question about protein

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easkid
easkid Posts: 11 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
hi...so if im trying to lose weight, is it OK to go over my recomended macros in protein? I stay under in fat and carbs every day, by hundreds in carbs, but im always at least 80 to 100 grams of protein high... also i lift heavy every day and play basketball. thanks!

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  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    It's fine. How much do you weigh and how many grams are you getting?
  • easkid
    easkid Posts: 11 Member
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    im somewhere in between 195 and 200 i get like 220 to 300 grams a day
  • emmajeanious
    emmajeanious Posts: 31 Member
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    How do you get so much protein? I'm trying to increase my intake.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
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    I would never consider extra protein a bad thing! As long as you are hitting your calorie goals, going over a macro will not hinder your progress whatsoever.
  • easkid
    easkid Posts: 11 Member
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    oh ok thanks..well i get my protein intake so high because for breakfast i eat 7 egg whites with turkey sausage and oatmeal, for lunch i eat chicken breast and yogurt, after i work out i drink a shake with 50 grams and for dinner i just had an 8oz top sirloin which has like 62g i think! and then for a snack i eat a quest bar. also ill snack on beef jerkey, string cheese or sliced chicken throughout the day
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
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    emmajeanious wrote: »
    How do you get so much protein? I'm trying to increase my intake.

    I have trouble hitting my goals, too, mainly because it gets expensive, and I have 3 boys in my home to feed as well.

    I just got some whey, so hopefully I can start incorporating that into my day to up my intake a bit.
  • easkid
    easkid Posts: 11 Member
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    yeah whey is really good. if you mix it with milk instead of water itll add a few grams
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Look at them as minimums.
  • dlcam61
    dlcam61 Posts: 228 Member
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    easkid wrote: »
    oh ok thanks..well i get my protein intake so high because for breakfast i eat 7 egg whites with turkey sausage and oatmeal, for lunch i eat chicken breast and yogurt, after i work out i drink a shake with 50 grams and for dinner i just had an 8oz top sirloin which has like 62g i think! and then for a snack i eat a quest bar. also ill snack on beef jerkey, string cheese or sliced chicken throughout the day

    Dang that's a lot! When do you eat any vegetables? And what kind of fats are you eating?
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    easkid wrote: »
    im somewhere in between 195 and 200 i get like 220 to 300 grams a day

    Wow! That's a crap ton of protein! I could never do it. I'm kinda small, so I don't have enough calories to eat 300 grams, unless I was eating the vast majority of my calories in protein! :p And I can't cut corners by using whey, either, since I have problems digesting casein properly. Amazing!
  • easkid
    easkid Posts: 11 Member
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    well i do eat veggies too i was mostly just listing my protein sources. in the morning i eat some bell peppers and onions in my omlette and at lunch i have a spinach salad with the chicken and i had brocolli with the top sirloin, but yeah i do get almost all of my calories from protein which is what lead me to ask the question
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    If you're getting "almost all your calories" from protein, you're probably eating too much protein. Fat and carbs have their purpose in a healthy diet, too.

    If you're upping your protein ratio from the MFP standard to a slightly higher percentage, yeah, that's totally fine. Many people find MFP's standard ratios to be a bit low on protein.

    0.8-1g of protein per pound of lean body mass is generally the recommended range, though of course there's a TON of debate about this and you can read up and make your own judgments about it. But, using that formula, your profile says you're a 27-year-old male who's currently about 200lbs. Do you have a rough estimate of your body fat percentage? Say it's 20%, that would mean you have about 160lbs of lean body mass, so you would aim for about 130-160g of protein per day. If your body fat is higher or lower, just adjust the math, but you get the idea.

    If you're eating about that much, you're probably good. If you're eating a lot more than that, your body's just gonna convert the extra to glucose and store it as energy, so there's really no benefit from a fitness standpoint and you'd probably be better off adding more healthy fats to your diet instead.
  • easkid
    easkid Posts: 11 Member
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    Oh ok Thank you =)
  • Aerinity
    Aerinity Posts: 16 Member
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    segacs wrote: »
    If you're getting "almost all your calories" from protein, you're probably eating too much protein. Fat and carbs have their purpose in a healthy diet, too.

    If you're upping your protein ratio from the MFP standard to a slightly higher percentage, yeah, that's totally fine. Many people find MFP's standard ratios to be a bit low on protein.

    0.8-1g of protein per pound of lean body mass is generally the recommended range, though of course there's a TON of debate about this and you can read up and make your own judgments about it. But, using that formula, your profile says you're a 27-year-old male who's currently about 200lbs. Do you have a rough estimate of your body fat percentage? Say it's 20%, that would mean you have about 160lbs of lean body mass, so you would aim for about 130-160g of protein per day. If your body fat is higher or lower, just adjust the math, but you get the idea.

    If you're eating about that much, you're probably good. If you're eating a lot more than that, your body's just gonna convert the extra to glucose and store it as energy, so there's really no benefit from a fitness standpoint and you'd probably be better off adding more healthy fats to your diet instead.

    I highly agree with this poster. As someone who adjusted their MFP ratios I've found great success so far with a protein ratio close to 40% of my daily caloric intake (about Carbs 30%, and about fats 30%), but this will also depend largely on your body as every body is different. I'd also warn not to go too low on carbs since you play Basketball and there's a lot of running in that. Carb reduction? Yes, please! But be careful there. I personally found that - for my body and the amount of cardio that I do - if I go below 30% carbs I start getting dizzy, light headed, and a whole host of other nasty low energy things that hamper my workouts significantly.

    Ultimately, in carb reduction, just be careful and pay close attention to how your body is reacting.
  • easkid
    easkid Posts: 11 Member
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    what exactly is a healthy fat? i know avocados, and peanut butter and almonds and other nuts, but other than that can someone give me an example?
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    easkid wrote: »
    what exactly is a healthy fat? i know avocados, and peanut butter and almonds and other nuts, but other than that can someone give me an example?
    GOOD FATS
    Monounsaturated fat Polyunsaturated fat
    Olive oil
    Canola oil
    Sunflower oil
    Peanut oil
    Sesame oil
    Avocados
    Olives
    Nuts (almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews)
    Peanut butter
    Soybean oil
    Corn oil
    Safflower oil
    Walnuts
    Sunflower, sesame, and pumpkin seeds
    Flaxseed
    Fatty fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, trout, sardines)
    Soymilk
    Tofu

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