Am I eating too much protein?

I am currently bulking with 3300 calories 40/40/20 macros. So basically everyday I am eating 330 grams of protein (I am only 145 pounds). I know that 1-1.5 grams of protein is what is recommended per pound of body weight, that would mean that I should consume on average 145-205 grams of protein.

Question is, am i eating too much protein?…the way that I am eating now is working though, I am gaining 1-2 pounds of weight per week…… But, I am just wondering that if I lower my protein and increase carbs would I have better results (more muscle gains ,less fat gains for example)??

I do think that this is too much. I don’t know how much of an impact it would have on performance. I just don’t think that we need much more than 1 gram per pound of LBM. Because you’re bulking and doing lots of work you could likely go up to 1.5 grams per pound of LBM. But, anything above that is just overkill. You’re teaching your body to use protein as a fuel source….and you really don’t want that.

I look at protein sort of like a carpenter looks at wood. You need to have enough wood to build your house. But, having too much just means extra trips to the dump…..

With regards to carb intake, you need to test that yourself. If I up carbs, I gain fat. I keep carbs at 25-30% to maintain and 15-20% to lose fat. It really depends upon your body type.

I was thinking to change my macros to 50c/30p/20f. I would think that adding more carbs will give me more energy for workouts although I could be wrong. I certainly do not want to gain more fat than what I am already gaining.

Also what does the body do with the extra protein that is not used? Does it get stored as fat? or does it go down the toilet?

From what I understand, It’s not really the excess protein but the excess calories. If a large percent of the excess calories are in the form of protein, then it can get stored as fat. You do get a small benefit from the fact that storing protein as fat does in itself burn calories.

But what happens with the excess protein that the body does not use? (with out going over your maintenance calories).

Lets say my maintenance calories is 3000 calories, meaning that as long as i don’t go over 3000 calories I wont gain fat…but I only need 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight…this means that my body can utilize about 150 grams of protein…..BUT, what if i eat 300 grams of protein WITHOUT going over 3000 calories…what happens to the extra protein? It does not get stored as FAT??

Make sure you’re getting enough water/fiber in your diet to prevent constipation and from what I’ve heard maybe even kidney stones

Hmmm “what does a body do with extra protein” Our goal when eating to increase lean body mass is to increase nitrogen retention within our muscles. Unfortunately this is VERY different depending on a persons body type. The bulk of my protein is consumed 30-45 minutes before and after my workouts …. this insures my body utilizes the calories …… hope this helps

coolmarine24, if you are not over maintenance calories your body will burn that extra protein for energy. This gets your body accustomed to using protein as fuel.

Don’t forget that carbs have a huge impact on your hormonal profile. To maximize testosterone and growth hormone you need to eat a certain amount of carbs. Also, carbs minimize catabolism and sex binding hormones. These are all good things.

Different people have different responses to the macros. But, I really believe that most people think that they are the exception when they really aren’t. Most people are going to respond best to having sufficient amounts of each of the macros. I love the ratios that are on the site. 40/30/30 seems to work really well. It’s my opinion….just my opinion…that this is as low carb as most people should go.

chaddukes thanks, I am started doing 50c/30/p/20f this week, I feel a lot fuller doing this I hope I won’t gain too much weight this week (still eating same amount of cals). Usually every week I have been gaining 0.5-1lbs. I guess I will find out at the end of this week how much I’ll gain (or lose)

Because you’re upping your carbs you’ll likely gain a little bit of water weight. So, if you see an extra pound or three this week don’t be shocked.

if i see an extra pound or three this week does that mean that I will see the same next week therefore i should lower cals?

When you add carbs you’ll add some water weight. You shouldn’t continue to see additional water weight unless you again up the carbs.

For instance. I shoot for 200g of carbs per day while on a big deficit. If I go over and hit say 250g I’ll see no loss. If I eat 250g the next day I will see a loss. If I lower to 150g I’ll see a big loss. If I eat 150g the next day I’ll see a smaller loss.

So, I’d expect to see you gain a few pounds this week, and likely there will be no additional gain (from water) the following week.

Think of it like this. Carbs are like little water sponges. And the more carbs you have in your system the more water you’ll retain. A lot of the initial weight loss on diets like Atkins is water weight.

I guess carbs are like sodium then……….

Yes, except that there is a lot more glucose in your body than sodium.

by the way I know that with Sodium the recommended daily intake for an average person is 2400mg….but what about for very active people/athletes..they do sweat a lot more than the average person…do you know what is an OK amount of Sodium intake for then?? double that? 4800? or is it still 2400?

Coolmarine24, et. al. There is a pretty good, and seemingly objective, discussion about the amount of protein we need. . .lifters, or not. . .check it out. I adjusted my protein intake way down after doing a lot of research on it a few weeks back. This site was one that I found useful. There is also a lot of talk in vegetarian/vegan circles that we don’t need as much as we think either.

http://www.dietitian.com/protein.html

It’s like calories in general. Everything I ever read in lifting forums says I should eat AT LEAST 2500 calories a day. But for me, at 5’6" and (when at a good weight) 145 pounds, that is an insane amount of calories. I almost never NEED to eat that much food. It makes me fat!

Good luck, and stay healthy. . .

Paddy

That research has been so debunked! The funny thing is that the dietician states, “I guess the body builders just don’t want to listen to research,” and then cites a 30 year old research study. Well, I guess they don’t want to listen to research either because all of their thirty year old studies have been thoroughly debunked in the last ten years.

Read Alan Aragon’s research review for the actual research.

I will never trust anything ever said by an American DIetician.

@paddymcpaddy, that goes against all recent research that has been done.

if you are training alot then 2500 is not that much and for a male sounds about right to me….if you are looking to gain muscle you should be eating alot more.

I have read that Vegetarians don’t need as much protein because the protein obtained from vegetarian sources is more easily processed by the body than protein obtained from animal sources.

From what I’ve seen, vegetarians can build perfectly fine muscles obtaining 0.7g protein per pound of bodyweight. Meat eaters seem to do find on 1.0g protein per pound of body weight. I have seen people advocate huge amounts of protein and having to consume protein shortly after or before a workout, but have seen research and results that show that approach may not be necessary, even if some people have found it helpful.

In my opinion, the best role of a protein shake, or other liquid calories, is to help someone gaining mass obtain adequate calories without having to constantly eat food, all day long. And to that end, I agree with nikkiboi that 2500 calories sounds low for a male who is attempting to gain muscle. Most men I know who are lean and trying to gain muscle eat 3000-4000 calories per day.

http://lookinggoodmom.blogspot.com

Welp. I look at it this way. I eat around 4000-5000 calories a day. Yesterday, I had 520grams of protein, more than what my body can use but it’s better than 520 grams of fat or 520 grams of carbs.

I definitely think you can eat too much protein. Not that your kidney will shut down, but its just a waste. But, the American Dieticians have it all wrong. Just ask Cassandra Forsythe!

I was just about to post almost the exact same question coolmarine. I am taller than your, but I don’t weigh much (5’ 11’’ 157 lbs). I’ve been doing around 3000-3500 calories a day with a 50c 25p 25f breakdown for 6 weeks and have gained about 1 lb a week with not much body fat increase (if my meter is even close to being consistent).

I’ve read lots of places that a 40 40 20 breakdown is better, but 40% protein would put me in excess of 300g a day, which concerns me. I have a pretty high metabolism, so I figured the higher carb macro wouldn’t be a problem. I am a beginner lifter (as in started 5 weeks ago) but I guess I’ll stick with what is working for me right now.

eek! poor you everyone is helping but it’s so much info!! I have consulted a nutitonist/physical trainer/holistic pratitioner all in one and i refer to a health nut body builder friend constantly for all my fitness whoas.

Firstly eat 30% fat from natural sources like olives/oil/ nuts, seeds and if you have to eat 25% but your brain and spinal cord is made of fat and you need fat to function 20% is just too low!! I realize we are all obsessed with fat intake here but getting enough regularly ensures your body won’t try to store it.

As for carbs 40-50% (50% on heavy cardio days is fine) but remember vegetation is carbs and so are nuts and legumes!!! eat most of your carbs from them and you wont have a problem. eat the rest as WHOLE GRAINS and NOT SUGARS! Almost everyone feels/knows we are over proteined here in North America but alot of research shows that eating as much as 30% turns us into more optimal fuel burners. Too much of a good thing will turn into well too much of a good thing there is lots of good advice here. Carbs are evil when they are twinkies and white pasta. but who can argue squash, spinach, apples??? Get one-two servings of fruit, 8 servings of veggies, a couple whole grains and you are not gonna see a weight gain. all that vegetation will keep your system flushed out!

Sodium—we get enough in the natural foods we eat there is no need to ingest extra!!! I just had a physical last month and the doctor said i was the healthiest client she has. all my blood tests were off the chart exceptional.

Calories you really need to eat more if you are seriously body building. You’ll have to research the numbers on how much you intake and output but more knowledge people on that front have already offered their advice here. You may gain more at first but it will come back off over time as your body gets used to it and thanks you for it.

It’s confusing but it’s not rocket science it just takes time to sift through all the research, advice and opinions.

Get one-two servings of fruit, 8 servings of veggies, a couple whole grains and you are not gonna see a weight gain. all that vegetation will keep your system flushed out

You can get just as fat off of fruit and veggies as you can on twinkies and pizza.

Almost everyone feels/knows we are over proteined here in North America

Huh? The most often asked question on this forum is, “How do I get my protein up.” We are far from over proteined. But, American Dieticians have this flawed and antiquated theory that we should only eat just barely enough protein to avoid wasting!

Did you know that the amount of protein reccommended by the USRDA was derived by studying the amount of protein that people in developing countries needed to avoid wasting! Seriously. The maximum amount that they think you should eat is the minimum to avoid wasting? That makes no sense!