Keeping protein down

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2

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  • jemachharo
    jemachharo Posts: 144 Member
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    Me too. I go way over on protein EVERY day. It works for me.
  • rrrbecca11
    rrrbecca11 Posts: 477
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    It is not good to be over on protein. Unless you are a body-builder, you only need about .04 gram per pound of body weight. More than that converts to fat. I have my daily intake set at 15% and rarely go over. And before anyone says "Gasp!", I am extremely active, run, weight train, and have a super busy lifestyle. Read up on it for yourself.

    .04 gram per pound for me at 150 pounds is only 6 grams of protein per day. That doesn't match anything I've read as suggested protein consumption.

    Yes, I apologize for the typo. Was supposed to be .4 gram per pound. :)
  • brokenartist
    brokenartist Posts: 52 Member
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    Protein = Lean Muscle food...Lean muscle = higher metabolism... when you keep protein in your body then your lean muscles use that and your body resorts to the fats and carbs for fuel instead of eating your muscle fibers...4 calories per gram of protein and carbs and 9 calories per gram of fats
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
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    It is not good to be over on protein. Unless you are a body-builder, you only need about .04 gram per pound of body weight. More than that converts to fat. I have my daily intake set at 15% and rarely go over. And before anyone says "Gasp!", I am extremely active, run, weight train, and have a super busy lifestyle. Read up on it for yourself.

    a) I've never read a recommendation that low. 0.04 gram/lb would mean that a 200 lb person needs 8 grams/day. The usual minimum recommendation I've seen is 0.8 (not .08!) grams per KILO.
    http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/questions/protein-questions/#howmuch

    b) Excess protein won't convert to fat on a calorie deficit.
  • rrrbecca11
    rrrbecca11 Posts: 477
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    http://www.livestrong.com/article/522046-can-protein-be-converted-to-body-fat/

    "Considerations

    According to the American Council on Exercise, if you consume more protein than your body needs each day, the excess protein will be converted into body fat. Many athletes consume large amounts of protein to try to promote weight gain, but much of this added weight will be in the form of fat. In addition, consuming excessive amounts of protein can also affect the health of other parts of your body, such as your kidneys."
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
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    The MFP recommendations are what the US government recommends, but is only half of what would be the minimum for something to be considered a "high-protein diet."

    It's fine to be over protein and lower on the other macros.
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
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    http://www.livestrong.com/article/522046-can-protein-be-converted-to-body-fat/

    "Considerations

    According to the American Council on Exercise, if you consume more protein than your body needs each day, the excess protein will be converted into body fat. Many athletes consume large amounts of protein to try to promote weight gain, but much of this added weight will be in the form of fat. In addition, consuming excessive amounts of protein can also affect the health of other parts of your body, such as your kidneys."

    From the same article you just posted:

    "When you consume more protein than your body needs to supply its amino acid demands, the excess protein can be burned for energy."

    Furthermore, if you actually check the references, the ACE website they're citing says:
    "If individuals consume protein in excess of their caloric and protein needs, the extra protein will not be stored as protein. Unfortunately such extra protein is converted to and stored as fat. As a result, if individuals consume large amounts of extra protein in addition to their regular dietary intake, any weight gain would very likely be in the form of fat. "

    Note that it says caloric AND protein needs. In other words, the excess protein is stored as fat when in a caloric surplus. This does not mean that someone who has excess protein is going to store the excess protein as fat in a caloric deficit. If this were true, I could gain fat by eating 600 calories a day of tuna! It will be rather be used to supply energy to run the body, and if the body has ENOUGH energy (caloric surplus), THEN it will store it as fat.
    Edited: Just like it will store a caloric surplus from carbohydrates or fats as fat.
  • SourisBelette
    SourisBelette Posts: 2
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    My protein is too low too! What are you people eating?
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    http://www.livestrong.com/article/522046-can-protein-be-converted-to-body-fat/

    "Considerations

    According to the American Council on Exercise, if you consume more protein than your body needs each day, the excess protein will be converted into body fat. Many athletes consume large amounts of protein to try to promote weight gain, but much of this added weight will be in the form of fat. In addition, consuming excessive amounts of protein can also affect the health of other parts of your body, such as your kidneys."

    From the same article you just posted:

    "When you consume more protein than your body needs to supply its amino acid demands, the excess protein can be burned for energy."

    Furthermore, if you actually check the references, the ACE website they're citing says:
    "If individuals consume protein in excess of their caloric and protein needs, the extra protein will not be stored as protein. Unfortunately such extra protein is converted to and stored as fat. As a result, if individuals consume large amounts of extra protein in addition to their regular dietary intake, any weight gain would very likely be in the form of fat. "

    Note that it says caloric AND protein needs. In other words, the excess protein is stored as fat when in a caloric surplus. This does not mean that someone who has excess protein is going to store the excess protein as fat in a caloric deficit. If this were true, I could gain fat by eating 600 calories a day of tuna! It will be rather be used to supply energy to run the body, and if the body has ENOUGH energy (caloric surplus), THEN it will store it as fat.
    Edited: Just like it will store a caloric surplus from carbohydrates or fats as fat.

    This!
  • tdigirl
    tdigirl Posts: 13 Member
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    MFP always says I'm over my protein. I'm fine with that too. I usually keep mine at 1 gram per lean body mass which my LEAN body mass is about 150 lbs. Hope this helps.
  • ballerina454
    ballerina454 Posts: 73 Member
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    Protein is a very good thing to be over with! MFP has protein set too low in the first place and so I went in and adjusted mine higher! I aim to eat half my body weight in protein or more. I feel good when I get above 100g in a day :).
  • j77r68
    j77r68 Posts: 271 Member
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    Protein is what helps rebuild your muscles after exercise and a big factor in helping you lose weight because it is a great energy source for your body to feed off. I hope I am explaining it properly. If I'm not I'm sure someone will correct me but overall concensus would be don't limit your protein. Even carbs and fat have a roll in you losing weight it is just a fine balance. Look through the forums and I'm sure you will find a lot of threads on these subjects
  • Jersey_Devil
    Jersey_Devil Posts: 4,142 Member
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    6 or 7 is nothing. don't worry about it. you're muscles will thank you.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    Unless you have kidney problems, you don't have to worry about keeping your protein low.
  • Biggipooh
    Biggipooh Posts: 350
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    It is not good to be over on protein. Unless you are a body-builder, you only need about .04 gram per pound of body weight. More than that converts to fat. I have my daily intake set at 15% and rarely go over. And before anyone says "Gasp!", I am extremely active, run, weight train, and have a super busy lifestyle. Read up on it for yourself.

    What? More Protein converts to fat? Sorry, but not with a calorie deficit.
  • Bikini_Bound150
    Bikini_Bound150 Posts: 461 Member
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    I aim to go ABOVE what MFP has set for my protein. If I don't hit it, I am not happy.
  • miracle4me
    miracle4me Posts: 522 Member
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    very interesting and upping my protein to 150.
  • ediblepotential
    ediblepotential Posts: 13
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    Agree with wpgjim, better to go over with lean protein than under. Protein keeps you feeling full for a longer period of time :)
  • Mercenary1914
    Mercenary1914 Posts: 1,087 Member
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    don't limit your protein

    Absolutely correct

    Absolutely false!
  • Mercenary1914
    Mercenary1914 Posts: 1,087 Member
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    MFP always says I'm over my protein. I'm fine with that too. I usually keep mine at 1 gram per lean body mass which my LEAN body mass is about 150 lbs. Hope this helps.

    ding ding ding!

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