Anyone else experience this?

DreasMommy
DreasMommy Posts: 12
in Food and Nutrition
While I'm consistently a little under in my caloric, cabrohydrate and fat intakes for the day, I ALWAYS go over my protein allotment. Always. I'm eating well and I'm not trying to take in extra protein, so I find this odd. Additionally, the days I try to limit the my protein intake, I end up overeating elsewhere.

Replies

  • smpreston
    smpreston Posts: 262 Member
    Why would you limit your protein intake? Did you customize your macronutrient goals for protein? Are you trying to maintain certain ratios? Or are you just going by what MFP laid out for you during setup?
  • DreasMommy
    DreasMommy Posts: 12
    The limits I've been going by are the ones MFP set for me based on my weight and what I want to lose. I personally don't think it's a huge deal- if I'm going to "go over" on something, I'd rather it be protein than fat or carbs, but it's consistent. The reason I tried to limit that a couple times is because I wanted to see what would happen. Obviously, the results weren't good. I was just curious if anyone else was experiencing this as well…
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I am usually over on both fat and protein and under on carbs, though I don't try to eat high protein, high fat or low carb. In fact, I don't really focus on macros at all. I just focus on eating a variety of healthy foods, but it seems everything has protein in it. I do cook most everything I eat in evoo, so the fat is not really a surprise.

    But I get yearly blood tests and my kidney function has always been fine and I have no metabolic disorders, so I don't worry about it.
  • smpreston
    smpreston Posts: 262 Member
    The protein allotment seems a bit low, so depending on what you eat, I can see you easily going over that number. It's nothing worth worrying about. It comes down to your food choices. Having more grains will boost that carb number in comparison to the others. Having more lean meats will do the same to protein. With the protein goals set low by MFP (20-20% I think), it can easy be exceeded.
  • DreasMommy
    DreasMommy Posts: 12
    Thanks. I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing. :)
  • SirBen81
    SirBen81 Posts: 396 Member
    If you going to go over on anything, protein would be ideal. Just lessen your net carb goal and increase your net protein goal, while keeping calories the same.
  • SuffolkSally
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
    I rest my targets for both protein and fibre, as I think the MFP default setting are too low
  • chilliwi
    chilliwi Posts: 2
    I have been going over on protein by a significant amount while keeping my calorie totals constant (1330). I've reduced carbs by eliminating wheat and sugar. I've finally lost weight by doing this. 10 lbs in 7 weeks vs. 1/2 lb in 22 weeks!

    I've found that protein is definitely my friend!
  • suzikay12
    suzikay12 Posts: 150 Member
    I'm always over on protein and under on carbs. I don't really care because I don't watch what I eat in that way but it annoys me to see the glaring red number scolding me.

    It's been working so I try not to take the red number personally. :)
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    So many people on this site give advice to up the protein settings or say that MFP settings are too low. And I get it, a lot of weight lifters come here from bodybuilding.com and building those bulging muscles requires lots of protein.

    But, that is not good advice for everyone. Eating over the protein limits can be dangerous for some people. If you are eating too much protien it's important to have regular kidney functions tests to be sure the extra strain on your kidney's is not doing damage.
  • iroze
    iroze Posts: 78 Member
    Good to know I'm not the only one worried about being over on protein.
  • Spice_4_Life
    Spice_4_Life Posts: 225
    I rest my targets for both protein and fibre, as I think the MFP default setting are too low

    I reset mine too. Everyone should be getting more fiber than 13 (I think that's what MPF sets it at).
  • ijustmightbecrazy
    ijustmightbecrazy Posts: 37
    So many people on this site give advice to up the protein settings or say that MFP settings are too low. And I get it, a lot of weight lifters come here from bodybuilding.com and building those bulging muscles requires lots of protein.

    But, that is not good advice for everyone. Eating over the protein limits can be dangerous for some people. If you are eating too much protien it's important to have regular kidney functions tests to be sure the extra strain on your kidney's is not doing damage.

    When the default setting for MFP's carbs is 55%, it's too high period. I also think you need to revise your stereotyping about weight lifting, bulging muscles takes years (or drugs) to create, and 1-1.5 times your lean body mass or 0.8-1 times your actual weight in grams of protein is never going to be over 40% of your daily macros unless you're doing Keto/Adkins as an extremely obese person, and is based on a spread of zero to heavy lifting.

    The body also requires 0.5-1g of fat per pound of lean body mass, or 0.5-1g per pound of body weight if the person is already lean. Your heart, skeletal muscles, and liver all prefer fatty acids, and when living in a ketogenic state, your liver produces fatty acid chains that -are- capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier to act as fuel for the brain which normally functions off of carbs.

    No one is telling anyone to eat 2 times or more their body weight in protein that I'm aware of, and anyone who does so needs to be lumped in with all the other extreme fads that claim to be miracle diets.
  • DreasMommy
    DreasMommy Posts: 12
    I'm always over on protein and under on carbs. I don't really care because I don't watch what I eat in that way but it annoys me to see the glaring red number scolding me.

    It's been working so I try not to take the red number personally. :)

    Exactly!
  • DreasMommy
    DreasMommy Posts: 12
    So many people on this site give advice to up the protein settings or say that MFP settings are too low. And I get it, a lot of weight lifters come here from bodybuilding.com and building those bulging muscles requires lots of protein.

    But, that is not good advice for everyone. Eating over the protein limits can be dangerous for some people. If you are eating too much protien it's important to have regular kidney functions tests to be sure the extra strain on your kidney's is not doing damage.

    I get what you're saying, however, extreme protein intake is not the issue at hand. While I don't make my food diary public, there is nothing out of the ordinary about my diet; it's well balanced, I don't exclude certain foods or groups, I portion things out, yet I consistently take in more protein than MFP says I should, whereas I always have calories, carbs and fats left over. I've found that if I try to stay within the daily allotment of protein, I end up eating more, and it's usually fatty carbs. It does make me think the preset is too low.
  • Hawkian
    Hawkian Posts: 87 Member
    I'm doing P90X, and MFP always thinks I'm eating way, way too much protein. :P Whaddyagonnado.
  • ijustmightbecrazy
    ijustmightbecrazy Posts: 37
    So many people on this site give advice to up the protein settings or say that MFP settings are too low. And I get it, a lot of weight lifters come here from bodybuilding.com and building those bulging muscles requires lots of protein.

    But, that is not good advice for everyone. Eating over the protein limits can be dangerous for some people. If you are eating too much protien it's important to have regular kidney functions tests to be sure the extra strain on your kidney's is not doing damage.

    I get what you're saying, however, extreme protein intake is not the issue at hand. While I don't make my food diary public, there is nothing out of the ordinary about my diet; it's well balanced, I don't exclude certain foods or groups, I portion things out, yet I consistently take in more protein than MFP says I should, whereas I always have calories, carbs and fats left over. I've found that if I try to stay within the daily allotment of protein, I end up eating more, and it's usually fatty carbs. It does make me think the preset is too low.

    The MFP default % are archaic and still based around late 90's / early 00's nutrition thoughts, pure and simple. In a decade now where we continuously find that these extreme nutrition thoughts of the last 50 years are increasingly wrong and have caused more problems than they've solved, a decade where we're learning that moderation in everything is the key, why whoever set the defaults at 55% for carbs and 15% for protein was allowed to do so, is beyond me. The only one that makes any sense is the fats set at 30%.

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