Is it bad too eat too much protein?

nossmf wrote: »

Tom, I believe the question was not about calories, but about amount of protein taken in. In short, unless you have a preexisting kidney condition which makes you sensitive to protein, there is no danger in having more protein than needed. Well, if you took in 400g protein every day, your body would likely object from eating enough calories to get that much, but going over budget by 20-30g is nothing to worry about.

Many people find increasing protein helps with feelings of fullness and satisfaction, making it easier to lose weight by not feeling the urge to eat more. From a pure nutritional perspective, getting your protein from animal and plant sources is better than from protein shakes/bars, simply because of the additional nutrients, vitamins and minerals, that come from the natural food. (The taste is usually better, too!) But the protein in those supplements is safe to take, especially if they are supplements and not your only source of protein in a day.

See below as part of her post

My macros are set up to be 1600 calories, 120 grams protein, 53 g fat, 160 g carbs. I'm wondering if

a. Am I on the right track to lose weight? My goal weight is 135.

nossmf wrote: »

… kidney condition which makes you sensitive to protein, there is no danger in having more protein than needed. Well, if you took in 400g protein every day, your body would likely object from eating enough calories to get that much, but going over budget by 20-30g is nothing to worry about.

I actually have a relative who is an old school crunchy granola hippie who eventually managed to damage his kidneys by consuming a massive amount of almonds and other “healthy” nuts over the course of probably 45 years by the time it impacted his health. He was constantly snacking on nuts every time I saw him.
He is, and always has been, a skinny, very active person, so he was using up the calories. But the protein overload eventually caught up with him.

Yeah. An outlier. And a single, apocryphal, story.

Lesson: Everything in moderation, folks!

@aleena2975, you should be safe at the levels of protein you're talking about. If your family has a history of kidney problems (especially if absent primary health conditions that cause secondary kidney problems), you might want to check in with your doctor, or a qualified registered dietitian.

Like others, I'd suggest getting nutrients from whole foods as much as possible, or at least less-processed ones, because of the many other beneficial nutrients that come along for the ride. It's fine to use protein supplements if necessary to get enough protein, but essentially most types are just ultra-processed foods. They're not evil, but not optimal.

FYI, there's a great thread here with information about calorie-efficient food sources of protein:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also

It's not a crisis, but maybe chip away at getting more of your protein from foods, a bit less from supplements? It still should be filling, and possibly even more so than the supplements.

FWIW, I'm your same height, around your goal weight (133-point-something this morning), with a protein minimum of 100g daily, but usually average closer to 120. I've been eating this way for around 8 years with no ill effects.

As far as calorie level goes, I lost most of 50 pounds in a bit under a year, most of it at 1400-1600 plus all carefully estimated exercise calories. One person's individual experience sheds little light on what will happen for another (better to use MFP or another calculator to get a starting average!). But it makes me think your plan is somewhere in the range of rational.

I'd strongly endorse the idea of following your plan for 4-6 weeks, then comparing actual average weekly loss rate to your goal rate. (If you have menstrual cycles, compare weight at the same relative point in at least two different cycles.)

It's the calorie level that directly affects fat gain/loss, not macro mix. Macros (or other nutritional issues) can have an indirect influence via things like satiation or energy level, but the direct mechanism is still calories. Of course adequate nutrition is important for health, body composition, athletic performance, etc.

Since you seem to have athletic or strength/muscle goals, I'd strongly, strongly encourage you to choose a sensibly moderate loss rate. Slower loss is not only easier to stick with, it's more compatible with athletic or body composition goals.

One rule of thumb is to avoid losing faster than 0.5-1% of current weight per week, with a bias toward the lower end of that if the person isn't severely obese (which you aren't) AND under close medical supervision for deficiencies or complications. That kind of modereate loss is extra important with athletic or body comp goals.

Wishing you success with your goals!

MargaretYakoda wrote: »

nossmf wrote: »

… kidney condition which makes you sensitive to protein, there is no danger in having more protein than needed. Well, if you took in 400g protein every day, your body would likely object from eating enough calories to get that much, but going over budget by 20-30g is nothing to worry about.

I actually have a relative who is an old school crunchy granola hippie who eventually managed to damage his kidneys by consuming a massive amount of almonds and other “healthy” nuts over the course of probably 45 years by the time it impacted his health. He was constantly snacking on nuts every time I saw him.
He is, and always has been, a skinny, very active person, so he was using up the calories. But the protein overload eventually caught up with him.

Yeah. An outlier. And a single, apocryphal, story.

Lesson: Everything in moderation, folks!

There are other potential problems with eating too many almonds (and some other nuts) specifically, so it may not necessarily just have been a protein issue, though I'm sure you know your relative best.

But almonds are high in oxalates, among other things. Oxalates can cause kidney damage.

Generally, diets that over-rely on any one food can be a problem - no surprise there.

aleena2975 wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

@aleena2975, you should be safe at the levels of protein you're talking about. If your family has a history of kidney problems (especially if absent primary health conditions that cause secondary kidney problems), you might want to check in with your doctor, or a qualified registered dietitian.

Like others, I'd suggest getting nutrients from whole foods as much as possible, or at least less-processed ones, because of the many other beneficial nutrients that come along for the ride. It's fine to use protein supplements if necessary to get enough protein, but essentially most types are just ultra-processed foods. They're not evil, but not optimal.

FYI, there's a great thread here with information about calorie-efficient food sources of protein:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also

It's not a crisis, but maybe chip away at getting more of your protein from foods, a bit less from supplements? It still should be filling, and possibly even more so than the supplements.

FWIW, I'm your same height, around your goal weight (133-point-something this morning), with a protein minimum of 100g daily, but usually average closer to 120. I've been eating this way for around 8 years with no ill effects.

As far as calorie level goes, I lost most of 50 pounds in a bit under a year, most of it at 1400-1600 plus all carefully estimated exercise calories. One person's individual experience sheds little light on what will happen for another (better to use MFP or another calculator to get a starting average!). But it makes me think your plan is somewhere in the range of rational.

I'd strongly endorse the idea of following your plan for 4-6 weeks, then comparing actual average weekly loss rate to your goal rate. (If you have menstrual cycles, compare weight at the same relative point in at least two different cycles.)

It's the calorie level that directly affects fat gain/loss, not macro mix. Macros (or other nutritional issues) can have an indirect influence via things like satiation or energy level, but the direct mechanism is still calories. Of course adequate nutrition is important for health, body composition, athletic performance, etc.

Since you seem to have athletic or strength/muscle goals, I'd strongly, strongly encourage you to choose a sensibly moderate loss rate. Slower loss is not only easier to stick with, it's more compatible with athletic or body composition goals.

One rule of thumb is to avoid losing faster than 0.5-1% of current weight per week, with a bias toward the lower end of that if the person isn't severely obese (which you aren't) AND under close medical supervision for deficiencies or complications. That kind of modereate loss is extra important with athletic or body comp goals.

Wishing you success with your goals!

MargaretYakoda wrote: »

nossmf wrote: »

… kidney condition which makes you sensitive to protein, there is no danger in having more protein than needed. Well, if you took in 400g protein every day, your body would likely object from eating enough calories to get that much, but going over budget by 20-30g is nothing to worry about.

I actually have a relative who is an old school crunchy granola hippie who eventually managed to damage his kidneys by consuming a massive amount of almonds and other “healthy” nuts over the course of probably 45 years by the time it impacted his health. He was constantly snacking on nuts every time I saw him.
He is, and always has been, a skinny, very active person, so he was using up the calories. But the protein overload eventually caught up with him.

Yeah. An outlier. And a single, apocryphal, story.

Lesson: Everything in moderation, folks!

There are other potential problems with eating too many almonds (and some other nuts) specifically, so it may not necessarily just have been a protein issue, though I'm sure you know your relative best.

But almonds are high in oxalates, among other things. Oxalates can cause kidney damage.

Generally, diets that over-rely on any one food can be a problem - no surprise there.

Hi Anne,

Thank you for replying to me! My trainer actually removed my exercise calculated through my watch in MFP and told me to eat without considering how much I burned in a session. I have been going to HIIT classes consistently for the past few months, with breaks in between, and didn't really care about my diet. I gained 11 pounds from it, and I've yet to lose a single pound with this exercise regimen. Maybe that's why she set my calories so low? I'm not sure why I'm unable to lose the weight. I am gaining muscle but I want to be at 135 with that muscle, not 180. Would love your thoughts on this.

Beyond what I've already said, I don't really know what to tell you.

Pick a consistent way to set your calorie goal. If you want to just eat straight 1600 daily, exercise or no, do that. Try to average close to that goal, like +/- 50 calories, averaging over a week. Log everything you eat carefully, as carefully and accurately as you can, without being obsessive in a bad way. A food scale, when it's possible to use one, is a big help: Easier, faster, more accurate.

Do that for 4-6 weeks, or whole menstrual cycles, to see what your weight change is over that whole time period. Use that result to adjust your calorie goal, using the assumption that 500 calories per day is a pound a week (and apply arithmetic for partial pounds). That should work.

It has to be averaged over many weeks (and whole menstrual periods) because our bodies can be up to 60% water, and that fluctuates by multiple pounds from one day to the next. (It's part of how a healthy body stays healthy.) The amount of food waste in our digestive system also fluctuates from one day to the next, depending on what specific foods we eat and what happens in the bathroom. By contrast, even fast fat loss is only a few ounces per day. The water and waste fluctuations can mask fat gain/loss for up to several weeks, realistically.

On comment that I'm sad to make: Muscle mass gain is very slow. (Strength gain can be faster, from better recruiting and utilizing existing muscle fibers. Even better definition (a.k.a. a "toned" look) may be faster, because of water retention in well-worked muscles that are repairing, so that they look "pumped".)

For a woman, a pound per month of muscle mass gain would be a very good result, under ideal conditions. Ideal conditions include favorable genetics, a good progressive weight lifting program faithfully performed, relative youth, good nutrition (especially but not exclusively ample protein), relative newness to strength training, a calorie surplus (i.e., weight gain), and probably some other things I'm forgetting.

It's not that muscle mass can't be added under sub-ideal conditions (like during fat loss), but it would be expected to be slower than that very-good/ideal-conditions pound a month muscle gain result.

On the flip side, half a pound a week is about the slowest fat loss rate that most people would consider satisfying, and even that would take weeks to show up reliably on the scale.

The sad but logical conclusion is that no realistic rate of muscle mass gain is going to outpace any readily-observable rate of fat loss. I wish it were otherwise . . . so, so much wish, for my own self . . . but it's just not realistic.

I don't know why you're not able to lose weight, either. Maybe it hasn't been long enough to get a reasonable average. Maybe there are logging errors (not a diss, it's a surprisingly subtle skill). Maybe there's unusual water retention masking fat loss on the scale.

Hang in there, run the multi-week experiment, adjust calorie goal based on multi-week average actual results. That should work.

tomcustombuilder wrote: »

See below as part of her post

My macros are set up to be 1600 calories, 120 grams protein, 53 g fat, 160 g carbs. I'm wondering if

a. Am I on the right track to lose weight? My goal weight is 135.

You are right. Mea culpa.

@nossmf

Ahhhh, that’s where we’re different. I darn sure would have interpreted that as “eat whatever you want”.

And no offense to anyone here, if she’s exercising and training and still gaining weight, I’m going to assume she’s just like me and would take that as a license to eat, figuring the extra work would surely burn it off.

🤷🏻‍♀️

Interpretation versus real life experience. 😢