Protein always negative?

Options
Annamotion
Annamotion Posts: 16
in Food and Nutrition
Im a bit confused I have a ton of cals and stuff left at the end of the day but im always negative in protein? what should I do and is this really gonna effect my weight loss, its never a large amount but still I dont like seeing that red negative sign?
«1

Replies

  • JennLifts
    JennLifts Posts: 1,913 Member
    Options
    usually people change the ratio to 30-40%. it's low on MFP
  • trainguy917
    trainguy917 Posts: 366 Member
    Options
    The protein allowances on here are too low and the carbohydrate allowances are way too high.
  • maygs
    maygs Posts: 63 Member
    Options
    I have the same problem but I don't know how to change my percentages.
  • m_erira
    m_erira Posts: 52 Member
    Options
    I have the same issue... do we have to worry about that???
  • Annamotion
    Annamotion Posts: 16
    Options
    Yeh im so confused like i have 600 calories left but negative protein its makes no sense to me lol
  • JamieSK
    JamieSK Posts: 266 Member
    Options
    I'm a newbie; I have the same problem...how do we change the protein ratio?
  • mark03264
    mark03264 Posts: 334 Member
    Options
    In this case it is a good thing. The protein goal that MFP gives tend to be quite low. You should shoot for .5 to 1 gram of protein for each pound of lean body weight. For instance MFP tells me I should have about 67 grams of protein a day. Too low. I tend to eat about 140 grams a day. That makes MFP show -73 for protein and that is what I want. Having extra protein will tend to satisfy hunger longer and will help in losing fat.
  • jenalderman
    jenalderman Posts: 411 Member
    Options
    I use the protien and fiber as minimums instead of maximums. It seems to be working well for me. I'm building up more lean muscle and still burning fat.
  • cruisenov2011
    cruisenov2011 Posts: 1
    Options
    A negative on protien is actually good -- it means you are getting a little more than the daily requirement. That's something I have a real hard time accomplishing, so Kudos to you. I am a little concerned about you having "tons" of calories left over at the end of the day... if you are not eating enough, your metabolism will slow down and your weight loss will come to a screeching halt. Even a couple of hundred calories left over is no big deal, but make sure you are eating more than your 'baseline' -- usually somewhere between 1200 and 1400 is the minimum amount of calories you should have in a day to keep from causing a metabolism drop. As far as changing your percentages of protien, you can do that under the 'goals' tab. Choose to set your goals yourself instead of letting the computer do it and a screen will come up where you can adjust the percentages of fat, protien, carbs, etc. I will say that MFP does a great job of setting the percentages and you probably won't need to mess with them. Remember, negative in protien is a good thing - it means you ate more protein than you had too, and protien is great for weight loss.
  • Rompa_87
    Rompa_87 Posts: 291 Member
    Options
    Well it's usually because it is super easy to get your recommended protein requirements in your diet considering meats, dairy, nuts and vegetables etc all contain some amount of protein and you really only need 1g/kg of weight or 0.45g/lbbw a day which should be approximately 15-20% of your diet.
  • mark03264
    mark03264 Posts: 334 Member
    Options
    Yeh im so confused like i have 600 calories left but negative protein its makes no sense to me lol

    If you have 600 calories left you need to be eating more. If you set up MFP right to start with then the daily calorie goal that MFP gives you already has a calorie deficit built in to lose weight. That said, you should eat close to the calorie goal MFP gives you each day including eating back most of your exercise calories. Depending on how far under the daily calorie goal you are, you are very likely to cause your body to hang onto the fat it has either slowing down or even stopping fat loss. It may not happen right away but eventually you will most likely plateau. If you have a lot of weight to lose you can probably get away with it longer but as you have less to lose your body will plateau easier. Sound counter-intuitive but that's just the way it is.
  • JennLifts
    JennLifts Posts: 1,913 Member
    Options
    I have the same problem but I don't know how to change my percentages.

    Go to goals>change goals>custom
  • misscfe
    misscfe Posts: 295 Member
    Options
    My trainer suggests protein to be at 45%, carbs 40% fat 15%. MFP is definitely too low especially if you do any weight or strength training.
  • Annamotion
    Annamotion Posts: 16
    Options
    Thanks for all your help now i can eat more without being worried about that !
  • MrsH06
    MrsH06 Posts: 159
    Options
    From my understanding, unless you have a kidney disease, you cannot have too much protein. The best way to figure out how much you should be taking in is by taking your weight divided by 2.2 then taking that number divided by 0.8 if sedative or 1.8 if highly active. For example for me it would be 174/2.2 =79.1 , 79.1x1.25= 99 grams. I picked 1.25 because I try to workout 4-5 times a week and have 3 little boys, a husband, and 2 cats so I am constantly doing something. Hth!
  • MJStory
    MJStory Posts: 42
    Options
    Don't get freaked out by negative protein on your chart at the end of the day! The suggested amounts are strictly that: a suggested amount. It's a generic amount that is acceptable to most people with varying physical issues. There actually are people who don't tolerate a large amount of protein because of genetic issues, and medical conditions such as kidney or liver failure. And it's not unusual for some people who have these issues that aren't even aware they have them when they go on a diet.

    I'm consuming almost twice the amount of protein recommended because of my love for things like peanut butter, cheese, yogurt, broccoli, and nuts. Protein helps you maintain your muscle mass. The downside to high protein intake is that it usually is accompanied by fat, which is high in calories. Choose your fats wisely, as most people are effected by the excess consumption of animal & dairy that have saturated fat (can cause hardening of the arteries & chest pain, fatty liver & cirrhosis, gallbladder & pancreas problems). Coconut and some other fruits & vegetables also have saturated fats, as well; dairy & meat aren't the only culprits!

    A diet with high protein and limited carbs. is a moderate way of losing weight fairly quickly, and is well tolerated by the general population. High Protein is about 70-100 grams/day; Limited Carbs. is between 40 and 90 grams/day. Note that anything below 40 grams of carbohydrates per day is Low Carb. and tolerated by the body for only about 3 to 4 days with excellent weight loss. On or about the 4th or 5th day your metabolism will do a 180 degree change, and you'll stop losing weight, and find that suddenly increasing carbs. only makes things worse....It's called "starvation mode".

    I hope this helps you all!!
    Take care, MJ RN, BSN
  • MJStory
    MJStory Posts: 42
    Options
    Don't get freaked out by negative protein on your chart at the end of the day! The suggested amounts are strictly that: a suggested amount. It's a generic amount that is acceptable to most people with varying physical issues. There actually are people who don't tolerate a large amount of protein because of genetic issues, and medical conditions such as kidney or liver failure. And it's not unusual for some people who have these issues that aren't even aware they have them when they go on a diet.

    I'm consuming almost twice the amount of protein recommended because of my love for things like peanut butter, cheese, yogurt, broccoli, and nuts. Protein helps you maintain your muscle mass. The downside to high protein intake is that it usually is accompanied by fat, which is high in calories. Choose your fats wisely, as most people are effected by the excess consumption of animal & dairy that have saturated fat (can cause hardening of the arteries & chest pain, fatty liver & cirrhosis, gallbladder & pancreas problems). Coconut and some other fruits & vegetables also have saturated fats, as well; dairy & meat aren't the only culprits!

    A diet with high protein and limited carbs. is a moderate way of losing weight fairly quickly, and is well tolerated by the general population. High Protein is about 70-100 grams/day; Limited Carbs. is between 40 and 90 grams/day. Note that anything below 40 grams of carbohydrates per day is Low Carb. and tolerated by the body for only about 3 to 4 days with excellent weight loss. On or about the 4th or 5th day your metabolism will do a 180 degree change, and you'll stop losing weight, and find that suddenly increasing carbs. only makes things worse....It's called "starvation mode".

    I hope this helps you all!!
    Take care, MJ RN, BSN
  • MJStory
    MJStory Posts: 42
    Options
    Don't get freaked out by negative protein on your chart at the end of the day! The suggested amounts are strictly that: a suggested amount. It's a generic amount that is acceptable to most people with varying physical issues. There actually are people who don't tolerate a large amount of protein because of genetic issues, and medical conditions such as kidney or liver failure. And it's not unusual for some people who have these issues that aren't even aware they have them when they go on a diet.

    I'm consuming almost twice the amount of protein recommended because of my love for things like peanut butter, cheese, yogurt, broccoli, and nuts. Protein helps you maintain your muscle mass. The downside to high protein intake is that it usually is accompanied by fat, which is high in calories. Choose your fats wisely, as most people are effected by the excess consumption of animal & dairy that have saturated fat (can cause hardening of the arteries & chest pain, fatty liver & cirrhosis, gallbladder & pancreas problems). Coconut and some other fruits & vegetables also have saturated fats, as well; dairy & meat aren't the only culprits!

    A diet with high protein and limited carbs. is a moderate way of losing weight fairly quickly, and is well tolerated by the general population. High Protein is about 70-100 grams/day; Limited Carbs. is between 40 and 90 grams/day. Note that anything below 40 grams of carbohydrates per day is Low Carb. and tolerated by the body for only about 3 to 4 days with excellent weight loss. On or about the 4th or 5th day your metabolism will do a 180 degree change, and you'll stop losing weight, and find that suddenly increasing carbs. only makes things worse....It's called "starvation mode".

    I hope this helps you all!!
    Take care, MJ RN, BSN
  • MJStory
    MJStory Posts: 42
    Options
    Don't get freaked out by negative protein on your chart at the end of the day! The suggested amounts are strictly that: a suggested amount. It's a generic amount that is acceptable to most people with varying physical issues. There actually are people who don't tolerate a large amount of protein because of genetic issues, and medical conditions such as kidney or liver failure. And it's not unusual for some people who have these issues that aren't even aware they have them when they go on a diet.

    I'm consuming almost twice the amount of protein recommended because of my love for things like peanut butter, cheese, yogurt, broccoli, and nuts. Protein helps you maintain your muscle mass. The downside to high protein intake is that it usually is accompanied by fat, which is high in calories. Choose your fats wisely, as most people are effected by the excess consumption of animal & dairy that have saturated fat (can cause hardening of the arteries & chest pain, fatty liver & cirrhosis, gallbladder & pancreas problems). Coconut and some other fruits & vegetables also have saturated fats, as well; dairy & meat aren't the only culprits!

    A diet with high protein and limited carbs. is a moderate way of losing weight fairly quickly, and is well tolerated by the general population. High Protein is about 70-100 grams/day; Limited Carbs. is between 40 and 90 grams/day. Note that anything below 40 grams of carbohydrates per day is Low Carb. and tolerated by the body for only about 3 to 4 days with excellent weight loss. On or about the 4th or 5th day your metabolism will do a 180 degree change, and you'll stop losing weight, and find that suddenly increasing carbs. only makes things worse....It's called "starvation mode".

    I hope this helps you all!!
    Take care, MJ RN, BSN
  • MJStory
    MJStory Posts: 42
    Options
    Don't get freaked out by negative protein on your chart at the end of the day! The suggested amounts are strictly that: a suggested amount. It's a generic amount that is acceptable to most people with varying physical issues. There actually are people who don't tolerate a large amount of protein because of genetic issues, and medical conditions such as kidney or liver failure. And it's not unusual for some people who have these issues that aren't even aware they have them when they go on a diet.

    I'm consuming almost twice the amount of protein recommended because of my love for things like peanut butter, cheese, yogurt, broccoli, and nuts. Protein helps you maintain your muscle mass. The downside to high protein intake is that it usually is accompanied by fat, which is high in calories. Choose your fats wisely, as most people are effected by the excess consumption of animal & dairy that have saturated fat (can cause hardening of the arteries & chest pain, fatty liver & cirrhosis, gallbladder & pancreas problems). Coconut and some other fruits & vegetables also have saturated fats, as well; dairy & meat aren't the only culprits!

    A diet with high protein and limited carbs. is a moderate way of losing weight fairly quickly, and is well tolerated by the general population. High Protein is about 70-100 grams/day; Limited Carbs. is between 40 and 90 grams/day. Note that anything below 40 grams of carbohydrates per day is Low Carb. and tolerated by the body for only about 3 to 4 days with excellent weight loss. On or about the 4th or 5th day your metabolism will do a 180 degree change, and you'll stop losing weight, and find that suddenly increasing carbs. only makes things worse....It's called "starvation mode".

    I hope this helps you all!!
    Take care, MJ RN, BSN

Categories