Hi all. I'm trying to get about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight for mass. For me, this would equal about 127 grams of protein per day. Now I have a question. What if I take in too much protein? One guy I work out with said I'll just "crap it back out" if it's too much, but another says I'll get sick. Which is right? I really don't want to overload it just to find out but if any veterans here can help I'd appreciate it.
-A.B.

Nothing bad will happen (assuming you have 2 functional kidneys). Enjoy the protein.

I agree... what youre taking for mass purposes doesnt seem bad...

You'll crap it out. The worst that can happen is that you'll have a hard time releaving your bowels. But even for that, you'd have to be eating a shitload in the first place, with very little of anything else.

What you're taking in is fine.

Yeah, just keep yourself hydrated. The amount you plan to take isn't very much, so if you happen to go over, it won't really matter.

You might put yourself in danger of becoming as buff as me




*cough*

It'll get broken down into glucose and/or stored as fat.

It'll get broken down into glucose and/or stored as fat.

No it won't. You'll piss it out, if you have 2 good kidneys. Your body only needs a certain amount of protein in certain times. The rest of the time it's like alchohol, minus side effects. Your body pisses out protein, and gets rid of muscle more often than anything else. It's active tissue, so the body considers it wasteful unless it's directly being used on a consistent basis. Protein does little to the rest of your body, it only effects the muscles. Your body has little use for it. On top of that, protein is harder to digest that carbohydrates or fat. So you piss out excess protein. Enjoy as much as you like, but make sure you get enough fiber, unless you like frequent bathroom visits.

The body works a lot different than when I last studied it!

Yeah, didn't you hear? The body had a vote and it turned out it would rather THROW AWAY those 4 Calories per gram than to use them.

It'll get broken down into glucose and/or stored as fat.

This is true. But protein has a lot of uses to the body before the fat storing process, i.e growth, antibodies, energy (which is why people on strict protein diets don't get fat) and then fat. I'm leaving a lot out here, I know. I'm just saying, that if you are an active person, then you really have to be consuming a large excess in protein, and carbohydrates,which by the sounds of it, this person is not. Basically an active person should be getting at least 1-1.5 grams of protein a day.

Also, if you're changing your diet and increasing your protein intake, it's still important to pay attention to your total calories in a day. If you take in excess calories, they get stored as fat.

I don't think a person pisses out extra protein.

All she's saying is that unused protein (not just for muscle growth) will be turned into fat eventually.

1-1.5 is too much to be "at least". I only take in about .8 - 1 and I've already gained 15 lbs (with heavy lifting, of course).

I personally think that is more than enough protein. I generally only supplement my diet with one shake a day(25g I think), maximum of two and I don't have any problems, I'm just over 200lbs at the moment. I also use amino acid capsules before and after a hard workout or training session.

With regard to protein metabolism and excess protein intake, basically a small amount of protein is converted to glucose (gluconeogenesis). Part of this process is the deamination of the amino acids which produces ammonia. If you have a dodgy liver and eat loads of protein then the liver may not be able to get rid of the excess ammonia and then you get very ill and die - otherwise if your liver is okay then you can eat loads of protein.

I do remember reading about someone who's sweat used to smell of ammonia and put it down to excess protein intake - it could of course also be bacteria breaking down the sweat... yuk!

1.6g per kg of bodyweight, not pound for mass. Don't forget to up your total caloric intake and not just protein. Excess protein will get excreted out, and while the body can store it as excess, the body would prefer to store complex carbohydrates and sugars for energy versus protein. Excess protein can cause Ketosis and Kidney stones if your diet isn't balanced with other foods as well being properly hydrated.

I don't think that eating protein causes ketosis. Ketosis happens when your body is using fat for energy because it has burned all of the glucose/glycogen available. Ketones are the by-product of fat metabolism, not protein metabolism. I think that your body converts protein into glucose, then metabolizes it.

The risks associated with eating too much protein that I have heard of are: getting fat from too many calories, or possible kidney damage. I have eaten ****-tons of protein per day for years and I piss liters per day, so my kidneys are still excreting fine.

Another problem of eating too much protein could result if you eat lots of high-fat and high-cholesterol animal proteins. Not good for the cardio system.

Just be sure to eat a large pizza, some doritos, and drink a liter of coke after you hit the weights.

there is some truth to what all of you are saying, the body is a dynamic constantly changing organism and can do nearly all of the things you've discussed at different times depending on what it's current state/needs are.

you should be looking at the overall picture in terms of total nutrition, and in terms of the type of training you are doing. if you aren't lifting big, and trying to build big muscles then you shouldn't be on the 1g per lb that you mention, (2.2g/kilo in fact) ratio that bodybuilders use.

i weight 82 kilos and train hard including heavy weights and in "build" phase, i.e. strength training etc my protein calcs come out at 152gm. 20% more than you at double the bodyweight.

up-to-date thinking is that you would be better off having slightly less protein than you need than too much on a regular basis if you are concerned about longetivity as protein overload does stress the liver to deal with it, and can contribute towards a variety of problems.

the point about protein is that your body can only process relatively small amounts at any one time, so large doses are always wasteful as your body can only cope with a trickle feed. it does also leech enzymes and vitamins & minerals out of your body to process excess on it's way through.

your protein requirements should be somewhere in the 87gm (maintenance) to 100gm (muscle build) range for your weight. (...i'm assuming you are female also :)

if anyone wants a comprehensive excel spreadsheet to calculate personal requirements using current ACSM thinking (cals, protein, fats, carbs etc) plus HR training zones, VO2max and more, PM me your email and i'll send it to you.