Protein Goal

tfcolvett
tfcolvett Posts: 18
edited September 28 in Health and Weight Loss
My set protein goal is 70 grams/day. I have yet to finish consuming all my calories, but yet I exceeded my protein goal. Is that bad for me?

Replies

  • DianaPowerUp
    DianaPowerUp Posts: 518 Member
    NO! The arbitrary goals here are set too low for protein. You should aim for about 1 gm/lb of lean body weight.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    Nope. MFP's protein recommendations are low, in my opinion.

    I weigh 145lbs and I try and get between 150-200g of a protein each day. :)
  • tfcolvett
    tfcolvett Posts: 18
    Awesome, I got worried there for a sec! :)
  • sarah307
    sarah307 Posts: 1,363 Member
    Increasing my protein by quite a bit has been the best thing I ever did for my nutritional health
  • Kelly_Wilson1990
    Kelly_Wilson1990 Posts: 3,245 Member
    I eat between 75-100 grams of protein a day.
  • LATTIL
    LATTIL Posts: 16 Member
    I agree, they are too low and I've seen better results when I am heavier on my protein. Plus, I stay more satisfied
  • DustinReiner
    DustinReiner Posts: 157 Member
    I hope not, because I eat three times that amount. Really, all joking aside, it's not bad for you. Especially depending on what your goals are. I'm looking to lost FAT and build muscle. So far it's working. My protein is set at 200 grams a day. I generally hit that +/- 5 grams either way.

    It sounds like you are using MFP's pre-set goals. I changed them, as many people have. The made them for the general public, as they should. Thus making them adjustable.

    I'm also aim for low carbs which I set them at 140 grams a day which I never hit. I'm usually around 120 +/- 8 grams a day.

    A large part of dieting is what works for you and what do you want.

    Here are some websites I use, maybe these will help.

    Exercise and nutrition for beginners.
    http://exercise.about.com/cs/exbeginners/a/begnutrition.htm

    A link about nutrition
    http://exercise.about.com/cs/nutrition/a/lowcarb.htm

    A link about dieting
    http://exercise.about.com/sitesearch.htm?q=What+is+a+proper+diet?&SUName=exercise

    Another link about nutrition
    http://exercise.about.com/od/nutrition/Nutrition.htm

    I use About.com a lot for research.
  • Countrymade
    Countrymade Posts: 183 Member
    My protein and fiber are always higher than what they say I should be having.
    I think they are set to low on here.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    There is no issue with exceeding the protein goal MFP goes by the daily recommended amounts based on caloric intake (60% carbs, 20% fat, 20% protein). I do a custom setup to reduce the amount of carbs and I have increased my caloric needs to 2600 calories (MFP had me at 1800 which is WAY too low for the amount of muscle I have and workouts I do). I also changed the ratio's to 50% carbs, 20% fat and 30 % protein (used to be 40/20/40). When you reduce the carbs and increase the protein, it wills with weightloss. You generally want more carbs during your maintenence phase. The additionally protein will help with muscle growth as well.
  • tfcolvett
    tfcolvett Posts: 18
    This concerns me... If the recommended amount of protein is off, do you think the calories burned during exercise is off? Yes, I know. Exercising more doesn't hurt, but I'm just curious if I should perhaps increase that as well.
  • Ariyasnow1
    Ariyasnow1 Posts: 117
    It depends on how active you are and you can calculate it by your weight. Take your weight and divide by 2.2. Then take that number and times by .08 - 2.9 (sedentary to extremely athletic) I usually go by 1 if I have a semi active day (walking the dog, remain active all day, working, ect) and 1.8 if I decide to sprint and do my aerobic exercises. So that lands me around 60 g for a semi active(normal day for me) and 95 for an exercise day. You can always tweak your intake goals.

    Good Luck.
  • tfcolvett
    tfcolvett Posts: 18
    Typically, I burn around 400 calories per 30 minute cardio I do (based off my weight). In addition, I alternate leg and arm strength conditioning every workout. The goal that is set through mfp is 358.
  • kklindsey
    kklindsey Posts: 382 Member
    i agree with everyone that the protein goals are too low. I think the carb goals are too high but I am carb sensitive and have always done better, lost faster, felt better physically and mentally when I eat protein at every single meal and snack. I have to have protein to balance carbs and sugar or my blood sugar goes out of whack and I am on a high speed train to overeating. Years ago I read The Carbohydrate Addcits Diet and while I don't follow that diet it really helped me see what my issues were and I try to stick to as low a carb as I can stand(since I love carbs) and get lots of protein. I have been struggling with this 20 lbs for a year and last week I finally got a clue and upped my protein and eating is back to the way it used to be for me, effortless. When my carb/sugar/protein are balanced I have NO PROBLEM staying at calorie goals, am not hungry and enjoy working out and life in general. Too little protein and for me, it all crashes and I get a 20lb weight gain that I cannot take off.
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