too much protein?
emonaghan75
Posts: 2
I've been running for about a year and just found myfitnesspal.com so I am finally able to watch how much food I take in and I am noticing that I go over on protein almost every day. I run between 30 and 45 minutes 4 to 5 days a week and have a very physical job. Do I need to cut back on the protein? I don't know if I am harming myself or impeding on weight loss. Thanks to whoever can answer this for me. I don't eat a lot of meat. I am getting the protein from turkey, egg whites, fish...no red meat. I never seem to reach my calorie goal but I definitely get to my protein goal. I don't eat dairy so I use calcium supplements and drink almond milk and other calcium-rich foods.
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Replies
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Too much protein will lead to more sugar which leads to more fat - so I have read. Hopefully someone can answer more thoroughly.0
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What's your goal weight?
Take that number, and multiple by 1.
Got that number?
That's how many grams of protein you should be taking in if you are active.
Are you consuming over that number?
Even if you are, unless it's double, don't worry about it!0 -
No, the protein setting on MFP is 15% of total calories. A balance diet can consist of protein up to 30%, so you can double MFP recommendation and still be eating a balanced diet. You can also change the settings to better suit your diet.0
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Too much protein will lead to more sugar which leads to more fat - so I have read. Hopefully someone can answer more thoroughly.
Edited: Protein are calories, just like fats and carbs. Too many are a bad thing, if you go over your required calories. My mistake for incorrect information before.
Drink more water with increased protein intake to help flush your kidneys. If not, kidney stones could form. Not from the protein itself, but from the side-effects of increased protein in the body.0 -
MFP has their protein default set fairly low. So don't stress out about going over. The poster that mentioned goal weight as your goal in protein is pretty close to what I'm doing too.
I haven't had many plateaus either.
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Thanks!
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No. Excess protein passes out of your body. No fat added.
Drink more water with increased protein intake to help flush your kidneys. If not, kidney stones could form.
no no no no no
good lord no.
not at fu**ing all.
Excess calories turns to fat, rather it be protein,fat, or carbs.
Too much protein isn't gonna hurt your weight loss as long as your overall cals are under for the day.
my gosh.0 -
Too much protein will lead to more sugar which leads to more fat - so I have read. Hopefully someone can answer more thoroughly.
definately wrong.0 -
No. Excess protein passes out of your body. No fat added.
Drink more water with increased protein intake to help flush your kidneys. If not, kidney stones could form.
no no no no no
good lord no.
not at fu**ing all.
Excess calories turns to fat, rather it be protein,fat, or carbs.
Too much protein isn't gonna hurt your weight loss as long as your overall cals are under for the day.
my gosh.
I agree here. If you go over your calorie count then no matter what it is will turn to fat if you body cannot burn it. Protein acts different from Carbs, and fat. Protein is not an energy source. It is an amino acid used to build & repair muscles. Carbs & Fat are used to provide your body with energy. However you want to stick with complex carbs (whole grains, sweet potatoes, leafy greens, etc.) What the body doesnt burn or use during the day will turn into fat. If you are not getting enough calories then your body will hold on to the carbs and fat because it thinks that it is in starvation mode and this halts your weight loss. If you are resistance training then you will need more protein than if you were doing just regular cardio. If all you do is run I would lower your protein intake to 20% and up your carb intake to 65% and fat at 15%. This way you will have a balanced diet. Hope this helps.0 -
No. Excess protein passes out of your body. No fat added.
Drink more water with increased protein intake to help flush your kidneys. If not, kidney stones could form.
no no no no no
good lord no.
not at fu**ing all.
Excess calories turns to fat, rather it be protein,fat, or carbs.
Too much protein isn't gonna hurt your weight loss as long as your overall cals are under for the day.
my gosh.
My mistake. I was incorrect in saying it is passed out of the body.
I think you're also taking my statment as "peeing out protein". I'm not making that point. Too much protein being broken down by the body can lead to calcium depletion, thus causing a buildup of oxylates. Which cause kidney stones if they are not properly flushed. Not a buildup of protein.0 -
It's all good. I just didn't want anyone to follow that advice and think they could eat a ton of protein and it would be disposed of via urination.
I'm a huge believer in eating lots of protein. It really seems to have a positive effect on my progress.0 -
Too much protein will lead to more sugar which leads to more fat - so I have read. Hopefully someone can answer more thoroughly.
Wha, HUH? Wrong!!!0 -
There has been a lot of misinformation given in response to your question. I will try to give you some actual facts.I've been running for about a year and just found myfitnesspal.com so I am finally able to watch how much food I take in and I am noticing that I go over on protein almost every day. I run between 30 and 45 minutes 4 to 5 days a week and have a very physical job. Do I need to cut back on the protein? I don't know if I am harming myself or impeding on weight loss. Thanks to whoever can answer this for me. I don't eat a lot of meat. I am getting the protein from turkey, egg whites, fish...no red meat. I never seem to reach my calorie goal but I definitely get to my protein goal. I don't eat dairy so I use calcium supplements and drink almond milk and other calcium-rich foods.
1. The level that MFP automatically gives you for daily protein intake might not necessarily be right for your particular circumstances or goals. The 15% is a minimum for "normal" people. Actual protein intakes can, and do, vary.
2. The amount of protein that a person should eat, expressed as a percentage of their total calories, depends on what they want to do. For general weight loss, stay in the "normal" range. For extreme *fat* (not just *weight*) loss/extreme muscle building, eat high amounts of protein (which forces you also to eat low amounts of carbs). And some people who aren't all that concerned with muscle/fat ratios might eat more carbs than protein, to benefit from the easily accessible energy for working out.
3. Overall weight loss depends truly, only on calories in versus calories burned (it doesn't matter if all those calories come from protein, carbs, or fat, or some combination thereof). Yes, eating certain foods are healthier, but if all you ate was twinkies, and you burned more calories than you were eating in twinkies, you *will* lose weight. You'll also lose a lot of muscle mass in the process and feel l ike $h!t when it's all over due to lack of nutrients, sugar highs and crashes, etc.
So, I hope I haven't been too confusing -- but the bottom line is that the amount of protein you should be eating (i.e. the percentage of your daily calorie intake that should come from proteins) depends on what you want to do to/with your body other than simply lose weight. Feel free to message me if I have only confused you or you need any clarification. Cheers!0 -
Too much protein will lead to more sugar which leads to more fat - so I have read. Hopefully someone can answer more thoroughly.
I am pretty sure you read that wrong.0 -
Stop bashing me.. geez! If I was misinformed (which you all agree I was) then you correct me! And to clarify, it does get stored (maybe not as fat).0
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Stop bashing me.. geez! If I was misinformed (which you all agree I was) then you correct me! And to clarify, it does get stored (maybe not as fat).
They weren't bashing you, they were correcting misinformation - something we do all. day. long.
Just use facts you know to be true. It's dangerous otherwise, and people will correct misinformation! It's okay!0 -
What happens to protein:
It is broken down into building blocks known as peptides.
Then, it is further broken down and it becomes amino acids.
The amino acids are absorbed through the small intestine's lining and enter the blood stream.
From here, some of the amino acids build the body's protein stores.
Excess amino acids are converted to fats and sugars.
So carlfry, you are not far off.0 -
how are you getting that much protein? egg whites/tuna/turkey every day?0
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how are you getting that much protein? egg whites/tuna/turkey every day?0
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The numbers here are all wrong.
"What's your goal weight?
Take that number, and multiple by 1.
Got that number?
That's how many grams of protein you should be taking in if you are active."
by this calculation if i want to weigh 150lb then i need to eat 150 grams of protein!!!?? The CDC says that a woman between the age of 19-70 needs 46 grams of protein a day. Yes if you're more active then you should eat more but 3x more that's a lot. We as American's/westerner's eat way more protein then necessary.
just my two cents0 -
Thank you to everyone who posted! I wasn't expecting such a large response! This is a great website!0
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3. Overall weight loss depends truly, only on calories in versus calories burned (it doesn't matter if all those calories come from protein, carbs, or fat, or some combination thereof). Yes, eating certain foods are healthier, but if all you ate was twinkies, and you burned more calories than you were eating in twinkies, you *will* lose weight. You'll also lose a lot of muscle mass in the process and feel l ike $h!t when it's all over due to lack of nutrients, sugar highs and crashes, etc.
I read about this study on a professor went on a twinkie diet to prove to his students that it is about the intake of calories that counts in terms of weight loss. 2 twinkies a day and a sensible meal! He lost weight, and he did state that he felt like crap and couldn't weight to eat healthier meals!0 -
Not sure who you are referring to with this question, but if it's me, my diary is public.....feel free to take a peek.how are you getting that much protein? egg whites/tuna/turkey every day?0 -
What happens to protein:
It is broken down into building blocks known as peptides.
Then, it is further broken down and it becomes amino acids.
The amino acids are absorbed through the small intestine's lining and enter the blood stream.
From here, some of the amino acids build the body's protein stores.
Excess amino acids are converted to fats and sugars.
So carlfry, you are not far off.
Thank you. I know I read some where late one night what happens. I've not gotten much sleep lately and have totally blanked out, lol. That is what I read.0 -
The numbers here are all wrong.
"What's your goal weight?
Take that number, and multiple by 1.
Got that number?
That's how many grams of protein you should be taking in if you are active."
by this calculation if i want to weigh 150lb then i need to eat 150 grams of protein!!!?? The CDC says that a woman between the age of 19-70 needs 46 grams of protein a day. Yes if you're more active then you should eat more but 3x more that's a lot. We as American's/westerner's eat way more protein then necessary.
just my two cents
I agree. That is a LOT of protein. I have a goal of 68 grams a day and that is what every site I have checked says to be at or around. There is no way I'm going to consume 162 grams!0 -
I've been running for about a year and just found myfitnesspal.com so I am finally able to watch how much food I take in and I am noticing that I go over on protein almost every day. I run between 30 and 45 minutes 4 to 5 days a week and have a very physical job. Do I need to cut back on the protein? I don't know if I am harming myself or impeding on weight loss. Thanks to whoever can answer this for me. I don't eat a lot of meat. I am getting the protein from turkey, egg whites, fish...no red meat. I never seem to reach my calorie goal but I definitely get to my protein goal. I don't eat dairy so I use calcium supplements and drink almond milk and other calcium-rich foods.
I had the same problem. I noticed they had my carbs. very high. So I went into goals and lowered my carbs to 45% and in doing that it raised my protein. I have been doing it for a year now and I love it.0 -
pds06 .... that's a GREAT idea! I think I'm going to do that, too! Everyone is different. I have been on the Cinch diet, which is really a healthy eating for life plan. BUT, while my hubby lost 40 pounds in 9 weeks, I lost 5. It's a very well balanced diet, but, it requires a healthy grain at every meal (4 meals a day). I KNOW ... in my head, healthy grains are important. I also know, if I eat that much in carbs, even if they are whole grains, I DON'T lose weight. I'm not for taking out all carbs and adding heavy proteins, but, I HAVE noticed that I tend to lose weight faster if I decrease my carbs and increase my proteins. I didn't realize I could alter the amount in the goals. Duh! Thanks! That will help!0
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