Protein

Hello everyone! Just a quick question. I have been staying under my calorie goal, and for the most part under my carbs/fat goal. However, I always go at least 15 over on protein (usually more like 30-40). Is this ok? I choose things high in protein on purpose - to keep me full. I am just curious as to if it will effect my weight loss. Thanks!

Replies

  • SquidgySquidge
    SquidgySquidge Posts: 239 Member
    Yes, the protein is apparently set quite low on here if you go with the goals MFP give you.

    High protein is good, keep it up ::happy:
  • cchamil1985
    cchamil1985 Posts: 74 Member
    Eating more protein than you need will not harm you in any way. The worst thing that will happen is that it will pass through your system as waste. Keep within your calorie goal and don't worry about it!
  • MFP sets protein too low. To set your macros, check out this link: 

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets 

    Also, it's hard to have too much protein. 

    "It has been observed that the human liver cannot safely metabolise much more than 285-365 g of protein per day (for an 80 kg person), and human kidneys are similarly limited in their capability to remove urea (a byproduct of protein catabolism) from the bloodstream. Exceeding that amount results in excess levels of amino acids, ammonia (hyperammonemia), and/or urea in the bloodstream, with potentially fatal consequences,[1] especially if the person switches to a high-protein diet without giving time for the levels of his or her hepatic enzymes to upregulate. Since protein only contains 4 kcal/gram, and a typical adult human requires in excess of 1900 kcal to maintain the energy balance, it is possible to exceed the safe intake of protein if one is subjected to a high-protein diet with little or no fat or carbohydrates. However, given the lack of scientific data on the effects of high-protein diets, and the observed ability of the liver to compensate over a few days for a shift in protein intake, the US Food and Nutrition Board does not set a Tolerable Upper Limit nor upper Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range for protein.[2] Furthermore, medical sources such as UpToDate[3] do not include listings on this topic." 

    Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_starvation
  • Hello everyone! Just a quick question. I have been staying under my calorie goal, and for the most part under my carbs/fat goal. However, I always go at least 15 over on protein (usually more like 30-40). Is this ok? I choose things high in protein on purpose - to keep me full. I am just curious as to if it will effect my weight loss. Thanks!
    I also have the same prob and asked the question recently too.. everyone said it was ok to go over the protein so dont worry! my prob is that my fat content tends to go over too.. any idea of filling foods that are low in fat and sat fat??
  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
    Hello everyone! Just a quick question. I have been staying under my calorie goal, and for the most part under my carbs/fat goal. However, I always go at least 15 over on protein (usually more like 30-40). Is this ok? I choose things high in protein on purpose - to keep me full. I am just curious as to if it will effect my weight loss. Thanks!

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  • love this lol
  • Thank you everyone! I assumed such but wanted to be sure! I have quite the journey ahead!

    grantjenny - sometimes my fat intake will go over a little too, i just let it be as long as my cals are under. I use emilybites.com, skinnytaste.com, and eat-yourself-skinny.com for a lot of my dinner recipes. I have pretty much started trying to steer clear of pasta, my weaknes, although once every other week I will have a little to curb the craving. Feel free to view my diary :)
  • thanks very much that will be a great help I never know what to eat!! :)
  • Most Americans eat WAY too much protein, and are bombarded constantly with millions of marketing dollars from meat producers. Money talks. Anyway, a quick visit to WebMD.com shows that a typical woman only needs 40-50 grams/day. If you're super active/training for a marathon you will probably want more and should discuss it with your doctor. A little extra protein is not the end of the world. I frequently go a bit over yet I'm still losing weight and feel fantastic. I also jog 4-5x/week and am starting weight training.

    If you want to learn more about how much protein we need, a great book to read is The China Study by T. Colin Campbell. I'm not trying to sell anything, it's just a fantastic book about food and nutrition. What is 'normal' to many Americans isn't exactly healthy. We're just used to it.
  • Most Americans eat WAY too much protein, and are bombarded constantly with millions of marketing dollars from meat producers. Money talks. Anyway, a quick visit to WebMD.com shows that a typical woman only needs 40-50 grams/day. If you're super active/training for a marathon you will probably want more and should discuss it with your doctor. A little extra protein is not the end of the world. I frequently go a bit over yet I'm still losing weight and feel fantastic. I also jog 4-5x/week and am starting weight training.

    If you want to learn more about how much protein we need, a great book to read is The China Study by T. Colin Campbell. I'm not trying to sell anything, it's just a fantastic book about food and nutrition. What is 'normal' to many Americans isn't exactly healthy. We're just used to it.

    Agreed, there is no evidence that eating more than the recommended requirement 0.8-0.9g/kg/day of protein is required or of benefit to normal, healthy, active/exercising people.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Most Americans eat WAY too much protein, and are bombarded constantly with millions of marketing dollars from meat producers. Money talks. Anyway, a quick visit to WebMD.com shows that a typical woman only needs 40-50 grams/day. If you're super active/training for a marathon you will probably want more and should discuss it with your doctor. A little extra protein is not the end of the world. I frequently go a bit over yet I'm still losing weight and feel fantastic. I also jog 4-5x/week and am starting weight training.

    If you want to learn more about how much protein we need, a great book to read is The China Study by T. Colin Campbell. I'm not trying to sell anything, it's just a fantastic book about food and nutrition. What is 'normal' to many Americans isn't exactly healthy. We're just used to it.

    It appears we have different definitions of "fantastic"
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Hello everyone! Just a quick question. I have been staying under my calorie goal, and for the most part under my carbs/fat goal. However, I always go at least 15 over on protein (usually more like 30-40). Is this ok? I choose things high in protein on purpose - to keep me full. I am just curious as to if it will effect my weight loss. Thanks!

    Higher protein diets have a slight metabolic advantage to diets lower in protein, so if anything it's a good thing
  • Depending on your activity level and gender, and according to Mayo Clinic, a 2000 calorie diet can range from 50-175g of protein. Web MD says the average woman needs 46 grams. These two websites are both endorsed by my doctor, although it's a pretty confusing range there, but 40-50 is not 'bad'. It's just low. There's a big difference between a 5'2" woman (me) and a 6'5" male triathlete.

    And yes, you've made it clear that we have different opinions of fantastic, but so what? Not everyone likes anchovies, either. :wink: It doesn't make it 'bad'. The cool thing about reading a book and hearing different opinions is that you can weigh the different options and make your own decisions.