine much of how much protein our bodies use, that and our lifestyle choices. So please, lay off the static numbers for protein, even percentages are wishy washy. All it does is confuse those on MFP that aren't sure.

CAN the body use more protein than we technically need? YES, we can, and in some cases we NEED more, but in other cases it's of no use, and in yet other cases (rare cases), extra protein can damage the kidneys and liver. It's all about you as an individual. The BEST thing you can do is go by the generic guidelines, then as you become more familiar with your body, tweak by small amounts, see how that works for you, and tweak again as you go. Since WE are the best coach for how our body feels, you can follow the best advice in the world but it's still going to be secondary to high quality observation and deductive reasoning.

Oh and thanks AJ! You ain't looking to bad yourself (although that pic is a few months old now, I'm a little bigger in the chest than I was then).:flowerforyou:

Thanks! You gotta post a new pic Banks! I am going to take a new pic of "Day 1 - P90X" tonight! Have you done P90X?