Steadily Eating Too Much Protein

kschwab0203
kschwab0203 Posts: 610 Member
edited November 15 in Health and Weight Loss
Happy Tuesday to all!

My question is this....

Can too much protein be bad for you?

I am going over in protein almost everyday. I'm not doing it intentionally. I am just eating the things I like to eat. I've read that too much protein can effect liver and kidney function. Not sure if this is true.

Any feedback???

Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Numbers would have been great.

    Too much means too much, and is not good. But if you eat food and food you like, and don't eat too many calories, there's not really any risk that you'll be getting too much protein.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    How many grams are you eating a day? Most people look at their protein goal as a minimum, so unless you're bypassing that amount by a lot you should be fine.
  • kschwab0203
    kschwab0203 Posts: 610 Member
    MFP says my goal is 73. Most days I am going over anywhere between 5-15 grams. Still within my calorie goal though.
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
    edited January 2017
    What's your goal and how many grams are you actually eating?

    Over consumption issues with protein are only over long exposure and with MASSIVE amounts. Like, insane amounts. And even then, you can offset it lots by drinking water.
  • kschwab0203
    kschwab0203 Posts: 610 Member
    jkwolly wrote: »
    What's your goal and how many grams are you actually eating?

    Over consumption issues with protein are only over long exposure and with MASSIVE amounts. Like, insane amounts. And even then, you can offset it lots by drinking water.

    My daily goal is 73 and most days I am going over by 5-15 grams at least.
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
    edited January 2017
    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    jkwolly wrote: »
    What's your goal and how many grams are you actually eating?

    Over consumption issues with protein are only over long exposure and with MASSIVE amounts. Like, insane amounts. And even then, you can offset it lots by drinking water.

    My daily goal is 73 and most days I am going over by 5-15 grams at least.

    That is honestly fine, you're not into any dangerous territory. They usually recommend 0.37 grams per lb of body weight. A few grams extra is totally fine.

    If you're unsure, there are TONS of resources online you can search through and read lots about protein intake :)

  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    MFP says my goal is 73. Most days I am going over anywhere between 5-15 grams. Still within my calorie goal though.

    If you define "too much" as "huge amounts beyond what any sane human being would ever eat over a prolonged period of time", the answer is "Possibly".

    In the context of your question (a few grams over MFP's default recommendations, which are too low anyway), the answer is "No".
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    MFP says my goal is 73. Most days I am going over anywhere between 5-15 grams. Still within my calorie goal though.

    That's no where near "too much." Now, if you'd have said something huge, like 300+g (which would take massive quantities/calories of food to get to that number), then I'd say time to reign that in.
  • CorneliusPhoton
    CorneliusPhoton Posts: 965 Member
    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    MFP says my goal is 73. Most days I am going over anywhere between 5-15 grams. Still within my calorie goal though.

    That is not that high. Protein helps most people with satiety and helps spare muscle loss that goes along with eating at a deficit.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    jkwolly wrote: »
    What's your goal and how many grams are you actually eating?

    Over consumption issues with protein are only over long exposure and with MASSIVE amounts. Like, insane amounts. And even then, you can offset it lots by drinking water.

    My daily goal is 73 and most days I am going over by 5-15 grams at least.

    No you'll be fine.
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    Try to set yourself a maximum goal of 1g/lb of your target weight. MFP by default sets protein too low anyway (my opinion only). So if your target weight once you've lost all your intended weight is 170lbs, then set yourself to 170g of protein a day (yes, its a lot, and it's hard for some people to reach that amount). I typically start at .8g/lb of my current weight (because I'm not losing weight any longer, I'm at or below my target weight). So I eat between 160-190g/protein per day. I'm assuming that's much more than you're worried about. I do it to increase muscle mass and become leaner. It's helped me to drop to around 11-12% body fat and is continuing to help me build muscle during my maintenance and small bulk phases. If you have kidney problems or your doctor has a reason to limit your protein intake, then yea, it might be too much, but if you're otherwise healthy, it's not bad for you to eat that much.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    jkwolly wrote: »
    What's your goal and how many grams are you actually eating?

    Over consumption issues with protein are only over long exposure and with MASSIVE amounts. Like, insane amounts. And even then, you can offset it lots by drinking water.

    My daily goal is 73 and most days I am going over by 5-15 grams at least.

    You're fine. 80-90 grams is the absolute minimum I try to hit.
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
    williams969 wrote: »
    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    MFP says my goal is 73. Most days I am going over anywhere between 5-15 grams. Still within my calorie goal though.

    That's no where near "too much." Now, if you'd have said something huge, like 300+g (which would take massive quantities/calories of food to get to that number), then I'd say time to reign that in.

    I'd never be able to poop with that much protein :s
  • kschwab0203
    kschwab0203 Posts: 610 Member
    Thanks for the feedback.

    I just read this article and I swear it's like protein is the devil....terrible, terrible article

    http://www.eatthis.com/what-happens-when-you-eat-too-much-protein
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    Thanks for the feedback.

    I just read this article and I swear it's like protein is the devil....terrible, terrible article

    http://www.eatthis.com/what-happens-when-you-eat-too-much-protein

    Other than the kidney issues (which need an extraordinarily high amount of protein), everything else on there is plain old woo.
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member

    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    Thanks for the feedback.

    I just read this article and I swear it's like protein is the devil....terrible, terrible article

    http://www.eatthis.com/what-happens-when-you-eat-too-much-protein

    Definitely consider the source when you're reading online. Notice how they also don't say anything about how much is too much?
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    edited January 2017
    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    Thanks for the feedback.

    I just read this article and I swear it's like protein is the devil....terrible, terrible article

    http://www.eatthis.com/what-happens-when-you-eat-too-much-protein

    Science regarding protein intake without all the woo and fearmongering: https://examine.com/nutrition/can-eating-too-much-protein-be-bad-for-you/


    [ETA:] More science about recommended levels of protein intake: https://examine.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-do-i-need-every-day/
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    trigden1991 wrote: »
    I eat 250+ grams of protein every single day and have only died twice from it.

    Glad to have you back.

    Twice.

    ;)
  • alyssa0061
    alyssa0061 Posts: 652 Member
    trigden1991 wrote: »
    I eat 250+ grams of protein every single day and have only died twice from it.

    I just scared my coworker laughing so loudly at that
  • hellobaconplease
    hellobaconplease Posts: 108 Member
    edited January 2017
    Gosh that's nothing to worry about at all. I aim for 120g and usumy go way over. Love protein!
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    It's never been demonstrated that too much protein can damage the kidneys or liver. People with pre-existing kidney problems should control their intake but only because kidney disease causes problems with processing protein. That doesn't mean that protein will cause kidney disease though. Sort of like how people with peanut allergies should avoid peanuts but peanuts won't cause you to become allergic if you're not already.

    Now it is possible that there is an amount of protein that could lead to health problems if consumed on a regular basis but we've not discovered that level yet (mainly because if there is such a threshold it's likely over the 400 grams per day mark and ain't nobody eating that much protein on the regular).
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    When using MFP numbers I think of protein as an absolute minimum to try and hit rather than a maximum.
  • Chadxx
    Chadxx Posts: 1,199 Member
    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    jkwolly wrote: »
    What's your goal and how many grams are you actually eating?

    Over consumption issues with protein are only over long exposure and with MASSIVE amounts. Like, insane amounts. And even then, you can offset it lots by drinking water.

    My daily goal is 73 and most days I am going over by 5-15 grams at least.

    That is nowhere near too much. I eat more than that just during breakfast.
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
    edited January 2017
    You can eat up to 1 gram per pound of body weight and still be fine. Most people eat too little protein and if you are active or lift weights you need more anyways. I like to eat about 0.6 grams per pound of body weight, which for me is almost 100 grams of protein per day (I'm female, age 35, 5'4", sedentary job but 3 to 5 hours exercise per week of more including weight lifting)
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