High-protein diets are trendy, but how much protein do you really need? (reduce, bodybuilding)

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by Pyewackette

I have a protein drink in the morning, because I don't like meat and since I became diabetic I've had to cut back on my rice/legume and milk intake - which is where I got most of my protein in the past.

It has 30g of protein, 100 calories, and only 5g of carbs. I tried increasing my meat intake. I'd rather just not eat than eat that much meat. So the protein drink is now my main source of protein. But its just the one, in the morning, and sometimes I skip it anyway.

All these fads have gone around the block multiple times in human history. Low carb. The blood type diet. High protein. Atkins - the guy died of a heart attack and he was overweight and people STILL think drinking bacon grease is where its at. (OK being a LITTLE facetious, but still ...)

Just eat a variety of things and stop obsessing about it. Americans DO eat way more protein than they actually need, even without the body-building nonsense. Drop pop (even the sugar free variety is connected to health problems, including increased chance of developing type 2 diabetes, avoid sugary things, eschew fast food. You'll be better for it.

This fad will pass - and then it'll come around again. A bunch of stories about kidney damage due to excess protein intake will pop up and make it unpopular for awhile, and then people will forget and the diet hucksters will start pushing it again, then the cycle will repeat again.

A balanced diet would be about 50% carbs, 30% fats, and only 20% protein. If you're in that ballpark, you're golden. If you're not diabetic or prediabetic, you can go up to 65% carbs and still be golden. Obviously adjusting the fats and protein downward, but not less than 10% protein or 20% fats. Honestly, I doubt I achieve 10% protein these days, but its the best I can do given a near-aversion to meat and the fact that I can't turn to legumes and rice in high enough quantities any more to make up the difference.

Hence, the protein shake. But most people don't need such things if they can otherwise eat normally.

If you are diabetic or prediabetic, you'll need to limit yourself to 40 to 60g of carb max per meal, some people do better with less. But if you are NOT in that group, restricting your carbs that much is not only unnecessary, its potentially dangerous to your health. Your brain needs the sugars from breaking down carbs. Your body needs carbs for a lot of reasons. Cutting carbs in favor of pumping proteins up to ridiculous intake levels puts you at risk for a host of other problems.

Moderation is the key.

Actually I need to start making more stir fry with tofu, but I so often don't feel like cooking these days. So the protein shake most mornings is likely to be with me for awhile.

I totally agree with your post. People eat way too much protein. Too many "fad diets." I myself have blood sugar issues so stick to the 40 to 60 g of carbs per meal. I watch the sugars. I think those who avoid all carbs are doing themselves a disservice. Kind of like the the fads with exercise and weight training. We are made to move and do MODERATE exercise - not kill ourselves at the gym and gorge on protein.

[Airborneguy]

While I will always disagree with you on the matter, I can at least understand arguing the merits of intense fitness routines. Calling that sort of workout a "fad" is wildly off base though considering intense fitness routines have always been around, going back thousands of years to the training regimens of warriors.

[Chicago South Sider]

Originally Posted by gypsychic

I totally agree with your post. People eat way too much protein. Too many "fad diets." I myself have blood sugar issues so stick to the 40 to 60 g of carbs per meal. I watch the sugars. I think those who avoid all carbs are doing themselves a disservice. Kind of like the the fads with exercise and weight training. We are made to move and do MODERATE exercise - not kill ourselves at the gym and gorge on protein.

How is weight training a fad? There's nothing wrong with being fit and strong. Maybe an old woman like you is better suited for moderate exercise but that doesn't mean we all are.

[villageidiot1]

Originally Posted by gypsychic

I totally agree with your post. People eat way too much protein. Too many "fad diets." I myself have blood sugar issues so stick to the 40 to 60 g of carbs per meal. I watch the sugars. I think those who avoid all carbs are doing themselves a disservice. Kind of like the the fads with exercise and weight training. We are made to move and do MODERATE exercise - not kill ourselves at the gym and gorge on protein.

So you come to an exercise and fitness forum and make the statement, "We are made to move and do MODERATE exercise - not kill ourselves at the gym..." You do realize the majority of people coming to this forum are looking on advice on how to improve their fitness? Very few people are killing themselves at the gym. The majority of people who exercise and go to gyms will benefit from exercising harder and smarter. I know that applies to me and I'm probably in better shape than at least 95% of the people my age.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by Chicago South Sider

How is weight training a fad? There's nothing wrong with being fit and strong. Maybe an old woman like you is better suited for moderate exercise but that doesn't mean we all are.

This "old woman" is in better shape than most I know or see that are half my age. I eat and drink moderately of anything I want and do daily moderate workouts. I still have more visible muscle tone than most men that are my age.

[riaelise]

I consume probably less than 100g of protein a day. *shrugs* I dunno, most of the days of the week, I eat 1500-1600 calories, which is not a lot, so I can only pack so much protein in there. My diet also happens to naturally be more carb based (probably 50% of total calories consumed).

I do lift, though not in the league of some folks in this topic. I think if I consumed more, particularly protein, I'd have more bulk. Strength? Maybe or maybe not. It's hard to eat more when you've been conditioned to eat less (courtesy of dieting). Also I'm not that much of a meat eater :/ Don't get me wrong, I love it, but just don't eat a lot of it....

I'm ok at the moment.

[LJudy9872]

I think it entirely depends on your goals. Someone who is really trying to put on muscle may eat a gram for every pound of body weight.

[RMESMH]

In late June (IIRC) of 2018 I set a target of 1220-1470 calories a day, and I've only missed that target a few times since.

With what I'm eating, that breaks down to:

320 calories from carbs

460 - 610 calories from fat

440 - 540 calories from protein (so 110 - 135 grams of protein a day)

(and 1440 -1940 mg of sodium overall)

______________________________

Before May or so, I was counting calories, and trying to be conscious of eating more protein as a percentage of calories than the other times I've set out to lose weight.

I'm 6' 3 1/4", I weigh 193, and I was born in the second half of the baby boom.

The least I've weighed as an adult is 167, and the most is 281 (the latter in the mid 2000s)

The least I've weighed since the mid 2000s is 179, and the most is 252.

I've lost 59 lbs since March of 2017, with 18 more to go before I hit my goal.

I'm amazed re how much fat I'm losing (especially during the last 13 lbs of loss), and I think I may end up with more definition than at any other time after age 25.

When I get to my goal (or fairly soon afterwards) I'll get my bloodwork done, and I may also get a body (fat %) composition test as well.

[guidoLaMoto]

Look at it this way: --people in renal or liver failure can't handle normal amounts of dietary protein, so they are prescribed a 40 gm protein diet-- that's the bare minimum to keep a sedentary person just barely immunocompetent and to prevent wasting of muscle mass. (It's a huge problem on the intensive care unit to get enough protein into a debilitated patient to keep his immune system up to snuff.)



Sixty gm protein daily is considered healthy for the classic 70 kg person (154 lb) to allow for stress to the immune system and normal activity.



Skeletal muscle is essentially all protein, so if you're trying to build muscle, you need the minimum of 40 gm plus one gram (probably a smidge more) for every gm of muscle you are building each day. Don't forget, building muscle involves first tearing the muscle down, so you really need the extra protein to make any gains.



If you're trying to build muscle, insulin is considered a "protein sparing" hormone-- eat carbs to stimulate insulin secretion and therefore avoid tearing down muscle to use protein as an energy source.



Flax and cannabis seeds are the only existing plant sources of complete protein (ie- all 20+amino acids needed by humans are present). All animal flesh is complete protein. To get enough protein from a plant only diet involve "mixing & matching" plant sources to cover all the eight essential (can't be synthesized by humans) amino acids. A diet of corn, rice and beans will do it, but you'd need to eat over 3000 cal worth of those foods to get just 60 gm of protein.

[Mikala43]

I exercise pretty strenuously and try for 100g of protein a day (I weigh 120). I'm not fond of meat, so I drink a protein shake after workouts, and a protein bar later. I'm also pre-diabetic and the additional protein seems to help with my blood sugar numbers.