QUESTIOOOOOOON (Read this title with German Garmendia's voice lol)

LizethChavez10
LizethChavez10 Posts: 66 Member
edited November 20 in Health and Weight Loss
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but as I know...
When you eat more carbs than what you need, your body turns them into fat, and almost everytime, it saves it in your stomach.
When you eat more fat than needed, your body saves it, almost always in your stomach.
But ¿What happens when you eat more protein than needed? ¿Does your body turn it into fat also? ¿Does it turn it into muscle? ¿Or does it simply get ride of it?
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Replies

  • eisterunicorn
    eisterunicorn Posts: 158 Member
    The very very popular answer on this site to that question is "calories in calories out, no matter what kind it is" basically. But I have wondered about that myself, considering there have been studies suggesting that excess calories from carbs and fats are more readily turned into fat than protein... so interesting. I hope someone will answer with some more insight about this. :)
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  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    edited August 2017
    When you eat too many CALORIES it turns to fat.

    But if I don't exced my calorie goal, just my protein goal, and, for example, instead of carbs I eat protein?

    The only way anything makes you fat is if you eat too many calories.

    Are there small differentials in how "easily" one macro or another gets stored? I have no idea, but I do believe that's majoring in the minors. If you are eating at maintenance level or below calories, you will not gain weight.

    Edited for clarity
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    The very very popular answer on this site to that question is "calories in calories out, no matter what kind it is" basically. But I have wondered about that myself, considering there have been studies suggesting that excess calories from carbs and fats are more readily turned into fat than protein... so interesting. I hope someone will answer with some more insight about this. :)

    If I recall correctly, those studies have had mixed results, but I don't know. I think the much more important point is that it has been shown many, many, many times that the best diet is going to be the one that the individual in question can stick to. You have to consistently eat at a deficit and then at maintenance. Everything else is just trying to find a magic button.
  • katnadreau
    katnadreau Posts: 149 Member
    When I was doing weight watchers (low carb/low fat) not only was I pretty miserable (because what is life without cream in your coffee, or icecream?), I most certainly did not lose my belly fat first but eliminating those things. CICO is where it is at. It's possible you will feel better if you have decent amounts of all three, instead of a ton of one and none of the other 2, but I don't believe it will effect your weight gain or loss if you do decide to do that.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,342 Member
    All excess calories will be stored as fat.
  • lorriemb
    lorriemb Posts: 39 Member
    katnadreau wrote: »
    When I was doing weight watchers (low carb/low fat) not only was I pretty miserable (because what is life without cream in your coffee, or icecream?), I most certainly did not lose my belly fat first but eliminating those things. CICO is where it is at. It's possible you will feel better if you have decent amounts of all three, instead of a ton of one and none of the other 2, but I don't believe it will effect your weight gain or loss if you do decide to do that.

    WW allows one to have cream in their coffee or to eat ice cream--moderation and tracking points.
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  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    If you eat in a surplus of calories, you will gain fat... or possibly muscle (if you are bulking and the circumstances are right.. progressive weight training, adequate macros, lower bodyfat ideally etc.). Extra protein will not automatically be turned to muscle, unfortunately. Again, unless you are "bulking" any excess calories, fat, protein, carbs.. will be turned into fat.
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  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    edited August 2017
    To echo everyone here:

    No. Excess carbs and fat don't get converted/stored as fat. Same goes for excess protien. Fat storage happens only in calorie surplus (eating above your own personal maintenance calories).
    cityruss wrote: »
    Allay your fears and consume them all in a cake sandwich.

    Long live the cake sandwich!! :drinker:
  • Mhendrick01
    Mhendrick01 Posts: 4 Member
    As I understand it protein that is no need to replenish amino acids or build/repair muscle is metobalized into glucose, if it is then not needed for immediate energy it will be stored in fat. I also believe their can be additional impacts to things like kidney function if you are having to metabolize high amounts of protein.
    In addition it does require more water to metobilize which can lead to dehydration if you are not careful.
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  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    As I understand it protein that is no need to replenish amino acids or build/repair muscle is metobalized into glucose, if it is then not needed for immediate energy it will be stored in fat. I also believe their can be additional impacts to things like kidney function if you are having to metabolize high amounts of protein.
    In addition it does require more water to metobilize which can lead to dehydration if you are not careful.

    Thanks for this info! I have about 5-6 liters of water every day, so no problem with that, but I'm gonna watch out for the rest!

    That is a bit of overkill with water.
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  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    elphie754 wrote: »
    As I understand it protein that is no need to replenish amino acids or build/repair muscle is metobalized into glucose, if it is then not needed for immediate energy it will be stored in fat. I also believe their can be additional impacts to things like kidney function if you are having to metabolize high amounts of protein.
    In addition it does require more water to metobilize which can lead to dehydration if you are not careful.

    Thanks for this info! I have about 5-6 liters of water every day, so no problem with that, but I'm gonna watch out for the rest!

    That is a bit of overkill with water.

    I live in a very hot place, so I keep drinking water all day, do you think that's too much? As I know, you're not overhydrated until 8 liters a day...

    Actually, overhydration is different for each person. If your urine is clear, you are drinking too much water.
  • katnadreau
    katnadreau Posts: 149 Member
    lorriemb wrote: »
    katnadreau wrote: »
    When I was doing weight watchers (low carb/low fat) not only was I pretty miserable (because what is life without cream in your coffee, or icecream?), I most certainly did not lose my belly fat first but eliminating those things. CICO is where it is at. It's possible you will feel better if you have decent amounts of all three, instead of a ton of one and none of the other 2, but I don't believe it will effect your weight gain or loss if you do decide to do that.

    WW allows one to have cream in their coffee or to eat ice cream--moderation and tracking points.

    That's true, but my 2 tablespoons of half and half, which is only 40 calories, cost me almost 1/10th of my day, not to mention my afternoon latte (unflavored even) was crazy high in points. I've seen WW do great things for a lot of people in my life, which is why I tried it. But I love fat, so it just wasn't sustainable for me. Not trying to bash the program
  • timsla
    timsla Posts: 174 Member
    Okay there is no difference in a high fat/low carb(keto Atkins) or low fat/high carb diet when protein amounts remains the same. The goal is sustainable dieting find what works for you. But you won't make any healthy progress until you know what your body needs to maintain the weight you're at. Without a baseline you cannot make adjustments in the right direction.

    https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/176/suppl_7/S44/112289/Effects-of-Low-Carbohydrate-Diets-Versus-Low-Fat
  • MysticGoalie
    MysticGoalie Posts: 328 Member
    4375499.jpg
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  • timsla
    timsla Posts: 174 Member
    Yea there's a lot of *kitten* surround diets. They're not magical it's all about CICO. Unless you're a performance athlete not much to worry about. Your body will punish you for eating garbage. But to lose weight you need to eat less than you burn. Period.

    So there's some science you can read the abstract and get the gist.
  • baconbutt1996
    baconbutt1996 Posts: 21 Member
    As I understand it protein that is no need to replenish amino acids or build/repair muscle is metobalized into glucose, if it is then not needed for immediate energy it will be stored in fat. I also believe their can be additional impacts to things like kidney function if you are having to metabolize high amounts of protein.
    In addition it does require more water to metobilize which can lead to dehydration if you are not careful.

    Thanks for this info! I have about 5-6 liters of water every day, so no problem with that, but I'm gonna watch out for the rest!
    As I understand it protein that is no need to replenish amino acids or build/repair muscle is metobalized into glucose, if it is then not needed for immediate energy it will be stored in fat. I also believe their can be additional impacts to things like kidney function if you are having to metabolize high amounts of protein.
    In addition it does require more water to metobilize which can lead to dehydration if you are not careful.

    Thanks for this info! I have about 5-6 liters of water every day, so no problem with that, but I'm gonna watch out for the rest!
    As I understand it protein that is no need to replenish amino acids or build/repair muscle is metobalized into glucose, if it is then not needed for immediate energy it will be stored in fat. I also believe their can be additional impacts to things like kidney function if you are having to metabolize high amounts of protein.
    In addition it does require more water to metobilize which can lead to dehydration if you are not careful.

    Thanks for this info! I have about 5-6 liters of water every day, so no problem with that, but I'm gonna watch out for the rest!

    Heck! You must be on the toilet all day!
  • HarlemNY17
    HarlemNY17 Posts: 135 Member
    Please correct me if I'm wrong, but as I know...
    When you eat more carbs than what you need, your body turns them into fat, and almost everytime, it saves it in your stomach.
    When you eat more fat than needed, your body saves it, almost always in your stomach.
    But ¿What happens when you eat more protein than needed? ¿Does your body turn it into fat also? ¿Does it turn it into muscle? ¿Or does it simply get ride of it?

    Protein will support your muscle mass that's the main importance of protein. Too many carbs can cause you to gain water weight or just bloated but it will not store FAT... Not even overeating causes you to add on fat unless your really eating massive calories and overeating consistly . So say if you was to over eat your calories today and still have high carbs . You will gain weight but not fat just water retention . You'll only gain fat when you consistently over eat
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    The very very popular answer on this site to that question is "calories in calories out, no matter what kind it is" basically. But I have wondered about that myself, considering there have been studies suggesting that excess calories from carbs and fats are more readily turned into fat than protein... so interesting. I hope someone will answer with some more insight about this. :)

    It's not that they're more readily turned, it's the details of it. Protein tends to be more satiating so study subjects may reduce their calories spontaneously. There is also the thermic effect of food which tends to be strongest with protein, but in a free living situation it doesn't make too much of a difference since you aren't eating the amounts used in these studies. Everything and anything (including alcohol) can be stored as fat. Instead of thinking in terms of "is too much X stored as fat" think of it like a big energy tank into which you throw stuff. When the tank overflows the excess is stored as fat. Energy from different macros is stored as fat by different mechanisms, but you can't really quantify which one is "too much" since it's a whole mix of things thrown into the tank as calories. Calories overflow, not macros.
This discussion has been closed.