too much protein??

RogerF765 · February 2012

I eat a lot of tofu based stuff and a lot of nuts. Pumkin seeds are really high in protien, 15g per 1/4 cup but they are also high in calories too. I'm always over my MFP protien goal but nowhere near where the protien calculator I linked to says I should be at so I just try to get around 25g every meal.

Blair66 · February 2012

yeah, i was wondering that myself. it makes since that you would need more if you work out a lot.

bigbeardiver · February 2012

I believe the calculators are based on LEAN body weight as well not your total body weight. The average is 1.0-1.5 g/per lb for muscle building. I'm 245 but 170 Lean, yes 65 lbs of fat! So my target would be 170-255 grams per day. Roughly divided by 5 meals a day so 34-55 per meal.

ppaz512 · February 2012

Too much protein does turn into fat if you arn't exercing. My sister has lost 19 lbs on the challenge since new years this year! Good luck!

tgzerozone · February 2012

may i ask, how do you get that much protein? the 140-170g? i'm supposed to be up there too, and i just cannot do it. i would love some advice or examples if you don't mind sharing!!!
thanks!

Try using a whey protein supplement if you cannot eat that much. Remember to just see it as a supplement though, real food is best. I am on bulking regime eating 3500 to 4000 calories a day with about 350 - 400 g of protein. Not easy without supplements.

I eat 40/40/10 of Protein, carbs, fat.

hedgiie · February 2012

You need to eat more.

The protein setting here is low, by a lot of peoples' estimation.

Use that protein setting as a MINIMUM. Not max.

Eat more.

exactly, mine is about 70g but actually consuming up to 200g but that's all good

srhula · February 2012

I have had gastric bypass and am required to eat at least 85 g of protein a day. My doctor said that our bodies can only process around 26g at a time and anything over that is just disposed of by the body. You aren't eating enough calories though, especially if you are working out. I'd shoot for at least 1200 a day.

2012asv · February 2012

Having extra protein or fat or carbs isn't really bad of and by themselves. Your overall caloric intake versus how many calories you're burning will ultimately decide whether you'll be losing weight or not. That's the simplest way to look at it.

Depending on your size, less than a 1000 calories a day is borderline unhealthy. Generally, going below 1200 calories a day is a bad idea and may not peel off the weight as fast if you ate a bit more and encouraged your metabolism to get out of starvation mode. It doesn't matter what you weigh, if you're not eating enough, your body will lock up the fat stores. Think of your metabolism like a candle. If you eat a lot, it's not worried about saving food, the candle burns bright. If you stop eating, it has no idea when the next meal will come, the candle barely lights the room. Like it or not, eating encourages your body to burn faster.

Thank you, that is VERY helpful.

tmlandis · February 2012

Yep, what they all said. I try to do about 20g per meal, 5-6 times a day. I'm about your same size. I started a year ago with the Body for Life program. If you are exercising a lot you need the protein to help rebuild your muscles. That being said, you can customize your MFP so that it won't go into the red. I set mine on 30% protein.

midwifekelley2350 · February 2012

my doctor said to track protein intake by meal. you dont want more than 24g of protein per meal. he said that our bodies can't process more than that...and any more would eventually hurt your kidneys.

Very interesting, I wonder if this goes the same for athletes who consume those 30g per serving protein shakes though :-/

this info is pretty dated

killagb · February 2012

my doctor said to track protein intake by meal. you dont want more than 24g of protein per meal. he said that our bodies can't process more than that...and any more would eventually hurt your kidneys.

Very interesting, I wonder if this goes the same for athletes who consume those 30g per serving protein shakes though :-/

this info is pretty dated

Yes, your body can handle more than 30g at a time.

Justjoshin · February 2012

may i ask, how do you get that much protein? the 140-170g? i'm supposed to be up there too, and i just cannot do it. i would love some advice or examples if you don't mind sharing!!!
thanks!

Try using a whey protein supplement if you cannot eat that much. Remember to just see it as a supplement though, real food is best. I am on bulking regime eating 3500 to 4000 calories a day with about 350 - 400 g of protein. Not easy without supplements.

I eat 40/40/10 of Protein, carbs, fat.

What the...? Why would you eat 400 grams of protein unless your juicing?

StrongGwen · February 2012

may i ask, how do you get that much protein? the 140-170g? i'm supposed to be up there too, and i just cannot do it. i would love some advice or examples if you don't mind sharing!!!
thanks!

My goal is 1 g/ lb of body wt (I do weight training) and it is hard to achieve every day, especially because I don't eat pigs or cows. I add liquid egg whites (buy at wally world, pasturized in a carton) to my skim milk for cereal, to my pre- & post-workout protein drinks, and anything else I can think of. Helpful foods include Lean pre-cooked chicken strips, salmon, canned tuna, low-fat string cheese, turkey breast meat, 2% cottage cheese (or fat free if you can handle the taste), Greek yogurt, beans cooked from dried for less sodium,, Kashi Go Lean at breakfast. For protein shakes/bars I look for those with at least 15% of the calories from protein. I have to avoid sugar and the infamous "white foods" (flour, rice, potatoes) or I get too many useless calories. Protein at every meal and snack. Oh, and nuts too. Pistachios have the best ratio, but almonds are good if I count out my portions. I LOVE pecan halves, but they are a rare treat due to so many calories.

tgzerozone · February 2012

may i ask, how do you get that much protein? the 140-170g? i'm supposed to be up there too, and i just cannot do it. i would love some advice or examples if you don't mind sharing!!!
thanks!

Try using a whey protein supplement if you cannot eat that much. Remember to just see it as a supplement though, real food is best. I am on bulking regime eating 3500 to 4000 calories a day with about 350 - 400 g of protein. Not easy without supplements.

I eat 40/40/10 of Protein, carbs, fat.

What the...? Why would you eat 400 grams of protein unless your juicing?

Don't see what Juicing has to do with it. Common believe in the mass building area is (Whether is is correct I don't know) that your body can handle 40 grams of protein every 2 hours, as said, not sure if that is right.

I train very hard in the gym and need lots of protein to obviously build muscle, if I was juicing, I could probably eat way less protein and get the same results. I go through about 10 eggs, 700 g to 1 kg of meat etc a day plus supplements split into 7 meals. I pick up about 2-4 pounds every week with most being lean, so obviously the protein is working. My carbs is also sitting on 350-400 grams per day.

This however is extreme eating for extreme mass gaining, and obviously not to be considered for a weight loss program I would imagine.

mirgss · February 2012

This however is extreme eating for extreme mass gaining, and obviously not to be considered for a weight loss program I would imagine.

Yes. This.

"Too much" protein is all relative. As others have said, MFP goals for protein are very low. I'm struggling to get 113 g of protein per day...trying to eat a LOT more meat. Also, if you tolerate dairy, cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt and the like have protein. Also (duh) milk. I find that without a supplement I have a hard time reaching my goal...but I gotta be more focused. Anyway yes you can eat too much protein...but it takes a LOT of protein. I mean a LOT. That can be bad for your kidneys in the long run. But let me stress it will take A LOTTTTTTTTT.

Also as other people have stated, you should eat at LEAST 1200 calories a day.

tgzerozone · February 2012

I drink loads of water everyday, helps the kidneys cope. On a training day I would probably drink in the region of 6 liters of water.

Justjoshin · February 2012

I train very hard in the gym and need lots of protein to obviously build muscle, if I was juicing, I could probably eat way less protein and get the same results. I go through about 10 eggs, 700 g to 1 kg of meat etc a day plus supplements split into 7 meals. I pick up about 2-4 pounds every week with most being lean, so obviously the protein is working. My carbs is also sitting on 350-400 grams per day.

This however is extreme eating for extreme mass gaining, and obviously not to be considered for a weight loss program I would imagine.

I'm not going to sidetrack this thread, but you aren't gaining 4lbs of lean mass a week. I'll leave you to your regime.

tgzerozone · February 2012

I agree, never said it was all muscle, I said it was mostly lean as my fat percentage has not changed that much.

EDIT: Have not done a very recent fat test though(In the last few pounds gained), but will make a plan and check. And do agree, very unreasonable to expect to gain that much just muscle, impossible at that.

patricknsmith · February 2012

I'm starting a program where I'm going to have to get 1-1.5 g of protein per pound of body weight. The only way I've found to accomplish this is by drinking protein drinks. They will add protein and help you up the calorie count. 1000 cals per day is going to have adverse effects on a diet plan, that needs to go up by at least 200 more cals.

aeberly01 · February 2012

If you get too much protein it can also cause (very painful) constipation. Greek yogurt and cottage cheese both have about 12 grams per serving though.

too much protein??

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