To Much Protein?

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marczmcgee
marczmcgee Posts: 6
in Health and Weight Loss
I am doing a low carb diet. I am 245lbs and 6' tall. I do rushfit 6 days a week. my protein calculation is 88g. I keep getting to much. I'm averaging like 120-135g a day.. which is not TOO! much in terms of athletes. But I am worried that I am getting too much protein. What do you think? and how do I Get my Protein intake down when all I can really eat is meat and veggies?
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Replies

  • JoeCampbell85
    JoeCampbell85 Posts: 140
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    I eat 200 and do fine. 6'2 and 213 lbs. Kidney damage can result in cases of extremely high protein intake. Extremely high. Like eating nothing but protein all day. Unless you have some kidney disease I wouldn't worry about it.
  • ksy1969
    ksy1969 Posts: 700 Member
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    I eat 150 to 200 daily and I am not an athlete. Of course I am not on a low carb diet. Been doing this for a few months now with no issues.
  • aylajane
    aylajane Posts: 979 Member
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    I am 5'5", female and 130 lbs... I eat 150-200g per day (heavy weightlifting and lots of workouts). No issues, doc says no problem.
  • Showcase_Brodown
    Showcase_Brodown Posts: 919 Member
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    You're doing just fine. Nothing to worry about. "Too much" protein in the harmful sense is probably really hard to do unless you have some kind of condition.

    I usually get 180-200ish grams a day.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    I am doing a low carb diet. I am 245lbs and 6' tall. I do rushfit 6 days a week. my protein calculation is 88g. I keep getting to much. I'm averaging like 120-135g a day.. which is not TOO! much in terms of athletes. But I am worried that I am getting too much protein. What do you think? and how do I Get my Protein intake down when all I can really eat is meat and veggies?

    I think I eat 180-220g protein a day and im not even on a low carb diet.
  • mayfrayy
    mayfrayy Posts: 198 Member
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    I eat ~200 and im 5'9
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    Actually looked at my diary and yesterday I ate 239g of protein.

    Not sure why you think 130 grams is a lot or a reason to be concerned. Honestly I don't think 240g is a reason to be concerned otherwise, well, I'd be concerned.
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
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    I know there is a point when you're low-carbing that too much protein can be a bad thing and throw you out of ketosis, even when your carbs are still low. That's why low carb diets are supposed to be high fat, not high protein (moderate protein). But, I don't think you come to anything even close to that at your current levels. Most want to do at least 0.7 g per 1 lb bodyweight to preserve as much muscle mass when in a caloric deficit -- and that leaves you at 171 g of protein per day.

    Why do you think you're eating too much protein as it is?
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,070 Member
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    You can manually change your macro settings. 88 g is not too much - I have 147 and I'm 5'6. Don't sweat it :)
  • wburley
    wburley Posts: 1 Member
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    If you are on low carbohydrates, you must get most of your calories from proteins and fats. When eating a lot of protein, be sure to drink a lot of fluids.
  • perseverance14
    perseverance14 Posts: 1,364 Member
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    I am not a low carber and I have a minimum of say 130 grams/day, up to 180/day, not a problem for me...it actually helps a lot if you lift to recover faster, and it helps curb your appetite too, if i eat less protein, I eat more carbs, never fails.

    ETA: I drink at least a gallon of water a day.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
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    low carb, low protein?

    Or are your calories set realllllly low?
  • PennyVonDread
    PennyVonDread Posts: 432 Member
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    I eat 200 and do fine. 6'2 and 213 lbs. Kidney damage can result in cases of extremely high protein intake. Extremely high. Like eating nothing but protein all day. Unless you have some kidney disease I wouldn't worry about it.

    There aren't actually any conclusive studies to support that eating protein is what causes kidney failure. More evidence suggests that it will expose any existing weakness in kidney function. The impaired kidneys are pre-existing, and the standard American Diet is so proportionally low in protein that most people wouldn't even know they are at risk. But even so, I wouldn't worry about protein intake unless there's a family history.
  • marczmcgee
    marczmcgee Posts: 6
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    Thanks for all the replies!!! That was really fast lol.

    Ya I just wanted to make sure that I was not going over what I was supposed to. I lost like 5 pounds last week by doing it. Just want to make sure that I am doing it right. Read an article about why low carbs don't work and I guess it scared me a bit. So right no im at 2000 cals a day.

    so far today.....
    With one meal left..(dinner) 700 cals (so i have eaten 1300)
    protein 108 - 26%
    Carbs 22 - 5%
    Fat 126 - 69%
    (this is a pretty good average of what my days look like, with around 50 carbs)

    usually I go anywhere from 40-70 carbs a day


    thanks again for all the replies i really appreciate it
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
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    Thanks for all the replies!!! That was really fast lol.

    Ya I just wanted to make sure that I was not going over what I was supposed to. I lost like 5 pounds last week by doing it. Just want to make sure that I am doing it right. Read an article about why low carbs don't work and I guess it scared me a bit. So right no im at 2000 cals a day.

    With one meal left..(dinner) 700 cals
    protein 108 - 26%
    Carbs 22 - 5%
    Fat 126 - 69%


    usually I go anywhere from 40-70 carbs a day


    thanks again for all the replies i really appreciate it

    You're fine. The usual calculations is 1g/lb of lean body weight, which sits in the "adequate" protein range, whatever carb amount for your goals, and fill the rest in with fat.

    There are generally two main (legitimate) concerns with low carb:

    1. Not in ketosis, if you're going for that. This is generally a result of not enough fat and too much protein + carbs, prompting insulin levels to go up for some reason. There are two reasons for that -- not enough fat, forcing the body to turn protein into glucose (which in turn slows ketosis by increasing insulin production to avoid ketoacidosis), or too much protein+carbs, resulting in too much insulin being produced (ketosis is regulated by insulin).

    2. Mixing the low fat and low carb mentality. You can't fear fat when you go low carb, because carbs and fat are fuel. However, a lot of people start out eating fairly low fat, because that's what is often considered "healthy" (thank you, Ancel Keyes). They then keep that mentality when going low carb, and instead of increasing fats, they increase protein to compensate for the lost calories from the reduced carbs. This is where things can get ugly, because the low amount of both carbs and fat results in what's known as "rabbit starvation," or protein poisoning. This is very bad, but it's also easily avoidable -- just make sure to eat more fat. It takes something like 350g of protein a day and the near-total absence of both carbs and fat to induce that state, and the body will fight against it extremely hard, in part by inducing cravings that can only be sated by fat or carbs. You're nowhere near any of that.
  • JoeCampbell85
    JoeCampbell85 Posts: 140
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    I eat 200 and do fine. 6'2 and 213 lbs. Kidney damage can result in cases of extremely high protein intake. Extremely high. Like eating nothing but protein all day. Unless you have some kidney disease I wouldn't worry about it.

    There aren't actually any conclusive studies to support that eating protein is what causes kidney failure. More evidence suggests that it will expose any existing weakness in kidney function. The impaired kidneys are pre-existing, and the standard American Diet is so proportionally low in protein that most people wouldn't even know they are at risk. But even so, I wouldn't worry about protein intake unless there's a family history.

    Little in science is conclusive (I do cancer/RNAi research). Especially in nutrition where there is little money to be gained when compared to attempting to cure diseases. However, there are some studies that suggest it.

    http://search.proquest.com.www2.lib.ku.edu:2048/docview/906772842?accountid=14556

    That's just one study I found real quick. I think you should be able to access it even though I logged in using my KU info.

    In fairness, I could probably just as quickly and easily find just as many studies saying there is no relation or positive correlation. That is the nature of science.

    I'm highly skeptical that 35% protein macro will result in kidney damage. That's why I said you'd have to eat protein all day and only advised caution if he has a kidney disorder.
  • marczmcgee
    marczmcgee Posts: 6
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    You're fine. The usual calculations is 1g/lb of lean body weight, which sits in the "adequate" protein range, whatever carb amount for your goals, and fill the rest in with fat.

    There are generally two main (legitimate) concerns with low carb:

    1. Not in ketosis, if you're going for that. This is generally a result of not enough fat and too much protein + carbs, prompting insulin levels to go up for some reason. There are two reasons for that -- not enough fat, forcing the body to turn protein into glucose (which in turn slows ketosis by increasing insulin production to avoid ketoacidosis), or too much protein+carbs, resulting in too much insulin being produced (ketosis is regulated by insulin).

    2. Mixing the low fat and low carb mentality. You can't fear fat when you go low carb, because carbs and fat are fuel. However, a lot of people start out eating fairly low fat, because that's what is often considered "healthy" (thank you, Ancel Keyes). They then keep that mentality when going low carb, and instead of increasing fats, they increase protein to compensate for the lost calories from the reduced carbs. This is where things can get ugly, because the low amount of both carbs and fat results in what's known as "rabbit starvation," or protein poisoning. This is very bad, but it's also easily avoidable -- just make sure to eat more fat. It takes something like 350g of protein a day and the near-total absence of both carbs and fat to induce that state, and the body will fight against it extremely hard, in part by inducing cravings that can only be sated by fat or carbs. You're nowhere near any of that.


    Thanks - This made a lot of sense. So I shouldn't worry to much about my protein. I will probably aim to keep it below 190g. and come up with some more fatty things. It is really tough to find food that is fatty and does not have tons of protein in it. I mostly eat Meats like animal proteins, and Veggies and other various snacks that do not contain any carbs - like jerky and pork rinds. Its really tuff to follow this diet but Im keeping motivated!

    Thank you very much you guys this helps alot!!!
  • WINEYINVA
    WINEYINVA Posts: 75 Member
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    no where near too much you should be eating closer to 1 gram per pound of body weight. I am a 120 pound female and I eat close to 180 grams a day ( I lift heavy 3-5 days a week)
  • anotherghost
    anotherghost Posts: 6
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    Basically you want about a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight if you're trying to build muscle, 0.8 for maintenance, and no lower than 0.4. You can go over that at any point - it's really difficult to enough protein so that it's a problem, you pretty much have to be trying. Also, the first symptom of excessive protein intake is nausea, so if you're not getting nauseated, you don't need to worry about it.

    If all you're eating is meat, you may want to track your cholesterol, though. Too much of that can give you heart problems if you aren't careful.
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
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    You can add tons of fats just in your cooking techniques. Cooking vegetables in butter? Yum. Low carb, high fat. Same with sauces -- especially butter or cream based sauces. High fat, low carb (or can be low carb). Think of high end French food (minus the bread). Coconut oil, coconut milk (like in thai food), avocado, bacon (not all that calorie dense but pretty much makes everything taste better -- saute up a little green beans, red onions and bacon in butter -- delicious), nut butters, nuts generally, etc.

    You just have to avoid the starchy veggies for the carbs, but otherwise, fats make awesome cooking oils and sauces.

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