Too much protein?? HELP!
 

Hi- although I have been doing Atkins for five weeks, I have also been reading PP. I have the one published in 1996. I calculated my lean body weight and came up with a minimum of 66 grams of protein a day. My concern is that looking at my fitday logs shows I am way above that! I am trying to keep total calories to 10-12 times my current body weight. Am also trying to keep fat/protein/carb ratios proportional (fat 65-70%) but my protein is 80 to an all time high of 120 grams! eek. should I be adjusting differently? Atkins doesn't really say anything about protein amounts. Any help would be really appreciated! Leslie

Doesn't seem a concern...?
 

From what I understand, your numbers don't seem alarming. UNLESS you had kidney problems or other issues related to protein consumption.

AND...if you are exercising at all...in particular with weights, then the added protein is necessary (I hit 177 grams today, but I am working out daily).

The 66 grams is MINIMUM required to simply maintain your body as it is.

-- Loretta

Loretta- I do weight training for an hour twice a week, cardio on a treadmill at quick pace for 30 minutes 4-5 times a week. Thanks for getting back to me! Leslie

Leslie, 120g is no where near "too much" - don't be alarmed! The amount of protein you'd have to eat to hit that 'excessive' mark would blow your mind - and render you very, very full ;)

60g a day is considere the bare minimum a sedentary woman should eat daily. I routinely eat 175-190g a day, to give you an example.

If you're lifting heavy weights, and particularly if you're doing high intensity cardio, you can (and often should) eat 1g of protein per lb of current body weight.

HTH
Nat

hello nat,

I looked through your food journals and noticed that you eat ALOT of chicken wings.
Do you buy large packages of them and cook them every day or so to have on hand? Or do you work at a chicken restaurant?
:D

Ruth, in FREEEEEZING OHIO!!!

I love reading these posts and finding the answers to questions I'm asking myself as well.

I have been alarmed at the amount of fat grams and the fact that I'm running an average of about 170 grams of protein a day, but after looking at some of the food journals of other members, and reading the posts here, I'm beginning to feel even better about this program.

I have word from a very reliable and trusted medical resercher and writer (can't say his name), that your body can't use more than 20 g. of protein per meal. That means that if you eat more than 20 g. per meal, it will be stored in your body. So, good rule of thumb to follow, no more than 20 g., at about 5 meals/snacks per day. That equals 100 mg per day for the average person. More than that and your taxing your body, and storing the extra.
Carole
:)

Hmmm... I'm confused by that statement. It can't be 20 g across the board. Bigger, taller people would need more than shorter, petite people. Someone who weight trains and has a lot of muscle mass would need more protein, also. It is true that excess protein can be converted to glucose, but that metabolic pathway works very slowly. As Nat pointed out, it would be practically impossible to eat that much protein in one sitting.

Also, is there any published evidence that more than a certain amount of protein harms the body? "Taxing" is different from "harming." Cardiovascular exercise "taxes" your heart, but only those who have cardiac damage need to avoid it.

this simply isn't true. As you eat more protein your body adapts to eating more protein. The ultimate "maximum" you can handle is going to vary from day to day and individula t individual - a body builder with 170 lbs of LBM is going to be able to put away a lot more protein per serving than say, me, with 135 lbs :)

But 20g is by no means the cut off. The commonly touted 30g a serving isn't either.

Just to further clairify, those of eating LC are not using calories in the same way as those who eat High Carb - fat is our primary fuel and insulin is kept regulated. Protein is not used for fuel, primarily, but can be used to create glucose by the body when it is needed - this happens more when you LC because a certain amount is required to keep the body going / healthy. Excess protein would not be 'stored' - it would be excreted.

And Kristine is right - insiting that this is taxing your body is akin to saying cardiovascular exercise is bad for you because it makes your heart pump faster / harder.

Nat