Too much protein

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sophiamdaly
sophiamdaly Posts: 4
in Food and Nutrition
Is too much protein bad for losing weight...like say my carbs, calories and fat are all under the allowance but the protein is more..is that ok?

Replies

  • AimingHighWeighingLow
    AimingHighWeighingLow Posts: 192 Member
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    Protein burns fat! It also aids in the building of muscle if exercised along side with. I enjoy protein.
  • swannkl
    swannkl Posts: 1
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    I have been having that same issue. Everything else seems to be in range, but protein is usually way over.
  • gianna42
    gianna42 Posts: 5,991 Member
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    Me too! I just started tracking today and met my protein "goal" by lunch (eating pretty much as I normally do)- decided to change something a bit to allow some for dinner.
    Maybe we're not used to allowing so many carbs? I seem to have plenty of those left, although I ate carbs at both meals so far.
  • stanvoodoo
    stanvoodoo Posts: 1,023 Member
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    Over is a good thing unless you have been advised otherwise by your doctor.

    Just make sure you also get plenty of fiber and water to go with that protein!!!

    Good Luck!!
  • Asil76
    Asil76 Posts: 477 Member
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    I asked this same question yesterday and with all of the replies that I received everyone said that it was ok to go over on protein...unless of course it is a crazy amount.
  • natekorpusik
    natekorpusik Posts: 176 Member
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    MFP underestimates the amount of protein you should have. If you are working out or lifting weights on a regular basis you should have 1 - 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Basically, don't worry about going over.
  • Eleisabelle
    Eleisabelle Posts: 365
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    Most Americans get too much protein. It's not the end of the world, but it would be better to get your nutrients from vegetables instead of depending so much on meats and cheeses. If you're consistently going over, look at what your balance of protein vs veggies vs whole grains/starches is. A balanced plate, for each meal, should be half fruits/veggies, one quarter lean protein, and one quarter whole grain/starch. Most Americans trade that to one quarter veggies/fruit, and half protein.

    Work on increasing the fiber rich veggies and fruits, and just cut back your protein to 3 - 4 oz per meal instead of the 6 or so we usually get. And remember that cheese, eggs, and legumes will count in that total.

    There is one caveat--if you're working on building muscle through exercise, you can get a little extra protein on your rest days, when your muscles are rebuilding. They'll need it. And while it's not actually the protein itself that burns fat, the muscles that protein makes burn fat beautifully.
  • martinh78
    martinh78 Posts: 601
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    Protein keeps you feeling fuller for longer as well :o)
  • micah2009
    micah2009 Posts: 38 Member
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    Protein does not really burn fat, it does burn more cals to break down than fat or carbs. In general it should make up 10-20% of your calories for a day, depending on yor activity type and level,
  • jmeeej
    jmeeej Posts: 125 Member
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    For the most part eating 0.7-1.0g/lb of lean muscle mass is a healthy amount of protein to keep the body functioning well and having enough to build muscle tissue and perform repairs.

    so if you estimate you have about 110 lbs of lean muscle in your body.....then you'd be wanting to target about 80 to 110g of protein per day.

    Eating enough protein is especially important if you're combining training into your health/fitness routine.
  • angelaclassact
    angelaclassact Posts: 66 Member
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    This is a pretty good description, however I might suggest dropping the startches/grains at the end of the day. My trainer has always said to eat your "carbs" (startches and whole grains) between breakfast, lunch, and snacks, and to avoid evening carbs at night. You can fill in by having double portions of veggies at dinner, and slightly increase your protein as well (if needed).
  • sophiamdaly
    sophiamdaly Posts: 4
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    thanks for all the replies! happy to hear eating lots of protein isnt bad!!! :-)

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