Needs more protein

I’ve met my calorie requirement almost everyday but my protein count is always ~50g short from the bare minimum. I should be having more than twice the amount of protein then what i usually do. Any tips?

Gyminee’s formulas are skewed towards a higher protein /lower carb diet… I supplement with protein shakes but still usually get the majority, 50-60%, of my calories from carbs; 25-30% from protein and the rest from fats. But I’m still losing fat (+20 lbs, so far) and adding muscle. I generally take On Anywhey 100% whey protein powder in 8oz of skim milk twice a day and (as workout recovery drink) which gives me 50grams of protein and 300 calories. But if you want to build muscle the 1-1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight formula is a good start but don’t be afraid to also try adjusting the protein goal downward and see what works for you.

1-1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight is definitely not a good start. That is WAY to much protein. Recent studies have show that the average person needs no more than 90 grams of protein a day in order to aid in muscle growth. 150 grams max unless you are a professional athlete or bodybuilder.

Having too much protein can have serious effects on the body in the long run.

Gyminee’s nutrition goals are set based on the recommendations of multiple nutritionists. However, it is good to point out that the same formula won’t work for every person, and you should be careful if you are drastically modifying your diet or exercise routine.

That said, one thing you can do is modify the goals to suit your own needs. To do so simply click on the goal value (under the You Ate section on your Nutrition page) and then you can put in new goal ranges.

Then what amount of protein should i aim for? and what kind of “serious effects” does eating too much protein have on you?

I’m not exactly worrying about drastically modifying my diet. I’m a tall skinny 18 year old surfer guy that is seriously trying to gain a lot of muscle weight before college. With that said, I’m pretty sure that i need to eat more protein then someone who is using Gyminee’s automatic nutrition goals and aiming to loose weight (which is what i think the nutrition goal calculator sets as the minimum recommendation). I think. If I’m wrong please correct me because, as stated above, i have been having a lot of trouble meeting even the minimum protein recommendation (if you check my profile… ignore today (6/24) it was a fluke).

Any tips would be great.

-tom

and, yes, i have protein shake coming out of my ears

Hey Tom,
I’m in the same boat. Gaining muscle mass has been very difficult. That said, I think 1.5 x mass in protein is a good way to start. Steele’s worry about too much protein is unwarranted. If you were diabetic or had serious kidney impairment, then you would have to back off the protein. But as a healthy young guy, your goal is to eat all the time.

Your current metabolic rate is sky high, that’s why it’s hard to gain weight. Don’t push too hard, just make sure you get plenty of calories and plenty of protein. The caveat is not to have too much protein at once, otherwise the body just can’t process that amount. My 2 pence.

Well that makes sense… I eat my face off and nothing happens so i assume is my rabbit like metabolism… but my main problem is actually getting the 1.5 x mass amount of protein into my diet… Its a problem i can deal with…

BUT

now I’m getting conflicting opinions on the amount of protein one should take in order to gain muscle weight. I’ve heard 1-1.2 x mass and 1.5 x mass and another that says even 1-1.2 is way too much and poses health risks…

Someone put this to rest

There is nothing wrong with eating 1.2-1.5X body mass of protein a day. Someone already posted this but unless you have a previous history of kidney or liver problems you will be fine. However, when eating lots of protein you must drink lots of water (>8 cups) because all the nitrogen in the protein must be flushed out. When if you are trying to put on muscle mass it won’t happen fast so you will have to keep up your workout and diet for at least 2 months to add true muscle mass. You should be eating 2800+ calories a day, and the best breakdown is to use 30% fat/ 30% protein/ 40% carbs. Also space out your meals, you body cannot recover all the nutrition from your food if you eat over 1000 calories in one sitting.

You are quite right lockeddor84. When you consume that much amount of protein it can be very dangerous for your kidneys. Since protein does not get stored in the body it has to go through the kidneys to exit. If you are taking more than 80g of Protein a day then you should consider supplementing with Magnesium or Potassium so your pH levels aren’t so acidic and you do not get kidney stones. (That’s what happened to me)

whoa!? kidney stones? no thankyou

should i seriously be worrying about that though?

As long as you are getting enough potassium in your diet you should be fine. Avoid any antacids or diet coke. I was only 18 when I got my kidney stones. I got them because I was exercising and losing a lot weight which takes a toll on potassium levels which I failed to replenish. So the calcium was building up in my kidneys and formed 2 calcium stones, one on each side. The first one passed, but I had to get a special operation for the 2nd one 5 months later. MOST PAINFUL THING EVER! So be careful as to how much protein you are consuming. The doctor told me that they see a lot of weight lifters and body builders because they are always consuming high amounts of protein which damages their kidneys.

So after I posted yesterday, I realized that I didn’t even address your first post. I would suggest eating more fish to get your protein. It is really low in fat for the amount of protein you get from it. Also I find that breakfast is the most important meal to focus on getting protein. Other meals lend themselves to having protein incorporated, so if you are constantly missing your goal try to get more eggs or something in the morning.

“To do so simply click on the goal value (under the You Ate section on your Nutrition page) and then you can put in new goal ranges.” – StephenB

what is he talking about?

do you need to upgrade to pro to get this feature?

what is he talking about? do you need to upgrade to pro to get this feature?

No, this isn’t a PRO feature. I probably should have been more specific. If you want to customize your nutrition goal ranges, you can do so very easily:

1. Go to your Nutrition Log page
2. The center section has the heading “You Ate,” and that is also where you can see your nutrition goals.
3. Each goal is a link (e.g., 150 to 300), and if you click on that link a window pops up that allows you to customize those values.

sweet! good to know

Im after some ideas!

I need a lot of calories and protein for my goals but im finding it hard to do without eating too much fat and carbs. Any ideas on what type of food I should be going at.

same here… reaching the fat goal is a piece of cake… literally

its the calorie and protein goals that get me every time

Protein can be picked up with steak and chicken. if you buy it wholesale it works out really cheap too.

I get my “protein”:http://www.enutriments.com from supplements, but steak, chicken, beans and tuna are all great too.