Is too much protein bad?

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Dsjava
Dsjava Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been told to eat more protein as it curbs hunger. However, I find I'm way over recommended daily amounts. Can anyone tell me--authoritatively--that this is a bad thing? Thanks!
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Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    How much more are you eating? While you can eat too much protein, it would have to be an awful, awful lot.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    Too much of just about anything is "bad". Depends on what you are deeming "too much".
  • Dsjava
    Dsjava Posts: 8 Member
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    How much more are you eating? While you can eat too much protein, it would have to be an awful, awful lot.

    Appreciate your fast response....my "target" is 60 grams, but I routinely eat 90 grams. Too much?
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    Not even in the ballpark of "too much".
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Dsjava wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    How much more are you eating? While you can eat too much protein, it would have to be an awful, awful lot.

    Appreciate your fast response....my "target" is 60 grams, but I routinely eat 90 grams. Too much?

    Not even close to 'too much'
  • Dsjava
    Dsjava Posts: 8 Member
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    Hornsby wrote: »
    Too much of just about anything is "bad". Depends on what you are deeming "too much".

    Hmmm. I do not know the correct amount. MFP goal is 60 grams and I eat about 90 grams. Your thoughts?
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    edited July 2016
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    How much do you weigh? What is your body fat percentage?
  • ccrdragon
    ccrdragon Posts: 3,368 Member
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    I routinely eat 130-150 grams a day. 90 grams will help keep you sated and is not even close to 'too much'.
  • Dsjava
    Dsjava Posts: 8 Member
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    Hornsby wrote: »
    Not even in the ballpark of "too much".

    Thanks! I wonder if the MFP target is based on my age. I'm 61 years young and formerly quite athletic.
  • Dsjava
    Dsjava Posts: 8 Member
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    ccrdragon wrote: »
    I routinely eat 130-150 grams a day. 90 grams will help keep you sated and is not even close to 'too much'.

    Thanks everyone for your answers and immediate support!
  • MFPUser42354
    MFPUser42354 Posts: 6 Member
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    Eating 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight is a good standard to follow
  • ericabalko
    ericabalko Posts: 11 Member
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    Many people in fitness eat 1gram per pound of body weight. I can't get mine that high. I'd say base it off how satiated you feel. Hungry? Eat more high quality protein. I'd say you could easily go all the way to 100 grams plus without out negative effects.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    OlympusOnlineCoachingDOTCOM wrote: »
    Eating 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight is a good standard to follow

    That could be excessive for a lot of people. 1gr per lb of LEAN body mass is a better recommendation. A lot of people on here are overweight/obese so using "body weight" could be too high.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    Not saying it's impossible to eat too much protein, but it's hard to imagine any real-life scenario in which that could occur.
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
    edited July 2016
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    If you have kidney issues, 90g may be too much and can cause kidney stones. For everyone else, too much is basically when you stop getting the required fats and nutrients your body needs because all you are eating is a single food.

    USDA recommendation is (I believe) 0.36g/lb. A good goal for most people is anywhere from 0.5-1g per lb of bodyweight. Generally more is better (generally due to diminishing returns), however there is little proven benefit for the average person above 0.82g/lb and since protein is generally the most expensive macro don't feel like you have to eat a ton of it if you don't want to pay for it.

    I generally aim for a minimum of ~110g/day at ~170lb, which works out to 0.64g/lb.
  • LPflaum
    LPflaum Posts: 174 Member
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    I eat well over 120g a day. Michael Phelps (who is obviously an olympic athlete) used to go through a carton and a half of eggs every day. My point is that its REALLY hard to eat too much protein. The only people I've ever encountered who had negative effects (kidney issues) from protein intake were consuming absolutely huge quantities of creatine and protein powder, like, in the 400-500g a day range.
  • Ricksh1000
    Ricksh1000 Posts: 88 Member
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    Hornsby wrote: »
    OlympusOnlineCoachingDOTCOM wrote: »
    Eating 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight is a good standard to follow

    That could be excessive for a lot of people. 1gr per lb of LEAN body mass is a better recommendation. A lot of people on here are overweight/obese so using "body weight" could be too high.

    How is lean body mass calculation found?
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    edited July 2016
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    Ricksh1000 wrote: »
    Hornsby wrote: »
    OlympusOnlineCoachingDOTCOM wrote: »
    Eating 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight is a good standard to follow

    That could be excessive for a lot of people. 1gr per lb of LEAN body mass is a better recommendation. A lot of people on here are overweight/obese so using "body weight" could be too high.

    How is lean body mass calculation found?

    By knowing your body fat percentage. If you are 20% body fat, then 80% of your weight is LBM.
  • Ricksh1000
    Ricksh1000 Posts: 88 Member
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    Ahh thank you :)

    Still getting to grips with the whole macros thing
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    Ricksh1000 wrote: »
    Ahh thank you :)

    Still getting to grips with the whole macros thing

    You are most welcome. Good luck moving forward.

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