Question about Protein

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bmaine
bmaine Posts: 3
in Introduce Yourself
Hello, I am fairly new to MFP and have a question for those of you who have been at this for a while...It seems that every day upon completing my entries for the day...food and exercise...I am negative on my protein levels (meaning I am taking in too much protein) As a 6'2" male weighing in at 259 pounds I thought that protein was crucial to my weight training regimen as well as my cardio workouts which are usually only 2-3 times/week due to time restraints. I was always taught to take in as much protein as possible in order for my body to build muscle after weight training and to burn fat with my cardio. Can someone please explain this to me and let me know if I should continue to consume a lot of protein or if I should cut my protein intake down so that I am well within the guidelines for my daily totals per MPF? Thank you!

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  • AnnaPixie
    AnnaPixie Posts: 7,439 Member
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    The default protein settings on MFP are set really low. Carbs high. Dont really know why, but I changed mine to 35/35/30 fat.

    Go into 'setting's and you'll see the option to change the percentages. Not sure what that should be for a body building male, but its definitly higher than it is. Perhaps a guy on here will shout in a similair situation........

    good luck :flowerforyou:
  • ashlee954
    ashlee954 Posts: 1,112 Member
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    Too much protein is not bad. MFP gives a very low protein "goal" for some reason. Fiber and protein goals are to be hit if not exceeded, whereas cals, sugar, carbs, sodium, anf fat are limits and not to be exceeded.
  • Mepheston
    Mepheston Posts: 38 Member
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    Protien intake should be .5-1 gram per pound of lean muscle. What you'll want to do is find out how much lean muscle you really have on you and shoot for 50-100% of that number.
  • iDoc
    iDoc Posts: 8
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    If you feel good and have success with higher protein, then I think you're fine, but I'm a psychologist, not a nutritionist :). I lost weight with the South Beach Diet and am currently using the Bistro MD program (packaged meals). On both diets my protein intake was/is higher than "recommended" and my carb intake was/is lower. I spoke to a nutritionist at Bistro MD and she recommended that my snacks be protein rich as well, even though their meals would already exceed my "recommended" amount of daily protein. Protein will assist with your lean muscle mass and it's certainly better than more empty carbs (i.e. HFCS, bleached flour, etc.) although you'll want to also make sure that you don't neglect healthy carbs (e.g. whole grains, brown rice, etc.).
  • Jena_72
    Jena_72 Posts: 1,057
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    I have my protein set at 105 and I am a female under 5 ft tall! What I did was google How Much Protein Should I Eat Per Day
    There is a formula to it and you probably do need to raise the amount, especially if your doing strengh training. Try this link http://exercise.about.com/cs/nutrition/a/protein_2.htm
  • bmaine
    bmaine Posts: 3
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    Thanks for all the advice and good luck everyone!
  • KarenBorter
    KarenBorter Posts: 1,157 Member
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    thanks for posting this ... I had the same question as I feel that my protein should be higher then what was allotted. The rest of the calculations seem okay but the protein was so low!
  • brityn
    brityn Posts: 443 Member
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    I go to a personal, one-on-one trainer. I get my cardio in on my own and do 45 minutes of intense weight training three days a week with him. He has me eating 1g of protein for every pound i weigh. As long as you don't go over your calories I think you're ok. One thing my trainer told me is that your body can only absorb a certain amount of protein at one time. For me he said approx. 25 grams every three hours. For my husband (6'2" 230 lbs) he said it's around 40g. The rest is just a waste. Hope this was helpful. Good luck!

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