Is there such a thing as having "too much protein?"

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jennimacias
jennimacias Posts: 18 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I want to know if it's possible to intake too much protein? Could it possibly make you gain weight if too much is consumed daily?

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  • chemtrailz
    chemtrailz Posts: 43 Member
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    im pretty sure your body can only intake and burn a certain amount of protien a day so yeah you would gain weight pretty fasst , im looking that up right now , great question
  • bridgetklingshirn
    bridgetklingshirn Posts: 3 Member
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    Too much protein can put stress on your kidneys. Not for sure on the specifics. Make sure you are drinking enough water to help your kidneys.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    Caloric Intake < Caloric Output = weight loss
    Caloric Intake > Caloric Output = weight gain

    For these purposes it doesn't matter where the calories come from.

    You can eat too much protein and overwork your kidneys.
  • Chadxx
    Chadxx Posts: 1,199 Member
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    jemhh wrote: »
    jennimacias wrote: »
    I want to know if it's possible to intake too much protein? Could it possibly make you gain weight if too much is consumed daily?

    If you eat enough that it takes you up past maintenance calories then yes, you could gain weight. However, that would be due to calories and not due to the specific macro (protein.)

    In general, barring medical complications, excess protein is not a concern.

    This
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    bridgetklingshirn wrote: »
    Too much protein can put stress on your kidneys. Not for sure on the specifics. Make sure you are drinking enough water to help your kidneys.

    Only if you have pre-existing issues.

    http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/is-eating-too-much-protein-bad-for-you/
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
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    Yes and Yes.
  • elliej
    elliej Posts: 466 Member
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    Weight gain/loss aside, on a medical note - a diet with too much protein can impact your kidney function considerably, my mother recently had this and has had to seriously adjust her macros
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
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    trigden1991 wrote: »
    elliej wrote: »
    Weight gain/loss aside, on a medical note - a diet with too much protein can impact your kidney function considerably, my mother recently had this and has had to seriously adjust her macros

    High protein is not good if you have issues with your kidneys but high protein does not cause these issues.

    If it did, mine would have come out through my urinary tract years ago. I have a habit of pushing 350+g per day when bulking, just because I can.
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
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    Calorie surplus will cause weight gain.

  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
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    Gallowmere1984 wrote: »
    trigden1991 wrote: »
    elliej wrote: »
    Weight gain/loss aside, on a medical note - a diet with too much protein can impact your kidney function considerably, my mother recently had this and has had to seriously adjust her macros

    High protein is not good if you have issues with your kidneys but high protein does not cause these issues.

    If it did, mine would have come out through my urinary tract years ago. I have a habit of pushing 350+g per day when bulking, just because I can.

    During a 6 month period I was both rowing and weight training and was consuming north of 400g every day. No negative effects 4 years down the line. Except for 200lbs of lean mass but thats ok with me.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
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    trigden1991 wrote: »
    Gallowmere1984 wrote: »
    trigden1991 wrote: »
    elliej wrote: »
    Weight gain/loss aside, on a medical note - a diet with too much protein can impact your kidney function considerably, my mother recently had this and has had to seriously adjust her macros

    High protein is not good if you have issues with your kidneys but high protein does not cause these issues.

    If it did, mine would have come out through my urinary tract years ago. I have a habit of pushing 350+g per day when bulking, just because I can.

    During a 6 month period I was both rowing and weight training and was consuming north of 400g every day. No negative effects 4 years down the line. Except for 200lbs of lean mass but thats ok with me.

    Clearly, your kidneys have failed, but your body figured out how to use muscle tissue for the same functions.

    But yeah, that kind of LBM gain sounds like a horrible problem; the exact kind of problem I like having.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    edited November 2016
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    jennimacias wrote: »
    I want to know if it's possible to intake too much protein? Could it possibly make you gain weight if too much is consumed daily?

    Well protein is a macro and has calories so yes it is possible to gain weight from eating to much protein, because protein is food and it has calories.

    Is there a "danger" from eating too much protein? Not on any practical scale no....maybe if you have kidney issues or specific medical conditions but chances are you don't have to worry about that.
  • HurricaneForce1
    HurricaneForce1 Posts: 17 Member
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    jennimacias wrote: »
    I want to know if it's possible to intake too much protein? Could it possibly make you gain weight if too much is consumed daily?

    Extreme protein intake above what your body needs can lead to proteinuria - too much protein in your urine - which can become painful. Consume it in excess long enough and it will build up in the glomeruli of your kidneys leading to kidney stones. It's not a guarantee for everyone who over-consumes protein, but there are mountains kf science behind it.
  • SuzieBel
    SuzieBel Posts: 2 Member
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    I would say you should make sure gout doesn't run in your family. My husband had a high protein diet for years and developed gout, which his grandad suffered from too. Now he has to watch his purine levels, which basically are high in any high protein food, otherwise Uric acid levels build up in his blood and he gets very painful and debilitating flare-ups :( This is also linked to kidney stones.
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
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    SuzieBel wrote: »
    I would say you should make sure gout doesn't run in your family. My husband had a high protein diet for years and developed gout, which his grandad suffered from too.

    Two or three meals with six ounces of red meat in them over a two day period and I'm highly likely to have a gout attack for me. So whether there's a danger or not depends on the person's health history and genetics. Not everyone's a 20 something healthy gym rat who can get away with eating anything.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    HurricaneForce1 wrote: »
    jennimacias wrote: »
    I want to know if it's possible to intake too much protein? Could it possibly make you gain weight if too much is consumed daily?

    Extreme protein intake above what your body needs can lead to proteinuria - too much protein in your urine - which can become painful. Consume it in excess long enough and it will build up in the glomeruli of your kidneys leading to kidney stones. It's not a guarantee for everyone who over-consumes protein, but there are mountains kf science behind it.

    Chances are though OP isn't eating an "extreme" amount of protein. I assume we are talking like 600 grams a day for someone who is trying some extreme bulk while being very active or something like that before you might have issues if you are suceptible. For like 99.9% of people they aren't eating nearly enough for this to ever be a problem.

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