Too Much Protein?

ShapeUpSidney
ShapeUpSidney Posts: 1,092 Member
edited September 26 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm trying to lose about 5-10 pounds and tone my arms and legs. When I try, I am typically good about watching my calorie intake, and have net negative calories, carbs, and fat.

I ALWAYS ALWAYS go waaaaaay over the recommended protein, though. Today, I had 19 excess grams of protein. I'm wondering if this is bad for me, and will prevent me from losing weight. Any ideas?

Replies

  • HolleeERL
    HolleeERL Posts: 313 Member
    I've noticed the same trend in my diary. I do strength training and figure I need the extra protein for that, but don't know if I'm killing my fat-burning capability.
  • husker_gal
    husker_gal Posts: 462 Member
    I'm losing at a nice rate and almost always go way over on my protein. I wouldn't worry too much about it as long as you are getting sufficient amounts of your other nutrients.
  • arhzon
    arhzon Posts: 150
    I actually looked this up the other day because I always find the same thing in my diary. The answer is yes, there is such a thing as too much protein. I can't remember on top of my head what it does though. I googled it, so maybe try there?
  • pinkchick2006
    pinkchick2006 Posts: 14 Member
    You should look and see what your protein is coming from. If its lean protein (chicken, fish) or nuts and beans I wouldnt be worried but if its red meat the saturated fat could hinder weight loss
  • xraychick77
    xraychick77 Posts: 1,775 Member
    as long as you dont go over on your calories the macros arent that important in losing weight.

    we should only be getting 40-60 grams of protein a day. anything over that is just wasted. yes you can get too much and most meat eaters in amercian society get way too much protein in their diets. it can cause kidney, liver, gastro and neurological problems. not to mention if your main source is from meat, the fat and cholesterol will contribute to high blood pressure, heart diesease etc.
  • Azuleelan
    Azuleelan Posts: 218
    This site has the protein set *VERY* low and the carbs *VERY* high. You would have to change that in your "Goals" section, the recommended amount is 40% carbs, 40% protein, 20% fat.
    It is harmful to eat too much protein, but again, this site has it by default in like 25% which is astonishingly low. Get closer to %40 (I have it at 35%) and you'll be great.
  • jamie1888
    jamie1888 Posts: 1,704 Member
    How many grams is your goal set to? If you are talking 300g of protein per day, I'd say that might be excessive for you. But, over 100g and less than 200g isn't a bad thing!
  • WifeMomDVM
    WifeMomDVM Posts: 1,025 Member
    I can't see your diary, so I'm not sure what your macros are set as. However, many nutritionists recommend about 1 gm protein per lb of body weight. If you go over some, and your kidneys are healthy, your body will probably handle it fine. But for the most part I'd try to stick with the mg/lb rule.

    And yes - you def. need the protein to build that lean muscle!
  • yvesvictoria
    yvesvictoria Posts: 7
    I think its only bad if you cant work off the calories. Even protein becomes fat in the end but see what happens, check your waistline. Its the best way to check if its doing anything
  • ShapeUpSidney
    ShapeUpSidney Posts: 1,092 Member
    I'm net negative on calories and fat, so it's obviously lean protein.
  • Azuleelan
    Azuleelan Posts: 218
    I think its only bad if you cant work off the calories. Even protein becomes fat in the end but see what happens, check your waistline. Its the best way to check if its doing anything

    the body can not store protein. The only way to "keep" protein is transforming it into muscle. Carbs and fat excess does get stored as fat, but definitely not protein.
  • ShapeUpSidney
    ShapeUpSidney Posts: 1,092 Member
    I think 1mg/kg is a good mark to shoot for. I read that there are lots of studies for men, but very few done on women in this area.

    Apparently, the sedentary male needs .8mg/kg, runners are up around 1mg/kg, and weight lifters can go up to 1.5mg/kg

    I am at 1.4, but that's just today, and I haven't taken an average over a long period. I can't consistently keep my diary. I'm SO bad at it. i need to generate more consistent data. But even with the sporadic data set I currently have, I see a general trend towards excess protein.
  • cmatthews02
    cmatthews02 Posts: 4
    I am finding it is difficult to find a good carb-protein balance as well. I err on the side of protein, however I am also only trying to lose a couple of pounds and it a wall shortly after the first week. It made me think about a conversation I had with a personal trainer not too long ago. I asked him why when I was working out a lot previously I wasn't losing any weight. The first thing he asked is if I had increased my protein intake during this time. The answer of course was yes, because that's what we're supposed to do. He explained, contrary to what I had been told, when you have excessive protein the body converts it into, you guessed it, fat.
    I have not researched this thouroghly, so I would of course tell you to ask someone who knows more about nutrition. From what I gather, however, the only good eating a lot of protein does is build muscle if you are trying to become a muscle bound weightlifter.
    Knowing all of this doesn't help me however, I'm a big meat eater anyway so I'm always over
  • bikerbiz
    bikerbiz Posts: 179 Member
    My doctor at the Veteran's Administration puts it this way--to lose the fat, you need to cut down on carbs, and increase protein (to build more muscle which enables you to burn more cals). A good rule of thumb if you're exercising, is 1g protein per pound of GOAL body weight per day. So if you're trying to get to 125, that's 125g protein daily goal. However, too much protein, especially from meats, can contribute to formation of kidney stones. Those not fun at all...especially when they are being removed the hard way... :noway: I think the health problems you probably heard about are common to college athletes taking protein supps with creatine, and stacking other chemicals/thermogenics, etc. The liver then spends all it's time trying to process the chemicals, rather than processing the necessary nutrients into your body!
  • ShapeUpSidney
    ShapeUpSidney Posts: 1,092 Member
    I'm losing at a nice rate and almost always go way over on my protein. I wouldn't worry too much about it as long as you are getting sufficient amounts of your other nutrients.

    Yea you are! Congrats!
  • jamie1888
    jamie1888 Posts: 1,704 Member
    Good info in this article. Talks more about protein in a single meal as opposed to all day. But, good info...

    http://www.wannabebig.com/diet-and-nutrition/is-there-a-limit-to-how-much-protein-the-body-can-use-in-a-single-meal/
  • ShapeUpSidney
    ShapeUpSidney Posts: 1,092 Member
    My doctor at the Veteran's Administration puts it this way--to lose the fat, you need to cut down on carbs, and increase protein (to build more muscle which enables you to burn more cals). A good rule of thumb if you're exercising, is 1g protein per pound of GOAL body weight per day. So if you're trying to get to 125, that's 125g protein daily goal. However, too much protein, especially from meats, can contribute to formation of kidney stones. Those not fun at all...especially when they are being removed the hard way... :noway: I think the health problems you probably heard about are common to college athletes taking protein supps with creatine, and stacking other chemicals/thermogenics, etc. The liver then spends all it's time trying to process the chemicals, rather than processing the necessary nutrients into your body!

    You want to convert that to kg, I think. What you listed here is about twice what is actually recommended. 125mg of protein is ridiculous. I'm nowhere near that...

    I'm not worried about kidney trouble or negative health effects. I'm not at a level that would cause that...but I am concerned about how it will effect my figure.
  • GinjaNinja1
    GinjaNinja1 Posts: 19 Member
    I agree with the above statements. You need to adjust your levels to 40%carbs, 40% protein and 20% fat.
    If you are working out, trying to shape your muscles you need lean protein. If your diet is to rich in carbs your body will break down the muscles before it breaks down fat. If you can use lean protein, or protein the is rich in leucine (Whey protein has lots of this) then you can get a fast acting protein enhancement after every workout. Make sure you consume a considerable amout of protein after each workout, preferably within 45 minutes of that workout.

    Raising your levels of protein also increases your metabolism. This will definately keep you from fats/carbs for later.
    Good luck!
  • Fitfreak199
    Fitfreak199 Posts: 11 Member
    Don't worry about too much protein. Especially if you're trying to get lean...Worry about carbs and fat. I don't know what your macros are, but 40% would be good for protein, or about 1gm to 1.5gm/lb of bodyweight, 40%carbs and %20fat. This is what my %s are and I eat at least 300gm protein per day, but I have a 30%higher metabolism than avg. Hope that helps!
  • jamie1888
    jamie1888 Posts: 1,704 Member
    My doctor at the Veteran's Administration puts it this way--to lose the fat, you need to cut down on carbs, and increase protein (to build more muscle which enables you to burn more cals). A good rule of thumb if you're exercising, is 1g protein per pound of GOAL body weight per day. So if you're trying to get to 125, that's 125g protein daily goal. However, too much protein, especially from meats, can contribute to formation of kidney stones. Those not fun at all...especially when they are being removed the hard way... :noway: I think the health problems you probably heard about are common to college athletes taking protein supps with creatine, and stacking other chemicals/thermogenics, etc. The liver then spends all it's time trying to process the chemicals, rather than processing the necessary nutrients into your body!

    You want to convert that to kg, I think. What you listed here is about twice what is actually recommended. 125mg of protein is ridiculous. I'm nowhere near that...

    I'm not worried about kidney trouble or negative health effects. I'm not at a level that would cause that...but I am concerned about how it will effect my figure.

    125g of protein if your goal weight is 125lbs is NOT rediculous! It should be the goal; if not close to it.
  • ShapeUpSidney
    ShapeUpSidney Posts: 1,092 Member
    Don't worry about too much protein. Especially if you're trying to get lean...Worry about carbs and fat. I don't know what your macros are, but 40% would be good for protein, or about 1gm to 1.5gm/lb of bodyweight, 40%carbs and %20fat. This is what my %s are and I eat at least 300gm protein per day, but I have a 30%higher metabolism than avg. Hope that helps!

    Well that makes me feel a little better, but you are male. Men apparently burn more protein during exercise than women. Le sigh...
  • elliecolorado
    elliecolorado Posts: 1,040
    This site sets the amount of protein that you should get a day on the low side. I usually look at it as the minimum amount of protein I should have for the day. It tells me after my exercise today I should have 78mg of protein and I actually had 122mg, but everything else I was under.
  • ShapeUpSidney
    ShapeUpSidney Posts: 1,092 Member

    125g of protein if your goal weight is 125lbs is NOT rediculous! It should be the goal; if not close to it.

    No, it's not the correct ratio at all. Not if you're a lean runner type anyway.

    It's 1g/kg NOT pound. So you take ("Goal body weight" / 2.2 ) x 1 = goal protein

    So if I wanted 125, that would be (125/2.2)*1 = 56g

    My macro suggests 62g, which (for me) would be a ratio of 1.1g/kg. Except I'm eating way more than that, and my actual ratio is 1.4g/kg
  • bcweisen
    bcweisen Posts: 118 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/216397-meeting-the-caloric-goals-set-by-mfp
  • carmenstop1
    carmenstop1 Posts: 210 Member
    This site has the protein set *VERY* low and the carbs *VERY* high. You would have to change that in your "Goals" section, the recommended amount is 40% carbs, 40% protein, 20% fat.
    It is harmful to eat too much protein, but again, this site has it by default in like 25% which is astonishingly low. Get closer to %40 (I have it at 35%) and you'll be great.

    How do you change the settings?
  • ShapeUpSidney
    ShapeUpSidney Posts: 1,092 Member
    At least, that's the info I'm finding here:

    http://faculty.washington.edu/crowther/Misc/RBC/protein.shtml

    and elsewhere.
  • mkennedym
    mkennedym Posts: 253 Member
    i wouldn't worry about 19 grams of protein, but you certainly don't need to go out of your way to consume any more than what the site suggests. as long as you are under your calories for the day, you will lose weight. it doesn't matter if you go over in protein.
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