too protein?

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vdub88
vdub88 Posts: 79
in Food and Nutrition
Is there is such a thing as too much protein? I recently purchased whey protein to use as part of my weight loss and muscle building plan. But since I started using it I see my protein levels fly off the chart. Is there a level in which it is too much? what side effects can I expect. Today I had 2 shakes - great protein - not so great taste. but it grows on you.

any advise from others doing protein shakes. I walk - 2-4 miles everyday I'm hoping that it will help build the lean muscle for the days i use a trainer as well.

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  • gschier
    gschier Posts: 1
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    Protein gives you gas I think :P
  • vdub88
    vdub88 Posts: 79
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    UH OH?! :sick: It did not yesterday and today is my second day. I pity those at work if it does on day three:explode: :yawn:
  • courtneylynn05
    courtneylynn05 Posts: 1
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    Check out this website... I did notice my protein has been over the 2 days by a few points but you dont want to go way over its not healthy...

    http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=50900
  • hroush
    hroush Posts: 2,073 Member
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    There is such a thing as protein poisoning, but I think you have to consume a very large amount, over a long period of time, and consume low amounts of carbs and fats to do it. If your body has too much protein, it will just convert it to energy and burn it, so having too much is useless if you don't give your body reason to use it.
  • mariloulav
    mariloulav Posts: 6
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    Ask your trainer.

    If you take too many proteins, you'll gain more weight. I would personally just make sure you consume some amount of proteins in every meal. From what I've heard (I asked my trainer) a girl working out 2-3 times a week should consume about 120g/per day.
  • lilchino4af
    lilchino4af Posts: 1,292 Member
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    Too much fiber causes gas, not protein. And the setting on MFP is too low, imo. I changed mine to be 25% because I do weights and need extra protein to help build my muscles. If all you're doing is walking and no actual weight lifting, then you don't need all that extra protein; in fact, eating more protein than you need when you're not doing weight lifting will actually cause you to gain weight so be careful.

    To change your percentage, go to My Home > Goals > Change Goals > Custom, Change. Change your percentages, then click on Save.
  • king6083
    king6083 Posts: 30
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    Unless a person has kidney troubles, there's no such thing as too much protein in application. In theory, certainly, but not in the real world for the vast majority of people. A normal human would get sick and throw up before they were able to eat enough to constitute 'too much'. Renal acid load is a legit concern, but eating very high amounts of protein isn't something people generally do as a permanent lifestyle. Typically it's for weight loss, then they transition to more moderate amounts of protein. The benefits of the lost weight more than make up for the period of higher than normal renal acid loads. Constipation is about the only negative thing you'll get from eating a lot of animal protein and that's if you don't eat enough fiber. This is why you see people on high protein diets eating a lot of fibrous veggies like broccoli. Well, constipation and the fore mentioned high renal acid load, but again, the veggies fix that as well.

    More to the point of protein shakes... Generally speaking, drinking whey isn't all that great for dieting purposes. It's digests quickly, leading to the dreaded insulin spike. While it's not the same type of spike and you would get from a sugar soda, it's still not the best thing for stable blood sugar levels and therefore less than ideal for the purpose of controlling appetite.

    For someone primarily trying to drop fat and secondarily keep muscle, I'd say the safest bet is to drink it pre-workout. You can again post workout if you're working hard (not brand new to resistance training - we need to be lifting for a while before we are able to work hard enough to need all that protein in that short of time - unless there's not going to be a meal for several hours after the workout, then definitely have a shake) It's certainly fine to use during other times of the day, just be aware that it could well enhance appetite slightly.

    If appetite does become a concern, I'd say use it before weight training and just make sure you're eating enough protein throughout the day. Every day.

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