Protein

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Sweettart
Sweettart Posts: 1,331 Member
in Food and Nutrition
How much protein do you eat in a day? I have heard lately that too much protein actually turns into fat. I am SO confused right now.
Unless you are lifting heavy weights daily you don't need a lot of protein.

What do you eat?

Replies

  • Hadabetter
    Hadabetter Posts: 941 Member
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    An excessive in consumed calories will be stored as fat, and protein has 4 calories/gram, so an excess in protein will be stored as fat only if you also have an excess in calories. But the same principle holds true for eating an excess of carbs and fat.

    How much protein you need is a very controversial subject. I know of highly respected nutritional experts who work with elite athletes who swear that 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight is adequate. On the other end of the spectrum, many body builders will swear that you need more than twice that, at 1 gram per pound of body weight. Some others say 1 gram per pound of "lean" body weight (this is what I eat). The answer is in there somewhere, and is dependent on your genetics, the type of exercise you engage in, and whether you eat your protein distributed throughout the day or in one large meal. (You require less protein if you eat it at a steady rate throughout the day.)
  • Sweettart
    Sweettart Posts: 1,331 Member
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    Hello?
  • mittencat77
    mittencat77 Posts: 137 Member
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    An excessive in consumed calories will be stored as fat, and protein has 4 calories/gram, so an excess in protein will be stored as fat only if you also have an excess in calories. But the same principle holds true for eating an excess of carbs and fat.

    How much protein you need is a very controversial subject. I know of highly respected nutritional experts who work with elite athletes who swear that 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight is adequate. On the other end of the spectrum, many body builders will swear that you need more than twice that, at 1 gram per pound of body weight. Some others say 1 gram per pound of "lean" body weight (this is what I eat). The answer is in there somewhere, and is dependent on your genetics, the type of exercise you engage in, and whether you eat your protein distributed throughout the day or in one large meal. (You require less protein if you eat it at a steady rate throughout the day.)

    Very interesting! Thanks!
  • Chokis
    Chokis Posts: 131
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    Somebody posted this great link on a different board:
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/maki1.htm

    Hope this helps.
    I set my macros to 120 (which is 30% of all calories). But I do have a hard time meeting that goal.
  • lannasster
    lannasster Posts: 49
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    I manually set my macros, so my protein intake is about 150 grams a day. I don't really worry too much about anything except for protein and fat. I make sure I hit both of those macros every day. If I'm under on my carbs, I don't worry. Protein intake is different for everyone. When I first started out and my only goal was to lose weight, I ate about 75 grams a day and had no problems..when I adjusted my calories to meet my new workout routine, I doubled my protein intake. It really all comes down to your individual goals, workout routine and your daily caloric intake.
  • Jacqson84
    Jacqson84 Posts: 189 Member
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    By the way, egg whites or protein shakes?
  • fatfudgery
    fatfudgery Posts: 449 Member
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    I shoot for 1g of protein per pound of LBM, which should bring me to right around 180g/day. However, on any given day I'll go over/under that by as much as 40g...
    By the way, egg whites or protein shakes?

    Protein shakes are way more convenient and way less nasty. :tongue:
  • dhimaan997
    dhimaan997 Posts: 3
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    weight - 190
    bf - 15-16%
    workout days - 200-300 g protein (chicken breast, legs, thighs, shakes, etc)
    non - workout days - 100-150 g protein
  • SJVZEE
    SJVZEE Posts: 451 Member
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    I aim for 46g or a bit higher a day, which is what the CDC/WHO recommends for someone my age. I know this isn't the popular opinion here on the forum, but it's working fine for me :) My exercise consists of 10 miles of brisk walking and 2 miles of slow jogging a week. I've been in maintenance for a few months now, but since transitioning to a whole foods, plant based diet a few weeks ago I've started losing weight again-1.5lbs this week and .5lb last week. This while eating a high carb, modest protein diet-go figure :drinker:
  • taunto
    taunto Posts: 6,420 Member
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    How much protein do you eat in a day? I have heard lately that too much protein actually turns into fat. I am SO confused right now.
    Unless you are lifting heavy weights daily you don't need a lot of protein.

    What do you eat?

    Hey sweettart

    Unfortunately due to the location and it being hard to get, I am usually very low on my protein but the optimal protein is 1g/lbm (thats your body weight minus the fat weight).

    Heres the breakdown about how your macros work
    carbs: Provides energy
    protein: helps build/repair muscles
    fat: used for body funtions and organs

    All of these food provide calories. And the fat cells in your body grow when you have consume more calories than you burn. So nothing really "turns into" fat, fat cells just expand, storing more cals. So no, protein doesn't turn into fat, however if you eat more food than you burn, yes, you will get fatter

    Also, protein is good for people outside of just body building or weight lifting. A lot of runners and cyclists have seen benefits from it. Like I said, protein helps you repair and build muscles. Eat it even if you're only doing cardio.
  • mikejholmes
    mikejholmes Posts: 291 Member
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    Always listen to taunto -- taunto knows all.

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