Over on protein and ADD me...I need motivating friends...
CrazyVulcanLover
Posts: 23
Hi all.
I have a question. I am significantly under on calories every day, but am almost always over on protein. Is this problematic?
Add me if you don't mind. I am 42, looking to lose 69 pounds at this point. I am down 56 pounds from my highest weight ever and I am down 10.6 pounds since joining MFP about 10 days ago. I am 5'11" and my goal is to get down to 200. I will reassess goals at that point. I am trying to be realistic and set attainable goals.
I have a question. I am significantly under on calories every day, but am almost always over on protein. Is this problematic?
Add me if you don't mind. I am 42, looking to lose 69 pounds at this point. I am down 56 pounds from my highest weight ever and I am down 10.6 pounds since joining MFP about 10 days ago. I am 5'11" and my goal is to get down to 200. I will reassess goals at that point. I am trying to be realistic and set attainable goals.
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Replies
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BUMP0
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Open your diary.
You say you are always "over on protein".....what is it you are hitting daily.
Since it seems you are over 200 lbs, then you should be getting protein in your system of near 200 gr/day depending on activity level.
Carbs can prolly range from 150 - 200 gr per day, again depending on activity.0 -
MityMax is correct -- you will need to open your diary for any thoughtful comments.0
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Okay--did not realize my diary was private--I changed it.
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Is your diary accurate, honestly??
Your calories vary from 1,000 - 1,200.......way too low for someone like you with the stats you posted.
The only day, where I think I could say that was a good day, diet wise.....was Sept. 8th
I see no veggies with lunch or dinner.....Cauliflower is ok, but you need to do some Green veggies (spinach, broccoli, asparagus, etc...)
Coffee is fine, but I think I would fore go DD coffee, and brew your cups at home, and cut down on the sugar and cream.....
Look at your entries between the DD coffee you get and the "Generic - Coffee" I assume you brew.......
You have a lot of "Quick added calories".....details would do better, knowing what those were.
I see a lot of processed foods in your daily diet......try to drop the cereals and go to some whole foods....add in more veggies would be real good. Good complex carbs would be good to add.....
If you like protein bars, then look into a protein bar made by Quest.....they are very good, and well balanced.
Are you exercising?0 -
The protein goal MFP assigns is usually thought of as a minimum. Eating more protein is a good thing, and I always try to eat more protein than my goal. However, consistently being significantly under your calorie goal is not a good thing. You should aim to MEET that goal every day.
And as noted above, "quick add" calories are fine in a pinch, but using them every day doesn't give you an accurate view of your macros.0 -
Yes, my food diary is extremely accurate. I log everything except calorie less drinks and I measure meticulously. In fact, when I can't measure I underestimate.
I've been getting the veggies in here and there...with the taboule salad, the red tomato shrimp salad, etc. I am making stuffed squash right now that also has spinach in it.
I let myself have the D and D iced coffee when I know my cals are low as a treat. It's a vice. Over the summer I could easily do that a few times daily. Now I do it once in awhile and I usually do instead of a snack.
My quick added cals came from three sources... Oatmeal cookies with raisins made with no flour, steel cut oats, raisins, organic sugar...flourless peanut butter cookies made with oats, natural peanut butter, organic sugar and a banana bread I baked using whole wheat flour, bananas, apple sauce, organic sugar etc. The quick add cals are an underestimate...I usually eat two cookies as a snack and they are more like 60-70 cals a piece.
I know I have some processed stuff in there. I am just getting back on the wagon and I am insanely busy. I teach all day and then run a small music business and an at home baking business with large event orders and have two teens withy crazy activity schedules, so until I get back on the wagon solidly for a bit--these things help me manage it all without it being overwhelming.If I get overwhelmed from he start--I am more likely to fail.
I am exercising-- I am trying to get to the gym for a minimum of 30 minutes of serious cardio (been burning about 500 cals in 30 minutes) when I can I try to also take walks here and there--usually that's an hour at about a 4mph pace. I just started an arm/upper gody workout last night that I intend to do every night--it's just 6 minutes of some upper body stuff It's a starting point.....Is your diary accurate, honestly??
Your calories vary from 1,000 - 1,200.......way too low for someone like you with the stats you posted.
The only day, where I think I could say that was a good day, diet wise.....was Sept. 8th
I see no veggies with lunch or dinner.....Cauliflower is ok, but you need to do some Green veggies (spinach, broccoli, asparagus, etc...)
Coffee is fine, but I think I would fore go DD coffee, and brew your cups at home, and cut down on the sugar and cream.....
Look at your entries between the DD coffee you get and the "Generic - Coffee" I assume you brew.......
You have a lot of "Quick added calories".....details would do better, knowing what those were.
I see a lot of processed foods in your daily diet......try to drop the cereals and go to some whole foods....add in more veggies would be real good. Good complex carbs would be good to add.....
If you like protein bars, then look into a protein bar made by Quest.....they are very good, and well balanced.
Are you exercising?0 -
Ok.
Try and swap out a few days of cardio, for weight training.
Tomatoes and squash are great......but get broccoli, asparagus, kale in there.
Get some more good quality protein in there. (lean meat, fish), your chicken breast are good.
It looks to me like you skip breakfast, except for coffee.....maybe look into something I do. Intermittent Fasting.
I do the LeanGains model (leangains.com)
Some small tweaks, and I think you will do fine, just takes time.
But the low calorie thing is something you may also want to get up. 1,000 - 1,200 is very low.
You could be doing yourself a disservice.0 -
Protein should be viewed as a minimum. MFP already sets it low. I aim for almost twice what you eat so no worries!
ETA: I also agree you should eat more. You're going to burn out quickly on only 1000-1200 calories per day if you are also burning 500 calories in exercise, and not eating those back.0 -
There's no harm in having cookies or iced coffee if they fit into your calories for the day. I still eat "dirty" foods like cake and pizza. Just make sure you're meeting your calorie goal every day and getting as much nutrition as possible from your food.0
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ETA: I also agree you should eat more. You're going to burn out quickly on only 1000-1200 calories per day if you are also burning 500 calories in exercise, and not eating those back.
That is what I am worried about....
You are gonna crack one day from limiting too much, and then you will wind up worse off.......
Remember, this is a marathon, not a 50 yard dash.
It is gonna take some time......always remember that. So do it right.0 -
Thank you all for your help and input.
I am just not going to worry about my protein intake I guess. One less thing to worry about is a good thing.0 -
Thank you all for your help and input.
I am just not going to worry about my protein intake I guess. One less thing to worry about is a good thing.
no.
worry about it.
the correct protein intake for you should be at least 0.8g/lb of LBM.
LBM = lean body mass. basically that's equal to (100% - BF%) x bodyweight.
you need protein to help preserve muscle while losing weight on anything other than a modest calorie deficit.
even better is to get enough protein and do real strength training to muscle failure. this will prevent as much muscle catabolization as possible. your goal is to maximize the amount of fat lost as you lose weight. you'll lose some water and some muscle, but the more muscle you retain while losing, the happier you'll be with how your body actually looks when you reach your goal.0 -
Thank you all for your help and input.
I am just not going to worry about my protein intake I guess. One less thing to worry about is a good thing.
no.
worry about it.
the correct protein intake for you should be at least 0.8g/lb of LBM.
LBM = lean body mass. basically that's equal to (100% - BF%) x bodyweight.
you need protein to help preserve muscle while losing weight on anything other than a modest calorie deficit.
even better is to get enough protein and do real strength training to muscle failure. this will prevent as much muscle catabolization as possible. your goal is to maximize the amount of fat lost as you lose weight. you'll lose some water and some muscle, but the more muscle you retain while losing, the happier you'll be with how you body actually looks when you reach your goal.
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My point was that I am not going to worry about being over... I am already exceeding what mfp says I should take in each day.Thank you all for your help and input.
I am just not going to worry about my protein intake I guess. One less thing to worry about is a good thing.
no.
worry about it.
the correct protein intake for you should be at least 0.8g/lb of LBM.
LBM = lean body mass. basically that's equal to (100% - BF%) x bodyweight.
you need protein to help preserve muscle while losing weight on anything other than a modest calorie deficit.
even better is to get enough protein and do real strength training to muscle failure. this will prevent as much muscle catabolization as possible. your goal is to maximize the amount of fat lost as you lose weight. you'll lose some water and some muscle, but the more muscle you retain while losing, the happier you'll be with how your body actually looks when you reach your goal.0 -
My point was that I am not going to worry about being over... I am already exceeding what mfp says I should take in each day.Thank you all for your help and input.
I am just not going to worry about my protein intake I guess. One less thing to worry about is a good thing.
no.
worry about it.
the correct protein intake for you should be at least 0.8g/lb of LBM.
LBM = lean body mass. basically that's equal to (100% - BF%) x bodyweight.
you need protein to help preserve muscle while losing weight on anything other than a modest calorie deficit.
even better is to get enough protein and do real strength training to muscle failure. this will prevent as much muscle catabolization as possible. your goal is to maximize the amount of fat lost as you lose weight. you'll lose some water and some muscle, but the more muscle you retain while losing, the happier you'll be with how your body actually looks when you reach your goal.
don't trust the MFP setting for protein. it's notoriously low. use the formula i gave you.
for example, if you were 250lbs and had 35% BF, then your protein goal would be (0.8 x ((1 - 0.35) x 250)) = 130g
it is a minimum, so going over is fine. you'd have to go well over for a prolonged period to have any issues related to too much protein, so don't get scared when the vegans swoop in and claim that you're going to get kidney failure from eating protein. they are nutters.0 -
you'd have to go well over for a prolonged period to have any issues related to too much protein, so don't get scared when the vegans swoop in and claim that you're going to get kidney failure from eating protein. they are nutters.
No, [/quote]
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Protein, fiber, and water soluble vitamins are usually safe to go over, and hazardous to go under. You need them to build lean mass and repair damaged tissues, and you can't get them by burning fat.
If your body fat is still over 25%, you're probably going to be OK with the calories you're eating too, but watch out for the day you're just too hungry. Don't ignore that - you still have quite a bit more allowable calories, and if you get deeply hungry, your body probably needs them for useful stuff, like building muscles and repairing organs. Just don't go crazy - go to your calorie allowance instead (which by your diary appears to be something like one or two more meals of the style and size you're currently eating).
And note, fat soluble stuff might come back into your system from your fat as you lose the fat. One of my friends was losing a bunch of weight and was surprised to have the symptoms that birth control pills had given her (and stopped her from taking them) seven years earlier when she was gaining the weight.0
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