going over in protein

daisynsunshine
daisynsunshine Posts: 37
edited November 9 in Health and Weight Loss
I am always thinking that I am sabbatoging my weight loss bc I go over in Protein everyday. I mean like where I should have 40-50 g I am having 75- 95 g daily. I eat lean meats and nuts or trail mixes every day. Could I be over doing the protein?
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Replies

  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    Not with the amount you're eating. MFP's protein limit should be seen as more of a goal than a limit - like fibre and vitamins etc. Many people recommend changing your macro ration to 40/30/30 carbs/fat/protein/ Try that and you might feel better about not seeing that red number!
  • jcmk87
    jcmk87 Posts: 57
    I am always thinking that I am sabbatoging my weight loss bc I go over in Protein everyday. I mean like where I should have 40-50 g I am having 75- 95 g daily. I eat lean meats and nuts or trail mixes every day. Could I be over doing the protein?

    No you are not as 1-2 grams of protein per lb of lbm is still acceptable, if you are really obese you can even go with 1 gram per lb of bodyweight
  • lizard053
    lizard053 Posts: 2,344 Member
    Sounds like you just need more protein than MFP gave you. Adjust your goals to eat more protein! I did that for mine. If your calories are good, you just need to adjust the %'s.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    Not with the amount you're eating. MFP's protein limit should be seen as more of a goal than a limit - like fibre and vitamins etc. Many people recommend changing your macro ration to 40/30/30 carbs/fat/protein/ Try that and you might feel better about not seeing that red number!

    Agreed. Your protein intake should be somewhere around .7 to 1 gram for every pound of lean body mass and the rest of your macronutrients will fall in from there. Protien is the one thing that will not give you weight increase if you are slightly over. The number to keep in line is your carbs. Not low but in line. I like no more than 150 grams per day and If I'm trying to lose I'll keep is at 80 to 100. This will keep you on the edge of ketogenesis and keep your insulin in line.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    1 gram per KILOGRAM (2.2 lbs) of lean body mass is a good goal. I'm not sure where this 1gram/lb thing started. Probably in bodybuilding circles.
  • Bean615
    Bean615 Posts: 132 Member
    i go over alot over my protein! idk is that bad??
  • glenr79
    glenr79 Posts: 283 Member
    75 to 95 is perfect!! You can change your settings on here... you can take up to 35% of your calories from protein and have it be effective but if you go over 35% of your calories then the rest puts a strain on your kidneys, you will be peeing out the excess nitrogen and storing the rest as fat... but you are probably around 25% so you are good.... Protein is good because it makes you feel fuller and also it has a high thermogenic effect... which means that 27% of the calories you eat from protein automatically gets burned during the digestion process... so if you eat a 100 calorie piece of lean chicken you are really only eating 73 of those calories because 27 are gone just that to digestion!
    I am always thinking that I am sabbatoging my weight loss bc I go over in Protein everyday. I mean like where I should have 40-50 g I am having 75- 95 g daily. I eat lean meats and nuts or trail mixes every day. Could I be over doing the protein?
  • Runthismom
    Runthismom Posts: 49
    I never used to even get anywhere near my reccomended intake of protein. But since I joined MFP- I am over every.single.day. And I was worried about it too...so I asked a good friend of mine who is a bikini competitor, and personal trainer and she said that there is no such thing as too much protein. So I am not worried about me going over, so you shouldn't either. Protein is a good thing!!
  • karinaes
    karinaes Posts: 570 Member
    I am always thinking that I am sabbatoging my weight loss bc I go over in Protein everyday. I mean like where I should have 40-50 g I am having 75- 95 g daily. I eat lean meats and nuts or trail mixes every day. Could I be over doing the protein?
    75-95 is pretty great! even if you increase your protein, you will not sabbatoge your weight loss goal.
    I purposely take in at least 115 g per day and i'm 120 lb at 5' 3.5"

    edit: that's what works for me.
  • ldmc1982
    ldmc1982 Posts: 15
    So you are saying slightly over in protein won't hurt, and if I am trying to lose stay within my calories and keep my carbs around 80?
  • karinaes
    karinaes Posts: 570 Member
    So you are saying slightly over in protein won't hurt, and if I am trying to lose stay within my calories and keep my carbs around 80?
    i'm not sure what your goals are, how much you weigh, your height.
    but i will tell you that i try 40%carbs- 30%protein- 30%fat everyday on a 1840 NET calories.
    and as i mentioned right above, i'm (female) 120 lb at 5' 3.5"
  • AnninStPaul
    AnninStPaul Posts: 1,372 Member
    1 gram per KILOGRAM (2.2 lbs) of lean body mass is a good goal. I'm not sure where this 1gram/lb thing started. Probably in bodybuilding circles.

    Thank you! for that correction -- I could not figure out how to achieve that within my calorie goal!
  • keeponkickin
    keeponkickin Posts: 1,520 Member
    I am always thinking that I am sabbatoging my weight loss bc I go over in Protein everyday. I mean like where I should have 40-50 g I am having 75- 95 g daily. I eat lean meats and nuts or trail mixes every day. Could I be over doing the protein?

    I personally think MFP has their protein set too low. I manually went in and changed mine. I eat anywhere from 140 to 180 grams of protein a day.
  • Erik_V
    Erik_V Posts: 4
    How do you manually change it? I went through the settings and couldn't find a way to do that.
  • AnninStPaul
    AnninStPaul Posts: 1,372 Member
    I am always thinking that I am sabbatoging my weight loss bc I go over in Protein everyday. I mean like where I should have 40-50 g I am having 75- 95 g daily. I eat lean meats and nuts or trail mixes every day. Could I be over doing the protein?

    I personally think MFP has their protein set too low. I manually went in and changed mine. I eat anywhere from 140 to 180 grams of protein a day.

    Can I ask...what do you eat? I'm looking for ideas to boost my protein using actual food, rather than a lot of supplements. Not criticizing those who use them, just looking for food/menu ideas.
  • George1567
    George1567 Posts: 107
    Pasted from the Mayo Clinic Website:

    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-diet/NU00200

    Healthy diet: End the guesswork with these nutrition guidelines
    By Mayo Clinic staff

    You're trying to eat a healthy diet, but you're not sure how much of which nutrients to get. Just what constitutes a healthy diet? With the different or even conflicting nutritional advice you may come across, it's no wonder you're uncertain.

    Here's a guide to nutritional recommendations designed to help promote health and prevent disease, based on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, issued by the Department of Agriculture. Use this guide to help plan your healthy diet. Keep in mind that if you have high blood pressure, heart disease or other conditions, your healthy diet recommendations may be different. Check with your doctor about your particular situation.

    Protein

    Description: Protein is an important nutrient, essential for growth and development. All the cells of your body include protein. Protein is also an important source of calories and energy. Both plant-based and animal-based foods provide protein.

    Recommendation: Get 10 to 35 percent of your total daily calories from protein. Protein has 4 calories a gram. Based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, this amounts to about 200 to 700 calories a day, or about 50 to 175 grams a day. Emphasize plant sources of protein, such as beans, lentils, soy products and unsalted nuts. Include seafood twice a week. Meat, poultry and dairy products should be lean or low fat.
  • albuslux
    albuslux Posts: 16
    If you are burning all the calories as fuel I wouldn't worry about going over, you will lose weight. If you are trying to add muscle mass, not definition but truly bigger muscles, you NEED protein. I try to exceed the protein goal and I don't worry about going too high. Don't worry about it.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    How do you manually change it? I went through the settings and couldn't find a way to do that.
    Go into goals, change goals and select custom (not guided). Then you can adjust your macros to whatever you wnat.
  • gashinshotan
    gashinshotan Posts: 749 Member
    Eating more protein than carbs will result in greater weightloss
  • avedagirl96
    avedagirl96 Posts: 15 Member
    I have found that what slowed my weight loss down was getting my protein from nuts. When I switched it over to mostly lean meats the weight slides off. So maybe try that, decrease nuts, increase lean meats.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    So you are saying slightly over in protein won't hurt, and if I am trying to lose stay within my calories and keep my carbs around 80?

    On the whole macronutrient mix thing I follow Mark Sisson who wrote The Primal Blueprint. He says to keep insulin at proper levels for maintenance keep carbs at no greater than 150 grams. For weight loss keep carbs at between 70 and 100 grams. Depending on your metabolism, height,weight and activity level, this will keep you slightly ketogenic. If you really want to go ketogenic go below 50 grams carbs. Some people feel ok doing this and some don't. I personally don't. When I get below 50 grams carbs I have a dull headache, low energy and a "foggy" brain. I generally do 70 to 100 grams carbs unless it's a workout day and then I do a few more.
    But yes on your protein question. I'd really go in and adjust your goals to a 40 30 30 or a 35 35 30 mix.
  • gashinshotan
    gashinshotan Posts: 749 Member
    Yeah I think that's why people are afraid of low carb diets - they don't like the lethargic feeling... but replacing more of ccalories with protein is actually better if you want fast weight loss.
    So you are saying slightly over in protein won't hurt, and if I am trying to lose stay within my calories and keep my carbs around 80?

    On the whole macronutrient mix thing I follow Mark Sisson who wrote The Primal Blueprint. He says to keep insulin at proper levels for maintenance keep carbs at no greater than 150 grams. For weight loss keep carbs at between 70 and 100 grams. Depending on your metabolism, height,weight and activity level, this will keep you slightly ketogenic. If you really want to go ketogenic go below 50 grams carbs. Some people feel ok doing this and some don't. I personally don't. When I get below 50 grams carbs I have a dull headache, low energy and a "foggy" brain. I generally do 70 to 100 grams carbs unless it's a workout day and then I do a few more.
  • hexrei
    hexrei Posts: 163
    I am always thinking that I am sabbatoging my weight loss bc I go over in Protein everyday. I mean like where I should have 40-50 g I am having 75- 95 g daily. I eat lean meats and nuts or trail mixes every day. Could I be over doing the protein?

    I personally think MFP has their protein set too low. I manually went in and changed mine. I eat anywhere from 140 to 180 grams of protein a day.

    Can I ask...what do you eat? I'm looking for ideas to boost my protein using actual food, rather than a lot of supplements. Not criticizing those who use them, just looking for food/menu ideas.

    I use nonfat cottage cheese, greek yogurt, chicken and fat-trimmed steak (grilled if possible) and for veggies stick with low-cal high protein like asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, and if your diet allows for it, beans. There are also options out there for high-protein pastas and breads if you can't live without starchy stuff.
  • shamr0ck
    shamr0ck Posts: 296 Member
    I'd much rather go over in protein than in carbs. Besides, MFP sets protein at a minimal level. I have adjusted mine to be almost twice what MFP recommends as the default. My trainer recommends at least 1 gram of protein per lean pound of bodyweight, which means i have to get in about 110 grams daily - minimum.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    Yeah I think that's why people are afraid of low carb diets - they don't like the lethargic feeling... but replacing more of ccalories with protein is actually better if you want fast weight loss.
    So you are saying slightly over in protein won't hurt, and if I am trying to lose stay within my calories and keep my carbs around 80?

    On the whole macronutrient mix thing I follow Mark Sisson who wrote The Primal Blueprint. He says to keep insulin at proper levels for maintenance keep carbs at no greater than 150 grams. For weight loss keep carbs at between 70 and 100 grams. Depending on your metabolism, height,weight and activity level, this will keep you slightly ketogenic. If you really want to go ketogenic go below 50 grams carbs. Some people feel ok doing this and some don't. I personally don't. When I get below 50 grams carbs I have a dull headache, low energy and a "foggy" brain. I generally do 70 to 100 grams carbs unless it's a workout day and then I do a few more.

    I completely agree. Also it's unessesary and just a short term fix unless you are using it to kick start a weight loss program and are going to go into a slow and steady weight loss mode. It also helps reset you body initially and increases your insulin senstitiivy but for me personally, it's not worth the pain. After a couple of weeks at or below 150 grams I'm there anyway and cravings are gone.
  • YcatsFursworth
    YcatsFursworth Posts: 273 Member
    This has been very helpful guys! thanks! I've always known I gain my weight from Carbs and not from Protein and now I've got an idea of how to change my goals to something more suited to me!
  • TSTagain
    TSTagain Posts: 84 Member
    I have found that what slowed my weight loss down was getting my protein from nuts. When I switched it over to mostly lean meats the weight slides off. So maybe try that, decrease nuts, increase lean meats.

    Nuts are a good source of protein but they are high in fat, and it is so easy to eat a lot at one sitting. I agree lean meats are the best and if you are going to eat nuts be sure to count them before you start (14 almonds 88 calories - not as filling as 3oz of chicken breast about 100 calories).
  • fluffy925
    fluffy925 Posts: 93 Member
    I found i was going over on protein all the time too, and couldn't think how to lower it, so i switched from semi-skimmed milk to 1% milk and that cured it :)
  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
    I am always thinking that I am sabbatoging my weight loss bc I go over in Protein everyday. I mean like where I should have 40-50 g I am having 75- 95 g daily. I eat lean meats and nuts or trail mixes every day. Could I be over doing the protein?

    You are fine at 75-95g a day. You aren't going over and protein isn't going to sabotage your weight loss. Weight loss is all about CALORIE IN VS CALORIE BURNED.
  • Erik_V
    Erik_V Posts: 4
    Found it. Thanks.
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