How much is too much protein?...Please help...
 

Hello Again,
Could you help me with this? My wife seems very concerned with my protein intake. She just sent me the following info...From my prev post, you now know that I am now 258lbs & work out pretty hard (8-12 sets of exercise per muscle group -working out 5 days per week) along with 40-45 minutes of cardio daily. My current diet yields ~160 gms protein per day & I feel that I will even up that(to increase my calories among other things). Could you shoot me a link or give me something that I can send her? I would love to hear your thoughts...

Thx,
Spike

...Here is what she sent:

here seems to be a lot of discussion now about how much protein we should
be eating.
I know The Zone and Dr. Atkins' diet push a much higher percentage of
protein in our daily intake than you do.
What's wrong with eating a lot of protein?
-- Anonymous





(Published 9/4/97) Proteins are large, complex, nitrogenous compounds built
of chains of amino acids. Protein forms
the building blocks of muscles, blood, skin, hair, nails and internal
tissues. Enzymes are proteins that orchestrate
all biological reactions in the cells. Protein is great. But we get plenty
of protein in a normal Western diet.

As little of two ounces (60 grams) of a protein-rich food is enough for
most of us. Most people in the Western world
eat at least four ounces at every meal. But biochemical researcher Barry
Sears, who wrote "The Zone," thinks Americans
are protein deficient. He recommends 30 percent protein in every meal as
part of a program that professes to help you
lose weight permanently, achieve your best athletically, prevent disease
and pump up your mental capabilities.

The reason these kinds of high-protein diets work -- at least temporarily
-- is because all that protein is forcing
he kidneys to get rid of urea, a toxic breakdown product of protein
metabolism, and pump lots of water from the body
into the urinary tract. So much of the weight loss is simply water loss.
While this is going on, however, you're also
losing minerals from your body, including calcium from your bones.

If you're eating more protein than your body needs to repair tissue, it's
burned as a fuel.
Unfortunately, protein is both an inefficient fuel and a dirty fuel. It's
inefficient because you have to
expend more energy to take protein molecules apart than to break down
carbohydrates and fats, because they're
more complicated in structure. It's dirty because protein contains
nitrogen. Instead of just producing carbon dioxide
and water, burning protein produces nitrogenous residues that not only are
irritating to the immune system
and toxic to the liver, but also put a big workload on the kidneys.

High-protein diets may cause fatigue, digestive strain and aggravation of
allergies and autoimmune diseases.

I've never seen anyone in the United States develop protein deficiency,
even on very low protein diets.
You would know if you were protein deficient because your hair and nails
would stop growing and
wounds would not heal. Unless you're recovering from a serious illness or
injury, or are a nursing mother
or a young child, you don't need extra protein.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, Protein Power has charts for calculating your minimum daily protein requirement based on height, activity level, whether you are male or female, etc.

For example, my minimum requirement is 9 ounces of protein per day. Not a lot. Do I eat that little protein? Not usually.

I prefer to look at this WOE as a low-carb, not a high protein WOE. I eat the way I always have. The only difference is I removed the carbs. Just like anything else we get our hands on, this WOE can be abused. Balance is the key.

I just love that water weight thing that is repeated ad nauseum. So, I lost 50 lbs. of water?:D :D :D

Did you look at Tinakaye's page?

Karen

Bah if you look at it that way with the human body is what 98 percent water?

I am NOT FAT, I AM RETAINING TOO MUCH WATER!

:D

Yup I checked it out...
 

Yup, I checked out Tinakaye's page...She looks great -congrats to her!!...I am working on increasing my fat & veggies (yuck -haha). Instead of my Can-o-Tuna, I had my tuna in some lettuce with blue cheese dressing....Is this better? (haha) ;)
Thanks again,
Spike

Re: Yup I checked it out...
 

Much better Spike! Repeat when hungry. ;)

Karen

Re: How much is too much protein?...Please help...
 

Who wrote the piece of information you quoted? What are his/her credentials? What studies have been cited as support for these claims? What is the evidence for the author's assertions?

I teach first year university English. My aim is to teach my students to write essays that present a balanced, thoughtful argument, quoting reputable authorities and presenting a critical analysis in order to persuade the reader of the validity of their claims.

If one of my students handed in the article you've just posted, they'd get a failing grade. No evidence whatsoever is presented in support of the argument. Why should I believe a word of it?

If you're looking for evidence to show your wife that low-carbing is safe, there are lots of studies posted on this site. Click "Studies" on the red bar on top of this page.

Rachel

Get in there Rache,Doberman Mines is on the case;)

Grrrr, snarl, slaver......

Doberman

Spike, love that logo of yours :)

Wa'il

I know! I nearly cracked up when I saw the Pillsbury Doughboy with a SERIOUS 'fro happening! Too funny. But, what I want to know, Spike .... Do you giggle when someone pokes your belly? .. ;)

Doreen

Hey! Defamation of Dobermans!

Rachel is a...a...a...a pit-bull! Or, a Jack Russell Terrier? ;)

Rachel "the Jack" Mines? LOL!

Karen

thx...
 

thanks...Yeah, I unfortunately think that the Doughboy is appropriate right now:D ...giggle-giggle (quit poking me)
Spike

new member
 

always looking for advice and guidance in my quest for low carb satisfying meals. Have been doing PP program for about two years now. Although in the last few months have strayed a bit. There are so many programs and theories out there at the moment, so much material to absorb. Lately I have been going along with the method that if you consume carbs make sure they are natural, (fresh vegies,cooked or raw). Never eat them on thier own always with protien which they say slows down the absorbtion causing spiking of my insulin. Being hypoglycemic I try to eat more smaller meals each day which limit the carbs and always include protien. I always on the look out for different receipies. I'm in a race walking program so it is important to keep my strength up while dropping those nagging pounds that like me so much they want to stay. Is there anyone else out thier doing the same with ideas on nutrition. Would appreciate hearing from you. bye for now.

Maybe so for people who are not physically active, or trying to build muscle.



I sorry, but how is having the body work harder (burning calories) to digest protein a bad thing?

It’s unfortunate that there is so much misinformation floating around. Is it any wonder why nutrition, dieting, and exercise can be so confusing to the masses. Lucky for us, we have boards, such as this one, to present such information and maybe get a consensus on things.

Hi Karen, you posted that your minimum protein requirement is 9 ounces -- is that about 255 grams? I'm just curious b/c if I did my PP calculations right, I only need 95 grams. Does something seem odd to you about my math? Eep!